Also written on 7-11-14.
I had my first lesson with my newest golf instructor, Dana, this past week. I first met Dana when he came to McCoy with Tom (last name) for the First Tee Program. He is my third golf teacher. Or the fourth if I count Tom (other last name) at Golf U.S.A. Golf U.S.A. has closed, by the way. They had a big “going out of business” sale, and now it’s gone. The store I bought my first set of clubs and other various golf “stuff” is no longer in business. Sniff.
Tom shut the place down due to a lack of business, among other reasons. He stated that many golfers would buy their golf items online at lower prices, so he could not compete or keep up, although I saw that his prices were very competitive. He also had great service, in my opinion. I enjoyed his honesty, his help, and our conversations every time I went in there. I will miss it. My most recent purchases there were my push cart and my R2-D2 putter headcover. My push cart is getting used as much as my headcover is not. Thanks, Golf U.S.A. Tom, for helping me get my start in golf.
So, Dana’s lesson was...
awesome. We started the way I had originally wanted to start with Mike Stark, with the short game. Mike wanted to start with the short game, but he had his camera all set up for the full swing on our first day, so we started there instead.
Dana watched me putt for a while and then he jumped right in with some excellent tips and feedback. Here’s a summary...
The best changes came with my set-up. He helped me by getting my hands lower on my putter, allowing the club to be more upright. I was able to see down the line more easily this way. Also, he had me put the ball forward in my stance. From this position, I could see the line “through” the ball vs. the line starting just after the ball. This forward position also caused a smoother roll since my putterhead was now striking the ball on the upswing instead of at the bottom of the pendulum, or even worse with a descending blow.
The other changes had to do with my head. Before, I would cock my head to the side, picking up my chin to see the target or the line. Dana asked me to rotate my head by swiveling my chin instead. It gives me a slight sense of Vertigo when I do this, but it keeps my eyes and my mind focused on the line of the putt.
I knew that was what I should have been doing with my head, but it’s easier to do what feels right vs. doing what is right. The same thing could be said for his final tip on putting, keeping my head still until I hear the ball go in the hole. Of course I had heard that tip before, but bad habits had crept in and stayed like a stubborn infection with wrong or ineffective antibiotics. Since my lesson, I have begun to retrain my brain to keep my eyes and my head still until I hear the putt go in the hole. I am certain that the more I do this, the more often I will hear that unmistakable tup, tup, tup of the ball bouncing in the cup, cup, cup.
He worked with me for two hours, the first hour on putting and the next 45 minutes on chipping, with a brief bit on pitching before he had to go to work in the pro shop.
On chipping, it was pretty standard. My biggest “takeaway” was to make a longer, slower chipping motion. Yes, slower. I used to use my sand wedge for every chip, no matter how far away from the hole. That meant that I sometimes would make a short, choppy chip sometimes. He taught me to make the same chipping motion every time, but if the hole is farther away, chip with a different club, one with less loft.
I had my first lesson with my newest golf instructor, Dana, this past week. I first met Dana when he came to McCoy with Tom (last name) for the First Tee Program. He is my third golf teacher. Or the fourth if I count Tom (other last name) at Golf U.S.A. Golf U.S.A. has closed, by the way. They had a big “going out of business” sale, and now it’s gone. The store I bought my first set of clubs and other various golf “stuff” is no longer in business. Sniff.
Tom shut the place down due to a lack of business, among other reasons. He stated that many golfers would buy their golf items online at lower prices, so he could not compete or keep up, although I saw that his prices were very competitive. He also had great service, in my opinion. I enjoyed his honesty, his help, and our conversations every time I went in there. I will miss it. My most recent purchases there were my push cart and my R2-D2 putter headcover. My push cart is getting used as much as my headcover is not. Thanks, Golf U.S.A. Tom, for helping me get my start in golf.
So, Dana’s lesson was...
awesome. We started the way I had originally wanted to start with Mike Stark, with the short game. Mike wanted to start with the short game, but he had his camera all set up for the full swing on our first day, so we started there instead.
Dana watched me putt for a while and then he jumped right in with some excellent tips and feedback. Here’s a summary...
The best changes came with my set-up. He helped me by getting my hands lower on my putter, allowing the club to be more upright. I was able to see down the line more easily this way. Also, he had me put the ball forward in my stance. From this position, I could see the line “through” the ball vs. the line starting just after the ball. This forward position also caused a smoother roll since my putterhead was now striking the ball on the upswing instead of at the bottom of the pendulum, or even worse with a descending blow.
The other changes had to do with my head. Before, I would cock my head to the side, picking up my chin to see the target or the line. Dana asked me to rotate my head by swiveling my chin instead. It gives me a slight sense of Vertigo when I do this, but it keeps my eyes and my mind focused on the line of the putt.
I knew that was what I should have been doing with my head, but it’s easier to do what feels right vs. doing what is right. The same thing could be said for his final tip on putting, keeping my head still until I hear the ball go in the hole. Of course I had heard that tip before, but bad habits had crept in and stayed like a stubborn infection with wrong or ineffective antibiotics. Since my lesson, I have begun to retrain my brain to keep my eyes and my head still until I hear the putt go in the hole. I am certain that the more I do this, the more often I will hear that unmistakable tup, tup, tup of the ball bouncing in the cup, cup, cup.
He worked with me for two hours, the first hour on putting and the next 45 minutes on chipping, with a brief bit on pitching before he had to go to work in the pro shop.
On chipping, it was pretty standard. My biggest “takeaway” was to make a longer, slower chipping motion. Yes, slower. I used to use my sand wedge for every chip, no matter how far away from the hole. That meant that I sometimes would make a short, choppy chip sometimes. He taught me to make the same chipping motion every time, but if the hole is farther away, chip with a different club, one with less loft.
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