Holy CRAP! My Swing Just Went To Pieces!!!!

Yes it will happen to you just like it has happened to me and every other golfer on the planet...yes even Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Sometimes it is difficult for me to get across that the best golfers in the world go through the same thing so why shouldn't you?

Touring pros have a band aid that they apply and now you will too. Sometimes you can't just "fix" your swing on the golf course. In fact trying to do so might put you so far down you need to reach up to touch bottom!

You have to get through the round and not set yourself so far back that you miss the cut or put yourself out of opportunity to make it up the next day. The PGA pro that taught me to play golf used to tell me as youngster that when I can play 18 holes and not hit a single green in regulation and still shoot par then I can consider myself a player. That's what Nicklaus and Tiger have in common. They do not carry the best statistics for greens in regulations, fairways hit or least amount of putts. How do they win? They manage themselves better than anybody else.

Here's what most pros do in a round when the wheels are coming off the wagon.

They try to shut down one system of the swing, namely the body. Usually your body and arms are out of sync so you need to shut one system down and fly on only one engine sort of speak. Just fly the plane back to the airport and fix it there...the driving range.

The reason why they generally shut down the body is because the body has a short distance to travel in the golf swing compared to the arms that generally the body or hips get ahead of the arms. This is the case with Tiger Woods which is why he worked hard on slowing his hips down. I might be telling some of you to speed them up. That's because your hips are too slow.

Some pros accomplish this by first bringing their feet closer together in the address position. Why? Because with your feet closer together you are less likely to lunge at the ball with your body. Put you feet closer together and swing with all arms.

Another tip is to lighten up your grip pressure significantly. It may not feel to you that you are swinging faster than you should but it may be happened none the less. Tension is a killer of a smooth repeatable golf swing.

If needed, try taking one more golf club on a shot than you normally would. Hit a 5 where you hit a 6. Swing easy with only your arms you might be surprised to find yourself over the green under the TV tower. (Well you could pretend anyway)

Bottom linme is when your swing goes out of sync it is usually tempo related or a tugging of the body trying to excellerate the golf club beyond your capacity or best tempo. There is a BEST tempo for every golf swing and every golfer.

You need to find yours and stick with it and NOT go beyond the boundaries. Swinging hard on that long par 5 so you can get there in two may ruin the rest of your golf game. That's why tour players NEVER get involved in long drive contests. They won't risk loosing their tempo for a quick buck in a driving contest.

Hope this helps and you know where to find me,
Bobby Lopez, PGA
www.bobbylopezgolf.com
804.378.7456

Playing Golf Under Pressure

Whether it's the US Open or a $2.00 Nassau with your buddies everyone feels some kind of pressure when they attempt to perform. An entertainer experiences pressure before starting a show, as does a concert pianist etc. How about Doctors about to perform a major operation...now that's pressure! Somebody could die...this is only golf.

Let me give you a few tips that helped me. Please understand that we are talking about the mind and individual personal conditions that each of us carry along with us. Differences in personality and mental makeup. Also consider that sometimes the pressure is strictly psychological.

The first hurdle I had to climb was to NOT care what other golfers think. A touring pro I would used to take lessons with would make me rip up my score card after the round whether the score was good or bad. He would say..."it's over and nobody cares."

It true...can you remember who finished third in the US Open in 2005? You might not remember who won! I don't...and yes I don't care.

You're not out to impress anyone and if you are concerned that you are going to be looked at in a negative manner just because you had a bad day on the golf course then you need to NOT play competitive golf.

My son Brandon was a football place kicker. I think the pressure place kickers experience is far greater than that of a golfer. You have 40 guys who are sweating on the side line after working their tails off all day and you are asked to make a 35 yard field goal to win the game. You have to face those same guys in the locker room after the game and during practice all week long.

What I taught my son I will now share with you. I always told him, "if you are busy enough trying to accomplish your pre-kick routine then you won't have time to get nervous."

