Golf Tips with Bobby Lopez

Creating That Bluged Left Wrist At Impact

2012-02-07T08:19:00.003-05:00

We had a workshop lesson this past Saturday at Patterson and the topic was the impact position.

We have some serious weaknesses there. This topic is NOT given enough emphasis. Think about it, if you can't get to the proper impact position what's the use working on your swing plane and all kinds of other stuff.

This picture to the left is right out of Ben Hogan's book which is still very relevant today. I put together a short video to help you better see the difference between scooping which ads loft to the golf club, effects your distance, ball contact on the bottom edge of the golf club and the lack of the good feeling at impact and the bulged wrist effect Hogan talks about.

Here's what Hogan said in his book. He put it in CAPS so I will as well. AT IMPACT THE BACK OF THE LEFT HAND FACES TOWARD YOUR TARGET, THE WRIST BONE IS DEFINITELY RAISED, IT POINTS TO THE TARGET AND AT THE MOMENT THE BALL IS CONTACTED IT IS OUT IN FRONT, NEARER TO THE TARGET THAN ANY PART OF THE HAND.

I put together a video to help you with this. I will be filming a drill at Pendleton on Monday if it's not raining so visit your Member's Only Section often for new features. Please take a moment to watch the short video I just made on this subject.

It's Shoulder Tilt...AND...Shoulder Turn

2011-12-08T13:27:00.001-05:00

This topic is among golf's best kept secrets. Why do golfers swing over-the-top or outside-in? It's because they turn their shoulders on the downswing rather than "tilt" first. It is the shoulder tilt on the down swing that creates the inside path and angular acceleration, (club head lag). As soon as you turn your shoulders, on the down swing, the golf club will travel outward. Being that centrifugal force travels outward, the golf club shaft will loose it's angle and the result is you loose club head speed.

Take a look at this video and drill that will help you create both lag in your down swing and increase your club head speed.

Proof Is In The Pudding...I Mean Putting!

2011-12-04T11:49:00.001-05:00

Maybe you haven't heard of Boo Weekly, pro golfer on the PGA tour. Well, he was this past year anyway. He's back at Tour School trying to work his way back to the tour. What's the big deal you ask?

Well Boo happened to be the number player on tour in greens in regulation! Number one! One would think that if you hit the golf ball on the green more often than anybody else out there, you would win a ton of money and endorsements galore! You're rich!

Not so. Boo was number one in greens in regulation but 192 in putting. Still, he hit it better on the rest of the golf course than anyone else? I would still think that would set you up for at least the middle of the pack. No, he lost his tour card, and is now having to gruel it out with all the rookies again, to earn his opportunity to play on tour on a regular basis.

Surely he will still get some sponsor exemptions if he doesn't make it but still, first in greens in regulation! He hit it more consistent than anybody else and gets tossed out.

Moral of the story is, work on your putting. It is literally 50% of the shots on the score card (36 strokes allowed for par). Start with the short putts of six feet and in. Use a short stroke to maintain club face angle. On the long putts, you can use the long flowing stroke. Pace is the issue on long putts.

Here's a drill that might help with short putts.

Golf Drill For The Flying Elbow

2011-11-27T08:58:00.001-05:00

Getting your right elbow, (for right handers) is a risky move. You've probably heard of stuck and behind you? Once you get your right elbow behind you in the back swing you make it difficult to get the golf club back in front of you at impact. Your only resolve would be to throw your hands at the ball which could cause a snap hook. Most likely you will bail the ball out to the right because you can't recover.

Here's a drill that might help you. Byron Nelson used to talk about getting your right elbow in your gut on the downswing. Same thing really.

Try this drill.

How Would You Like To Play Golf In Scotland...Without the Airfare!

2011-11-13T17:35:00.002-05:00

Now is the time of year that Pendleton Golf Club in Ruther Glen, (just north of King's Dominion) looks like an authentic Scottish Links Course. Now that the Bermuda grass fairways turn a golden brown, (the Bermuda grass goes dormant during the winter) I get the same sensation I had in Scotland in the summer. Even though the Bermuda grass fairways appears tan, the ball sits up beautifully as if it were on a brush.

We had a great time Saturday and I highly recommend playing at Pendleton. Rates are low this time of year so call Jim Mason at 804-448-4727.

Pendleton has FIVE tee boxes! The Ladies tee is very friendly and placed in front of any hazards one would have to clear. The senior tees allow our senior golfers to enjoy themselves on a Championship caliber golf course without feeling beat up after the round. You have the white tees, which are a reasonable challenge. The blue and black tees are not for the golfer that is short off the tee. It is a different golf course from the black tee. For instance, if you are playing from the white tee on number 5, (a par 5) you can hit it over the trouble if you can fly the ball about 225 off the tee. If you're playing from the black tees you can forget it, unless you can hold the ball in the air 270.

You won't find a better driving range to practice from. The driving range tee has been cross seeded with rye grass so it's nice and green. One feature I enjoy is the real target greens with laser yardages.

To get to Pendleton just get off exit #110 on I-95. Go west to US 1. Go south about 1/2 mile to the brick front entrance. Follow the signs to the club house. I highly recommend the chicken salad sandwich for lunch.

The staff is friendly, helpful and go the extra mile to make your day is an enjoyable one. Are conditions absolutely perfect, no. It's winter time! I personally can't wait to get back next week.

For the Pendleton website

http://pendletongolfva.com/golf/proto/pendletongolfva/directions/directions.htm

Today Was The First Day Of The New On Course Format - Hosted by Birkdale.

2011-11-10T20:26:00.010-05:00

Boy we had a great day at Birkdale Golf Course. I'm looking forward to our Saturday session at Pendleton. I can NOT fully express my thanks to the fine folks at Acumen Golf for allowing us to use Birkdale as our Chesterfield golf course site. If you haven't been out to Birkdale, you will be very impressed with the improvements. The new owners have put together a great professional staff headed up by Chris McNeil PGA Head Professional along with a fantastic organization for outings. They've also made some upgrades in the club house eating area with a BIG screen TV and a comfortable area to watch the game after you're done playing.

The day on the golf course was fantastic and the golf course is in great shape. Yes some of the greens have been recently aerated and of course this is the time of year when maintenance is done on the greens BUT any work being done was NOT a factor in our play. I thought the greens rolled well for this time of year. The fairways are totally Bermuda and in great shape. Tee boxes have been seeded with either a Bent or Rye and it adds a classy touch.

Here's what happened on our first day.

1) We started out at the putting green, working on those very important short putts. One excellent feature of the practice putting green at Birkdale was the access to special holes that were smaller than the regulation cup. A wonderful training tool to practice putting at these smaller holes, so that the real cup looks large by comparison.

2) Next step was long putts.

3) We hit some balls on the range then off to the first tee.

4) I play from the back tees but you can play what ever tee that suits your game. You will have a good challenge where ever you tee it up. I will be providing a Special Report on recommended course strategies, shortly.

We played the entire 18 holes and I can not wait to play it again. I am convinced that this new format is the BEST way for me to see you perform on the golf course. You also have the opportunity to observe what I do, both with the golf swing as well as that important short game and club selection. When you play with better golfers you will improve just by observing.

If you're interested in playing Birkdale on your own, just call 804-739-8800 and then enter 100. You can get to the Birkdale web site by going here. They have some great off season rates right now and remember to take advantage of the special small holes on the practice putting green. Oh yes, we had lunch after playing. I had the Buffalo Wrap and it was great. They have FREE coffee. You know how Cubans like coffee!

One thing we learned from this on course session is that alignment WILL have an effect on your golf swing motion. Why? Because your eye has no idea that you are improperly aimed so you will do whatever it takes to get the ball to go to the intended target. Example; you align yourself to the right with your feet, (or closed) and open in the shoulders, (to the left). This improper position will cause you to swing across yourself or "over the top" being that your eye knows that the hole is left of you.

To work on alignment skills try this drill.

Watch for further Blog entries on our, Play Golf With A PGA Pro!

I Did a Video Analysis of My Own Swing This Time...Now You Can Laugh at Me!

2011-11-04T21:06:00.001-04:00

As I said in the offer for joining the new lesson membership, I too will be working on my golf game right along with you. I started officially yesterday. Like I mentioned, I do NOT have the kind of time to practice now like I did in my early years when I played for a living. Now I'm in the same boat you're in.

I did get a good hour in though and took some video of it and did an analysis. You will be able to see the difference in the videos of my swing as well as your own during this process.

Tomorrow we start a blitz of workshop lessons at Patterson Golf Park. Bunkers, putting and 80 yard shots. I'll post some commentary on that tomorrow.

To get to the video analysis of my swing just go here. Once you get on the page, look at the list of swing analysis of PGA pros.

Does Golf Get Harder As You Get Older?

2011-11-03T08:07:00.000-04:00

I can testify to that! Even if you had the same flexibility and stamina, you don't have the same time on your hands. When I was about 10 years old, I could walk to the golf course from my house and I didn't come home until dark. Of course back in those days, a young kid could walk around safely. I worked on my golf game all day without a care in the world.

As you get older you have so many distractions. Responsibilities of life that have to be met. Bills to pay and money to earn. I've seen players on tour with their entire family practically living in a van. Now that's hard!

The purpose of this conversation is to let you know that it's OK to be easy on yourself in your golf game improvement. You're NOT doing it for a living so you should enjoy challenging yourself and accept the bad shots with the good ones.

This is also why I am a BIG believer in doing drills at home as often as you can. You can't get to the golf course and/or driving range everyday. Logging a considerable number of reps at home will have a significant impact on your play at the golf course. I promise. I always have a golf club in the living room so I can do a drill during a commercial. Of course the one downside to this is, my darling wife has a weapon easily available in case the wrong name comes up on my cell phone! Naaaa, not a chance.

You CAN Practice Your Putting While It's Cold Outside.

2011-10-30T20:44:00.000-04:00

I've put together a Special Report on practicing your putter club face control and aim at home with nothing but parts I found at Home Depot.

You can get the report by clicking on this link.

Let me know if it helps you.
bobbylopez@quickfixgolf.com

Monday was a Great One Day School

2011-10-26T22:51:00.000-04:00

We had a great time during the One Day Golf School at Pendleton on Monday. The weather was perfect. The group of guys were very enjoyable and eager to learn AND I had a hot hand with the irons.

Like I've said on many occasions, the first thing on my mind when I tee it up is, "getting the ball within the six foot circle". Of course once I get there I have to make it. That's why I spend most of my practice time six feet and in. While in Tampa, I am going to video some putting drills so stay close.

OK I get to brag now. I hit it within six feet on hole #1,2,4,5,6,and 7. The best compliment I've had in quite while was when one of the golfers in the group said, "you're making me sick!"

Yes golf can be fun when you're playing your best but you still have to learn how to enjoy yourself on bad days too.

It's Time To Get Started On Your Off-Season Improvements!

2011-10-23T22:36:00.000-04:00

If it had it my way, I would be closed during the season and open during the off season.

Like any other sport today, it’s the off season that determines your performance for the coming year. At the beginning of every off-season, Jack Nicklaus would visit his mentor Jack Grout. They would literally start from the very beginning and go over every single detail of Jack’s fundamentals and re-build Jack’s golf swing from the bottom up. I mean everything. The very basics like grip, stance and alignment. Even the most intricate details were not ignored or overlooked.

This old Cuban has been giving golf lessons for a long time, and I have not been ‘playing’ the game I love. So this year I have a goal to win “Senior Player of the Year” for the Middle Atlantic PGA. If you have a goal of playing the best golf of your life in 2012 – let’s join together over the winter – and train for our goals.

Attached, is a detailed discussion of what is involved with my winter training program – but let me provide you with a quick overview of the program:

Step 1: Private lesson with video analysis and the mapping out of your personal off season program with exactly what YOU need to accomplish. PLUS, complete charting of your golf club configuration. Get more private lessons if and when you need them.

Step 2: Newly formatted UNLIMITED workshop lessons. I’m getting a portable simulator so we can play golf on the computer and compare your stats so we can monitor and measure your improvement.

Step 3: Increase in hand strength and flexibility. Easy exercises you can do at home. No need to join a gym.

Step 4: Monitored practice and play golf with me! You will have my practice schedule and where I will be playing golf. Join me on the golf course at no extra charge.

Step 5: Brand new lesson kit that is specifically for this program only! Chart your progress and document everything you did along the way, so you never forget what you learned.

If you're interested in seeing the program just go to

http://www.quickfixgolf.com/Golf-Instruction-Richmond-VA.htm

Here's a video on the subject.

Here's a way to heal your golf swing all by yourself...if you have the discipline to do it!

2011-07-06T06:36:00.001-04:00

This is a drill Hogan was famous for and it's a good one. First you have to have a good grip! I've attached for you a video of the proper grip so you can compare it to what you're doing now. When gripping the golf club, always do it in front of your face. I see golfers trying to adjust their grip while their hands are at address. Not a god idea. Lift the golf club up to your face, make sure your grip is just where it should be, then put the golf club down behind the golf ball.

Very important! If you don't have a camera to work with, find a friend to watch you and make real sure you do not re-grip the golf club on your take-a-way. This is a common swing fault and though it may seem minor, movement of grip will actually effect the rest of your golf swing, attempting to adjust to the change in club face angle.

OK, so now you have the club face behind the ball, ready to go....hit a shot. Hold your position a the finish. Check to make sure that your grip is still in it's perfect original position. DON'T MOVE YOUR HANDS!

Hopefully your hands have not moved so you can now put the golf club behind the ball again and hit another shot. The purpose of the drill is to see how many balls you can hit without your hands moving out of position. This will help your consistency.

Success in this drill is NOT determined by your hand strength or tightness of grip. In fact, quite the opposite. You should hold the golf club comfortably and still be able to do this drill. If your golf club is turning in your hands, then something is out of balance. Maybe it's your swing path, body movement or flipping of the hands through impact that are causing the golf club to be "unbalanced" a impact, thereby turning the golf club in your hands.

