JohnHayesGolf.com Newsletter Golf Tip – April 2018
For your golf game: In my lesson book I will often write a quick note by the name of a student regarding something that we worked on and/or will need to work on. There is not much space so I need some shorthand to do this. One such note is to write NBC and OSTO. This does NOT mean that they are swinging well and should be on television, rather “NBC” here refers to the fact that this golfer needs to produce their swing with No Ball Concern. Of course this is easier said than done and does require a lot of mental and physical practice to make it a habit. But the root cause of many common problems with the golf swing, such as throwing the club head at the ball, is a big concern that the ball is not going to do what is desired by the golfer. One must learn to produce the swing really “NOT CARING WHERE THE BALL GOES.”
Manuel de la Torre, legendary PGA and World Golf Teachers Hall of Famer said that he wanted the Professional tour players that he worked with to swing the club “not caring where the ball goes.” This mental work applies mainly to golfers who have already built effective swings. If you are a new player then you will likely need to do some swing building first and understand the pre-swing fundamentals that are required of the golfer.
With some students I will ask them to set up to the ball and swing the club from One Side To the Other. The student will then ask, “Do you want me to hit the ball?” Now I just made an attempt to get the ball, the cause of their problem, out of their thinking by asking them to swing the club from one side (the end of the backswing) to the other (finish of the forward swing), but their question shows that the ball is still strong in their mind. So yes, your club will strike the ball, but I want YOU to swing the club from one side to the other. This also gives the golfer the correct picture of the club swinging forward rather than down at the ball.
So feel free to use my acronyms and go out to the course and swing the club from OSTO with NBC.
Upcoming clinics and events: My next LADIES-ONLY GOLF CLINIC will be held on 3 consecutive Wednesday mornings – APRIL 18, 25 and MAY 2nd from 10:30 a.m. to Noon. Cost is only $50 total for 4 and a half hours of instruction! It is good for beginners or newly dedicated golfers.
My next specialty clinic will be a SHORT GAME BOOT CAMP for 2 hours held on Saturday, APRIL 21st from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. I will cover pitching/chipping, bunker play, putting, and fun games to practice effectively! Men or Ladies welcome. This is NOT for new beginners. There is a limit of only 3 students so call or email to sign up. Total cost is only $55.
I will conduct a GET GOLF READY LADIES BOOT CAMP from Thur., APRIL 12th through Sunday, APRIL 15th. There will be 4 hours of golf clinics (Thur. & Fri. from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 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/text (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.
** I will be conducting the Adult Golf Clinics every week on Friday mornings at 9:30 a.m. and on Saturday afternoons at 12:30 p.m. There is no sign up, just show up and cost is only $20 which includes a large bucket of range balls.
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 & Sports Complex in beautiful Clearwater in the Tampa, FL area.