For the athletically inclined, some think that they can fix their swings themselves. It looks so easy, “I can swing like that Tiger, guy”, one might surmise. Or “I was the high school quarterback” or “I made the tennis team” and “excelled in every other sport I’ve tried”. Then after playing a couple rounds or practicing on the range a few times they come to appreciate the talent of a guy like Tiger Woods, but still think they can achieve a game they’d be happy with on their own.

Some just get ready for their company event or that corporate outing by cramming for a test like a college student who hasn’t studied during the semester. They hit the driving range two or three times a couple days before the tournament trying to get ready and only end up with blisters and sore muscles when the tournament arrives. That’s a hard way to prepare. Now I’m not saying that you might not have some sore muscles after some professional help, but more than likely, they’d be the correct sore muscles.

Some might have tried one lesson years ago and didn’t see any immediate results so they cut short their enthusiasm for taking lessons. To others it might be intimidating to take “Instruction”. Yes lessons can be expensive but some might not know the value of how much a lesson, lesson series or golf school has to offer.

A lot of golfers are perfectly happy with their game and just don’t have the time to improve. But if you or someone you know, gets embarrassed, upset, are confused or frustrated you are ready for instruction. There’s a couple of ways to go if you’re looking to improve your golf swing and your golf game.  If you have the time and would like to broaden the learning process, take private lessons.

Private Lessons

A typical series of private lessons works like this: You take a private lesson every one or two weeks depending on how much you can practice. By the end of a series, you should able to try it on the course. This could be one or two months later, or a shorter or longer period of time depending on your schedule and your commitment to the development of your swing. I teach thousands of private lessons a year. I can’t tell you the amount of times after a lesson or two a student has told me they wished they started lessons a long time ago. Private lessons are not the fastest way to learn the game, it’s the fastest way to learn a swing.

Golf Schools

For the student that doesn’t have a lot of time and would like a game evaluation, a golf school is encouraged. Golf schools can be a half to three and even four days of learning. In a golf school we can evaluate your swing along with your game. In golf schools you learn to evaluate the course, selecting the correct club, etiquette, pace of play, order of play, course management, rules. These are all components of the game and are not usually taught in a private golf lesson.

Most golfers are recreational players and are not competing in tournaments. No golfer, whether they’re a beginner, low handicapper, top ranked amateur, or even a professional  want to go out and get embarrassed, remain frustrated, confused or upset. The #1 player in the world, Tiger Woods, can still get upset or frustrated with his swing or game. When that happens he takes a lesson from his golf professional. So it goes with out saying, if Tiger takes lessons to learn why he’s upset at something, so should other golfers.

Call, email or visit my to set up your Private, Semi-private, Playing lesson or Prepare and Play Golf School.

Let’s start with the grip.

When I say You’re…

Grip “Position”… This is relative to positioning the hands clockwise to counter clockwise on the golf club.

“Strong” grip position… Whoa! This has nothing to do with your grip “pressure”. Too many knuckles are visible on the back of your left hand (Right handed players) while a strong right hand means the palm is looking at the sky instead of looking down your ball to target line. Also known as a closed clubface grip.

“Weak” grip position… Uh-Oh! This also has nothing to do with your grip “pressure”. No knuckles can be seen by the student in the left hand while a weak right hands palm is facing the ground. Also known as an opened club face grip which can lead to slices and fades.

“Neutral” grip position…Lovely! Usually 1½ – 2½ knuckles are visible in the left hand. Right hand palm is facing directly down the target line. Produces very little right or left spin on the ball creating a straighter ball flight.

Grip “Placement”… it’s where the hands are placed in a vertical location on the golf clubs shaft. For a full swing (power shot), the hands should be placed a ½” or one finger width from the butt end of the golf clubs grip.

Grip “Pressure”… Wow, look at those white knuckles! “Pressure” is in relation to how tight or loose your holding the club. Stay supple. Keep white knuckling your grip pressure and it sends tension all the way up through the wrist and into the forearms. Which is not good. What’s the proper pressure? Think of a full tube of toothpaste, squeeze down just enough to start a constant even flow. Not much is it? Students usually squeeze the hands to tight.

Next, let’s go to the set-up.

If you’re encouraged to …

“Address” the ball… (take your “set up”). It’s the position of the golfer and their club as they stand over the ball preparing to make a swing or take a shot.