I believe you need a very good pre-shot routine before you hit a golf ball. First you decide what club to hit and how the shot will look once you hit it...all in your mind's eye. Then you start your pre-shot routine of approaching the golf ball the same way every time. Taking the same number of waggles before you hit every time...then let her go. What ever happens.....happens! No use worrying

You have to believe in your practice habits first...believing that you practiced the proper things and that you did them the proper way. Then you need to believe that you're making the right decision in club selection and shot selection. Then believe in your pre-shot routine and again let it go. Don't second guess yourself.

Stay focused on these tasks and you won't have time to get nervous.

Jimmy Demerit gave me a tip once. He said whenever he would get a little tight on the golf course he would just say to himself. "well they can't electrocute me if I play bad". He said he would relax and do fine.

Relax and enjoy the game. They won't electrocute you if you play bad but if I find out I might water board you!

Bobby Lopez, PGA

How The Patterson Driving Range Has Improved!

Yes this might seem like a commercial but if you come to Patterson Sports Park you'll say this is accurate information. Ricki, the owner of Patterson Sports Park has gone all out in investing back in to the business for everyone's benefit. Isn't that refreshing!

The grass tees are looking better. Ricki also built a beautiful brick surface where all the gravel used to be. She planted beautiful flowers and trees to add to the landscape experience, and she bought brand new Srixon range balls which are my favorite.

Why Srixon, because they feel like a real golf ball and not like a rock like some other range balls. Do they go as far as some of the rock hard high compression golf balls? No. But for the better golfer trying to improve their golf game a golf ball that reacts more like the right thing is important. Especially when it calls for "working" the ball, moving it right to left etc.

By the way, the softer golf ball wears out faster so it actually costs her more money yet her prices are the lowest in town! Ask about the Patterson "circle of friends" group where you can get discount cards that make your practice costs even lower.

I'm proud to be associated with Patterson Sports Park and teaching there is a pleasure with all the beautiful surroundings. Oh, did I mention the new putting green? To see a video of the new putting green and Patterson Sports Park just go to my web site and click on "See Video on Patterson Sports Park" about two thirds of the way down the page.

To contact Patterson Sports Directly just call 804.784.4544 or go to their web site at They have an excellent set up for company outings, birthdays and more. They are located on Patterson Ave just east of 288. 12586 Patterson Ave.

Bobby Lopez, PGA

How is the Economy Affecting Golf?

I can tell you one thing....there goes the $799 driver with all the exotic technology out the window. As the economy tightens consumers get smarter and that's my job as a PGA golf professional...to advise you properly so you are armed with the "correct" information on both golf clubs, golf courses and of course your golf game.

As far as golf clubs are concerned it is a buyer's market right now just like real estate. You see drivers that are only a year old in a barrel at almost any golf store for one third their original price. Did you know that Tiger was playing with a four year old driver head until just recently?

Golf courses are lowering their prices. Golf outings are down both in number of outings and their participation. Many private golf courses are offering memberships on a monthly basis without paying the up front initiation fee! Now is the time to negotiate a long term agreement if you think the golf course will survive the storm.

If you need help in negotiating or making a decision on anything that relates to golf just pop me off an email from my web site at www.bobbylopezgolf.com

Take advantage of the low prices now and lock in for the future.

Bobby Lopez, PGA

Why Is It More Difficult To Hit Your Driver Than Any Other Club?

You can get this report for downloading as a .pdf file by going to my website at www.bobbylopezgolf.com and choosing SPECIAL REPORTS from the left hand menu. The report also has photographs.

Your initial golf shot or “tee shot” is YOUR MOST IMPORTANT golf shot in my estimation. It’s sort of like first down in football. If you’re second down and twenty every time you get the ball you’re going to have a long afternoon. I’m used to it, being a Dolphin fan.

If you’re having trouble during a round of golf with hitting your golf driver in the fairway then drop down to your three wood immediately. Maybe after some success with your three wood you will gain your confidence back to try your driver again. The little bit of distance you’ll loose by hitting your three wood will be more than compensated by being on the short grass in the fairway. Work out any problems with your driver in practice not on the golf course.

The first thing you need to understand about a Driver is that the length is probably doing you the most harm. A golf swing is very similar to a group of skaters turning in a circle or a group of soldiers marching in a circle. The outside skater or individuals will have to move that much faster than the rest of the line to keep up. Sure the longer the driver the faster the club head will travel in theory, but equally the harder it will be to square the club face at impact thus causing that dreaded slice off the fairway.