I don't remember how many balls Hogan would hit in a row but it was substantial. If you can start off with three or four in row you're doing good. Here's a link to the video
http://quickfixgolf.com/dev/images/Drills/Grip_Drill.wmv

2011 U. S. Open Interview with Jimmy Barrett.

2011-06-19T08:29:00.000-04:00

Here's the interview we did live. Remember this stuff is live! I'm honored that Jimmy trusts me enough to behave myself on the air. I tired to do my home work and still on Sunday morning, stand behind my statements. The rough is way to short out there! Too many greens hit in regulation from out of the rough. What's the positive for golf? Well maybe having the younger long hitting field improves television ratings? Maybe it attracts younger folks to the game of golf?

I can't disagree with any of that....except. Do it in the Doral Open! The U.S. Open was always featured as the most difficult field with the most difficult conditions. Bring out the best of the best in accuracy and nerve for the best golf. It's only once a year!

The hear the interview click on this link.

US Open Golf - Is That the U. S. Open - Where are the Americans?

2011-06-17T08:46:00.001-04:00

I'm going to be on the air with Jimmy Barrett on WRVA Richmond in a few moments and I wanted to give an insight into the U.S. Open you might not hear anywhere else. With the magic of the Internet I pulled up old scores from past U. S. Opens and compared them to today. Yes the results of past leaders I am comparing today to is just the opening round, but still there is trend line here. I'm not happy with the results as an American!

In today's first round results, of the top 15 golfers only 27% of them are Americans. Only 27%! In the year 2000, of the top 15 only 45% were Americans. In 1990 some 87% were Americans. In 1980 93% of the top 15 were American golfers!

I do not begrudge the foreign players for leading in our National Open. We have the same opportunity in the British Open. The visitors have the right to lead if they play better. After all , the golf ball and the golf course have no idea who is hitting the ball.

However, what has happened to our dominance? I can give you one possible contributor. Title 9. Men's sports in Universities all over the country are being attacked by this philosophy that both Men and Women should be equal in sports scholarships Men and women are not unequal, just different..thank God! Great institutions like VMI do NOT have a Mens golf team because of Title 9. Instead VMI had to field and pay for a girls rowing team! I could coach that team. A short trip of 90 miles over shark infested waters to Key West would do it. Andale muchacha!!!

Of course there are probably a long list of other contributors, one being we're getting lazy as a whole in this society. Kids playing video games instead playing touch football in the street like we all did years ago.

Maybe the rest of the world is hungry for dominance in golf. I know from experience that in Spain, a golf pro was the best playing caddy. Just like boxers coming from bad neighborhoods and willing to suffer the training and punishment of boxing as a way out of the hood, Spanish players were willing to work hard on their golf game and move out of the caddy world to the playing opportunities open to them.

Whatever the reason, I personally don't like it. Wake up America! We need a pep talk!

It's The Alignment!!!!!!!

2011-06-07T09:19:00.001-04:00

Without a doubt, every time I give an on course lessons, I find alignment issues. The serious issue with this is, your swing path is effected by faulty alignment. In most cases, the golfer is aligned to the right, (for right handers) only to swing the golf club across their body or to the left. The by product is scooping, breakdown of the left wrist, and either a high fade or a pull shot.

You should always, always, always put a golf club on the ground when you practice. Top touring pros do and they have been playing golf for a long time and most likely play better than you do, so don't be embarrassed about putting a golf club on the ground while practicing at the driving range.

Second, here is the process for lining up properly.

1) Get behind the golf ball and get your belly button, the ball and your target in a straight line.
2) Find something directly in front of the ball you can recognize that is in line with your target, hopefully very close to your golf club's face.
3) Point the leading edge of the golf club at your target. The leading edge being the front edge of the golf club face.
4) Then, you align your shoulders at 90 degrees to the golf club face.
5) Your feet go last and are not important except that it is preferable, in most cases when playing an iron shot, that your stance is slightly open or to the left of the target, again for right handers.

Here's a video below about keeping a golf club on the ground for alignment.

Make Sure You Stay BEHIND The Golf Ball!

2011-05-15T20:18:00.001-04:00

I was listening to an interview of one of the batters for the Boston Red Socks. Forgot his name already but he's leading the league in batting right now. What was interesting was that he was crediting his success to the fact that he was staying behind the ball. Hey Lopez......that's baseball! Same thing partner...guaranteed!

You need to get behind the golf ball. Get your weight on your back leg at the top of the back swing and then rotate from there. No stepping into the pitch or driving your weight to your front leg.

Here's the "Swing Secret!" I believe the secret to consistency.

2011-05-10T07:14:00.000-04:00

The golf swing is a "single axis rotation." The body rotates on the base of the spine and the arms should follow both the rotation and "tilt" of the shoulders. I'm finding tons of videos lately of golf pros being viewed from the back side. They're catching on to the fact that you can view the base of your spine movement better from a back side view.

If you can rotate with a minimum of lateral movement you can be more consistent. Far less fat shots, catching it think AND most of all in my estimation...a better extension of the arms through impact which means NO MORE CHICKEN WING!

Take a look at this video. Come see me to have your swing video taped form the back side. I promise....no one will see your video without your permission.

Here's Vijay Singh Doing A Stick Drill

2011-04-28T11:58:00.000-04:00

Drills drills and more drills. There are tons of different drills out there but the most important thing is...do you do them properly and consistently? I see folks do a drill one or two times and expect it to spawn results. Not so. You have to "nag" your body into submission. If you do not understand this process please live with my wife for a month!

Doing drills in short intervals "often", even without a ball is the way to go. It is the process of logging a sufficient number of reps that build the consistency.

Your Body Turns In The Golf Swing --- No Sliding!!!!

2011-04-27T11:12:00.000-04:00

Take a look at the video I just attached of Chuck Howell III. For those of you that tend to slide and need to clear your hips better this might help.

The Masters got what it wanted...and it was exciting!

2011-04-11T17:27:00.000-04:00

Make the golf course long, grow the grass to perfection, (almost too much on the 15th hole) and you get the crew bunched up at the end with a ton of guys tied for an exciting finish. Not much different than Nascar.

I think that they lost something in not have the surface just before the green on 15 hard and fast like in the past. It was fun watching balls that barely got over roll back in the water.

I heard an interview with Doug Ford, past Masters champion in 1957. He talked about how the condition of the golf is far superior today than when he played. He claimed, "they made it look like a park". He talked about how areas that were unplayable are now perfectly manicured.

Of course the one sad story was McElroy. What happened? Nerves. Inexperience etc. Once you get a just a little faster than your appropriate tempo, the wheels can come off the wagon. He would have done better to swing a little slower and just bat it down the middle ad dare everyone else to catch him. Of the kid that one would have caught him anyway but I'm sure he will learn from this and pick himself back up.

What my old coach used to tell me....get the "L" out of learn!

One other thing that bothered me. What happened to the American dominance in golf? There were a lot of foreigners on that leader board. Maybe we need to take it up a notch?

The "Grinding" Caught Up With Tiger.

2011-04-09T19:23:00.001-04:00

Hey Lopez....Why are you picking on Tiger? I'm NOT picking on Tiger. I wanted to pick on something that might help your golf game. I think Tiger has lost some of his mental capacity but he also over cooked flattening out his back swing with Haney.

You can see a video about how Tiger changed his swing from his early years to Butch Harmon. Figure the golf club moving even flatter with Haney. Much flatter.

What A Finish For Tiger On Friday!

2011-04-08T19:59:00.001-04:00

I'm down in Ft. Lauderdale today and boy, has this place gone down hill. I turned on the radio and heard a show in some Haitian creole patua language. If you're going to have a show in South Florida, for Pete's sakes SPEAK SPANISH!!!!!

Gang...what Tiger did today...that's as good as it gets when it come to "grinding." Grinding is what tour golfers call it when you keep fighting in spite of all the less than perfect circumstances and overcoming less than perfect shots.

Out side of the great shot Tiger hit on 16, (one of the only holes he didn't make birdie) he made chicken salad out of you know what and seemed to make birdies in spite of his ball striking performance. That's why Tiger was and is so good. Nicklaus was the same way.

Golf is a game of misses. Question is...how do you make the best out of your misses. You've got to have the short game. You have to have a very positive mental attitude and a keep understanding for how the ball will react on the putting surface.

Tiger's recovery shot on 18 was fantastic considering it was in the rough which makes it more difficult to spin the golf ball. He was smart enough to play the "cut" shot and not risk hitting a branch on the tree in front of him, even though he probably could have hit it under the tree with no problem at all.

Question is...can he keep this up tomorrow or will he find his rhythm and hit the ball pure. Here's what makes golf such a challenging game. He might hit it great tomorrow and possibly not score as well! That's golf.

What a game!

Is the Grip Really That Important? How About Interlock?

2011-03-28T04:51:00.000-04:00

Let's think about this. The grip is actually the only connection you have to the golf club face. The big difference in this game is that the golf club is further away from you. Moe Norman used to grip all his clubs at almost the same length. He would choke up on his longer clubs. I think it was the Tommy Armour company that tried to mimic Moe and built a set that was similar to how he held a golf club.

Another huge feature is that a golf club has the axis or shaft, on the bottom of the head. A tennis racket has the axis balanced in the center. This causes you to have to place extra effort to roll the golf club over through the impact area. The same way a tennis player puts top spin on a tennis ball.

If your left hand grip, (for right handers) is not STRONG enough, you will have trouble playing this game. What is considered in golf books as too strong a grip, television commentators on golf tournaments refer to as a "players grip." Well, if most of the golfers on tour are using a strong grip there must be a reason.

Below I posted a video for you showing where the grip should be. Bottom line is, if you hold the golf club in front of you and grip it with your left hand, you should feel as though you have enough of your left hand on the right side of the shaft in order to have "leverage" to rotate the golf club counter clockwise. I like to think of the top of the shaft as 12 o'clock. Your left thumb should be at least at 2 o'clock on the shaft.

Take a look at this video and let me know if it helps.

You Might Doing Exactly What You Wanted To Do?

2011-03-27T08:06:00.000-04:00

I find, in so many cases, when someone comes in for a lesson they have swing faults that were deliberately developed. Example, keeping their head rock steady over the ball! Someone probably told them to "keep your head down" or "keep your eye on the ball". Not only is this terrible advice, but the effort to hold your head over the ball will cause you to steepen your swing path. It will also restrict your back swing turn and potential to create club head speed.

Here's the sad part. You were doing what you were told! Be careful with well meaning advice. Also be careful with tips you get on TV, radio or golf magazines. They might be well meaning tips but they could be poison for your swing style.

Imagine someone telling Jim Furyk to take the golf club low and inside on the back swing! It would potentially ruin his entire golf swing for life!

Be leery of any tips that suggest copying other golfers on tour. Tour players have spent years on their swings! For you to re-program your swing to match theirs is an impossibility in my estimation.

Finding someone that has a talented eye, for picking out exactly what would be the best fit for YOUR swing, is NOT easy. I know. I've tried to hire pros to teach with us to meet our high demand in lesson volume. Too many pros follow swing theory to an extreme. Most golf schools follow their method to an extreme.

Remember you can always send us a video of your video for a FREE analysis! For further information on that just go to FREE Video Analysis of Your Swing

Over Active Hands Can Create A Snap Hook

2011-03-14T08:18:00.002-04:00

The end result is a snap hook. Let's work from there back. Hands are over active and violently release, or turn over, the golf club at impact. Well, what caused it? It most all cases it is the sliding of the body laterally on the down swing that causes your "need" to violently roll the hands or risk leaving the ball bailed out to the right.

I produced a video below that will explain this even further.

How do you alleviate such a result? First, you need to make sure you are behind the ball at the top of your back swing. The video will show this. Then you need to begin turning to the golf ball rather than sliding. The need to "transfer your weight" to your front foot is grossly over emphasized.

Clear your hips and extend your arms through impact. Here's a good drill you can try.
• Clyde's Feet Together Stretch Drill - Get rid of the flips and the hip slide all in one.

You Have To Be Careful NOT To Roll The Golf Club Open!

2011-03-12T07:02:00.002-05:00

If you look how a golf club is designed, it is the design itself that makes it difficult to play this silly game. Look at a tennis racket. The axis is in the center! There is as much racket surface above the axis as below it. That makes it a lot easier to square the racket up at impact and it helps for rotating the racket to impart top spin on the ball.

Not so with a golf club. The axis or shaft is on the bottom. Not only that, many of the golf club manufactures have chose to put more weight out on the toe of the golf club which I believe is a mistake. The first time I tool a look at Johnny Miller's clubs, he had lead tape wrapped around the hosel, (neck) of his golf clubs! More weight in the neck and the golf club can turn over easier.

What I see a lot of is golfers rolling their club face pen on the take-a-way making it even more difficult for one to roll the golf club back to square at impact. Now, you begin to see golf clubs out there called, "draw bias" and such. Hello! What do they do, put more weight in the heel of the golf club. That's nothing new!

Take a look at this video I did on the take-a-way of Bubba Watson. I did it in right handed as well as left handed. See if this helps you get rid of that nasty slice or light weak fade.

How To Win At Capatin's Choice Tournaments!

2011-03-03T20:25:00.002-05:00

It seems like everybody and their brother hold Captain's Choice Tournaments to raise money for the favorite charity. Although I am not a fan of the format I do very enjoy participating and of course Captain's Choice Tournaments are a great way to "schmooze" with potential clients.

Take a look at the new Special Report on How To Win At Captain's Choice by going here.

Here's A Video That's Funny!

2011-02-14T08:08:00.003-05:00

Here's one guy we had, (Dushan) who was a riot and a pleasure to have in the group. The we had the ultimate potential disaster. One of the golfers was nice enough to agree to pick up one of the other golfers that lived close to him and drive him down to the school. In fact, four of us road with him because he had a nice big car/truck. Well he was proudly wearing his Green Bay Packers cap. Well, the guy he was picking up (who he didn't know from Adam) was dressed in his Steelers gear!!!! Hello! Their videos attached.

Sumter School A BIG Hit!

