On the green, we if we make a ball mark we should fix it by taking a tee or divot repair tool and stick it in green around the perimeter of the ball mark, pulling the grass back up towards the center.  Tap the green flat again using your putter.  At all times, we are trying to keep the green as smooth and well conditioned as possible.

Green no-no’s: 

Don’t talk while others are hitting, don’t walk in someones line (area between their ball and the hole), or have your shadow draped across someones line while they are putting.  Otherwise, have fun.

Being Helpful:

You may ask, or someone may ask you, to TEND the flagstick if putting from a great distance.  Hold the flag in the hole until the person putts, then quickly remove it so their ball doesn’t hit the flag and they incur a penalty.   In addition, we should be ‘reading’ our putts and prepared to hit when it’s our turn (person furthest from the hole putts next).

Marking and replacing the Ball

Once the ball is on the putting green, you may mark it with a coin or other flat object, clean it, and replace it.  Often, we do this out of courtesy for other golfers who we’re interferring with because we’re closer to the hole.  Mark the ball behind or to the side, and sometimes you’ll be asked to ‘move’ your mark…line up with some point in the distance and move your mark the width of your putter head, reversing the process when it’s your turn again.

Putting Grip: 

Take your ‘normal’ grip if you want, or experiment with extending one or both of your second fingers down the side of the club to reduce excess wrist movement.

1st Requirement of Good Putting:

The path the club is swinging in at impact determines direction.  Our club should be traveling along our intended target line through impact.  One of our favorite games to play is to place a couple of tees on the inside and outside of the clubhead with approximately 1/4 inch clearance, and try to hit some putts while avoiding the tees. 

Our second favorite game is to build confidence and clubhead path awareness by practicing 1 foot putts…if you miss, you instantly know which direction your club was traveling in.

2nd Requirement of Good Putting – Technical Ability

Fortunately, the putting stroke is the easiest stroke to learn…unfortunately, the goal of putting is to get a 1 inch ball into a 4 inch cup.  This requires precision and efficiency.  Precision and efficiency are attained when you utilize the fewest moving body parts, namely the arms and shoulders.  Any movement below the waist and any movement in the hands and wrists should be eliminated.  Set up to an imaginary ball without a club, and, while keeping your knees perfectly still, swing your arms and shoulders back and forth…you’ll notice no wrist or hand movement.  Strive for the same feeling with a club in your hand.

Excess lower body movement is a killer…notice how Prince’s legs have moved.

Excess hand and wrist movement is a killer…notice how Prince’s arms have stopped moving and the club has ‘flipped’ his hands and wrists.

 3rd Requirement – Distance Control / Reading the Green

Reading the greens refers to the art of looking at the putting surface to determine whether the sloping ground will cause the ball to curve (known as the ’break’ of the green), or require a change in velocity due to going uphill or downhill. 

Without proper distance control, you cannot ‘read’ the break of the greens.  When attempting breaking putts, select an alternative target (indicated by the tee in the photo below) and start the ball rolling along that line.

The slope, or break of the green will take it back towards the target.   

 To hone your distance control, play a game whereby you space tees about 3 feet apart and roll balls as close to each tee as possible.  Hit to a further tee only when you have ‘mastered’ the previous distance.  Vary your putts uphill and downhill to gauge the affect of slope on speed control. 

Day #11 – My favorite Putting Game

Focus:  Putting

Description:  Practice with a purpose…I can’t stress it enough.  My favorite putting game accomplishes several objectives:  short putts, distance control, putting under pressure with consequences.

The game requires a bit of set-up.  From the hole, measure 6 feet (approximately 2 putter-lengths), 9 feet, 12 feet, 15 feet, and 18 feet marked by a tee placed at each location.   Then, beginning at the front of the hole, mark a 1/2 circle to the sides and behind the hole of one putter length (see photo below).

The game is played like this:  Hit consecutive putts beginning at 6 feet, the 9, then 12, etc.  5 putts (one from each location) equals one round.  I usually play 5 to 10 rounds to complete a session.  If a putt is holed from 6 feet, you earn 1 point.  2 points from 9 feet, up to 5 points from 18 feet.  If a putt is missed, but stops rolling in the 1/2 circle (at least to the front of the hole, not more than 1 clublength offline or beyond the hole), you earn 0 points.  If the putt comes up short of the hole or rolls beyond the boundaries of the 1/2 circle, you deduct 1 point.  Keep track of total points for each round and totals for the session.  

Objective:  10 Rounds – max score.

Time:  I completed the drill in 15 minutes, with 12 points being my highest total for a single round and a total of 76 points for the entire drill.

Bonus:  Play the game with a friend like my assistant Prince below for extra challenge and fun.

For a right handed golfer, the left hand is placed on the top of the club, the right hand beneath the left.

