Tip of the month

Uneven lies

I often get asked about the adjustments in stance and set-up that are needed to handle those dreaded uneven lies we all encounter on the course.

Ball above feet

Typically, if the ball is above the feet the ball will tend to hook to the left. This is due to the flatter swing plane and resulting over-rotation of the forearms through impact. The first adjustment is to grip a little further down the club to prevent hitting the ball “fat”. Putting the ball back in the stance helps prevent this too. There are two ways of playing this type of shot. The simple solution is to aim a little right and allow for the slight hook. The second method (ideally suited for the advanced player) is to reduce the rotation of the forearms through impact, thereby preventing the clubface from pointing left at the moment of impact.
It is worth noting that practising shots from this type of lie is an excellent way of feeling a more “rounded” golf swing if you tend to slice the ball!

Ball below feet

This type of lie is so frustrating for the slicer as it will tend to highlight the lack of clubface rotation through impact, sending the ball even further right than normal! The answer is to bend the knees more to help reach the ball, aim a little further to the left. Remember to take plenty of club as this shot will not travel as far as normal. Taking more club should encourage you to swing smoothly; losing balance whilst trying to play this shot is quite common amongst amateurs! The advanced player may want to try aiming straight at the target for this shot, ensuring that the forearms rotate through impact, squaring the face to the target.

Uphill lie

This shot will tend to fly a little higher and with a slight draw as it is difficult to transfer weight into the left side (for right handed golfers). To offset this, aim a little right and take an extra club.

Downhill lie

No surprise, it is the exact opposite of the uphill lie! The ball will tend to fly lower, so less club is necessary and aim a little left to offset the expected fade as the weight shifts more easily to the left and remember to swing down the slope!

The key to all shots from sloping lies is to swing easy and in balance!!

Come and have a lesson, individual prices start from £30.00 call 020 8864 2020 to book.

PREPARE:  BEFORE YOU PLAY – LINE UP YOUR BALL

You will have seen many, if not all Tour Professionals, have a line drawn on their golf ball which assists them when lining up putts. This line is put on with a permanent marker (sharpies seem to be the best) and you either attempt to draw the line yourself or use a “Line them up tool” which makes life a lot easier.

GET THE BIGGER PICTURE

As you approach the green, take a mental note of its general shape. Is it sloping toward your ball? Away from it? Does the green fall off on one side? These larger features will take priority over smaller breaks when determining how your ball will roll. Keep a close eye on what your approach shot did when it rolled on the green, this will also help when deciding on the break your putt might take.

SPEED

Check from all sides to see if the putt is uphill or downhill. Simply walking up and down the length of the put will enable you to fell the undulations of the green under your feet.

BREAK

Once you have a pretty good idea of the speed of the putt, squat down behind your ball with your eyes as level as possible. Look from your ball to the hole and determine which side of your line is the high side and which side is the low side. After you’ve determined which side is high and which is low, walk over to the low side (the direction toward which the ball will curve) and take a look up the slope. This will give you a much better idea of the severity of the slope than just looking from your ball to the hole. Keep in mind that break is more important the closer you get to the hole, because your ball will be traveling more slowly and thus will be more affected by the break as it nears the cup.

LINE UP YOUR BALL

Once you have decided on the break of your putt pick out a spot about four feet in front of your ball that is on the line you think the ball is going to take.
Position your ball, with the line you put on it earlier, pointing directly at the spot you have chosen. Align your putter at right angles to the line on the ball which means you will now be aiming exactly on the line you have chosen

VISUALISE

Now that you’ve determined the distance, speed and break of your putt, create a picture of your ball rolling to and falling into the hole. On left-to-right putts, the ball must enter the hole left of center, and on right-to-left putts the ball must enter right of center. Speed determines direction, so on a downhill putt, you need to hit the ball softer, which means the ball will be more affected by the break. On an uphill putt, you need to hit the ball harder, which means that your ball will be less affected by the break. A few practice swings visualising the ball rolling into the hole are invaluable.

HOLD THE FINISH

After your stroke is completed hold the posture and position of the follow through, and  keep looking down until the ball is well on its way. Looking up too early is not going to help you in any way. Most putts are missed through moving the body out of position through the stroke so stay down and hold that follow through. On most short putts Professionals don’t even see the ball drop into the hole but instead wait till they hear it hitting the bottom of the cup.