2011-02-14T06:55:00.004-05:00

The atmosphere at the end of the school was very rewarding for me. Like that guy in the television commercial, "Revaarding, Very Very Revaarding!!!" You could tell that everyone had a great time! Everyone not only improved their golf game but they better understood what they needed to do in the future to continue their improvement.

The enthusiasm level was so high that I took some videos of the guys after the school you'll enjoy. Great bunch of guys! I enjoyed all of them and hope to see them again at Pendleton Golf Club real soon! To see all the videos just go to my Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/BobbyLopezGolf

I also learned something that's going to help me improve my game. I'm goint to incorporate some of the things we did at the Sumter school into the one day school at Pendleton. If you're interested in the One Day School just send me an email and I'll send you a $40 off coupon.

bobbylopez@quickfixgolf.com

We Played A Beautiful Picturesque South Carolina Private Club

2011-02-13T07:07:00.002-05:00

Wow was this a treat! We played Sunset Country Club in Sumter today. This was a treat because this is a private club and does not usually allow golfers from the outside world. Thanks to Scotty Letien we were incited as guests.

The golf course was in great shape, and the members were so friendly and even joined us in the bar afterward watching the golf tournament and smoking cigars and of course having a cold one! Yes you can smoke cigars in the bar! Luckily Al Gore is NOT a member.

We started out with doing some warm up on the practice putting green. Then we did some work in the practice bunker. Off to the driving range to get the engines rolling then out to the first tee.

The greens were fast but they rolled true. The golf course was not overly difficult but it wasn't a cake walk either. The course was built in 1922 and has all the charm of maybe Golden Horseshoe in Williamsburg?

They were great to have us and incited us back so the next group will get the opportunity to enjoy what we did this week. I look forward to going back.

We're Doing A Three Day School In Sumter, SC And It's A BLAST!

2011-02-12T07:35:00.003-05:00

We started our first three day golf school in Sumter SC and we're having a blast! We spent all day yesterday at The Links at Lakewood, (if you remember Scott Letien as the Director of Golf at The Crossings for about 13 years) and we had the run of the place. Scott is great! We did a ton of work on the driving range, a ton of short game on the practice putting green with chipping too, and then we played about 15 holes until it got dark.

Today we're going to a private golf club to play, Sunset Country Club. I hope these bone heads behave at the private club?

I'll let you know how it goes today.

The National PGA Show in Orlando Starts Today!

2011-01-26T07:09:00.002-05:00

I'm heading for Orlando today for the PGA show. Stay in touch with my Blog. I will keep you informed on what I see that just might help you lower your score for 2011. If there is anything you have interest in please email me at bobbylopez@quickfixgolf.com

Visit this Blog Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning for the latest and the greatest from the PGA show.

Is There A Way To Add Distance Over the Winter?

2011-01-17T07:51:00.005-05:00

Now's the time! Just about all sports today are no long seasonal. The off season is an opportunity to make adjustments on your swing as well as improvements in your strength and flexibility. Of course you most likely are playing golf for fun. You could be on of those Virginia golfers that competes in a few of the fine amateur tournaments in the area. Either way, now's the time!

At you new indoor location SCOR, we have Jason Elkin, who s a certified Titleist TPI golf fitness instructor. You can find out more about the TPI program by going here. All the exercises are golf specific. You can choose your level of improvement and go over with Jason exactly what your goals are. I can set you up with a complete evaluation with Jason once I take a look at your swing. I will show Jason the video of your swing so he and I can evaluate your current situation. Then Jason will get together with you and do a complete evaluation and show you exactly what you need to do to improve for 2011.

I am beginning the program myself and will keep you informed as to my improvement. I'm adding the new creation of my friend PGA Pro Jerry Donahue. It's called the Speed Flex Pro. It is a weighted stick which is fitted to your current specific swing speed and will enhance your club head speed properly in as little as 30 days.

You may have heard of the Speed Stick Veejay Singh used to pump on TV. Well I stayed away from that one because it was to long. The over length caused one to swing flatter than you normally would which I think is detrimental to your swing.

The Speed Flex pro is sized to your common driver length.

Whether you choose a swing aid like the Speed Flex Pro or you join an exercise program that is golf specific now's the time to get started. You will be very happy you did once you get to March. Just imagine the look on your Buddie's faces when you drive it past them!

In case you're interested in the Speed Flex Pro just send me an email and I'll explain it to you. I sell it for $10 less than the manufacturer, (they are $89, I'm $79) and I'll help you pick out the one you want with no shipping for Richmond locals.

The Holidays Are Over So It's Time For You To Start Getting Ready For Next Year!

2011-01-04T10:44:00.004-05:00

If you're going to be a better golfer in 2011 you need to get started NOW! Think about it. You really only have the rest of January, February and maybe half of March. Then the sun comes out and it's time to impress your pals with your new golf game.

The BEST time to institute changes in your golf game is when you're playing the least. Just like the best time to do a vale job on your car is when you're not going to be driving it much. Full swings especially on the golf course revert back to old habits UNLESS you spent time in front of a mirror or in your back yard repeating a "reprogramming drill" a sufficient number of times to create a new habit.

I've written a Special report on this topic and it's yours FREE. Just click on this link to download.

I wish you and your family a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Bobby Lopez, PGA

How About A Lesson Over The Internet FREE!

2010-12-06T07:45:00.002-05:00

With all the technology going on today, is it possible to do a lesson over the internet? Yes! Up until now, the best you could do is email your swing to a pro for an analysis. Problem is, the lesson is NOT in real time. How do you ask questions? How does the pro know you understand his/her analysis?

Golf Coach Direct is the first site I've found that actually has on line analysis in real time. Very similar but better than GoToMeeting.com where you are at home or office watching the analysis on your computer screen while the pro is performing the analysis simultaneously. One added feature is IF you have a camera, both you and the pro can talk to each other and demonstrate drills for improvement. If not, you can communicate over the phone while performing the lesson in real time.

I invite you to try a lesson FREE and give me your opinion. I want to know if you enjoyed the experience? Was the system easy to use and understand? Is this something you would do again? How much would you be willing to pay for a lesson?

If you're interested please call 804-378-7456 or email me at bobbylopez@bobbylopezgolf.com

FREE Special Report on "How To Be A Scratch Golfer By Spring!

2010-11-29T07:52:00.003-05:00

This is my favorite time of year for two reasons. One, it's the Christmas holiday season, (of course Chanukah too!). The other, because it is a great time to reflect back on how you played golf in 2010 and what you're going to do about in 2011. It's time to take an honest assessment of what you did well, and need to maintain, and what you need to improve on over the winter so that you carve a few more strokes off your average from last year.

Notice I said HONEST ASSESSMENT! Teaching golf all day I see a lot of golfers who do not make an honest assessment of what the true issue is with their golf game. Golfers that gamble excessively like I used to as a kid, (because it was the best to make money when you're poor like I was) look for the golfer who over reaches in his personal assessment. We used to call them our "sweet roll".

This holiday season sit down quietly and take an honest look at your golf game this past year. Maybe you're one of those patient consistent individuals that can religiously enter your stats in one of those software programs that calculates your averages of greens in regulation etc. I'm not, but I should. Of course I don't play for a living anymore and most likely you don't either.

I personally try not to get too technical. If you're honest with yourself you know where your short comings are. Develop a maintenance plan for the things you did well and set up a game plan for improving where you need it most.

If you would like help just call me 804-378-7456. You can get a copy of my Special Report, "How To Be A Scratch Golfer By Spring" right here.

Holy Cow Lopez...You Gave Me Too Many Drills!

2010-09-27T06:41:00.004-04:00

I hear this comment often and it concerns me as well so I wanted to clarify my reasoning for the drills. When doing weight lifting you don't just do curls. You might work the same muscle group from several different angles. I could assign a student four to six different drills which all relate to the same problem. Here's an example.

Let's assign a given golfer these drills:

• Stick Drill - Feel the proper path slightly exaggerated
• Short Impact Zone Punch Shots - Good for clean ball contact and getting the forearms over.
• Lift Over Head - Great drill for golfers who "swing over the top"
• 2 O'clock Drill - Great drill to get your arms started first
• Turn & Tilt Drill - You'll look and swing like a pro once you dominate this drill

There you go Lopez. Too many drills and now I'm confused!

Here's the problem at hand. The student turns his shoulders "first" on the down swing. The shoulder need to "TILT" so the golf club comes down in the slot with the impression that it is traveling on an outside swing path, Adding to that t,he golfer also takes the golf club back low and inside the swing plane.

The stick drill will help the golfer start to feel the "lifting" needed to get the golf club "up" and on plane. That will help the low and inside back swing path. In fact this drill will exaggerate the lifting because in most cases you need to over do a movement to change it because you will fall back a bit once you try and hit a ball. Old habits die hard!

Now once the golfer begins to attempt to swing outside the stick on the back swing and then inside the stick on the down swing they will most likely NOT rotate their forearms to square up the golf club face. You MUST work on the path AND the golf club face at the same time.

The lift the golf club over your head drill will help in "slowing down" the shoulder turn which is the key to repairing the swing path. The outside the stick drill does somewhat the same function with the feedback of the stick which provides feedback telling you you're not completing the drill properly.

The 2 O'clock drill will also help slow down the shoulders or chest turn and the "turn and tilt" drill will help one feel the tilt of the body on the downswing which allows you to get outside the stick.

All these drills attack the same issue. The key is to perform the drills "SLOWLY" and "Deliberately" as well as often. I always say, "do the drills for five minutes every time nobody's looking!" It is the repitition that will help you "reprogram" your faulty swing movement.

Hope this helps and if you have a problem with "swinging outside in" or "over the top" your drills are above. Get to work!

Are Lady Golfers Better Than the Guys?

2010-09-20T08:44:00.003-04:00

Well, in some ways they have an advantage. Most lady golfers are generally more flexible and are more willing to rotate their body for power rather then using their arms or upper body exclusively.

Looking at several of them like I have, I definitely notice more shoulder turn among the lady pros. I've attached a sample video below of a lady pro golfer. The sad reality is that many of the recreational lady golfers do NOT take advantage of their flexibility because on day one, a well meaning golfer tells them to "keep your head down". Probably the most mis-understood statement in golf!

The true statement should be, "maintain your spine angle constant". The spine must remain steady as you turn your body however your head can move away from the ball...just stay level.

The back swing should feel somewhat like the coiling of a shot put thrower or discus throw. When you throw the shot put your head actually goes down because of the TILT!! Funny enough not many ladies do either sport! However, they instinctively realize that their arms can NOT carry the entire load so they will turn their body if instructed to do so.

One negative is they seem to have trouble hinging the golf club back for the same reason that their arms and wrists are not strong enough to take the load. Lighter graphite shafts might help.

Take a look at the video and send me your opinion, bobbylopez@bobbylopezgolf.com

Sometimes Little Minor Chages In Your Golf Swing Can Make A HUGE Difference!

2010-09-12T08:53:00.008-04:00

Of course I've hit about a trillion golf balls in my lifetime, (Wow that sound like Congress.....A Trillion!) but it never ceases to amaze me how the very slightest of adjustments can make such an enormous effect on your entire golf swing.

For instance, I went out to a driving range in Tampa yesterday to make sure I get my practice in even though I'm away, (liar....I couldn't stand a minute longer with the out-laws, I mean In-Laws) and even though I was hitting the ball very respectable and acceptable to me something just didn't feel quite right. I felt like I could do something better to explode at the ball and pick up additional club head speed.

Well, I took a look at my right hand grip after I hit a shot and noticed it was not in it's original position. I positioned my right hand just a little more to the center or turned it counter clockwise. I hung on a little tighter with my last three fingers of my right hand. Then at the ball I let the right hand explode and I was knocking the snot out of it!

I also noticed another benefit. The grip adjustment lowered my hands slightly at address and put me on a better plane on the back swing which allowed me to swing as hard as I wanted without fear of the ball hooking left! The golf club and my hands were in a better position at the top of the back swing.

In case you want to try this for yourself, I suggest you first take a look at the grip drill and make sure your grip is proper to begin with. Watch the grip drill here. If your right hand grip is too strong, (the V or crease points towards your right shoulder rather than maybe off your right ear) you might hook the ball when you unload your right hand at impact.

When you get to impact, feel like your right hand rolls over the left as hard as you want. If you hook the ball you need to take a second look at your grip. See what your grip looks like AFTER you hit the shot. Did your hands move? Hogan was famous for hitting some 24 shots in a row without his hands moving at all. He would hit a shot and then hit another without re-gripping!

Good luck and let me know if you have some success with this and also let me know if you don't.

Getting Out Of The Bunker Can Be Easy!

2010-08-30T07:16:00.004-04:00

In some cases, touring pros would prefer to be in a green side bunker than in a difficult position below the green or over the green. Generally greens are built tilted toward the fairway so anything over the green could be a down hill chip which is never easy.

The key to bunker play is controlling the speed of the ball when it flies out to the intended target landing area. In order to accomplish controlling the speed of the golf ball one needs to slip the golf club just underneath the golf ball and take as little sand possible and maintain the golf club face upward or skyward throughout. An open golf club face or turned clockwise at address is very important. The more you open the club face the shorter the ball will travel and the higher it will travel.

Take a look at a video I attached to this Blog entry that might help you with the technique of getting out of the sand.

Bubba Watson Swing Analysis

2010-08-19T11:53:00.006-04:00

Boy these new young players can knock the snot out of it! Bubba is one of those long knockers. According to the PGA Tour Stats Bubba is rated 5th in drives over 300 yards. Tiger mentions how long Dustin Johnson is but he's only number 3. You probably never heard of the first place driver...Robert Garrigus?

Ernie Els is rated 71st. Tiger is not even rated in this category. I guess you have to hit the fairway for it to count.

Anyway, the asset Bubba has is his very high back swing with a very wide arc. Very similar to David Love III. A word of caution here. This doesn't mean you should stretch back and give it all you have and end up at your local Chiropractor! The high stretching back swing Bubba has might not be the best for your swing or coordination characteristics.