To square the golf club up at impact, (impact is actually about three degrees closed with a driver) you need to start rolling your forearms over earlier. Why, because the golf club head is further away from you. If you’re having trouble squaring up the club face first try choking up a little on the golf club. My opinion is golf club manufacturers make the modern drivers too long anyway. Most are about 45 to 46 inches. I prefer 44 inches. Tiger Woods only hits a 43 ½ inch driver.

I also prefer the smaller club heads. Everyone is raving about the hybrid woods that are replacing three irons. Golfers rave about how easy the hybrids are to hit. The heads are SMALL and have a low center of gravity. In contrast the new Drivers have a head the size of a basketball and golfers wonder why they can’t square it up. I recommend the 395cc head as the largest acceptable size, not the 460cc style which is actually more difficult to square up at impact.

Some golfers try to keep their head still or over the top of the golf ball. To make a full turn on a swing with your driver your head might move a little towards your back foot. That’s fine if not desired. You need to be well behind the golf ball at impact. One should have a straight line from the front shoulder to the ball at impact.

Another thing I noticed is that most golfers tend to hit their driver out on the toe. Use some face tape or sometimes referred to as impact tape on your driver and witness for yourself where you are making contact with the face of your driver. Usually the best place to make contact is high on the face and just a little inside of center. Different drivers have difference centers of gravity. See my Blog report on finding the center of gravity on your golf club for help.

Also, the driver has to be swung on a shallow plane. All golf clubs are swung the same…on plane, (the plane being the angle of the shaft at address). The plane angle on a driver might be 55 degrees where on a pitching wedge the shaft angle might be 64 degrees. To maintain a shallow path to the ball it is necessary to turn your shoulders on a more horizontal plane on the back swing. Golfers that swing steep usually are trying to keep their head on the golf ball at the top of their back swing. If you’re right handed, make sure you get the tip of your left shoulder over your right toe at the top of the back swing. You’ll still see the ball out of the corner of your left eye and you’ll gain a tremendous amount of distance on your tee shots.

You might feel like you’re swinging flatter or more rounded with a driver. If so that’s a good thing. Practice starting your downswing with your arms. Get to the top of your back swing and hold your chest still and start pulling your arms down like you were ringing a bell.

Remember Tiger’s comment; “the arms win the race”. He is referring to the arms winning the race to the golf ball. Get your arms started way early on the downswing and make sure you roll your forearms over early. If you start to hook the ball violently just back off a little on the roll over. If you pull hook the ball then you’re still rotating your shoulders too early.

Golf Injury Effects Pros & Amateurs!

The three major causes of golf injuries are:

1) Postural instability

2) Lack of flexibility

3) Misaligned swing mechanics

The golf swing requires the spine to rotate, bend laterally and extend. This requires flexibility that is golf specific.

Golfers suffer from a variety of injuries. Below I have listed the most common injuries for the PGA and LPGA.

PGA: Low Back Pain (25%), Left Wrist (16.1%), Left Shoulder (10.9%), Left Knee (7%), Left Hand (6%)

LPGA: Left Wrist (31.3%), Lower Back (22.4%), Left Hand (7.5%), Left Knee (6%)

Here is a list of common causes of golfing injuries: Amateur and professional: most common is repetitive practice. Amateurs, poor swing mechanics is the 2nd most common. Swing faults are responsible for both amateurs and pros joint complex dysfunction and de-conditioning syndrome. Increased club lengths have contributed as an injury promoter.

Back Pain: Due to the notorious X-Factor as much as 8 times the normal force is put into your low back during a golf swing. The golf swing subjects the lower back to rapid, complex, and intense loading patterns. The lower back must contend with significant lateral bending, shear, compression, and torsional forces. For example, the golf swing generates a peak compression load of more than eight times the body weight in both amateurs and professionals, whereas running and rowing only generate four and seven times body weight, respectively. It is not surprising that 62% of golfers will incur an injury directly related to the sport.

The Golf Landscape Has Changed Forever!

