Newsletter – April 2013
I have the Ladies-Only Golf Clinic in April on four consecutive Tuesday Evenings from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. This will be April 9, 16, 23 and 30. Total cost is only $40 and includes range balls and clinic handouts. This is perfect for new or newly-dedicated golfers. I am holding a Junior Golf Skills Challenge on 3 consecutive Friday evenings in April from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. This will be on April 12, 19 and 26. The juniors will learn and compete in 3 skills contest each evening which will cover all aspects of golf and can then be used for future practice sessions. Total cost is only $29 and includes everything. Ages 8 through 14 only with a limit of 9 golfers. I will also have a Get Golf Ready 4-Day Intensive Co-Ed Boot Camp. This will be on Thursday, May 16 through Sunday, May 19. Thursday and Friday will have one-hour clinics at the Driving Range from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday will have a two-hour instruction session from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and we will finish by playing on the golf course at the Chi Chi Rodriguez Golf Club from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Total cost is $99 and includes everything. Perfect for new golfers who want to spend four days to have a game for a lifetime! I have made this for the Men and the Ladies now because I have had some requests from the Guys and the Ladies I talked with said they would have no issue with some guys participating. Space is limited for all clinics so call (727) 692-4679 or email to sign up.
It is disappointing for all concerned when a golfer takes a lesson and improves and begins to hit better shots by working on the golf swing and then those results don’t seem to show up on the golf course. As Manuel de la Torre has said many times, this is because the golfer’s purpose has changed. The golfer is focused on the swing in the lesson or the practice session and then the golfer wants results on the golf course. You have to bring your practice range attitude to the golf course. But I also like to see students bring the golf course to the practice range. See an imaginary fairway at the practice range and put down ten balls and see how many times you can hit the “fairway.” If you only hit 30% of the fairways on the practice range then don’t be surprised when you miss the first fairway on the golf course. This does not mean that you should accept poor results but you should be realistic with your expectations on the golf course. Make up a short game workout for yourself that involves pitch shots, bunker shots and putts and shoot a score on the practice range. This will make your practice feel like being on the course and it is more fun than just hitting the same pitch shot 50 times in a row. I have a 48 shot short game workout where you hit 16 pitch shots (4 from 15 yards, 20 yards, 10 yards and 30 yards) and you putt out and see how many “up and downs” you get. Then you hit 12 bunker shots (4 from about 7 yards, 13 yards and 20 yards) and see if you can land the ball within a couple of yards of your intended distance. Finally you hit 4 putts from 40 feet, 20 feet, 9 feet, 6 feet and 3 feet. You get a point for putts that stop within a club length from 40 and 20 and then you count the putts you make from the shorter distances. There are many good short game tests out there and Jerry Tucker has a great 100 shot test that I like to use (google Jerry Tucker golf for info).
So grab your wedge, putter and 4 golf balls and head to the practice range and your mental purpose should be the same whether on the range or at the golf course.
As always, please call or email (jh@johnhayesgolf.com) with your questions or comments and I hope to see you soon on the lesson tee at Chi Chi’s in beautifulClearwater,Florida.