There are a lot of ways to speed the golf club up for additional distance. A big stretch could make you wild and off in the woods. The best way I think is to improve your hand action through the hitting area. Learn to rotate your forearms faster and you'll increase your distance. Yea, by the way, Bubba does that too! Take a look at the video analysis I did for this Blog entry.

Here's a Response From One Of Our Loyal Members On The Tiger Woods Situation.

2010-08-10T12:45:00.003-04:00

Bobby Lopez here! Below is an unedited response from Maynard Crawley. Thanks Maynard for taking the time to write a well thought out opinion!

i agree with your thoughts about the state of affairs in america. the media seems to reward the absurd. it is clear that thieves, drug addicts, alcoholics and the "girls" that promote using their body to "get-ahead" gets all the media attention. one point to illustrate this is the: "salasse" woman (i think this is how it is spelled), this is the one who crashed the state diner at the white house. this means she and her husband breached the highest security bar in this land. she now has a reality TV show-the person that let them in -she got fired (ms. rodgers) and the perpetrators got rewarded with a TV show? figure that!

Now about Tiger! how can a person play competative golf in this situation. the cards are stacked against him thanks to the media. with the media's appetite for sensationalism-tiger is watched 24 x 7. this means that he can't go out and get a drink, he can't go shopping, he can't go for a walk in the park, he can't go out with another woman for compansionship. he cannot do anything personally ( forget golf) without being judged. his marriage and his golf are 2 different things. for sure he has been judged with these "puritanical" measures and this dr. "phil" attitude that the media wants to project on this guy. how can anyone play golf under these conditions. i think tiger went wrong when he tried to "apologize" to the media and the fans. he should have told them (nicely)- to "hell" with the endorsements. i have marriage issues just like everyone else and it has nothing to do with my character or me being a role model. if this is the gold standard for behavior then why is a "Myle Cyris" who had episodes of dressing like a "stripper on a pole" and provacative photo shoots continue to get gigs and endorsements-what kind of message does this send to young girls.

In every relationship there are 2 points of view. no one is questioning what tigers wife did or did not do. when a woman who is hanging around the pro-golf circuit or any professional sport, these woman know that they will come in contact with young men with plenty of money. they know what is going on. why would a woman who had no career going for herself, have been around the curcuit-all of a sudden goes berserk? she knows what the deal his. if she had good intentions she should have recognized what kind of attention this would bring and should have helped him resolve ths womanizing issue privately with her. she knows what the risk are when you marry a highly paid and recognized young athlete

this whole thing is BS in my opinion!-thanks maynard

Is Tiger Gone For Good?

2010-08-08T07:11:00.007-04:00

How quickly one can go from "top of the world" to the "crapper"! So much going on behind the scenes that neither the PGA tour nor journalists either picked up on or deliberately ignored. Surely someone knew what was going on and should have stepped forward and confronted Tiger before everything got out of hand.

Like in many work environments, who wants to tell the boss he's wrong? Certainly not his caddy Steve. The PGA tour was making money. Why should they stop the gravy train? Well, Money ain't everything! I believe that character and integrity are far important in the long run.

Is Tiger Gone For Good? Here's a far more important question, "Is American Dominance In The Golf World Gone For Good?"

I remember when I was a young cocky 23 year old and Director of golf at Nueva Andalucia Golf Club in Marbella Spain. I was getting ready to join the tour myself and felt I had a tremendous advantage on the European tour just by being an American. In February of 1973 the World Cup was played at my course in Marbella with Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miler representing the US.

Although there were some great worldwide players like Gary Player, Robert DeVincenso and others, there was no question in my mind that Jack and Johnny would run away with it and they did. In fact, the players representing Spain, Angel Gallardo and Valentin Barrios told me in the locker room that neither Nicklaus or Miller would break 70 on this difficult Trent Jones golf course. Well I was playing the golf course everyday so I knew they were full of tortillas! Sure enough, first day Jack shot 68 and Miller shot 65. I made a few bucks on side bets that day!

I looked at the standings in this weeks tournament on PGA.com and I noticed all the foreign flags next to player's names. Where's the American dominance? This scares me!!!! It seems like we keep lowering the bar in this country not only in golf but in so many areas of American leadership.

America needs to get it's MOJO back and we're NOT going to get it back by apologizing for being successful. We used to say, "God is on our side!" Well, with the lowering of our moral standards of late, I would question whether God is not only off our side but getting fed up with our behavior!

When we compete, yes we should be polite and courteous. However, I would suggest, "KICK THEIR ASS" with a smile on your face!

WAKE UP AMERICA BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!!

Your Tournament Swing and Regular Everyday Golf Swing Are NOT The Same!

2010-08-05T19:35:00.003-04:00

I had the honor of participating in the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Golf Tournament on Wednesday and it was fun to feel that tournament swing again. I had a great group of guys to play with and considering all the fun we had, I thought we did pretty good.

The motto of this story is that you have to slow down and be more deliberate in tournament play. I noticed my playing partners hitting their short irons a mile but I personally throttle back and take an extra stick so I can hold my balance and tempo.

I had no idea who I was going to play with and it turned out to be a great day. I never consider "stacking" a team for a Captain's choice event. The purpose of the event is to support the charity or cause and enjoy the fellowship and new friends you make.

That's what golf is all about.

The Target is the Ball and the Center of Gravity of the Golf Club.

2010-07-31T15:16:00.003-04:00

Many golfers make the mistake of thinking the target is the flag stick. You aim at and align yourself in the direction you wish the ball to start it's flight path on. If you're playing a fade you might be aimed and aligned left of the target, (right handers).

Once you get ready to swing the golf club forget your destination and concentrate on your "centeredness of hit". You have to make contact with the ball at the "center of gravity" of the golf club which in most cases is slightly inside of center on the club face. Golf clubs are different in design so you need to find out where the center of gravity is in your golf club.

I suggest using "face impact tape" so yo know exactly where you are making contact with the ball. You can buy impact tape at www.longshotgolf.com and should use some when you practice.

Is It Shoulder Turn or Shoulder Tilt?

2010-07-28T06:22:00.003-04:00

Ben Hogan said that this specific move of shoulder tilt vs. should turn was THE number one difference between a successful and unsuccessful golf swing. I see it everyday while teaching golf. Why? Because turning your shoulders back to the golf ball WILL cause you to swing outside in or over the top.

Here's the drill you need to develop shoulder tilt. Once you get to the top of your back swing stop.....then imagine you are going to ring a giant church bell that weighs about a thousand pounds. Come on man....you have to make this a little dramatic!

Then pull down on the rope that rings the bell. In fact the bell is so heavy that you have to pull down with your right shoulder and upper body as well which should cause a tilt straight down towards the ground. DON'T turn back to the golf ball...pull down on the rope. Instinctively your body will turn back to the ball just in time to make contact and your right shoulder, (for right handers) lower.

Another way to test yourself is to check and see if your shoulders traded positions. For instance, at the top of your back swing your left shoulder should be low and right shoulder high. When you pull on the rope your shoulders should have traded positions. Your right shoulder will be low and your left shoulder high.

Ignore the feeling that you're going to hit behind the golf ball. It may feel like you will but you should not UNLESS your back swing is too far behind yourself. To check that position, at the top of your back swing stop...then soften your arms and bring the golf club and your hands towards the center of your chest. If your hands are not directly in front of your chest then you are behind yourself in the back swing.

Click here to see a drill that might help

Bobby Lopez, PGA
804-378-7456

Practice with a Golf Club On the Ground!

2010-07-27T07:56:00.004-04:00

Touring pros put a great deal of effort in their address position. To prove your are never cured of a swing fault or address position fault, notice how so many of the videos we have of touring pros practicing on the range include golf clubs on the ground for alignment purposes. Send me your name and email and I'll send you a video I did on this subject FREE! www.bobbylopezgolf.com

Now, these are touring pros that most likely have played golf since they were 5 to 7 years old. Yet they still find it necessary to place a golf club on the ground to remind them that they are pointed in the proper direction. I guarantee you that if the rules were to allow it on the golf course they would be doing it there as well.

Improper alignment can, no will, have a very negative influence on your swing path. You know where you want the ball to go so you will adjust your swing path to overcome the improper alignment. Now you have compounded the problem and will spend hours on end repairing the swing path once you finally realize the misalignment.

Make sure you place a golf club on the ground when you practice. Touring pros do it so why shouldn't you!

Is the Golf Grip Really That Important?

2010-07-26T04:58:00.005-04:00

Boy have I been running into some rotten grips lately! I've seen better grips on a Miller Lite!

The most important function of the grip is controlling club face angle. As you now know, this angle is a primary influence on ball flight. Also, the way you hold and control the club face position influences your overall swing motion.

You probably have seen illustrations of the Vardon grip, the most common modern golf grip. You may have focused on the overlapping pinkie as the most significant aspect of the grip. You would naturally assume that if you placed your hands and fingers in this approximate position, you would have a proper grip. You might have missed the most significant point: the positioning of the hands in relation to the club face angle. This relationship has surprising influence on your swing and, more importantly, on your ball flight.

Most golf books will tell you that the back of your left hand should be facing the target, yet I find that most tour players or good amateurs play from what is called a “stronger” grip position. The back of your left hand should be facing about 10 o’clock and the palm of your left hand at 4 o’clock. The club runs at an angle from the fleshy pad of the hand to the point where it runs across the top joint of the forefinger. As your left hand closes on the club, you should be able to see the knuckles of the forefinger and middle finger as you look straight down on the club. The thumb runs down at about 2 o’clock on the grip and the “V” formed by your thumb and hand will point somewhere between your right ear and right shoulder. Please refer to the illustrations for samples.

If the left hand is turned excessively in a clockwise direction, so the back of your hand points skyward or to the right of the target line, you have too “strong” a grip. The opposite is true for too “weak” a grip.
With the left hand in good position, the right hand should fall in a naturally opposing position, so the palm of the right hand is pointed at about 10 o’clock. The “lifeline” of the lower hand fits over the thumb of the upper hand. The “V” formed by the thumb and hand should also point somewhere between the right ear and the right shoulder. With both hands in this position, you have a “neutral headed toward strong” grip. Professionals have had more success leaning toward a strong grip rather than a weak one.

Here's a video that might help you with your grip

Can A Ballet Dancer Improve Your Golf Game!

2010-07-21T11:25:00.002-04:00

I've had all kinds of students over the years. Everything from floor sweepers to NFL stars. This is the FIRST time I had a ballet dancer as a student. Phil Skaggs is a great ballet dancer for the Richmond Ballet. He's a great guy and it goes without saying that the rigorous physical activity all ballet dancers goes through is tremendous.

Here's what might be interesting to you. Some of the "lingo" and references are very similar from Ballet to golf. For instance; I am constantly reminding students that balance is NOT a thing to do but a place to go! Exactly the same with a ballet dancer. Phil understood this immediately and could do it even faster!

What really struck me was his ability to GO to a swing position even if it didn't feel comfortable. I hear constantly from students, "this doesn't feel comfortable to me", no XXXX Sherlock! Golf ain't suppose to feel good.

Phil said that as a ballet dancer they are trained to GO to a specific dance pose or position and to expect it NOT to feel as it should. I guess that's why they have all those mirrors in their practice room. They look at the mirror to SEE where they are and then try to relate the feel to the position.

It is exactly the same way with improving your golf swing. That's why I always tell students that their best friend is a full length mirror at first. Both the video analysis and the mirror will help them relate the visual to the feel.

Use your mirror and your video analysis to visualize where you should be, then relate the feel of where you are and trust that you are in the right place, it just doesn't feel like it. This is someone like a pilot that flies on instruments. The pilot can NOT count on his feelings. He has to follow the instruments no matter how much his "feelings" tells him he is out of position.

We're Back Swinging On Saturday!

2010-03-03T10:22:00.002-05:00

This has got to be the worst winter on record for Richmond! I hope we dodged the LAST bullet on Wednesday. Ready or not I'm going full bore starting Saturday March 6th at 10:30 AM. The first lesson will be a "Workshop Lesson" and let's consider as if it were a Thursday night open house lesson so tell your friends and let's start the season off right.

We're going to be doing lots of new stuff this year so get excited! More short game stuff at both The Hollows and out at the big green at Patterson in the morning before opening.

I look forward to seeing all of you again.

When Do I Start Rolling My Hands?

2009-12-18T06:23:00.004-05:00

First off you actually should be rolling your forearms. Using your hands or wrists cold promote more of a "flip" rather than a solid roll. "Flipping" will also add loft to your golf club causing you to hit the ball higher and shorter.

The back of your left wrist, (for right handers) needs to be bulged slightly in order to create that solid feel at impact. The bulging will also help you reduce the club face loft adding distance and a lower more boring ball flight.

Here's how to get it done. First off let's consider impact at 12 o'clock. Hold the golf club in only your left hand, (again for right handers) and swing a very short back swing let's say to about two o'clock. Then while swinging the golf club back to impact begin "rolling" your left forearm BEFORE you get to impact. You should finish at about ten o'clock with your left palm facing upward.

I would do this drill with just your left hand a lot before attempting to add the right hand. Once you do add the right hand you should see the back of your right hand when finishing at the ten o'clock position.

I can show you a good drill for this by clicking here

I Read A Tip In A Golf Magazine Yesterday and It Ruined My Swing!!!!

2009-12-13T12:44:00.003-05:00

Boy have I heard that one before. Here's the problem. When the golf magazine company asks a professional to write an article they do not offer any service to monitor if the tip is negative or has merit. In a lot of cases the tip has merit but just does not apply to your swing needs.

The only thing I've ever received in the way of instruction when writing an article for a magazine is the number of words. They will say something like, "you need to hold it to only 400 words." Makes sense. They have space to fill. Remember magazines are in the advertising business.

The best thing to do is this. If you're taking lessons with a PGA pro and I hope you are, make sure to bring the golf tip up to him/her first. Get their opinion. I like it when my students mention a tip they read. I want them to tell me so I can address it. It might be a great tip that I might want to use in the future or it might be the worst medicine for that golfer but good for another.

Be careful about chasing rabbits. Stick to the fundamentals of a good swing and you can't go wrong.

