Why use a tee during practice sessions?Most amateurs think that using a tee during practice sessions on the range is "elementary" and not something that would help to improve their golf game. Often times during golf lessons students will make a face when they see me teeing up their ball. The usual comment is "why would I use a tee on the range when I can't use one on the golf course from the middle of the fairway?" This is not a good way of thinking. Walk the practice tee at any Tour event and you will see the best golfers in the world using a tee while practicing. It is important to have a good lie when working on your golf swing, so that you are able to focus solely on technique. In an article featured in a recent edition of Golfweek, the world's highest ranked female golfer, Christie Kerr, discussed the importance of using a tee during practice. The article stated that Christie hits balls off a tee so that she is not consumed by contact.
"If you are hitting off the ground and the lies are inconsistent, you end up searching for ways to hit it more solidly and might start making unnecesary compensations." Creating the same lie every time gives golfers the benefit of working on their swing in an efficient manner. The next time you find yourself on the range getting frustrated because you can't get a consistent strike with your 3-wood, consider following the best players in the world and use a tee. Remember, you are working towards building a better golf swing, and good swings will produce good shots off any lie. Keep these simple thoughts in mind the next time you are thinking about improving your game.
This past June world renowned putting instructor Dr. Craig Farnsworth visited Alpine Country Club for a putting clinic that was designed to attack important areas such as green reading, alignment, and distance control. Some of the areas that Dr. Farnsworth discussed covered aspects of putting that most golfers would never consider. I’m going to discuss two of the important topics the group learned that day. When it comes to distance control, there is no substitute for practice. Golfers of all abilities that are struggling with lag putting (more than 25ft) should be spending more time working on the practice green then on a driving range beating balls. Everyone wants to know a secret technical tip to improve this area of their game, but I am sorry to inform you that this does not exist. At the end of the day it comes down to confidence, like so many other parts of the game, and there are no better confidence builders than productive practice sessions.
As for green reading, Dr. Farnsworth talked at length about the importance of recognizing the high points and low points on a putting green. Firstly, this makes it easy to distinguish where the straight putts are located, and secondly it helps to find the subtle breaks that are not so obvious. One of the quickest ways to figure this out is to start by locating the sprinkler heads around putting greens. Greens are designed so that water runs off into a particular area and drains efficiently. For this reason, sprinkler heads can usually be found near the high point of a green. Locating these areas can be helpful in giving you the edge you need when it comes to improving your putting stats.
For more information on Dr. Farnsworth please feel free to visit his website at
www.puttdoctor.com
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Last month I was featured in the sports section of the July 26th edition of The Bergen Record. The article that was published was written on the importance of playing a practice round leading up to a big tournament. Please find a copy of the article below. This Monday, August 23rd I will be featured in The Record again in conjuntion with the PGA Tour's Barclay's Classic coming to town at Ridgewood Country Club. The article will focus on what average golfers can learn from tour players by observing them on the driving range before a round. Please check it out if you get the chance!
The Bergen Record July 26, 2010
Practice right for qualifiers
Being prepared helps you make the cut
By Jason Birnbaum
Special to The Record
If you are about to compete in a quailifier, don't blow your chance to make your practice round count. A practice round is not just another round of golf for you to go through the motions, even if it is played on a familiar course. A practice round could be your first step toward making the cut and earning a chance to continue competing. Treat it as you most essential form of preparation.
There are three important areas someone trying to qualify for the Bergen Amateur needs to focus on during a practice round to ensure that they are prepared….
1. First and foremost it is important to chart the golf course properly so that you are familiar with what you can expect. This includes picking certain targets off each tee box, deciding which holes to keep your driver in the bag, club selection on par 3’s, and identifying the best “bail out” areas on critical holes. This also includes locating the 150-yard markers and sprinkler heads with marked distances. Be sure to find out if those distances are measured to the middle of each green, as some golf courses chart distances to the front of the green.
2. Beware of falling into the trap of “playing the course.” Practice rounds are most important, if played correctly, because they prepare you for what you can expect during the actual competition and there is no better confidence builder than knowing you are prepared. Amateurs often make the mistake of “playing the course” and trying to record a score, however this can be a waste of time as the golf course rarely plays the same during tournament play. You will never see touring professionals playing each shot where it lands and putting out to the actual hole during a practice round. Instead, they are dropping balls where they expect to be, putting to areas of the green where they assume the pin will be located, and testing the sand in bunkers that come into play. If possible, try to play your practice round during off hours so you don’t have to worry about the course being crowded; or consider coordinating with other competitors in the field to play a practice round together so each person in the group has a similar objective. As long as you are keeping up with the group in front you have nothing to worry about.
3. At the end of the day most of these qualifiers come down to a putting contest. Most of the contestants in the field can hit the ball well, but the one’s making the most putts will find themselves inside the cut line. Familiarizing yourself with the putting greens is a major part of playing a productive practice round. Try to get an overall feel for the greens you will be playing. Are they sloped and fast, or do they tend to be soft and slow? Take note of the time of day you are playing your practice round as greens will run at different speeds throughout the course of a day. Pay close attention to potential pin locations on each hole. Often times if you are playing your practice round close to the actual event you will find white dots on the greens where the pins will be located. Determine which holes have the toughest greens so you know where to hit your approach shot to the center of the green, and identify the easier greens where you are comfortable attacking the pin.
Keep these thoughts in mind during your practice round and you will give yourself the best chance at making the cut. Have fun and good luck!
Jason Birnbaum is a teaching pro at Alpine Country Club in Demarest.
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Golf Channel Instructor Search
You may have already heard that this fall the Golf Channel is running a contest for golf instructors who are interested in having their own show on the channel later this season. Of several hundred applicants there will be four lucky finalists over the next couple of months that will get to host their own 30-minute show, with the winner getting a show for all of 2011. I have thrown my hat in the ring and plan on giving it my best shot. The most creative topics will be successful. A production team will be coming out to Alpine later this week to shoot the video. Wish me luck! More information to follow in the coming weeks....
Please keep in mind that lesson notes can be obtained at any time by logging onto my website at
www.jb-golf.com. For those of you who have not received a username and password and would like to receive post-lesson swing notes please feel free to let me know at any time. Thank you and enjoy the rest of the season.
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