Tiger (and other younger golfers along with the golf club industry) have changed the game of golf forever. I dare say that if Lee Trevino were 25 years old today he could NOT make it BIG on tour. Why? Because he was a shot maker. In his day accuracy was at a premium. Tall rough at U.S. Opens had a devastating influence with a 3 iron in your hand. Today the kids have a nine iron into the green....BIG difference!

Of course the ball and the golf clubs made a significant contribution to this dilemma but also the conditions of the golf courses have changed. Belly putters with long flowing strokes. Smooth quick greens that roll true.

Watch one of those old films of the Shell's Wonderful World of Golf and see how the old boys use to pop the ball. It would hop along the bumpy green searching for an opening.

All this emphasis on the LONG BALL has taken its toll on golfer's wallets. They need to buy a new driver every year to keep up with the latest technology. Golf companies take advantage with $799 drivers that sell for only $249 a year later in a barrel.

One other area of concern is "Golf injury"? We never thought of golf injury in the early years or golf fitness either. The only thing we ever lifted when I played on tour was a 12 ounce can of Heineken, (I played in Europe).

All this emphasis on distance has tempted golfers to rip at the golf ball with all they've got landing them at their favorite health care professional’s office in grimace. There's an idea...how about the government offering free health care for golfers?

Swing Like A Pirate….Use Your ARRRRRMS!

The contribution of the body to the golf swing has been over emphasized for years. I guess one reason for this fact is that body positions were easy to point out in a golf magazine. Problem is, the over use of the body or excess body motion continues to be the killer of the golf swing for many a golfer, holding them back from their true potential.

The biggest killer by far is the starting of your downswing with your shoulders. The body has such a small territory to cover in the downswing while the arms have so far to travel that you MUST start your downswing with your arms or you will travel over the top on your downswing causing you to pull the ball and more importantly release the power angle created at the top of your backswing too early.

Another by product of starting your shoulders first on the downswing is swinging on too steep a plane during your approach to the golf ball. You can get away with swinging a little steep with a wedge up to a seven iron. Once you get in to the longer clubs you need to get the arms going first so the club shallows out on the approach.

The lie angle on a wedge (the lie angle is a measurement from the center of the shaft to the ground in degrees) would be about 64 degrees. On a driver the lie angle is 55 degrees. All clubs are swung on plane, being the shaft angle at address and every golf club has it’s own plane. The longer the golf club the flatter or more shallow the plane. To get the longer clubs to shallow out you need to start your arms earlier on the down swing.

You may feel a little flat or rounded on your swing with a driver but that’s a good thing. A perfect example of what I’m saying here is Sergio Garcia. He starts the arms down early about as well as anyone has since Ben Hogan did. Ben Hogan described his downswing as like pulling an arrow out of a quiver. Tiger Woods says his down swing feels like his arms are falling out of the sky in front of his chest. Al Geiberger said the downswing was like ringing a bell. They are all saying the same thing, get your arms going first in the downswing.

Take a look at Jim Furyk. You may think he has a funny swing but watch how he drops his arms first on the down swing. Many a golfer like Jim Furyk, (Tony Lema, Lee Trevino, Freddy Couples) swing steep on the back swing so they can fall to a shallow position on the downswing. It is a lot easier to fall down to the plane rather than rise up to it. Taking the golf club back low and behind you might cause you to swing steep on the down swing because you need to turn your shoulders first to get the golf club out in front of you to get to the golf ball.

Pretend like you’re facing 12 o’clock while at the address position. Then take your club to the top of the backswing. Pick your head up an look at the 2 o’clock position. Hold that position in your chest and head and start pumping the golf club down with your arms holding the body perfectly still. That’s the feeling you need to get the arms going first.

Another great drill is to put a stick in the ground about three feet high and one foot outside your back foot and even with the golf ball. Try to put the stick in the ground at the same angle as the shaft on your golf club. Take the golf club back outside the stick and bring it down to the ball inside the stick.

