JohnHayesGolf.com Newsletter Golf Tip – July 2017
For your golf game: For all golf students but especially for new golfers it is very important to have the correct mental picture of the club as it swings forward. When the club returns to the ball the clubface should be square to the target line or, to say it in more detail, the leading edge of the clubface should be perpendicular to the target line (a straight line going from the ball to the target). Then the club should continue to swing toward the target so that the shaft should point at the target and the toe of the clubhead should point upward. I would shorten this to say, the club should swing square (impact) to toe-up (at the target).
I had a student who was an adult beginner and she began to play golf for business. She bought her set of club and struggled in her first attempts, before any golf instruction, because she moved the club from open (impact) to face-up (at the target) on the forward swing. This is a common mistake for the new golfer who feels they need to do something in order to lift the ball off the ground. In our first lesson I gave her the correct mental picture of what the club should do when swinging forward and she did great. And then she said this, “Why, when they sell a set of golf clubs, don’t they give you directions about what to do with the clubs? Had I known that it should swing square to toe-up, I would have done a lot better at the start.” I had no good answer for her question but to say that it would be a great idea for the club manufacturers to give a card that shows a picture of the club swinging forward, square to toe up. And to have them explain that the loft angle built into the clubhead will get the ball up, not the swing of the golfer.
A balanced grip of the club and aligning the clubface at the target are also very important to simplify our job as a golfer, but it is important to begin with the correct picture of what the club looks like as it swings forward. Confirm your mental picture of the club: set the club on the grass at the address position, now move it slowly forward toward the target until the shaft is pointing at the target and the toe of the clubhead is pointing upward.
Upcoming clinics and events: My next LADIES-ONLY GOLF CLINIC will be held on 2 consecutive Weekends – JULY 15, 16, 22 and 23 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.
My next specialty clinic will be a SHORT GAME BOOT CAMP for 2 hours held on Saturday, AUGUST 19th from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 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.
I will conduct a GET GOLF READY LADIES BOOT CAMP from Thur., AUGUST 24th through Sunday, AUGUST 27th. There will be 4 hours of golf clinics (Thur. & Fri. from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 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.