Drill, Drill, Drill and Forget It!

2009-12-09T12:53:00.003-05:00

Golfers sometimes make the mistake of carrying over their practice session to the golf course. NOT a good idea.

Thinking about your practice assignment on the golf course could frustrate you to such a point that you give up on the good work you're doing on the range.

You may be improving in "reprogramming" your swing fault on the driving range and NOT be ready to carry it out to the golf course.

Work on your drills at the driving range and let that work "meld" into your swing on the golf course. On the golf course your mind should be on club selection, shot selection, swing tempo and balance. You actually have a better chance of having the hard work to invested on the driving range produce results if you relax and let the new movements jump in on their own.

If you're still having trouble with the transition from the range to the golf course then you need to stay off the golf course and get back on the driving range. Do your drills as often as you can whether it be at home, in the back yard with whiffle balls or in front of a mirror.

That's why I think the off season is the BEST time to work on your golf swing.

You Can Try Too Hard and Get Worse!

2009-11-21T07:48:00.003-05:00

I see folks trying TOO hard at getting better and sometimes go through a very difficult period until they get tired and relax. When you're practicing make sure you hold the golf club lightly in your hands. Take a breather after each shot. Grip pressure is a real killer if you don't be careful.

In fact, many a golfer who says, "it was that last shot on 18th hole that keeps me coming back"....well did you ever think that maybe you just finally relaxed because you knew the round was over.

Nobody is shooting at you and they are not going to electrocute you if you play bad. Lighten up your attitude, grip and forearms. Nicklaus used to talk about soft forearms all the time.

Just like a receiver in football trying so hard he starts dropping passes you too can try so hard and think so much that you get yourself tied up in knots.

Overall on the golf course don't think! Drill...drill...drill and forget it! Let the work you did on the range meld in to your golf game. Don't take it on the golf course.

Forget the Stack and Tilt....Just Tilt!

2009-11-19T07:11:00.005-05:00

A great dedicated golf teacher Doc Prose once said; "Any system is better than not having one". He's right. If you're focused on performing a specific movement and if you can repeat it time and again...even if it's wrong...at least you have some predictability in your ball flight and you can plan accordingly. However some motions can cause you such difficulty that they just can't be overcome such as a sever "over the top" swing path.

Many of the golf lesson businesses come up with cute descriptions of their method like the X Factor....whooooo.... the one plane or two plane swing.....wow which one am I...somethings it looks like I'm the fourth plane swinger!

I shy away from all these types of so called magic methods and so should you. Why? Because you can NOT force fit yourself to any one's method. You would have to hit golf balls until your hands bleed to reprogram your body to move contrary to its natural tendencies.

That's why I look at someones natural tendencies and chip away at the areas where most of the improvement would be recognized and enjoyed. Great players know THEIR swing. They ALL have nagging problems and they know how to keep them under control.

The latest craze is this "Stack and Tilt" thing. Well they got have of it right...the Tilt. The stack part actually makes the tilt more difficult to perform in my estimation and leans toward that dreaded "reverse pivot" that so many golfers worked so hard to alleviate.

Take a look at this video attached that shows what I'm talking about. The BIG move that most golfers miss is the tilt of the shoulders on the downswing. It is the turning of the shoulders that causes the over the top swing path.

Try my 2 o'clock drill to help with this problem. Just click on the video below for the Stack & Tilt Critique Click on this link to see the 2 o'clock drill....

Less Is More When It Comes To Your Golf Swing!

2009-11-11T13:12:00.002-05:00

I've asked many a student to hit me a shot while attempting to hold their body as still as possible. When they view the video playback they are always shocked at how much their body moved during the swing. So many of us try to do too much. Once you get on the golf course and your RPM increases the problem gets even worse. Too much movement with the body can destroy your golf swing and especially your consistency.

Work on swinging while holding your body still....a swing that feels to you like all arms. You'll be surprised at how far you'll hit the golf ball and how consistent you will be in ball contact.

The body needs to work as a support mechanism or base to work from. Yea yea yea, I heard all out the leg drive too but it's a con. Don't fall for it.

I once saw an article in Golf Digest that was an interview of Jack Nicklaus on his long career. The interviewer asked, "Do you credit some of your success to the strong leg drive you had?"

Nicklaus replied, "I've heard a lot about that and read it in many articles. Fact is I never thought about my leg drive. I always felt that having strong legs offered me the opportunity to swing my arms harder."

You've got to Be kidding! How many golfers were totally screwed up because of all the articles about leg drive!

You Have To Be Willing To Make A Jackass Out Of Yourself!

2009-11-07T07:52:00.003-05:00

There is one thing about learning a new language...you have to be wiling to make a jackass out of yourself and attempt to speak the language even if you're making mistakes. I've met folks that claimed to have taken four years of Spanish in high school and then four more years in college and they still can't speak a lick of Spanish!

It's all in the application. If you were to move to a foreign country a be forced to speak their language you would learn it in no time or be very lonely.

Good golfers are wiling to go to the far end of the range and do their drills, hit short easy shots and look like a hacker but stay on target on what they are attempting to accomplish. They don't care about knocking it out of the park or impressing the other golfers around them.

When doing drills. Do the drill dry three times first, (that means without a golf ball). If you're convinced that you can perform the drill properly then hit a short shot with the drill. You need to have a way to monitor your finish and know that you did it properly. I like to call it taking inventory. Then and only then do you attempt to perform the drill with a full shot and again monitor or inventory your results! Hold your finish at least until the ball hits the ground and then look at the position of your hands, arms, your balance point etc.

You might look like a jackass compared to someone else knocking the snot out of the golf ball hitting one after the other as fast as they can...BUT...in my estimation the golfer hitting their balls in the way I just mentioned looks like the jackass!

Keep Your Knees Flexed To Swing Down and Out.

2009-11-04T06:35:00.002-05:00

There's a golf web site out there called Hit Down Damn it! Funny title but they don't give you the whole story. Bottom line is you need to compress the golf ball against the ground.

To compress the golf ball better you need to have what tour players call today "shaft lean" which is produced when the hands are in front of the club head at or just before impact. Not only does this position compress the golf ball but it also reduces loft on the golf club so you increase distance. Now, one much overlooked factor is the knees. I see a lot o golfers that "jump"at impact. They lift up thinking they will lift the golf ball up. Jumping sometimes comes from the knees straightening up at impact. The result of jumping is you catch the ball on the up swing and on the bottom part of the club face, (catch it thin).

Try and keep your knees flexed well through impact and swing out between first and second base, (for right handers). Don't forget to start rotating your forearms well BEFORE you reach impact!

You can try some face impact tape on the front of your club face and if it shows that your impact is on the bottom edge of the golf club you're probably jumping or flipping your hands at impact. If you don't have any impact tape just come on out to Patterson and I'll give you some to test your swing free.

You can find me at www.bobbylopezgolf.com

Here's a video with a drill on developing shaft lean. By the way...I've lost 27 pounds since this video was taken. I'll tell you how I did it. My wife yelled at me, "STOP EATING YOU FAT BAS____! It worked!

VMI is worthy of your paying a visit and support.

2009-11-01T10:41:00.006-05:00

I had the honor of attending a VMI football game with one of my students Dick Wise. If you've never visited the campus at VMI I highly recommend it. We need more VMI's!

The history surrounding the facilities are magnificent. Not to mention the beauty of the handsome buildings that hold not only tremendous character but also the years of memories from cadets that had the honor of attending such a prestigious establishment.

Once you have the opportunity to meet some of the fine cadets at VMI you will begin to believe in America and it's youth. I was so impressed with their kind demeanor, courtesies and outright politeness, lacking at many other campuses around our country today.

Oh yes and the alumni. The Alumni provide absolute proof that the systems at VMI are solid and successful. What a fine group of Amercians that were equally courteous and all around good citizens.

I can't wait to get back and I am going to take my wife to Lexington for a visit just so she can see what real Amercia looks like. God Bless VMI, their Cadets and their Alumni. Our country is better off thanks to their commitment. I only wish my own son would have attended VMI but he did go to Hargrave Military Academy for Post Graduate Football and is now a Navy Corpsman assigned to a Marine Special Forces group and returned from Iraq safely.

I would recommend VMI to anyone with all the enthusiasm I can muster. Go VMI!!!

To see the VMI website click on this link

Shoulder Tilt Is Vital!

2009-11-01T06:17:00.006-05:00

You might have heard about this "Stack and Tilt" rage that's going on out there. Well they got half of it right. Unless you want a quick trip to the Chiropractor you need to forget the stack part but the tilt is right on. So many golfers think that the shoulders turn on the downswing.....big mistake. It is the shoulder turn on the downswing that causes you to go "over the top" or create an "outside in" swing path.

The first thing the shoulders should do on the down swing is tilt down. If you are a right hander, imagine that you are ringing a bell and the bell is so heavy that you have to pull down with your right shoulder and your arms to make it ring.

Once you tilt down with the right shoulder the arms swing out. Make sure you are rolling your forearms over on the down swing and then your right shoulder follows. We used to call it chasing the ball with the right shoulder.

To help you visualize this motion I've included for you a video of a lesson on exactly this subject.

Hope this helps. As always I welcome your comments on this or any other Blog I've posted.

If You Think You're Too Old.....You're Wrong!

2009-10-28T13:48:00.003-04:00

Had a student today that was 81 years old! He was great fun too! Great shape for his age and wanted some more distance. Don't we all! Well he thought that by turning his chest more he could create more energy and hit it further. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for me, (because he finally got frustrated and called me) the exact opposite medication was in order.

In fact, he would probably hit the ball further if he stayed perfectly still and flailed at it with his arms and hands. I gave me the "swoosh" drill which will get his arms going and help him release the hands at impact better. I also lightened his grip and he began to hit the ball higher and further right on the spot.

He is a veteran of the Army 101 Airborne division. I'm not using his name without his permission but I can tell you that gentlemen like him is what made our country great. I pray that we can continue to have great Americans willing to defend freedom at all costs.

You can see the "shwoosh" drill by going to http://www.bobbylopezgolf.com/dev/images/Drills/woosh_drill.wmv

You can always reach me at 804.378.7456

Wet, Cold and Windy and We Still Did the Lessons!

2009-10-16T19:50:00.003-04:00

Don't you love it when golfers care so much about their game that they don't let a little thing like weather stop them! OK so we had cover...and yes I really enjoyed myself. When my students are really eager to do well I have a great time teaching. It makes it all worth while, (the griping I hear from my wife about why I don't have a regular job).

I remember when I was getting ready to go on tour and I was practicing my butt off and she said to me, "why do you spend so much time practicing, I thought you already knew how to play."

Anyway, one thing we learned tonight was that the weight shift was very much over sold over the years. As Chi Chi Rodriguez said, "there is no weight shift in the golf swing." Well there is and there ain't.

Bottom line is hurricanes go around, tornadoes go around and electric motors go around. They don't wobble from side to side. I always say, "do the twist not the mambo!"

Yes by virtue of your body turn your upper body will be more over your back foot and thus you will have more weight on your back foot but you do not "shift" to the back foot your turn on to your back foot. Big, big difference.

Here's Some Tips For Rainy Day Golf

2009-10-15T09:07:00.006-04:00

Although there were no lessons yesterday due to the weather it does remind me to give you a few tips from the tour on playing in bad weather. When I first played on the European tour I learned quickly that the British players were far more prepared than I was to play in bad weather. They're used to it.

Here's some of the things they would do. 1) They would take their golf gloves, (yes maybe 4 or 5) and hang them below the braces of the umbrella. This way they could alternate gloves constantly. 2) They would spray their umbrella with a scotch guard waterproof spray, 3) Their caddies would also have a towel stuff around the top of the bag so water wouldn't get down in their bag and get the grips wet. 4) They always had a second towel zipped up inside the golf bag 5) They never ever grounded the golf club at address. I notice amateurs I play with ground the golf club in wet weather and worse yet take a practice stroke brushing the grass which makes the club face wet. You want to keep the club face as dry and clean as you can before impact.

I hope these tips will help you in this wet weather.

I'm Confused...Do The Arms Go First or The Body?

2009-10-14T10:13:00.002-04:00

Well I had a lesson yesterday that also taught me a lesson. It is real easy for the student to interpret what you asked them to do and multiply it by four and get themselves in more trouble then what they are in in the first place. Don't over cook it.

The student said, wait a minute....you told me to turn my body and now you're telling me to lead with the arms and shut the body down? Yes. Well earlier this student had very little movement in the body and now exaggerated the first assignment to such an extent that he was moving all over the place. What some refer to as "swimming" in the golf swing.

What we're trying to achieve is a balance and coordinated effort between the body and the arms. Under normal circumstance MOST people will feel as though their arms are moving faster than the body but in actuality the motion is coordinated. The arms do move faster on the downswing because of "angular acceleration" just like a line of soldiers marching a column left.

Moral of the story is don't over cook it, and if you do don't fret. Touring pros do it all the time. How do think pros can go from winning a tournament one week and then missing the cut the next! They had a good thing going and then they started to over emphasize it and it bit'em.

Now the pro has to start all over again. I don't feel sorry for him...he probably has a jet plane!

Can Ballet Improve Your Golf Game?

2009-10-13T11:46:00.002-04:00

There you go, now you need to join your kids in ballet lessons so you can improve your golf game! Not at all. But, I had the pleasure of teaching yesterday a member of the Richmond Ballet Company and he was a beginning golfer which is why I chose to include this experience in the daily blog.

Even though he was a beginner, (I'm not mentioning the name without his permission) he had a very keen understanding of balance and knowing how to feel where is body was going. Dancers are used to working in front of a mirror and understand the effort to "teach or train" your body to go to a specific place or position.

It was amazing how quickly his swing began to take shape in a very short period of time. Maybe Ballet lessons would help but I think a better emphasis on SLOWLY moving yourself around the swing plane in front of mirror will help anyone build a better swing path and thus a more consistent swing.