Whatever drill you use get your arms going first! Swing like a pirate…use your arrrrrms!

www.bobbylopezgolf.com

“Taking Your Swing From the Driving Range to the Course”

Transferring your perfect consistent driving range warm up swing to the golf course is a typical dilemma and a frustration of many a golfer. You’re killing it on the range, everything seems perfect. You’re convinced that you will have your best round ever and then right on the first tee you yank it out of bounds! Some golfers can play well for the first three or four holes, only to loose their rhythm on the fifth hole and throw away a great start. Others play like a dog the first four holes, finally relax and start to play better. Does this sound like you? If so there’s help.

Before anything, you do need to see your swing by way of slow motion video analysis with a recognized PGA golf professional to see if there is a major swing fault in your swing that might be making it difficult for you to control your swing on the golf course. I offer lessons with video analysis right over the internet. All you need is a camera and your home computer. For details go to www.bobbylopezgolf.com. With that said, there is a technique or sequence of events that help a golfer control their swing tempo and emotions on the golf course. Of course nothing in golf is “always”, but if you’re doing the right things you’ll have your share of success.

First off I like to begin my day with the short game warm up first. Most golf courses are not designed for my kind of warm up. They have the putting green near the first tee and the driving range across the way.

After doing my short game work, (see my special report on golf game warm up) I head for the driving range with about 20 minutes to spend.

I try to end my last swing with my Driver with just enough time to get the first tee comfortably, (make sure it’s a good driver shot or hit another one until you do). I want my last swing to be, the first thing
I can relate to when I tee it up.

You need to understand that when you hit a good shot, all the mechanics of your swing must have all come together at just the right time or sequence at impact, at the specific rhythm or swing speed you had on the range. Once most golfers get to the golf course, they begin to increase the RPM on their swing so that the synchronization of your swing falls apart. Resulting in a club face that is out of alignment with the path, or maybe your body out of position from swinging faster and harder or even slower.

At the first tee, picture in your mind that exact swing speed or rhythm you had on the last great tee shot you hit at the range only moments ago. If anything attempt to swing the golf club a notch or two slower than on the range. Don’t over do it, I said a notch or two. Swinging way too slow will have the same poor result as swinging too fast. Remember, having the arms and body out of sync is the problem. Your swing operates at a specific speed where all the parts seem to fall into place. Find that swing speed or rhythm and you got it made.

As the game progresses you may be in further risk of swinging harder or slower. Having a couple of bad holes can affect your swing speed tremendously. Depending on your personality some golfers get angry and swing harder. That only leads to further damage and a totally lost day.

One common flaw is mixing target golf with swing mechanics. Concentrate on swing mechanics on the driving range not on the golf course. I’m referring to driving range work for your swing, not the driving range warm before you play. Driving range warm up before play is for flexibility, tempo and rhythm not swing mechanics.

When working on swing mechanics on the driving range do not concern yourself with accuracy. You may experience erratic ball flight when making a swing improvement for 20 to 30 days or more. Once you head to the golf course let the practice on rebuilding your swing melt in to your golf game without having to think about it on the golf course.

Develop a pre-shot routine. Maintaining a consistent pre-shot routine on your range warm up and carrying it over to the golf course is key to your controlling your tempo and rhythm on the golf course.

I use breathing exercises to try and keep myself level minded and level thinking throughout the round. Stay away from coffee, anything with sugar like orange juice, sodas, even diet sodas because of the caffeine. What you eat or drink can greatly effect your swing tempo, rhythm and all around attitude.

Be patient on the golf course. What difference does it make if you bogey the first hole or the last, it’s still a bogey. Forget it. Keep playing, stay within your rhythm and hope for the best. Don’t force your game, like a young quarterback trying to force a ball in coverage and getting intercepted.

Getting emotional over a bad hole will only make things worse. Ben Hogan was probably the greatest at controlling his emotions on the golf course. Controlling your emotions doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Stay relaxed, concentrate on your swing rhythm not your mechanics, (that’s for the driving range) and enjoy the day. After all that’s why you play golf!

You may want to consider taking advantage of our One Day To A Better Golf Game Program. We do it all in one day! Short game, video instruction on the range, lunch with the pro, on course instruction with a PGA pro covering everything from club selection to alignment to controlling your swing on the golf course.

Any questions? You can reach me at 757-382-5500 or send me an E-mail to bobbylopez@bobbylopezgolf.com.