What makes a golfer?

What makes a golfer 

Have you ever stood on the tee, getting your backside whooped by your golfing pal, thinking "his swing is poor, mine is at least as good as that. This game isn't right"? 

It's a common statement that we hear on the lesson tee and it leads to Professionals answering the question, what makes a good golfer!

The aim of golf is to get the ball around the golf course in the lowest number of shots, nothing else. It is not a competition over who has the prettiest swing, who looks like they caress their putts or who once chipped in 4 years ago. I repeat it is purely down to which player gets the ball in the hole, in the fewest number of shots on a consistent basis.

You just have to look on the European and PGA Tours to see that for every Woods and Rose there is a Furyk or Ricky Fowler. Meaning that it isn't just down to just sound mechanics in order to play good golf there is way more involved. 

A renowned Tour Coach recently stated 'give me a guy with a dodgy technique but the heart of a lion over a guy with perfect technique but jokes under pressure'. Now in terms of winning that can certainly be a true statement, and he was talking at tour level. However I have witnessed this at club level and the statement at the start of this piece is an example of that. It highlights another aspect of what makes a good golfer, mental approach and heart.

So as a coach what does it take to lower your scores on the golf course, here are my top five most important things to target:

1. Sound short game

Learn to get the ball in the hole in two more often from inside 100 yards. For the average golfer this area of the game will account for 70% of your round of golf. Your short game will keep your momentum going on a good day and save your bacon on a bad ball striking day. Learn and practice this religiously.

2. Controlled mental approach

Many club players talk themselves into a lot of bad shots 'I knew I would go in that pond' or 'I always go out of bounds on this hole'. You cannot stand over shots thinking these things and must be able to let go of bad experience during a round so you concentrate on the present and manage to continue your round at a high level.

3.Understand your swing in relation to ball flight

You have to know where the ball is going. If its slicing understand why so you can minimise it or control it. Understanding your swing and ball flight characteristics will allow you to keep the ball under control during your round.

4.Great course management 

If you understand your ball flight and know your own strengths and weaknesses then planning each hole can allows the best opportunity for you to shoot lower scores. If you can avoid every hazard on the course you will lower your score, equally if you are great from 100 yards but terrible from inside 75 then don't lay up to close to the hole on a Par 5. Map each hole and attack when it's safe and play conservative when need be.

5.Learn how to practice properly

You do need sound mechanics in order to hit better shots on a regular basis. Make sure you understand your swing and break your swing down in order to isolate and improve components of the swing for a better technique. Also use the range to prepare for the course. Experiment with ball flights, test yourself with targets and get yourself in control if your swing.

So there's my top 5. A well rounded, successful golfer will carry theses qualities. None of them are given, they have to be learnt, practiced and ultimately trusted on the course. But with some effort your scores will improve.

I hope this helps you understand the qualities of a golfer and look forward to hearing scores tumble soon.

Happy golfing 

Dan Gale

PGA Professional

Golf tips: Good practice with a purpose

A student of mine who practices 3-4 times a week for a few hours at a time described his practice to me the other day. What he informed me was no better than what I would expect from a most people. Lots of hitting golf balls, unstructured, unplanned and no measurement for success. The description of the practice routine was recovered somewhat by the fact that the pupil in question had realised that it wasn't good enough and had little effect on reducing his scores on the course. 

Anyway, we sat down and came up with a revised action plan for practice and here is what we came up with.

Example of a 1/2 day practice plan:

45 mins driving range

Starting with short irons working up to last few with driver & other longer clubs

Work back down to finish with wedges

30 mins putting

20 mins drills & technique

10 mins games & tests

1 hour golf course

Assess ball striking/divot shape, direction/shot shape & trajectory control

Short game awareness

Course management

30 mins driving range

Mid irons (mechanics/drills)

Work through set

Work at any weaknesses from the course

50 mins short game

Chipping/pitching/bunkers

Test/games (par 18)

Guess what the result was? A reduction in handicap is the answer. Over a two month period the result of planned practice was a reduction from an 11.2 exact handicap to 9.6 and on the brink of single figure handicap golf. The main reason for that is down to the practice having a purpose, is measurable and targets the scoring areas of the game. Yes we need to work on the swing but we all know by now that the majority of the game is played from inside 80 yards. A high percentage of the practice time should therefore be focusing on this aspect of the game and be tested with games such as Par 18.

The moral here is practice the right thing, have a purpose and you will be going a long way towards giving yourself the chance to shoot lower scores. Mix it up a bit day by day, sometimes more golf course time others all short game and some with intensive sessions working on driving and the longer clubs, but always have a purpose.

Enjoy

Dan Gale

PGA Professional/TPI Certified

Dan is a fully qualified member of the PGA & certified TPI Instructor

Check out his website at www.dangalegolf.com

Michael Farrier-Twist Feb 22nd 2012

Working on impact and through swing. Maintaining posture and controlling left foot roll through the ball allows for a stronger impact position as weight shifts onto right side. Also working here on preventing early extension from the top of the backswing moving into the downswing.

To get your swing analysed come visit for a lesson or feel free to send me your own videos and I will get back to you with an action plan to hit longer straighter shots.

Dan Gale
PGA Professional/TPI Certified

Dan is a fully qualified member of the PGA & Certified TPI Instructor

Check out his website on www.dangalegolf.com

Callaway Razr Fit & full 2012 Callaway product range is here, Fun times

Callaway Golf has introduced its exciting range of products for the 2012 season and The James Andrews School of Golf based at Sedlescombe Golf Club in East Sussex has them all for you to try and buy.