Maybe you saw the video of Ben Hogan practicing in slow motion If not you can see it at http://www.bobbylopezgolf.com/dev/images/HoganHomeVideo.wmv

Do your drills slowly and deliberately and "feel" where your body is going. Do it all 'in balance".

I Was Rooting For You Tom Watson!!!

2009-07-20T11:37:00.002-04:00

Let this be a lesson to us all! I was there in 1975 when Tom won his first Open. I didn't even know who he was back then. It was the first time I saw him out on the European tour and the guy wins!

Well I couldn't help but root for him. Yes because of my age as well...we're the same age. It was a shame to see him run out of gas.

The great lesson from all of this is that even though Tom has spent hours and hours on his putting, spent years on his golf game, the moment he needed it most he just couldn't do it. Hello! I find that so many of my students seem to think that you can just fix your game for good. My back swing is where I want it to be, how come I can't shoot 65?

That's the beauty of this game. It is so difficult to magically create that perfect rhythm, state of mind and positive attitude that it takes to hold your golf game together. You mind can destroy any proper fundamentals you may have worked on.

You could see that Cink had it all together. He looked so relaxed on the playoff holes. I guess in football the announcers call it momentum. Well Tom ran out of holes and began running out of gas at the end of the last round.

Even Tom Watson, world golf champion and winner of so many tournaments could not hold it together, so don't be so hard on yourself. Enjoy the game for what it is. Golf isn't fair and life isn't either so take it as it comes and enjoy yourself.

Seeing Tom gag that last putt on 18 like he did was terrible but it did do something for the rest of us. The next time we stand over a putt to beat one of our pals and we "yip" it like a coward we can say....well even the best do it sometimes.

May God bless you Tom Watson and may you remember what really matters. It's only golf man....only golf!

Hey Tiger....Shame On You!

2009-07-18T07:01:00.004-04:00

There is no shame in not making the cut. I can't tell you how many times I didn't make the cut. In fact when I played I was called a hot dog player. A couple would be walking down the fairway and see me hitting a ball and looking at the program and asking, "who's that hitting now"? The husband said to his wife, "who cares...let's get a hot dog".

This of course is not the case with Tiger. So many young golfers look up to Tiger and the media idolizes him. Even if he's not in the lead Tiger gets the most attention during television coverage.

Tiger playing poorly this British Open is not a problem. Getting upset and throwing clubs down on the ground and acting like a baby is. You never would have seen Arnold Palmer act that way.

Golfers today are making tons of money. They have their own jet planes, swing gurus, exercise assistants and mega-contracts with suppliers like Nike. They're spoiled in my estimation!

Tiger had a bad week....so what! Take it like a gentleman and smile because you have a jet plane. Do you have a jet plane? You might be out of work right now!

I've been asked...isn't there a lot of pressure on tour? No! I'll tell you what pressure is. All your credit cards are maxed out, your kids are sick, you wife just left you and your boss fired you today. Sounds like a country song, but it happens.

I was asked once to help with a charity tournament where a guy was broke, kids were sick, he hadn't made any money it quite a while, lost his house. Turned out it was the Foot Joy salesman in West Virginia!

My son is in Iraq. If he has a bad day I get two guys knocking on my door with white gloves. That's pressure. Touring pros need to put things in perspective.

I was proud of Phil Nicholson when he showed little emotion about loosing his opportunity to win. His wife's breast cancer put things in perspective for him didn't it.

After all...golf is just a game! One is very fortunate to be able to make a living off of what you enjoy. I feel that way with every lesson I give and every new golfer I get to meet.

Bobby Lopez, PGA

PS. I don't throw my clubs anymore because I'm too lazy to go pick them up!

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

2009-07-02T10:42:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-19T12:07:00.004-04:00

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!

2009-06-18T08:42:00.005-04:00

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?

2009-06-18T08:28:00.005-04:00

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?

2008-05-05T16:08:00.004-04:00

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!

2007-09-04T11:32:00.001-04:00

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!

2007-09-04T11:15:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-05-15T09:11:00.000-04:00

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”

2006-05-08T13:29:00.000-04:00

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.

Chipping is a Crucial Third Down Play

2006-05-07T09:24:00.000-04:00

Yes I’m a football fan. I can’t help it. Even though I must say I’m disgusted with the salary caps, free agency, the all around musical chairs played in trades that really make the game look a lot more like a rich boy’s hobby among the owners. I also disagree with the rules changes that tie the hands of the defense in order to score more touchdowns. Then when they score more touchdowns the NFL complains about the demonstrating after the score.

Applying football to golf…your tee shot is the first down play. If you’re second and twenty all day you’re not going to win many football games. You need to find a way to control your tee shots and get them on the fairway with a decent angle to approach the green. Your iron approach to the green is important but second down won’t kill you if it’s not the best play in your game and even if you hit it close you’re not done yet. It doesn’t matter if you miss a six foot putt for birdie or get it up and down from a bunker it’s still a par…which in my book is a first down! You can hang on to the ball and keep working it around the golf course.

Your chip shot is a third down play that you need to convert on. You need to convert on third down to win football games and it’s the same in golf. Even the best only hit about 60% of their greens in regulation, so touring pros are getting it up and down more than you might think. Chip a ball in off the green and I consider that a TOUCHDOWN! You were heading for bogey and made a birdie!

I like to classify a third down play in yardage. For instance…if you’re right on the front edge of the green with a straight uphill chip with plenty of room to roll the ball so you can use a low lofted club, I would consider that third and three. You should convert most of the time from third and two or three. If you’re ball is behind a bunker forcing you to elevate the golf ball and stop it on a dime, I would call that a third and twenty! Not much chance of converting here.

I like to see most average golfers practice more on the third in 5 or less. First they have a far higher opportunity of converting to first downs and they happen more often. To be successful on third and short plays you need to dominate three different facets of chipping:

The Stroke

To get a feel for the stroke try taking your three wood and gripping it very low on the shaft and holding the butt of the golf club up against your front forearm. This position will NOT allow you to flip your hands. Flipping is death to the chipping stroke. You need a pendulum motion with NO motion in the hands. Try to stroke like a pendulum from your front shoulder.

The Alignment

I suggest using a hitting station to chip from. Use the diagram below to see the chipping station I use. I see very sloppy alignment when teaching chipping. It seems like golfers understand the importance of aligning a putt and neglect the importance when chipping. Make sure the leading edge of your golf club is pointed directly at your target, (which may not be the hole if there is some break to consider). Many golfers leave the club face open. You’ll find that if you do leave your clubface open you are probably doing the same on your full iron shots. You’ve become so use to the look that it doesn’t look open to you, but it is.

The Choice in Loft and Landing Area

You want to use the least amount of loft possible when chipping. Loft equals speed so if you want the ball to roll faster use less loft. The further you are away from your landing area to more loft you need to slow the ball down. Loft or arc will cause the ball to roll slower.

The only way to improve with your choice of loft and roll is to practice. Find a practice chipping green and work your way all around the green. Chip with a six iron from about three yards off the green. Hit the ball so it goes only to about a foot or so on the green and watch it roll. Then you can begin adjusting from there. From the same position try an eight iron and hit it with same amount of force to reach the same lading area. Observe carefully the roll of the ball and you should find that it rolls less distance and slower than the six iron shot did.

You should find that you have to move back about three more yards from the landing area to get the ball to roll the exact same distance with an eight iron from six yards way from the landing area as a six iron did form three yards from the landing area.

Make your adjustments accordingly and you’ll begin to recognize the amount of roll and loft you need to accomplish any third down and short play. Don’t get discouraged when you miss a green in regulation, get excited about making a recovery. When you chip one up close on the golf course don’t feel silly if you scream FIRST DOWN and wave you arms like a referee. I do!

Bobby Lopez, PGA
Bobby Lopez and the G-TEAM
(757) 382-5500
(800) 731-2511
bobbylopez@bobbylopezgolf.com
www.bobbylopezgolf.com
http://golftipsbobbylopez.blogspot.com/

Golf Swing Compensations...the Golf Swing's Biggest Killer!!!

2006-04-27T12:16:00.000-04:00

This brings up the subject of “compensations.” An awareness of compensations will help you understand the relationship between various swing movements.

What is a “compensation”?

A “compensation” is a movement for the purpose of overcoming another flawed motion. In other words, if one part of your swing contains a flaw, in time your body will develop an accommodating motion that allows you to strike the ball with some success. This is the
concept of “matching up mistakes.”

This may sound like a good thing, and you may achieve temporary positive results. However this is a dangerous concept. When a compensation helps you hit the ball more accurately, you tend to try to repeat the move. Thus, you focus on improving the compensating move instead of correcting the fundamental problem. The compensation becomes another movement requiring voluntary
control. The more moving parts in the swing, the more difficult it is to repeat with consistency.

For now, you only need to be aware of the concepts of compensation and matching up mistakes. As your knowledge of the swing increases, you will more fully understand and be able to eliminate the compensations.

Understand that if you already have compensating factors in your swing, then you need to repair both the improper motion and the compensating motion.

Golf & Business….Go Together Like A Horse & Carriage!

2006-04-24T16:22:00.000-04:00

I guess it doesn’t have the same ring that the Sinatra song had but it’s accurate. Golf is the game of business. More deals are closed in a golf course club house or through the relationships cultivated while playing golf than with any other endeavor.

There are a couple of reasons for this. One, even though in America the game of golf has spilled over to the “common man”, having lowered the costs through municipal golf courses, daily fee courses and other like facilities the is not as common in other countries, especially Europe. Golf is still considered the game of kings and royalty. It is still considered a prestigious game. Outside the US golf is expensive.

Two, the game of golf is difficult to play well, takes four and a half hours to play and has a built it social factor by including lunch after nine holes in a fancy clubhouse and then drink afterwards. In America you include the golf cart which allows you to schmooze your prospective client all the way around the golf course for the entire four and a half hours. As if that’s not enough, golf is also the only game I know that you can play with a drink in your hand! In fact golf courses jockey up to get the best looking beer cart ladies in hopes of attracting more golfers.

Now that we know that golf is the game of business how does one improve their bottom line through this advantageous endeavor? Let me offer some tips for those that play golf and those who don’t. Yes even those who don’t play golf and take advantage of the golf market. I’ll also offer some tips on how to market to golfers directly.

First for those who play golf, if you are going to take your clients out to play golf make sure you are at least proficient enough to score 90 – 95. If you’re shooting over a hundred you’ll be doing more harm than good. The old adage of letting your client always win is not true. He/she will loose respect for you. In fact having a good golf game and beating the pants off your client will gain not only their respect but their admiration. Good golf equals “talent” in your client’s mind.

Most importantly if you have a bad day DON’T SHOW IT! Don’t let your golf game influence the mood! Just apologize for having a bad day, pick up your ball if you’ve hit it too many times to not slow up the pace and laugh it off.

If you are shooting consistently over 90 – 95 then you need to look at taking some professional instruction and work on your game a little before attempting to do business “with your golf game” on clients.

For those who aren’t playing well enough or do not play at all and want to take advantage of impressing a golf client may I suggest you do the following, explain to your client you love golf but are not proficient enough as yet but you’re working on it and would love to play with them once you do. Find the better golf course in your area and offer them as a gift two (2) cart & green fees to that golf course. Yes make sure you get two or he/she might never use the gift. Just hope they don’t take your competitor, (that’s why you should learn how to play). Another very good choice is to inquire about a nine hole playing lesson at a golf course. Getting your client a playing lesson with a PGA pro may not cost anymore than the two cart & green fees and be more impressive. Of course you need to do your home work here and make sure the pro you choose has an excellent reputation.

Another very good choice is to purchase your client some golf balls. If you have the chance to ask your client what ball they prefer get them that very golf ball. If you don’t have the chance may I suggest getting the Titleist V1star. They might be a little pricey but you’ll come off like a champ.

If you have a product you would like to market to golfers, you’ll find that golfers are easy to get to. Any good direct mail house that rents lists can rent you very specific lists by income, number of rounds played etc. There are internet companies that do the same for email blasts. These are double opt-in emails so you’re not sending spam.

You’ll also find tons of web sites that offer advertising space on a pay per click basis as well as Google ads with keywords that relate to golf.

Almost every town has a small golf related magazine or newspaper that is circulated around golf courses. Visit a few golf courses in your area and look around the club house. Usually the stated materials are in the pro shop or dining area or the front door as you exit for golfers to pick up.

Golfers are generally a higher income demographic. Only about 12 – 15% of the population in America plays golf but they’re worth going after and easy to find through their common interest – GOLF!

What does “Alignment” mean and how is it different from “Aim?”

2006-04-11T16:10:00.000-04:00

The question may seem too simple. Alignment deals with the shoulders, hips, knees and feet. We want these four body parts all in “alignment” so they are all pointing in the same direction. Pointing them in the same direction is “aiming.” A person can have good alignment and not be aimed at the target. Also, because of wind factor or slope angle, you may need to aim somewhere other than the flag or the green.

Most amateurs don’t recognize the full effect of alignment and aim. Proper alignment is absolutely essential to a proper swing. Some swing faults can be attributed to poor alignment.

In many ways, aim is just as critical. Aim deals with a perception. Therefore, you judge your ball flight by where you perceive you are aimed. If your aim is off target, you will adjust your swing for what you think is a swing flaw, when it is actually an aiming mistake.

Aim and alignment are also a lot more difficult than most players realize. The task is subject to misperceptions caused by several factors:

(a) The target is 90 degrees from the direction your body faces. This means you must be able to set both the club face and your body in a line perpendicular with the target line. It sounds easier than it is; most players are completely unaware when their line is off. Players will often begin the day with good aim and alignment and then unwittingly slip into misdirection as the round progresses...or in this case, regresses.
(b) When you are addressing the ball, looking down the target line, it may appear that the desired hitting direction has changed slightly.

(c) Sometimes you must hit from a slope, forcing you to adjust aim, alignment and setup.

(d) The terrain and obstacles in your target path affect your perception of target direction.

(e) It’s easy to forget how important it is to properly aim. Without a diligent and consistent pre-shot routine, you will tend to become less aware of the steps you are taking to aim. This is a big mistake.