Best of luck with your putting

Paul O’Brien
PGA Golf Professional
Playgolf
Northwick Park

 

It was refreshing today to go to our great short game centre to give a lesson, only to find that all the greens were in use! So often, players come to practise their driving and the short game is often ignored. After playing a round of golf, have you ever counted the number of full swings against the number of putts, chips, pitches etc? You may be surprised! For many people who play at Northwick, there will be 11 full swings (assuming no disasters!) and at least 18 (for level par) short shots!
Mastering the short game is relatively easy; it just takes a little bit of know-how, coupled with a bit of practice! Short game lessons are often the most rewarding for a coach as the pupil learns the basics required to turn three shots into two or one.
The facilities here provide us with an excellent opportunity for us to coach all aspects of the short game, giving you the know-how and therefore the opportunity to lower your scores; often quite significantly!

Here are a few tips; I hope they will help…

Equipment

Clubs
For a reasonably good ball striker, the introduction of a gap wedge is absolutely essential for shots under 125 yards. I would recommend gaps of no more than 5 degrees in between wedges. Having just a sand wedge at 56 degrees and a pitching wedge with 46-47 degrees of loft leaves potentially a 20 yard gap between clubs…way too much!
Modern speciality wedges, such as Cleveland and Titleist provide so much spin and control around the greens! I would be lost without my Vokey!
And don’t forget to keep those grooves clean if you want the ball to stop, particularly as the greens begin to dry out!
Balls
Softer balls, such as Titleist’s Pro V1 may not be ideal for the player with a big slice or the player searching for distance, but the feel and spin they provide around the green are fantastic and therefore are the choice of world’s best players.
One final word of advice……..We are all faced on occasion with that tricky shot over a deep bunker to a tight pin….The trick is not to “see” the bunker! Pick the shot you want to play and “believe”! It works!
The PGA professionals at Northwick Park are always on hand to provide advice on all aspects of your game. To book your short game lesson now, just call 020 8422 6697 or ask at Reception. We are here to help your game!

The seminar at Northwick Park was attended by a mix of both men and women who ranged from 5 handicap to those just beginning.
The evening started with an introduction as to why the mental game is important. Jamie asked the group to write down their current handicap and question what would be possible if they had an extraordinary summer where adding some mental skills could improve their time and scores on the course.
When asked what percentage of improvement would be attributed to their thinking skills the number ranged from 30% to as high as 95%. Yet as with many golfers they were still unaware of what “it” is? “It” being as important as up to 95% of their improvement in a year.
It started with a statement of “Positive Thinking is a lie!” which some in the group found to be strange coming from someone who helps people in sports and business to improve thinking. Jamie showed how both positive and negative thinking are both lies and that we should remain neutral.
After introducing the group to a new mindset around their short game the whole evening was about thinking differently. Not many players focus on this part of the game. They want to keep working

on driver and long irons.  But they know that short game is where scores come down.  Jamie referred to this as the Mental Antidote.

“Your Wedges are the bridge between your long game and getting the ball in the hole.  You have to learn to love those shots.  A mid to high handicapper could have as many as 10 to 12 wedge shots in a round.  You better be good with them” Jamie says.

What was meant to be two hours extended to 2 and a half as Jamie gave drill after drill and concepts that could be used immediately.
One of the representatives from Middlesex Golf Union said that she could get a 30 min lesson for £20 but for the same price she has had a 2 hour seminar. “It’s the best £20 I have spent on my golf and will have the most impact.” She said.

Look out for the next seminar at Northwick Park with Jamie and a series of Mental Game Group Lessons taking the theory onto the golf course.

Call 0208 864 2020 to put your name down for the next session.

“In Nandos about to order two whole chickens… You wanna hit big you gotta eat big!!” Words taken from a young Englishman called Joe Miller; the world’s first ever European Long Driving Champion.

Joe broke the world record for ball speed at 225mph in the 2010 Re/Max Final, managing also to break his toe and do muscle damage to his foot. Despite not being able to complete his six shots in the Final, his first attempt of 414yrds was not only the longest drive on world record, but was also achieved with the largest ever winning margin at 43yrds.

When recently asked about his future plans by Today’s Golfer, Joe comments: “My main focus is on introducing long drive to the UK and the rest of Europe because it’s still new to everyone over here. We are trying to build awareness.”

Amongst his friends and competitors Joe assumes the nickname “The Total Package”, fitness instructor by trade, Joe can consume more than 8000 calories a day… and as his twitter followers will know – he likes his food.

For more information on Joe, head to
facebook.com/JoeMillerLDC

When was the last time you finished a game with the same ball as you started with?
By improving your course management skills you can cut a substantial amount of shots from your score.

•    Play Smart:
Playing smart and controlling your emotions are a large part of good golf course management. By not abandoning a game plan and focusing on each shot, you can become a consistent player.