Take your “Alignment”…Square Up. Line up your body to the intended target. The position at which the golfer addresses the ball in general should be parallel to the imaginary ball to target line. By drawing a straight line from the players heels parallel to the left of the target, the players heels, knees and hips should result in three parallel lines and is known as ‘parallel alignment’. The player can be too “closed” pointing to the right of the intended target or too “open” pointing to far left of the intended target. Like a set of railroad tracks, the ball to target line is the outside rail and the heels, knees and hips are the inside rail.

If I say…

How bout’ some “Posture”… straighten the lower spine. No hunching of the back with the chin buried in the chest. A feeling of sticking your butt out and the chin up. Also known as a universally athletic position. Think of a basketball player, shortstop, or a tennis player returning a serve.

Create some “Spine Angle” … from looking down the ball to target line the players spine is bent forward from the hips, not the waste. If there is too much angle in the spine then it’s considered “flat”, not enough angle and I’ll let you know it’s to “upright”.

“Tilt”… looking face on at my students, the tilt of the spine should be to their right while the left side is higher then the right. Don’t lean, just tilt the spine to the right. Remember “Spine Angle” which is observed down the line is not to be confused with “Spine Tilt” which is observed face on.

“Center” your hips… make sure your hips are centered between your feet. A line drawn vertically down from each hip should intersect equally in distance from each foot. Don’t confuse this with having your hips square.

“Connection”… feel the light “pressure” of your biceps against your chest.

“Knockem” … another sensation of having the “tension or pressure” on the insides of your thighs and/or feet. This gives the player a stable foundation during the swing. As an instructor I don’t like the term “tension” except when referring to the build up of torque during the swing. And “pressure” except when referring to how little the player has in the grip and being connected.

“Fan” the feet… by splaying the feet out 25-30 degrees, especially the left foot, this facilitates the golfer to release their hips all the way through to the finish allowing a full turn.

“Relax”… the hands, wrists, forearms, shoulders and upper back all need to feel like a wet noodle. Droop the shoulders, flop the chest, slump the upper back, drape the arms and by all means supple up the wrists and the forearms. Whatever it takes…relax.

“Forward Press”… move your hands left towards the target in front of the ball and the club head, not behind the two. The golfers hands should be just opposite the left inner thigh. Done correctly this permits the arms to be fully extended while influencing the left side of the body to be higher than the right. Which we call… that’s right, “Spine Tilt”.

“Bend” or “Straighten” your knees…exactly what it means. Bend or straighten your knees.

Now finding a golf pro that’s right for you, well, that might take a little more effort. Just because they have the “pro” title, doesn’t necessarily make them a competent teacher. Some important considerations are:

1. The length of time the pro’s been teaching.
2. How often do they teach. Do they teach full time or do they have other duties such as running the pro shop or tournaments.
3. What associations are they members of and are they a member or an apprentice of that association.
4. Does the pro use video technology?
5. Days and hours that they teach.
6. Do they offer on the course playing lessons, short game or putting lessons.

Having been at Torrey Pines for twenty years, one of the most popular questions I get is “Do you teach beginners?” My answer of course is “absolutely”. Other questions are “Do you teach junior, ladies, seniors, the handicapped?” Just because a teaching pro has more experience than another doesn’t mean they only teach the more experienced player. The teaching pro who teaches full time or has more experience has observed more swings than the less experienced or part time instructor. The advantage of an experienced pro is they can frequently reveal the flaw sooner and establish a quicker remedy to the fault at hand. Again, it doesn’t mean they only teach the better player.

Generally, most golf pros better qualified to provide lessons are members of the PGA which stands for the Professional Golfers Association. They become PGA members only after they complete an apprenticeship. The apprenticeship takes about five to six years to complete which includes passing a playing ability test and numerous subject matters from specific business issues to teaching. That’s not to say apprentices or non-members of the PGA are not competent at teaching. There are golf instructors, coaches, club fitters, etc., that are very competent at teaching. They’re just harder to find. Being a member of the PGA or having credentials at least gives the golfer looking for lessons a bench mark to start with.

1. …it’s not proper etiquette to stand on the intended line of putt, extending beyond the hole or behind the ball to see how the putt will break. Most golfers that do this have their own ball mark relatively close to this same intended line of putt. There would be a penalty involved if it was the putters caddy or playing partner.
2. …once a player starts putting, it’s their option to finish, regardless of where their ball lies. They don’t ask. They tell their playing partners “I’ll finish” or they mark their ball.
3. …a player should always mark their ball once on the putting green. It can be cleaned and look at for roundness. There should only be one ball on the putting green while a player is putting. All other players watching should have their ball marked on the green.
4. …that if a player hits a fellow competitors ball while putting on the green, that it’s a penalty for the player that putted and not the player that forgot to mark.