It takes practice to manage each situation presented by the golf course. Golfers are highly susceptible to faults even in situations with no added challenges. Poor aim and alignment skills cause poor play for many golfers.

One of the most common errors is setting up too far right of the target. This may seem incompatible with the fact that most players tend to be slicers. Wouldn’t lining up to the right send their ball even further from the target? Not necessarily. When the setup is
to the right, a player tends to swing across the ball, on an outside in swing path. This outside-in path will help start the ball on a path toward the target, which is left of the player’s aim.

Usually though, the player strikes the ball with an open club face angle, and the resulting spin forces the ball back to the right. Players will then compensate for this tendency by cupping the hand at just the right moment in the follow-through and releasing the left
arm toward the target. It is extraordinarily difficult to time this movement consistently. Too many angles, too many variables come into play. It all adds up to an unpredictable, un-repeatable swing, much of which could have been avoided with a proper setup.

The Steps to Proper Aim and Alignment.

1. Set the Club face. You must first set the club face perpendicular to the target. Don’t make the mistake of setting your feet first. Instead, carefully choose the target line, set the club face angle, and then align your body to the club face.

How do you select and mentally hold the target line? It is very helpful to choose a target along the ground-line leading to the ultimate landing area. Pick a point a few yards ahead and aim the club at it. The more you can envision this line, the better. You might imagine a strip of neon yellow tape stretching from your ball to the chosen point.

2. Align Your Body in Relation to the Club. Place your feet along an imaginary line parallel to the target line. When you set your feet, your hips should naturally fall in line. Continue this alignment so the entire body is aligned and aimed parallel to the target line. Imagine a set of train tracks to the target, with your ball on one track and your body aligned on the other.

3. Align Your Eyes. The eyes play a critical role at this point. They deliver directional information to your brain, which then sends the message to your muscles. Garbage in... You know what comes next. Your eyes may give you a different message about direction once you are in the hitting position. You must trust that your club face and body are properly aligned. The more you practice your setup, the more confidence you will have that you are aimed correctly.

When you are looking at the ball, you should have the feeling that your eyes are parallel to the target. In other words, a line running through your right eye and into the left should be parallel to the target line. This will require you to keep your head relatively level. You will most likely find yourself tilting your head so that your right ear is below the left. Try to avoid this, because it can skew your directional perception. When you turn your chin on this forward angle, it tends to pull your vision to the right of the target. Even if everything else is aligned, this misalignment can cause undesirable swing compensations.

Once you are in hitting position, look at the target again, visualizing the desired direction of the ball. Instead of lifting your head to look down the target line, swivel it. You only need to rotate it enough to view the selected ground-line target a few yards ahead.

Why Golf Lessons Don't Seem To Help As Much As They Should

2006-04-08T20:31:00.000-04:00

I've been giving golf lessons since 1970. Some students improve more than others, even if some golfers don't realize it at first. However the break down is in maintaining the improvement. Both students and golf professionals alike need to pay more attention to how the student is going to continue to maintain the improvement and not fall back to old habits and tendencies.

I've seen golfers improve from a golf lesson in less than an hour, only to fall right back to their old habits two or three days later.

The practice you put in right after the lesson, (within the first 60 hours) is crucial. You need to repeat the new motion again and again until it begins to "sink in", (some call it muscle memory my wife calls it nagging).

The proper way to do this is NOT at a driving range or with a golf ball. In your lesson your professional should have assigned drills that isolate the specific area in your swing motion that you are trying to re-program. You should have a point of reference assigned so you can tell whether you are accomplishing the goal.

I like a full length mirror, maybe clubs on the ground as a reference point or maybe a stick in the ground that forces you to take a new path to the golf ball. The more you practice with isolated drills and some kind of reference point as a guide the better off you'll be.

Yes a golf lesson can get things started in the right direction but the golf lesson only serves as a map to follow. Most of the results will come far after the lesson with the continued nagging of your isolated motion drills.

A word of caution here…do NOT carry over the drills to the golf course. I like to call it drill, drill, drill and forget it.

Have They Improved The Master Championship? I Don’t Think So!

2006-04-06T12:44:00.000-04:00

I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in the powers to be at The Masters Golf Championship. They’ve ruined my favorite golf tournament. I’m quite certain that Bobby Jones is turning in his grave!

The Master’s has chosen to lengthen their golf course to the point that 90% of the field doesn’t have a prayer in competing for the opening major championship of the 2006 season. I grant you that Master’s officials certainly should have concern for their championship being won by a score like 22 under par. Compared to the US Open, known for it’s difficult conditions making even par a winner score again, the Masters at Augusta National with it’s wide rolling fairways and light rough became outdated in today’s long ball hitting environment.

The same long hitting lineup is hitting it long at the US Open too but it’s not just the length that’s causing the higher scores. It’s the super fast greens and tight fairways with considerable rough that makes it very difficult for any player to reach the green in regulations once in deep rough’s grasp.

At the Player’s Championship we watched the best PGA touring professionals in the business agonize over a par three of only 123 yards. What made the Masters committee decide that only a 240 yard par three could tame today’s long hitting bullies?

Tighten up the golf course I say, don’t lengthen it. Add a vicious intimidating rough that would make even the longest hitters reach for their 1 iron or a three wood to not risk hitting their drive in the rough and lose a stroke, (or maybe even your ball) to a deep club swallowing hazard.

Not only would the scores go up but at the same time you would bring more players into contention and in my estimation bring out the best ball strikers not just the long knockers.

Doesn’t NASCAR do the same thing? Look at how successful NASCAR is! They control the speed of the cars so that more competitors are bunched up at the finish to create a more exciting race.

Maybe the powers to be at The Masters, with all their glory, high income power brokers, members of the powerful business clicks, don’t have as much sense as a bunch of rednecks with a beer in their hand watching a Chevy go around in a circle. It must be true, look at the numbers at NASCAR and look at how golf is loosing popularity and participation.

How To Read Golf Greens for Speed and Break

2006-04-02T11:11:00.000-04:00

Short putts and long putts, are played with the same golf club even though the stroke pattern and purpose are quite different. Short putts demand club face control while the long putts demand pace control. The short putting stroke should be as short as possible to lower the risk of changing your club face position after aligning the club face at the target. The long putt stroke can be long and flowing because controlling the pace of the ball speed is your goal.

You’ll find when you three putt a green most of the time you left your putt short or you knocked it past the hole, unless there was a significant amount of break that you did not negotiate properly. It is usually the pace or speed of the ball that is the most difficult to control, especially on super fast greens like Augusta.

Today we discuss long putts and how to first determine the speed then the break. Most golfers look at the break first. I first have to make a decision on how fast I’m willing to roll the ball before I decide how much break or curvature the ball will take over the surface it has to cover. The slower I roll the ball the more it will break or curve.

I look at the green from 150 yards first to see any tendencies of lean one way or the other. If I threw a bucket of water on that green which way would it flow off?

Once reaching the green you need to look at the putt from both sides to gather all the information you can about the surface you are about to roll the ball on. I suggest that you drive your golf cart to the back of the green each time, (being that most golfers leave their ball short of the hole on approach) and then walk around the back of the putt first. Try walking a half moon circle around the putt rather than straight to the ball. Look at how the green leans. Understand that the designer of the green had to account for water to flow off the green for drainage purposes. Find the area of drainage and you’ll have the keys to the “lean” of the green.

Look at the coloration of the green. Is the color a deep dark green and thick or is it light brown with very thin grass blades? Is it up hill or down? Is there a ridge where the ball will speed up on you and run by the hole? Make a determination while walking around the hole as to how fast you need to roll the ball. Then once behind the putt, meld the information you acquired from looking at the putt from the back and the frontal view you have. Now and make an educated guess at the amount of break you should play for.

Remember if you are off on your amount of break by a foot or two it probably won’t cause you to three putt. It’s that putt you leave seven feet short or twelve feet past the hole that will cause you to three putt. Get the pace first, then the line.

How To Get It Close From 40 Yards and In

2006-03-29T13:59:00.000-05:00

I get so many questions about the short game stroke but when I teach I see that it is the alignment skills, (or lack thereof) and club face control that most golfers should be focusing on. As you get closer to the hole your aim and alignment becomes crucial being that the ball will not fly far enough to recover from faulty alignment with a big banana ball fade or round house draw.

The first thing to do is make a decision on where you want to land the golf ball. Judging the bounce and roll should be handled first.

Then stand back behind the golf ball and get your belly, the golf ball and your target area, (where you decided you wanted to land the golf ball) in a straight line. Then set the golf club face pointed directly at your target. Once your golf club face is set go ahead and align your body. I use an open stance meaning my front foot is dropped back slightly being that I hope not to move my body very much during the swing.

Once you have everything in alignment swing the golf club as if you were trying to lob the ball under handed to the target. Your challenge is to swing the golf club with just the right enough of force to move the ball in the air to your target landing area. If you guessed right as far as landing area and predicted roll the rest should take care of itself.

Why Is It More Difficult To Hit Your Driver?

2006-03-27T08:03:00.000-05:00

Your initial golf 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 eqaully 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 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.

How To Find the Center of Gravity On Your Golf Club

2006-03-23T08:56:00.000-05:00

There IS a technique for finding the center of gravity on your club face. Finding the center of gravity is crucial to your success and CONSISTENCY! I would rather swing the golf club 85 miles per hour and hit the center of gravity than swing 95 miles an hour out on the toe of the golf club.

The purpose of any iron shot is to hit the ball straight. We must also move the ball a specific distance. What good does it do to swing perfectly, (as far a club head speed is concerned) for a five iron shot to travel let's say 180 yards, and then hit the ball on the toe or the heel and only travel 165 yards. Same goes for the driver. Hitting the ball right on the center of gravity of your driver will not only add distance but also accuracy putting you in position to attack the green with an aggressive approach from a good lie in the fairway.

Today there are computers and strobe lights that are used to find the center of gravity on any golf club. Some of these studies are done by independent companies, (yea right). You also might not be able to count on the information the manufacturer gives you about where the center of gravity is on their golf club. In fact, changing the grip or bending the lie angle can change the center of gravity and balance point of the golf club. As cookie cutter as the manufacturers try to make their golf clubs today, there still can be a discrepancy from club to club within a set.

Here's my method, (it might seem like Cuban engineering and it is, but it has worked for touring pros for many years and still works today). Hold the clubface up close to your ear and bounce a golf ball off the face. Bounce it all around the club face. You'll notice a different sound and a different bounce off different positions on the face of the golf club. Of course we haven’t mentioned that hitting the ball off the center of gravity also creates additional torque that will open or close the club face and send your shots off line.

Continue to bounce the ball until you find one spot that seems to sound the best and you get a better bounce off the face of the club and the club face doesn't wiggle as much, (torque) in your hand. On most golf clubs, the center of gravity will not be the exact center of the club face. It should be slightly inside of center.

Once you find what you think is the center of gravity put some face tape on your club face. You can buy some at most golf stores or go on line to a company called Longshot and buy it by the roll. If you're serious about your golf game you should be checking yourself for centeredness of hit constantly so you will use up the roll faster than you think.

The driver is especially crucial. Don't fall for the gag the golf club companies tell you about having a bigger sweet spot. Bravo Sierra! Center of gravity is center of gravity! You may need to set up your driver at address with the ball appearing to be a little inside of center to get your eye used to hitting the ball where you're suppose to. Most golfers don't realize that they hit the ball out on the toe with their driver.

My suggestion is to get some face tape, find the center of gravity, hit balls until you can get your contact as close to the center of gravity as you can. If you find you're hitting on the toe try choking up on the golf club. If that doesn't work try taking a shorter swing. You may be surprised at how far you hit it with a smaller swing and you'll be more consistent. If you're still hitting on the toe you might be swinging over the top and have your club face open. If you're hitting the heel constantly you might be swinging too shallow or too inside out. Or you could be rolling the golf club open on the takeaway.

If you have comments or questions please place them on the Blog and I'll answer you. Leave your email address. Or you can email me at bobbylopez@bobbylopezgolf.com

College Golf? This one was a little disappointing.

2006-03-21T07:38:00.000-05:00

I have to admit I attended my very first collegiate golf tournament at King's Mill yesterday. I can certainly stand by my statement that kids that play golf are better kids. I did not see one participant throw their golf clubs, (all though I saw some shots that warranted a temper tantrum or two) and when spoken to they were very polite and just all around good kids.

I was a little disappointed at the level of golf especially being there were some nice golf swings out there. There was however a lack of playing maturity that needs to be addressed.

One, I didn't see even one, not one, player pull a yardage pad or notes before hitting a golf shot. That is one of the first things you'll see on tour. The note pad comes out of the back pocket with not only yardages but reminders. Maybe you have notes like finish your backswing, tempo, whatever key you are focusing on. Important notes on how the ball will kick from a given landing area.

I used to think I had a great note pad when I played until Angelo let me see Jack Nicklaus's book. He had drawings of the green that looked 3D and showed the kick on every landing area of the green and fairway. Jack already had his decision whether to hit a 3 wood or driver on a given hole and would not change his decision no matter what the score was. I saw several holes out there yesterday that warranted teeing off with a three wood or one iron. Do they still make those?

When you get down to improving your score from 75, to 74, to 72, to 69, it's the little things that good players do well. It is the little disciplines that add up to a lot in the final analysis.

In summary a saw a lot of golf shots wasted Monday on poor decisions and poor preparation rather than poor golf swing mechanics. I saw poor club selection and a lot of putts wasted with poor judgment in green speed, not the best club face control on short putts.

It's not all bad. A couple of young men out there shot a very good score of 69 and there were a couple of 71's. However they were the ones that were playing beyond their years in discipline compared to the others, not because they necessarily had a better golf swing.

If You Are Going to Play Tournament Golf, You Better Get Good at Pre-shot Routine!

2006-03-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

One huge example of the difference between the golfer that makes it in tournament play and the one that doesn’t is his/her pre-shot routine. Golfers that play a significant amount of tournament play eventually learn this. You'll also pick it up by playing with better golfers.