•    One Shot at a Time:
Many golfers make the error of thinking about upcoming shots and lose their concentration on the shot about to be played, causing a poor result. The mistake then gets compounded when he tries to recover with a shot that is well beyond his ability.

•    Get The Best From Yourself:
It is important to realise your limitations, understand which clubs you have a good feel for and which you need to work on, and then use this knowledge on the course. Realise that you cannot duplicate the shots that you have seen professionals make on television and don’t let your ego dictate your next move on the course.

•    Have a Game Plan:
Try to have a tangible target for every shot you take on the course. Rather than hitting the ball towards the green and hoping it lands somewhere that gives you a decent chance at an approach, you need to plan for the hole.

•    Course Knowledge:
Once you have become acquainted with a course and have a good concept of where it is advantageous to be on each of its holes, pick out targets in the background to aim for. Know where the hazards are, especially the “blind” ones that cannot be seen from the fairway, and have targets chosen that can keep you clear of them. One of the key aspects of golf course management is hitting shots that make your next shot less difficult. Rather than try to hit at a flagstick on a green, it is sometimes advisable to hit to a spot that gives you an uphill putt at the hole or keeps the ball away from a bunker. Having a target in mind during a shot can help you to achieve these goals.

•    Be Realistic:
Avoid the common mistake of trying to hit the ball as far as you can every time off of the tee on par fours and fives at the expense of accuracy.

•    Keep the Ball in Play:
The benefit of having a shorter approach shot to a green is more often than not lost once the ball rolls out of bounds or into a hazard because you have tried to hit the ball as far as physically possible. Novices will typically struggle to hit their driver with any degree of accuracy, and until the club is mastered the lower-numbered woods should be used off the tee to keep the ball in the fairway and give the player a realistic shot at hitting the green.

Now get out there and see if you can finish a game with the same ball as you started with? I’d be interested to know how you get on
Author: Paul O’Brien, PGA Golf Professional

To book lessons at any level call 020 8864 2020 or email us here

Get up close with the world’s best golfers 20-22 May 2011
London Golf Club tickets are normally £45 but only £30 through Playgolf

Golf LIVE is a unique and innovative event where visitors have the chance to get up close to the stars of the game through intimate learning and entertainment experiences through specifically created on-course ‘theatres’. Set entirely outdoors, the purpose of the show is to give guests an inside-the-ropes experience with some big names of European golf. 2010 Ryder Cup winning Captain Colin Montgomerie will once again be headlining the event, and he will be joined by Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, David Howell, Ian Woosnam, Michael Campbell, Retief Goosen (subject to qualifying for the Volvo World Matchplay), Thomas Levet and Nick Dougherty.
Rhys Davies and Pablo Larrazabal will also be present and involved with the Junior activities at the show.
In addition there will be a number of other famous faces – Peter Alliss, Iain Carter, Andrew Cotter alongside CNN golf presenter, Shane O’Donoghue and the face of Sky’s golf coverage, Diana Dougherty. World Long-drive champion Joe Miller, trick-shot specialist Jeremy Dale and renowned coach, Denis Pugh are also all confirmed for an action-packed three days of golfing entertainment.
There will a chance to try the latest golf equipment on the market on the outdoor range and browse through the exhibition area.
The event will take place between Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd May at the London Club, and discounted tickets can be purchase through this link http://www2.seetickets.com/see_multi/?a=golf+live. and using the offer code ‘Playgolf’. Under -16’s go free with a paying adult!

For more information, please go to www.golfliveevent.com

With the weather now improving, we shall be arranging group playing lessons on weekdays to help you score better and not just swing better!!! The facilities at Northwick Park are ideal to improve all elements of the game and the professional team are intent on, not just giving you the best golf swing, but also to help you get the ball in the hole in the fewest possible shots!!!

Often playing lessons can be expensive and your professional will only watch a handful of shots as you play. To overcome this, and using the great 9 hole track here, we will be holding 9 hole playing sessions (two hours) for a maximum of 8 players. The cost, including green fee, shall be £20 and prior booking will be required.

The focus of these sessions will be on swing, strategy, short game…in fact, anything to get the ball in the hole quicker!!!

Initially, these playing lessons will be conducted on Fridays at 12pm. More days will be opened up during the Summer months. The start date is Friday, 8th April.

If you are currently taking lessons with us, please speak to your pro or alternatively, to book a place, please call Reception on 020 8422 6697.