For beginners, we stress two key positions for the left hand:

1)  The left thumb is extended down the top or center of the club

2)  The fleshy pad of the left hand rests on top of the club.

The easiest way to achieve these positions is to hold the club in your right hand near the bottom of the grip at a 45 degree angle extended in front of you, then grip the club with your left hand as if shaking someones hand.

You’ve accomplished the correct position if you can extend your left arm in front of you, remove the last 3 fingers of the left hand, and hold the club securely with your second finger under the club and that fleshy part of your palm on the top of the club. 

The right hand is added to the club by placing the creases in the middle of your fingers under the club and wrapping your hand around the top so your right thumb extends down the center or top of the club…the left thumb with disappear to some extent. 

You can ‘connect’ your hands in one of three ways, all of which depend solely on comfort…the baseball or 10 finger grip (1/2 will feel comfortable with this one), the interlocking grip (1/2 will feel comfortable with this one), or the overlapping grip (most won’t feel comfortable with this one).

We strongly recommend practicing and becoming familiar with YOUR natural set-up position without the use of a club.

Feet are approximately shoulder width apart.

Knees are slightly flexed…women tend to revert to straight legs…knees flexed so front of knees are over the balls of your feet.

CRITICAL:  You MUST bend forward from your hips, not your neck and shoulders.  To reinforce the feeling of bending from hips, attach one end of a club to both the back of your head and the base of your rear.  Bend forward, maintaining contact with both body parts.  Most people do not bend from the hips, and as a result do not set themselves properly to swing towards the ground. 

Once bent forward from the HIPS, allow your arms to hang straight down from your shoulders.  NOTE:  your arms always meet in the middle of your body, always meet extend away from your body, and always meet in the same place directly beneath your shoulders.  Once a club is in your hand and a ball in front of you, you DO NOT deviate from this position…it is your ‘natural’ position based on your body dimensions and comfort.  This is also our way of determining the properly length equipment suitable for YOUR set-up and body.  The equipment fits you, not vice versa!

The ball is to be placed in the middle of your stance (with two exceptions, driver off a tee and chip shots…to be discussed later), because the middle of our stance represents the lowest point of our swing (hands are their lowest in the middle) and therefore offers the best chance of getting the ball airborne.

If your husband requires a note so you can buy new golf clubs and stop using his hand-me-downs, I will provide one for you.

In general, the longer the club, the further it’s designed to hit a ball.  As clubs get shorter, they also have more loft to hit the ball higher.

There are 4 main types of clubs:

Woods – Usually contains #1 wood also known as the driver, #3 and sometimes #5.

Irons – identified by the # on the bottom, usually includes #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, and P or Pitching Wedge for most womens sets.  Beginners sets include every other iron to save money.

Hybrids – Recent technological advancement, designed to replace irons like #3, #4, #5 which can be difficult to hit…hybrids are generally easier to hit than ‘long’ irons. 

Putter - Useful for rolling the ball and mini-golf.

Looking to buy clubs, look for a ‘cavity-back’ iron, or hollowed out backside…they are much easier to hit.

Golf shoes are useful but not necessary…athletic cleats like soccer or baseball shoes are not allowed on golf courses. 

Golf gloves help protect tender hands and prevent slipping - highly recommended – buy glove for your top hand (left hand for a right handed golfer).

In your pocket at all times:  Tees, ball marker, divot repair tool, scorecard, pencil, provisional (or second) ball.

In your bag at all times: towel, extra glove, extra balls, plenty of beer.

Marking or drawing on your golf ball is not only beneficial for identification purposes, but also the ‘cool’ thing to do right now.

Day #10 – Putt Through the Gate

Focus:  Putting

Description:  Your putting success, especially with regards to short putts, is usually determined by your ability to start the ball on the intended target line and hit the ball off the ‘sweet spot’ of your club.  One of my favorite drills accomplishes/teaches both of these objectives.  I will usually practice this drill about once every two weeks, and will often use this drill immediately before heading out to the course for a round of golf.  

Practicing golf (especially short game) should also incorporate the sense of pressure and/or accomplishment.  To perform this drill and add ‘pressure’, set up two tees about 1/4 to 1/16 of an inch on either side of your putter head, depending on your skill level (see photo below).  Your objective is to hit 25 putts from about 15 feet away from a target without touching either tee on your through swing.  If you swing without touching a tee you get 1 credit…if you touch a tee, you start the drill all over again.  Pressure arises as you get closer to your goal (25 putts) knowing if you clip a tee you have to start all over.

Objective:  Hit 25 putts.

Time:  This drill took me 1 attempt at 1/8 of an inch clearance and about 9 minutes.

Our Golden Rule for kids is that they must be shown that GOLF = FUN.  With this in mind, we should look for ‘teachable moments’ when your kids are on the course or around the driving range, even if they don’t look like they’re interested in hitting balls or listening to formal golf instruction.