Your challenge is to swing a golf club the same way almost every time. I say almost being that the occasion does present itself when you need to hit a knock down shot which calls for a variation from your normal swing motion. For the most part you need to swing the golf club the same way every time whether it's your driver or your wedge. That process begins by approaching the ball the same way every time. In fact Lee Trevino stated that the timing of a golf shot begins the moment you make your first step towards the address position. I agree.

There is no one perfect pre-shot routine. You need to find the right for you. If it helps you any mine is; I stand behind the golf ball. Choose my club, the shot I’m going to make and view the shot before hand in my mind's eye. Once I believe I'm ready I make my first step towards the ball. In my mind the clock starts ticking. I set the club face first, then my upper body and right foot and then my left foot. I take two waggles and I'm out of here. Let it rip. There’s nothing you can do about it now. Swing the golf club freely and keep in mind they can't electrocute you if you play bad. Of course your wife could make fun of you and that might be worse!

Roll the Ball a Little Faster on Aeriated Greens

2006-03-13T21:31:00.000-05:00

Having to aerate the greens is a necessary evil this time of year. The new technology available to superintendents today allows for faster recovery and a better surface to putt on until the grass heals. Generally some of the break is taken out of the putt, just slightly, and you should probably hit the ball a little harder especially if there is sand on the green.

Most of all don’t get upset and figure that your day is wasted because the greens are being aerated. You don’t necessarily have to turn in your score for handicapping purposes being the golf course was under maintenance. First off call the golf course to see if the greens were just aerated before you book your starting time. I would say a golf green that has been aerated three days ago is fine to play on. I've seen some, if the right equipment is available, that are fine to play on in hours!

Remember that the golf course has to do this maintenance or someday in the future you're going to be belly aching about the greens because they will be shaggy and in bad shape. Not only aeration but also “verticutting” are necessary and will go a long way to making the greens really enjoyable in the months to come.

Warning...Look Out For Robo-Golfer!

2006-03-10T09:29:00.000-05:00

Robo-Golfer could be coming to a golf course near you! You may have seen him before. You can recognize hime when he starts twitching and re-gripping, trying to get comfortable with all the mechanical positions he learned from watching the latest golf instructional video. You can tell he reads every golf magazine, listens to every golf tip from friends. He stands over the ball forever at address. Oh boy, says his player partners, here's a 6 hour round. God forbid you have Robo-Golfer playing in front of you. You'll need to show this article to your wife to prove you really were on the golf course for six hours!

Golf should be played like basketball, an action - reaction sport. You don't think about every step you take to the basket and then slowly try to make sure your arms are in exactly the right position to shoot at the basket. No, you shoot the basketball! You do a lay up in a flowing continuous motion. Stand up to a golf ball, (on the golf course) in an athletic position, (sort of like you would if you were playing short stop) and let it rip. Only on the golf driving range should you be concerned with attempting to re-program your swing motion again and again until it behaves, (sort of like Cookie combing his hair). Concentrate one maybe two drills, make sure you know what the purpose of the drill is, make sure you can perform the drill properly, then drill drill drill and forget it. Do the drills in practice and then forget them when you get on the course. You’ll play better and golf will be better off for it. Slow play is the biggest killer of the growth of this great game.

Warning! Being Fitted For Golf Clubs Could Ruin Your Golf Game!

2006-03-06T13:57:00.000-05:00

I speak from experience on this subject. I believe I was the first to offer golf club fitting in Virginia on a large scale basis and have studied the subject in depth. I' don't do that much of it any more because I just don't have the time and that's the key...TIME! It takes at least two hours to do an accurate golf club fitting and even with that you might have to send the golfer home to practice some more before being fitted. So accept my advice as my contribution to helping you better understand golf club fitting, rather than an attempt to sell you a set of golf clubs. I might do a fitting for someone but only if they beg, no kidding.

Think of it this way. You're not just fitting your physical characteristics; you are fitting your swing. The path, swing speed, angle of attack, tempo, centeredness of hit, lie angle. That being said, when a salesman in a golf store says I can fit you in about 10 minutes run for the door.

Being fitted by the fancy computer gadgets is not as much help as they claim. One the computer doesn't know what's wrong with your swing if at all. It only gives you a reading of what happened not how it happened. If you have a swing fault and you fit according to what the computer recommends then you will be fit to the swing fault and be doomed to continue to commit the swing fault for as long as you own the golf clubs.

You want the golf club to reward you when you make your best motion. Someone has to determine if you have made your best motion and the time of the reading. Yes the computer can tell you if you swung inside out or outside in but heck Colin Montgomery swing outside in every time and stills plays pretty good golf. So as you now see this is not an exact science.

You're really not buying the brand of golf clubs you're buying the fitter. I have a free special report I'll send you I you'll email me at bobbylopez@bobbylopezgolf.com on the "Seven Questions You Should Ask Before Buying Golf Cubs". I'll send it free with no obligation of any sort whatsoever.

Also you're not buying golf clubs. What you should be buying is a better ball flight and performance. If the ball doesn't fly better and further than forget it, no golf clubs for you!

How Do You Know If A Golf Instructor Is A Good One?

2006-03-03T09:34:00.000-05:00

Sounds like a dumb question but a friend of mine worked at a very well known golf magazine, (won't mention any names here). She was asked by her editors, "How do you know if a golf instructor is a good one"? She said, "Their students get better".

They stared in amazement as if the answer was just too simple. She was right on target though. Who cares if your instructor supposedly knows everything there is to know about the perfect golf swing, all its technical aspects and can recite the engineering terms involved. Do the students get better or not, that's the question?

I personally believe there is just too much information overload on the golf swing causing many a golfer to get discouraged. When I teach I use the Dale Carnegie method. If someone asks for a cup of coffee you give it to them black straight up. If they ask for sugar only give them one spoonful unless they begin to ask for more.

Some instructors begin to empty the entire sugar bowl in the coffee at one time and confuse the client. The pro that brought me up used to say, "The dumber they are the better they play". Freddy Couples and Dave Duval have proved him right.

How do they say it, the KISS method!

GOLFERS MUST POST SCORES FOR HANDICAP PURPOSES WHEN USING DISTANCE-ONLY MEASURING DEVICES

2006-03-01T22:37:00.000-05:00

Far Hills, N.J. – Golfers must continue to post all scores for handicap purposes made with the aid of a device that measures only distance, but not devices that measure additional conditions such as wind or elevation.

This provision follows consistently with the announcement from the United States Golf Association earlier this year that golfers may use distance-only measuring devices in competition, provided such a local Rule has been adopted. But, regardless of whether or not a local Rule has been adopted, any score made using a distance-only measuring device is acceptable for handicap purposes.

However, under the Rules of Golf, golfers must NOT use distance-measuring devices for handicap purposes or in competition that are capable of gauging or measuring other conditions that might affect play, even if such a function is not used. For example, a distance-measuring device that includes a compass and can measure changes in elevation can NOT be used in competition or for handicap purposes.

This wording for Decision 5-1f/2 has been updated in the 2006 online edition of The USGA Handicap System manual found in the Handicap section at www.usga.org to be consistent with the Decision 14-3/0.5 from the Decisions on The Rules of Golf.

Questions can be directed to Kevin O’Connor, senior director of handicapping, at (908) 234-2300.

Be Careful Taking Golf Swing Advice From Golf Magazines!

2006-02-28T22:05:00.000-05:00

Many a good golf swing has been ruined by over emphasizing a golf tip from a golf magazine or a golf book. I'm not necessarily blaming the magazine mind you. The golf magazine is in the business of providing golf information for their clients and I'm sure they try to do their best. Problem is, as much as any golf guru would like to say they are trying to help the golfing public with their article, in private most will tell you that to offer the proper and effective advice for YOUR golf game they need to see you swing a golf club.

Golfers read what seems like a great tip, and it might be, but for another golf swing rather than yours. They attempt to apply what the expert suggests only to find themselves in worse trouble then when they started, more frustrated and confused and in some cases giving up the game altogether.

My suggestion is to take golf advise just like to should take news reports. They might be true but there is probably more to the issue. Take what you think might be a good idea to your teaching pro first. Ask him/her about the article, it's application and whether it would be a good idea for your swing style.

Also you should make sure your teaching pro, (if you're taking lessons) knows that you are attempting to try a tip you've read or seen on TV. The worst thing you can do is incorporate another swing theory with the one your pro is working with you on. That spells disaster!

Bottom line, read the magazine to keep up with golf, outstanding offers for golfing vacations and the latest golf clubs. Listen to your Mom when it comes to golf instruction, "don't talk to strangers"!

Bobby Lopez, PGA

I Suggest You Join the Tidewater Amateur Golf Tour

2006-02-24T08:50:00.000-05:00

I ran into a diamond in the rough with the Tidewater Amateur Golf Tour. Amateur golfers in Virginia can participate in a number of stroke play golf tournaments. The 2006 tour will consist of 17 tournaments starting in March and ending in October with the Local Tour Championship. The tour will then travel to Myrtle Beach for the National Tour Championship.

The Tidewater schedule ranges from Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Williamsburg, Chesapeake, Norfolk and even Northern Virginia. Some of the courses they'll be playing are TPC of Virginia Beach, Williamsburg National, Stonehouse, Golden Horseshoe, with the National Championship at Wild Wing in Mytrle Beach.

The tour offers different flights so anyone can participate. They also control your stats like greens in regulation, fairways hit and more. Great idea!

I like this tour for one big reason. It will make you a better golfer! I guarantee it! I remember from my days on the professional tour, when you went back home to play you amazed yourself on how much you had improved.

There's something about playing under competitive pressure that just can't be experienced in practice or playing a nassau with your buddies. Especially the fact that the tournaments are held under stroke play conditions. You have to finish every hole.

You can visit their web site at www.tidewatertour.com It's only about $70 to join.

Can A Personality Profile Help Your Golf Game?

2006-02-22T19:27:00.000-05:00

I ran in to a very nice lady at the Nation Speaker Association conference, Jennifer Munro that has a very successful business in profiling employees for businesses. She's adapted her talents to the game of golf after becoming addicted to the game around 1994. She now assists tour players in their mental strategies and offered to do a profile on me so I could experience the program for myself.

I was tentative at first for fear that I would have to replace her computer after entering my test answers but figured what the heck why not. She'll only find out what I already know, I'm nuts!

I got back the results and they were quite impressive. She was able to list out the situations I should avoid while playing golf and the situations I should encourage. For instance...she was able to determine that because of my personality I should slow down before playing a golf shot, concentrate more on my tempo, pre-shot routine, and think more conservative and less aggressive. I guess the program did not mention to knock off the Cuban coffee before a round either!

I can tell you from experience that the analysis was right on target and worth doing. You can reach Jennifer at www.golfmindrx.com. You can get all the details on getting your own analysis.

They say that golf is 90 percent mental so who knows, it might help you. I'm going to apply what I learned from it.

U.S. Pro Golf Tour

2006-02-20T07:18:00.000-05:00

Not another tour! Yes you've got it, another tour. This one is suppose to service the youngsters that are 18 years old and not ready for the PGA tour as yet, PGA golfers who are preparing for the seniors tour and not quite 50 as yet. Sounds like a father son event to me!

I don't think it's a bad idea to have something for the two age groups mentioned as a preparation for the big tour. However, I disagree with the format of a tour card only tour. Why not allow golfers who didn't hear about the tour in advance qualify every week. It might be the organizational difficulties of holding another tournment each week, (which is what qualifying really is) is too much for the amount of staff they have so they went with an all exempt tour.

I like the "good ole days" when one could qualify and make it from out of no where. Look at my buddy Vincente Fernandez from Argentina. He went to open qualifying at a Senior Tour event, qualified and then won the tournament which exempted him for one year.

I like that kind of story! Don't you?

If you want to learn more about the new U.S. Pro Tour go to http://www.usprotour.com.

Helping someone shallow out their golf swing.

2006-02-16T19:55:00.000-05:00

I spent some time today with my friend Dr. Patrick Porter today. He has always had trouble with his golf swing being too steep. This is a very common error. What I had him do is make some practice swings like he was hitting a baseball. Yes swinging like he was hitting a baseball. This forced him to swing his golf club more level to the ground, (more shallow). Gradually I had him lower his golf swing lower and lower until he could reach the ground.

Then I had him hit some golf balls and he actually started to draw the golf ball instead of slicing it. If he just keeps on doing the baseball swing drill it will gradually shallow out his swing.

Maybe this drill will help you too if you have a shallow swing. My G-TEAM members get tons of drills just like the mentioned in this posting. Learn more about the G-TEAM membership at only $79 per year at http://www.bobbylopezgolf.com.

Over the Net Golf Lessons with Video Analysis and Touring Pro Comparisons

2006-02-15T10:05:00.000-05:00

I've put together the first of its kind "Over the Net" golf membership program. At http://www.bobbylopezgolf.com. Why, because time is becoming an influence in golf, time to play, time to practice. I think golfers need instructional ideas, (golf tips) and drills that they can do in their home or office with tangible results.Golf is the game of business and networking but you can't do business on the golf course if you stink. Nobody wants to make a fool out of themselves and loose the sale becasue of their bad golf game. Not to mention having a good time at playing golf themselves.

The golf drills and the manner in which I teach you to apply the golf drills can help beginning golfers as well as a seasoned touring proferssional. Having played on the tour myself I know what it takes to be confident on the golf course which comes from believing in your practice program.

I call my new membership the G-TEAM. For only $79 a year you will have two private lessons "Over the Net", unlimited access to all my lesson videos, drill videos, special reports, golf exams to test your skills and a special IsAAC golf stats tracking system that will measure your improvement and show you where you need the most help. You will also get an official USGA handicap so you can play in amateur tournaments around the world if you wish.Check it out at my web site http://www.bobbylopezgolf.com.

It's new and unique. I'll keep you abreast with new free tips and ideas on this blog so check back whenever you can. I would be honored if you would bookmark my blog http://golftipsbobbylopez.blogspot.com/ and tell a friend while you're at it.

Bobby Lopez, PGA