3 Steps to Your Best Golf

by: B. J. Hathaway, G.S.E.B.



Most amateur golfers spend years searching for the secrets to better golf- usually through magazines, videos, websites and the occasional lesson. This leads to a head full of swing thoughts and mental images that are often conflicting, leading to further confusion and an endless circle of searching.

To truly play better golf you must first understand that learning the game is a process. Skipping through the process is very much like getting behind in Algebra class, unless you're gifted you will just never catch up!

So the first thing every golfer must do is learn the basic fundamentals like grip, posture and alignment which should be the easiest part of the game because there is no movement of the club or body!

Once you have the basics down then you are ready for the 3 steps to successful golf.

1. Hand control
To simplify, this means to learn to control how the hands and wrists move throughout the swing.

2. Arm control
The arms must be trained how to move on the vertical and horizontal planes.

3. Body control
The body must be trained how to move in sequence and balance to support the swinging motion.

For the most effective learning you must train these the zones: hands, arms, and body in the right order. This is how we teach the game at the Medicus Golf, and this is why our players improve!!

Call or email and schedule your game changing experience.

B.J Hathaway is Augusta's first and only Authorized Instructor for The Golfing Machine.

bj@augustagolfinstruction.com
706.836.4330

Beat your Scoring Plateau

By: B. J. Hathaway, G.S.E.B., M.C.I.

At some point almost every golfer reaches a stage where scores just don't seem to improve. Whether it's hitting balls or the occasional lesson, nothing helps and you find yourself stuck in a rut, frustrated and searching.

There may be several reasons, but let's look together and see if we can find some answers. Instead of looking for some magic swing key, let's analyze the big picture. When we really look at it, we will discover that there are four basic reasons why your game is stuck:

Swing mechanics, mental frame, physical capability, and equipment

1. Swing Mechanics:

Let's be honest, this is the area most of us get stuck at for one reason or another. Golf is a game of technical skill and coordination, yet most of you have never had a lesson. I don't know anyone would would buy a plane and jump in the cockpit and expect to fly and land successfully but- most people take that approach to golf. So having an understanding of the proper technique is critical, and then we have to be capable of performing. Make the investment in golf lessons from a qualified instructor and you will save yourself years of frustration on the golf course.

2. Mental Frame:

The golf course and competition bring on a new test every time you tee it up. Learning to control emotions and nerves are critical and that's why the Tour pro's study the mental aspects of the game and use sport psychologists. Most of us don't have Dr. Bob Rotella on speed-dial but that doesn't mean we don't have access to improvement in this area. I see a great deal of negative thinking on the golf course and yet we don't recognize how this impacts our game! If you expect to hit the ball out of bounds, guess what- you just made it very likely that your ball will go exactly there! Negative emotions like anxiety and anger can ruin even a technically sound swing, so make every effort to replace those thoughts with something positive.
I recommend you check out the Clear Key concept by Dr. Carey Mumford, or use the Internet or library to study this very key area of your game.

3. Physical Capability:

This is another key issue. Many of you try to emulate "positions" that you see on TV, but lack the strength or flexibility to make those positions profitable. If you can't make a John Daly back swing and yet you insist on trying, guess what, something is going to brake down in your technique and what have you gained? The answer is nothing! Flexibility, stamina and body control are key areas that most anyone can work on and improve. Do you get tired after 13 holes? Well guess what, your swing is going to break down because you're out of shape! As Tiger and the younger generation have proven, the physical side of the game is a key ingredient
Use a workout and flexibility program that is golf-specific and you can take strokes off your game without beating balls!

4. Equipment:

Here is the one area we like to spend money on! If every shoe store only sold a size 11, we would have a lot of folks with sore feet but we have no problem walking into a golf shop and buying a standard set of clubs and accepting the results. We assume that new $500 driver was made just for us. Well guess what- every club in your bag from putter to driver needs to have the correct lie angle, swing weight, grip size and shaft that suits your particular swing characteristics! I know what you are thinking: I'm not a Tour pro so whatever clubs I have are just fine. Well you are just plain wrong- the wrong shaft in the right head will never give you a consistent ball flight no matter how good your swing is! See a professional club fitter who has a launch monitor and let them fit your clubs to you because that big hook may just be your clubs and not you!!

