JohnHayesGolf Newsletter Golf Tip – January 2015
For your golf game: I was happy to see in a recent article in Golf Magazine that the Titleist Performance Institute found, in their research on thousands of putting strokes, that “the best putters in the world – guys like Brad Faxon, Jordan Spieth and Steve Stricker – SWING THE PUTTER USING THEIR ARMS AND VERY LITTLE ELSE.” (My capital letters) As PGA Hall of Fame Teacher, Manuel de la Torre, has said when people asked about “keeping the triangle intact in the putting stroke,” that he felt the two sides of the triangle (the hanging arms) should be used to swing the putter back and forth but the golfer should just allow the top line of the triangle (a line connecting one shoulder joint to the other shoulder joint) to just respond to the motion produced by the arms. I see golfers lock up the arm / shoulder joint and rock up and down in a very stiff manner when they are trying to putt. Some may feel that this stiffness and tension makes them more precise but it is the opposite. When you make your muscles and joints very tight then you become slow and clumsy! So I want you to go to the putting green and let your arms hang free of tension out of the shoulder joint and then use the arms alone to swing the putter from one side to the other and then hold the finish of the stroke. You can even feel that your chest is still facing the ball area when you are finished with the stroke. Notice that your shoulders do nothing to produce the swing. The shoulders may move a little in response to the swing but that is all.
Upcoming clinics and events: My next LADIES-ONLY GOLF CLINIC will be held on 2 consecutive weekends – January 17, 18, 24 & 25 from NOON to 1:00 p.m. on all four days. Cost is only $40 total for all 4 sessions! It is good for beginners or newly dedicated golfers.
We will have a one-day ADULT GOLF SCHOOL on Tuesday, January 27th from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. We will have a full swing video analysis of your swing, a short game session and an on-course session all for only $49.99! Instructors will be John Hayes PGA, Dave Pedersen PGA and Dustin Snay PGA Apprentice.
I will conduct my next GET GOLF READY LADIES BOOT CAMP on Thur., Jan. 29 through Sun., Feb. 1. There will be 4 hours of golf clinics (Thur. & Fri. from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Sat. from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.) and then we will finish on the golf course on Sun. from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is perfect for beginners who want to feel comfortable on the golf course in a short time. Total cost is only $99 and includes everything!
Please call (727) 692-4679 or email, jh@johnhayesgolf.com, to sign up as space is limited for all clinics. Go to www.johnhayesgolf.com for more details.
As always, please contact me with any questions or comments and I hope to see you soon on the lesson tee at the Chi Chi Golf Range & Family Sports Complex in beautiful Clearwater, FL.