Charles Howell approached the 18th tee, on the 72nd hole of the 2005 Buick Invitational needing an eagle 3 to get into a playoff with Tiger Woods. From about 100 yards away, Charles struck his 3rd shot perfectly, the ball soared through the sky and landed in the cup… only to bounce backwards and spin into the nearby water.

Golf is a funny game, it has been said that golf is 30% mental, 60% skill and 10% luck. Many PGA players are very superstitious, whether it’s a common story as Tiger wearing a red shirt on Sunday, or lesser known stories like Doug Sanders refusing to use white golf tees – nearly every player has their hitch.

Superstitions in golf are mainly based on the notion that if you repeat a certain behaviour, you will have good luck. As irrational as some superstitions seem, they give golfers a sense of feeling lucky, but is there more to superstitions other than just feeling lucky? For example, some golfers and coaches would say that superstitions give confidence and belief. Yet you could argue that most superstitions are just wacky habits that have no scientific research to back up the claim they actually work.

Let’s first examine the difference between superstitions and a pre-shot or pre-performance routine. Pre-shot routines are not the same as superstitions. Pre-shot routines help golfers to prepare, in a meaningful way, for the execution of a motor skill such as a golf swing.

The preparatory behaviours in routines are excellent methods to help you focus on one shot at a time and are extremely useful tools to refocus attention when distracted. The pre-performance routine is a merging of mental and physical steps that blend into one long behaviour. The pre-shot routine combines physical actions (such as a practice swing) and specific thoughts or images (visualizing the shot, focusing on the target, and mental cues to trigger the start of your performance such as the image of the target in your mind). All high-level golfers use very systematic pre-shot routines to help them prepare for the task ahead.

On the other hand, golfers also employ superstitions. A superstition is a single behaviour that is based more on luck and generalisations than on reason. Even the most successful golfers swear by the use of superstitions. Superstitions, such as when Tiger Woods wears a red shirt for Sundays round are no doubt tied to luck and past success on Sundays when wearing red. Golfers use superstitions because they think it gives them confidence. It is hard to argue with Tiger Wood’s success on Sundays.

Superstitions, unlike routines, are not based on fact or reason. If an athlete attributes his success to some consistent superstitious ritual, such as wearing a red shirt on Sunday or eating a certain food prior to each game, the athlete will think it ‘works’ and keep repeating the behaviour, until he thinks otherwise and discards it. The person believes the ritual brings success and that has an effect on his confidence level. Arnold Palmer’s wife kisses each one of his golf balls before he uses them in a game. Paul Azinger always marks his golf ball with a US penny, which features the head of Abraham Lincoln. He also makes certain to turn the penny so Lincoln is looking at the hole. These are all superstitions and not routines.

Superstitions are not necessarily bad. In fact, they can build confidence and help boost morale. There is a saying in sports, ‘if it works, use it.’ If you use a superstition before competition, have faith in it, and it works, great ‘use it.’ Anything that increases your faith or belief in performance is a bonus. A recent German study featured in Golf Digest did a little test of “luck”. A group of players were given proclaimed “lucky” golf balls, while another group was given “the same golf ball that everyone used”. The group with the lucky golf balls drained 30% more putts than the group that did not. I would give you one caution here: Do not use superstitions as the only reason for your success and think that they will help you be successful no matter how well you prepare before game time.

My recommendation would be to develop solid technical skills for golf and combine that with sound mental preparation skills to apply before competition such as a warm up routine, mental imagery, and setting game plans or strategies to perform to your best. Combine this with wearing that lucky shirt or some other superstition and that belief in yourself tied with sound preparation can only be good for your golf game.

Famous golfer superstitions:

• Natalie Gulbis has an odd high-calorie McDonalds infused ritual before every round. Her treat is an Egg McMuffin and hash browns
• Duffy Waldorf has his kids write on his golf balls.
• Karrie Webb always used consecutive balls from Thursday to Sunday, starting with 4’s and ending with 1’s to finish her round on Sunday. Why? “Of course, I like to be number one on Sundays”, she said.
• Peter Lonard the Aussie player, much like Tiger, enjoyed the colour red on Sundays, but he chose his underpants as his clothing of choice.

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Create your own golfer including- clothing style, facial details, hair colour, body type & what clubs to use.

You can also play stroke play, match play, skins, stableford and knockout

This is one of my all time favourite apps on the iPhone.

It is very addictive and you will want to complete the PGA tour section of the game as soon as possible. The game play is very realistic and the golf courses are very life like. Your golfer becomes better as the game progresses as you can buy extra features to make your player improve. The only criticism I have is the lack of golf courses available.

Overall rating= 4.5 / 5.