Now you have the four keys to can help you lower your scores. For some of you the problem may be in all four areas but now you can develop a plan of attack. Golf is a wonderful game and there is no other sport like it, so do a little self-assessment and improve your technique, mental game, body and equipment and watch your scores improve!

Improve your game
www.augustagolfinstruction.com

The Right Equipment for Your Game

By: B.J. Hathaway, G.S.E.B., M.C. I.

Medicus Golf Institute

I am not a club fitter, but in my group lessons there are always beginners with "starter sets" and those are just fine for the short term. But even if you never plan to compete you still need the right equipment to play your best golf. This game can be frustrating at times and one huge reason that people often overlook are the 14 clubs in their bag!

Now- let's be honest, you cannot buy a golf swing in the pro shop and having the most expensive set of golf clubs in the world will not lower your handicap- if they don't fit you or if you have terrible technique! If you were buying shoes, you would not go to a store that only sold size "x" but carried all the major brand names unless you just happened to wear that size, nor would you buy a pair that was three sizes too small but looked good because - after 5 minutes your feet would hurt!

The moral of the story -don't play golf with clubs that hurt your game. Here's what you need:

1. grips that fit your hands correctly and that are comfortable.

2. shafts that are the right flex- too stiff or too weak will cause direction problems.

3. club length that fits your height and arm length- clubs that are too short or long will again cause problems.

4. correct weighting- clubs that are too heavy or light will cause a multitude of problems.

5. correct lie angle which is the angle the club sets when you put it in the address position.

So if we look at all of these important factors, it is possible that you can have good technical skills and yet still not play the kind of golf you are capable of. Your options are to buy a custom-built set or take your existing clubs and have them fit to you. Be sure to go to a professional club fitter and check out their credentials first. Once you have your equipment squared away, then take some lessons from a qualified instructor.

Good equipment: $600

Golf lessons: $700

Hitting the ball where you want it to go: priceless.

www.augustagolfinstruction.com

Ball Flight Flaws?

By: B. J. Hathaway, G.S.E.B, M.C.I.


No doubt most of us have read or been taught the Ball Flight Laws. These are the seemingly scientific explanations for the 9 possible variations of travel that a golf ball can make through the air. You've all heard it before when you hit a ball that started left of target and been told that shot was a "pull" and therefore a swing path problem.

The conundrum for those of us who teach and study the physics and geometry of golf is that those ball flight "laws" don't agree with the 30 plus years of study that Homer Kelley put into every aspect of the golf swing which he detailed in his book, The Golfing Machine. For many years TGM has offered an explanation for ball flight behavior based on science. The problem was, nobody wanted to listen because they thought the book was too complicated and its readers "bizarre", and because certain organizations said "these are the ball flight laws and because this is what we say, that's the end of it."

Luckily, now we can find evidence that backs up science, and times - well they are a changing. According to TrackMan data, initial ball direction is determined by two factors, club path and face angle.

"According to the "old" ball flight laws, the initial direction of the ball is 100% dictated by the club path, All the scientific people in the golf industry know that this is very wrong"

Fredrick Tuxen, inventor of TrackMan

According to TrackMan's data, which uses the most advanced technology available, the initial direction of a golf ball is 85% caused by face angle and only 15% by path. This just solidifies what TGM has been saying for years, the ball generally leaves at a 90 degree angle to the face!

Now there are other factors that affect ball flight, such as near-center contact and gear effect which influences side spin, but for most of us the important information is this:

1. Learn to control the club face: phase I of directional control. You must also learn to control the shaft and the club head, but for now let's remember that the lead hand controls the club face. How we control the club face is done by hinge action, which dictates how much the face rotates through the impact zone. Last, but never least, the lead hand must always be flat at impact, no scooping or flipping the wrists!

Any TGM or Medicus Certified instructor can help you understand how to control these three swing elements because when you do, you will control the ball.... and then you will control your game!

AGI
Improve your game

B. J. Hathaway is a Medicus Certified Instructor and Authorized Instructor of The Golfing Machine