May Newsletter

 

    

Rules Tip of the Month

Here’s a cool rule that allows the golfer to re-tee without a penalty!  What happens when you make a stroke at a ball on the teeing ground, but you top it, whiff it and it falls off the tee, or only move it a few inches, but it REMAINS in the teeing ground?  Rule 6.2 allows the player to lift or move the ball without penalty and play that ball or another ball from anywhere in the teeing area from a tee, or play the ball as it lies.  You can re-tee it for your second shot

Instruction Tip of the Month from Teaching Professional John Appleget

I want to talk about the shot off the ground. Nothing more frustrating for a teaching professional than watching players hit behind the ball. “Fat Shots”. 

 

As we look at Colin Morikawa hit an iron off the ground, you can see he will

1.   make the club move in a circle around his body by turning his hips and shoulders

2.   strike the ball on the down side of the circle to contact the ball before the ground. 

 

Simple thoughts that take some practice and fine tuning.

1.   Weight transfer to the front foot.  Notice how Colin really pushes his left knee past his left ankle and gets “Pressure” into the ground under his left foot as he starts his downswing.

2.   Next look at the “Downloading” of his wrist angles as he starts the downswing. His extended arms with soft wrists help get a sharper wrist angle during the transition of the backswing to downswing.

3.   “Extension” of the arms at impact and follow through. “TURN” your body to keep the handle of the club extended away from your spine. Straighter arms post impact will help keep the circle past the ball. 

4.   “Blending” the pressure, downloading, extension and body turn is so critical. Contact and ball curvature will be determined by how you blend it all together.  Different sequences help promote certain ball patterns. 

 

Remember, PRESSURE and DOWNLOADING to start the downswing. Then BLENDING arm “EXTENSION “ with your body “TURNING” to finish the job.  

Overnight Bag Storage

Beginning this month we will also be charging a nightly fee of $20 per night for any golf bags that are left overnight, but do not have bag storage purchased.  This will be enforced daily.  We understand golf bags can be accidentally left overnight, and members may be playing the next day and may want to leave their bags for convenience.  We have 180 members that pay an annual fee for bag storage and to retain fairness, we will be instituting the fee to those that do not have annual bag storage.  Accidentally, leave your bag and pick it up, and are not playing the following day?  No problem, the fee will be removed. This will help ensure that bag storage does not get abused, and we maintain accountability for our members golf bags overnight.