Newsletter – April 2014
Upcoming clinics and events: I will have a TWO-DAY GOLF SCHOOL for experienced golfers on Sat., April 12 (3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.) and Sun., April 13 (8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.) Limit of only 3 golfers and total cost of $99. My next GET GOLF READY LADIES BOOT CAMP will be held Thursday, April 24th through Sunday, April 27th. There will be 4 hours of golf clinics at the driving range, Thur. and Fri. (5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.), Sat. (2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.) and we will end up on the golf course on Sunday (2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.) Limit of 8 golfers and total cost is $99. Perfect for beginners who want to get going! I will also have a LADIES-ONLY GOLF CLINIC on 4 Sunday afternoons – April 27, May 4, 11 & 25 (skip 5/18) from NOON to 1:00 p.m. Total cost is $40 and is good for beginners or newly dedicated golfers.
Please call (727) 692-4679 or email, jh@johnhayesgolf.com, to sign up as space is limited for all clinics.
For your golf game: “If you want to have speed (on the forward swing), then give the speed to your ARMS, not to the club HEAD,” said Manuel de la Torre during a recent golf lesson that I observed. Golfers try to jump the speed from themselves right out to the head of the club and they use their hands and cast the clubhead creating damage to the ground and to the ego. It is always good to remind ourselves that the “arm” refers to the section from the shoulder to the elbow, NOT the forearm. Good pitchers in baseball and good quarterbacks in football have good ARMS that can move fast. So many of the problems in golf come from the hands trying to throw the club HEAD, and the hands have great twisting capabilities which the arms do NOT have. The pitcher in baseball can throw a tremendous fast ball using his arm but he needs his hand to work to throw a curve ball. So I want you to go out to practice next time and observe your motion and give the speed to your ARMS at the start of the forward swing and do nothing to the club HEAD. This does not mean that you try to produce more speed than you are comfortably capable of doing or that you become muscularly tight in your wrists. Give the speed to your arms and maintain the use of the arms to the finish of the swing but remain flexible. There should be no strain.
As always, feel free to contact me with your questions and comments and I hope to see you soon at the Chi Chi Golf Range & Family Sports Complex in beautiful Clearwater, FL.