Offering a full range of demonstration clubs and various custom options thanks to the exceptional Opti-Fit custom fitting cart you are sure to find the correct club and set up to suit your game.

There literally is something for everyone in the range this year. Callaway have stuck to the philosophy of making the game easier and fun for all but have also introduced some great looking clubs for the better player including their first adjustable driver, I've hit it, it goes!! Many of the clubs have been successful on tour already this year most notably in the hands of Phil Mickleson,

Full range of 2012 Callaway equipment now in store

 

Callaway Razr Fit. A great entry into the
adjustable driver market

Razr X Black Irons
Great looking clubs for the mid handicapper

Come and see us soon in the Pro Shop and have a go with this exciting range of clubs. If you want to give us a call to book a FREE custom fitting then ring us on 01424 871700.

Cheers

Dan Gale

PGA Professional

TPI Certified

Dan is a fully qualified member of the PGA & Certified TPI Instructor

Check out his website at www.dangalegolf.com

Free custom fitting - The James Andrews School of Golf

Make the most of a free custom fitting at

The James Andrews School of Golf

During your stay at The James Andrews School of Golf take the opportunity to have a free equipment assessment and custom fit during your stay with our Club Fitting Specialist.

Making sure you have correctly fitted clubs will ensure that you are getting the maximum performance from your game as well as helping to prevent the possibility of injury. Taking this simple step to avoid any unnecessary problems is the final piece of the jigsaw alongside the swing tuition that you have received from our James Andrews School of Golf Instructors.

At the Golfschool we use the latest equipment from the top manufacturers in golf to ensure that you have a full range of fitting options to find the perfect set up to suit your physical and technical requirements. Any questions you may have from the importance of bounce on your wedges to the influence of an extra hybrid in the bag will be happily answered to assist you in shooting lower numbers out on the course.

Appointments with our Club Fitting Specialist are available 7 days a week and can be booked in the Professional Shop for anytime during your stay. If you would like to prebook an appointment then please call the Professional Shop on 01424 871700 or email proshop@sedlescombegolfclub.co.uk

“I cannot begin to tell you how important it is to get your clubs custom fitted. It is something all the Professionals do & will undoubtedly save you several shots a round.” Lee Westwood

Dan Gale

PGA Professional/TPI Certifed

Professional Shop Manager

Dan is a fully qualifed member of the PGA & certified TPI Instructor

Check out his website at http://www.dangalegolf.com/

Golf tips: Eliminate a miss for wider targets

Hitting a straight shot in golf is the hardest one to achieve. At the crucial point of impact the relationship between clubface and path must be spot on, any difference will result in curvature on the golf ball during flight. This is part of the reason that tour pro's set up to shape the ball one way or the other. It is safer to allow for something to happen to that ball, it also means they can visualise shots and how they need to be shaped in order to tackle doglegs and tight pin positions.

Now, what happens when you head out onto the golf course? Are you hitting a consistent shot or are you heading out onto the course hitting it everywhere but straight, not having a clue whether to aim left or right to allow for your misses? Well it might be about time that you looked at understanding the consistencies you do have in your game and eliminating one of your misses, left or right. The diagrams below explain why.....

Having to aim dead centre on a 40 yard wide fairway due to lack of directional control
means there is only a 20 yard miss on either side for a hook, slice, pull or push

Example (left to right ball flight): if you know you very rarely go left then you can always aim down that side.
If you hit it straight you hit left centre, fade you hit centre fairway & over cook it you may cling on to right half 

Even if you are looking at fixing your slice, if that slice is consistent it may be playable still. You certainly would benefit from reducing its size however a consistent shape is a good thing. Colin Montgomerie played for years at the top of European golf with a consistent fade and to this day plays the same shape. Martin Kaymer played the same shape and looked on course for world dominance in 2010. Yet a decision to change in order to shift the ball in other ways to suit one course, Augusta National, lead to him falling dramatically off of leaderboards worldwide.

My tip is to take a good look at your consistent shape and not necessarily ignore it but sometimes accept you have a natural and comfortable preference. If that's the case then you don't need to fight it as much, play with it and hit more fairways and greens.

Good luck

Dan Gale

Dan is a fully qualified member of the PGA & Certified TPI Instructor

Check out his website at www.dangalegolf.com

Golf tips: Alignment: More uses for alignment rod

Using alignment rods is a great way to not only improve your aim on the golf course but also to improve swing mechanics and encourage certain changes in regard to swing path and angle of attack, two of the key impact factors in golf.

A few examples of using alignment rods to improve technique, club path, ball flight control and strike are shown in the pictures below. A small investment but a very useful aid for players of all levels.

Placed in ground against back leg to reduce sway

Two to reduce sway but encourage weight shift on downswing

Placed on ground for alignment and swing path assistance

More alignment assistance & bucket for path

My favourite, rod in the ground for shot shaping. move ball left to right and right to left onto your target.
Great for ball flight control and understanding how impact factors are influenced.

Grab yourself some rods and add them to your practice bag. 

Discover that potential.

Dan Gale

PGA Professional 

TPI Certified Instructor

Dan is a fully qualified member of the PGA & certified TPI Instructor

Check out his website at www.dangalegolf.com