Welcome to 2015!

Welcome to a New Year! I for one, am excited about what the New Year is already bringing.

I will be working with Golf Digest again doing Golf Schools at the beautiful Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona this year! Please see Golf Digest’s website to sign up.

Chip Shots – If the ball is within 10 yards of the edge of the green with a good lie in the rough, or a fairway lie, a low running chip shot is a better option than pitching for most golfers. Chipping works better because it is a smaller, simpler motion – the club swings back to where the lead hand points to 7 o’clock then comes through to 5 o’clock. I have my students set up with their feet close together perpendicular to the target line and the ball centered between their feet. Next, I have them keep their heels on the ground while rotating their toes slightly toward the target. This helps keep their bodies parallel to the target while making the ball appear back in their stance. I also make sure my students have their center of gravity and weight on the front side of the golf ball with the club handle pushed forward toward their hip. This set up leads to very crisp contact with the golf ball. Once they’re in this setup the triangle formed by the shoulders, the arms and the hands is all that needs to move. The quieter they keep their body with a short brush stroke and no wrist action, the better the outcome. Unlike pitching I teach them to use one swing and three clubs such as a sand wedge, 9 iron and 7 iron. By using clubs with different lofts, they can hit chips of different distances without having to change the basic swing.