JohnHayesGolf.com Newsletter Golf Tip – April 2017
For your golf game: Where do you put the club in your stance? Once you have aligned the clubface at your target then you can simply square yourself to the clubface. So the clubhead will be in the center of your stance. This is on normal shots from a level lie. If you have uneven lies or you want to change the trajectory then you can move the club around in your stance but all of these type of changes require more practice to get consistent results.
What kind of things may happen if you deviate from putting the clubhead in the center of the stance? If you move the clubhead (and the ball) toward the back foot in your stance then what happens to the alignment of your shoulders? The shoulders will begin to aim to the right (for a right-hander) and the loft of the club will be decreased. The backswing direction will then change and be more to the inside because the shoulders have aimed to the right. What happens if you move the clubhead (and the ball) toward the front foot? The shoulders will begin to aim to the left and the loft of the club will be increased. The backswing direction will then change and be more to the outside because the shoulders have aimed to the left. These changes at address can be reduced through some forced changes to the shoulders and the body but this adds complexity to the set up that is not necessary.
I would encourage you to go to the practice tee and try these different club and ball positions to experience the different effects. While doing this you may find out that you have fallen into one of these unbalanced positions without realizing it. You may want to lay a club on the ground near the ball and place it parallel to the target line and lay down another club that crosses the parallel club that is perpendicular to the target line so you can confirm where the clubhead really is in relation to you and the target line.
If you discover that an address change gives you better results be sure to plan on doing a lot of practice reps so you can get comfortable/familiar with this new look so you can better take it to the golf course.
Upcoming clinics and events: My next specialty clinic will be a SHORT GAME BOOT CAMP for 2 hours held on Saturday, APRIL 15 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. I will cover pitching/chipping, bunker play, putting, and fun games to practice effectively! Men or Ladies welcome. This is NOT for new beginners. There is a limit of only 3 students so call or email to sign up. Total cost is only $55.
My next LADIES-ONLY GOLF CLINIC will be held on 2 consecutive Weekends – APRIL 22, 23, 29 and 30 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on all 4 Weekend days. Cost is only $40 total for all 4 hours! It is good for beginners or newly dedicated golfers.
I will conduct a GET GOLF READY LADIES BOOT CAMP on Thur., JUNE 1st through Sunday, JUNE 4th. There will be 4 hours of golf clinics (Thur. & Fri. from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Sat. from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.) and then we will finish on the golf course on Sun. from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is perfect for beginners who want to feel comfortable on the golf course in a short time. Total cost is only $99 and includes everything!
Please call/text (727) 692-4679 or email, jh@johnhayesgolf.com, to sign up as space is limited for all clinics. Go to www.johnhayesgolf.com for more details.
** I will be conducting the Adult Golf Clinics every week on Friday mornings at 9:30 a.m. and on Saturday afternoons at 12:30 p.m. There is no sign up, just show up and cost is only $20 which includes a large bucket of range balls.
As always, please contact me with any questions or comments and I hope to see you soon on the lesson tee at the Chi Chi Golf Range & Sports Complex in beautiful Clearwater in the Tampa, FL area.