WHAT I’VE LEARNED FROM…
My Mum: Play it smart! Or “BE SMART” as she usually says to me before each of my events. Whenever I am contemplating hitting a risky shot, I generally hear her voice telling me to play it smart. Par is never a bad score! Brian McNaughton: The lesson that stuck with me the most from Brian has to be this quote from Ernie Els; “Let your attitude determine your golf game, not your golf game determine your attitude”. When you bring a good attitude to the course, you can fill any foursome and have a good time. I know too many people who are fun to play with when they are playing well, but ruin an afternoon on the links when they are playing bad! Richard Zokol (Disco Dick)-PGA Tour winner: A golfer needs train himself to become emotionally unattached to results. By doing so, he becomes cold blooded on the golf course. Sean Richardson- Golf Coach 2004-2010 The best way to have better consistency with your ball striking is to develop a move that is less reliant on timing. The best way to accomplish this is to keep the club in front of you during your entire swing. Mark Forrest- My first coach and old Williams Lake Club Pro: When you block a drive into the next fairway, or rattle one off the hosle of your driver 280 right down the middle… Don’t give it a one handed follow through and act disgusted about your missed shot trying to convince those who are watching that you can hit it better than that. Instead, hold your finish and stare down your ball, no matter where it is going as if it is exactly where you wanted to place it. This both helps your own confidence and does not show your competitors you have any chinks in your armor! Brian Watts- Oregon State University Golf Coach When hitting out of a fairway bunker with a high lip… Take 2 more clubs, open the blade way up as if you are hitting a 20 yard cut and swing aggressively. Align left obviously as well! This will give you a higher launch out of the sand with the same total carry distance as a normal shot would have with 2 less clubs! Sean Arey- Head Pro at Trysting Tree Golf Club Practice chipping with only your right hand if you want to hit chip shots with extra spin. For your actual chip, feel the majority of your grip pressure in the right hand which will allow the right hand to dominate the stroke and increase the amount of wrist action at the bottom of the stroke thus adding spin to the chip. For chips that you want to release upon landing, practice left hand only. For your actual chip, having the majority of your grip pressure in your left hand will remove most wrist action in the stroke and cause your hands to come into the ball dead and produce a chip with very little spin.