On a recent trip to the range, I watched my 1 1/2 year-old become fascinated with the fact that she could empty an entire basket of range balls in about 5 seconds simply by tipping it over and watching all of the balls scatter about the range.

What did we accomplish during the ‘golf lesson’?

1)  She worked on her fine motor skills as she carefully put the balls back into the basket.

2)  We worked on our math skills as we counted each ball she put back into the basket.

3)  We learned that if we make a mess, we have to clean up (can this skill be transferred to other areas of her 1 1/2 year-old world?).

4)  We were so thoroughly entertained by this game of dumping balls and picking them up, we learned that GOLF = FUN.  The formal lessons and marathon practice sessions so my little girl can get that college scholarship 16 years from now will have to wait another day.  For now, we had a terrific day on the golf course.

As a parent, don’t try to force your child into playing the game of golf.  Instead, let them explore and become comfortable around a golf course, all the while teaching them that GOLF = FUN.

Take your kid to the course today and teach them about this game we all love!  

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, kids just don’t want to hit golf balls or even so much as listen to their parents if they’re trying to spew ‘formal’ golf instruction.   

If the kids are really obstinate or in a bad mood, remove them from the course immediately and go get some ice cream…we don’t want to ever hold a child ‘hostage’ at a golf course while Daddy has to finish up his 4th bucket of range balls.

However, sometimes, when all seems to be lost, you can engage younger kids in a fun game of ‘Washing the Clubs’.  Kids seem to be mesmerized by the club washing buckets at the driving range, and will often gladly take your dirty clubs and clean them up for you.  My 1 1/2 year-old loves to wash clubs…so much so, she actually runs over to a fill divot or even the practice bucket on our range to dip her wet club in the sand just to get it dirty again.  What does all of this accomplish?

1)  Children learn the importance of taking care of their equipment.

2)  Children learn that cleaning up can be fun sometimes (is it possible to transfer this concept into cleaning their rooms???…yet to be determined)

3)  You can teach your children about the different clubs and numbers (“Can you clean Daddy’s 9-iron?  See it has a 9 on the bottom.  Can you clean Daddy’s 5-iron?…and so on).

4)  Children become so fascinated, you’ll be able to finish that 4th bucket of range balls while they’re going up and down the range offering to clean everyone’s clubs.

Next time you’re at the range, introduce your children to the club washers down at the range and see if they don’t show an interest in cleaning clubs.  If so, you may accomplish the most important lesson of all…GOLF = FUN.

One of the early concepts that children need to understand is the concept that club path = direction of ball flight.  Now, this is pretty boring stuff if you’re trying to describe it in adult terminology, but an absolute blast if you play the ‘Ball in the Middle” game.  As the name suggests, tee up 3 golf balls (distance apart determined by the skill level of the child), and make a game out of hitting the ball in the middle.

Not only will this game teach them hand-eye coordination and groove a club path that’s (somewhat) headed towards a target, but it also teaches discipline (for younger kids) because they have to wait for the ball in the middle to be re-teed despite the tempation of two other golf balls already on tees just begging to be hit.  My 2 1/2 year-old son demonstrates below…it’s one of his favorite games, and he really has a sense of pride and accomplishment when he’s able to hit the ‘Ball in the Middle” as you can tell by the grin on his face.  Try it with your kids the next time you head for the range, and you’ll notice an improvement in both aim/accuracy, but also the concept that GOLF = FUN.

There is not a creature on earth with a shorter attention span than a 1 1/2 year-old, so bringing my daughter to the driving range can be a harrowing adventure.  Granted, she’s not strong enough to actually lift a club while swinging, and she can’t understand/comprehend even basic swing instruction…so what value would she derive from going to the course?

It’s NEVER too early to learn that GOLF = FUN.

On a recent trip to the course, I engaged my daughter in a simple game of trying to put a golf ball on a tee.  It occupied her 1 1/2 year-old attention span for about 10 minutes (that’s the equivalent of 2 weeks in adult time), during which time she:

1)  Learned the word ‘Tee’, which she repeated incessantly.

2)  Worked on her fine motor skills as she tried over and over to put balls on the tee and then knock them down with the end of her club.

3)  Learned the difference between a red tee, a blue tee, a white tee…you get the point.

The bottom line…I had a wonderful time watching her play with tees and golf balls, and I’m sure that somewhere in her subconscious she is beginning to view the golf course as a cool, fun spot to hang out.

Golf doesn’t always have to be about grips, backswings, and follow-throughs…it’s a game with several facets (terminology, rules, etiquette)…take your kids to the golf course and follow their lead (as long as they are safe and respectful of the course and fellow golfers) as you search for opportunities to teach them about this game we all love.