Newsletter – March 2013
I still have a couple of spots open for my Ladies-Only Golf Clinic which runs on four consecutive Tuesday evenings, March 5, 12, 19 & 26 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. It is good for new and newly committed golfers and we cover all aspects of the game of the 4 sessions. Cost is only $40 total.
I will again conduct a couple of Two-Day Junior Golf Camps during the Spring Break week. The first camp will be on Monday & Tuesday, March 25 & 26. The second camp will be on Wednesday & Thursday, March 27 & 28. It will run from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on all days and is limited to ages 7 through 14 only. Cost is $39 total for one two-day camp. Sign up for both camps, all four days, for only $70 total.
Call (727) 692-4679 or email, jh@johnhayesgolf.com to sign up for these clinics. Space is limited!
Now for some thoughts for your golf game: the clinic we had in February with Manuel de la Torre went well and all participants experienced the “Spanish Inquisition,” as one of Manuel’s members used to call it. These are the questions that Manuel will ask and they can often seem confusing until they eventually lead you to a better understanding of the golf swing. Here are a few samples: Q – How many times do you play a course for the first time and you play well? A – Very often because you don’t know where the trouble is. Manuel was telling us to only concern ourselves with where we WANT to go and not the trouble on a hole.
Q – What does the body do when you turn your car to the left? A – Your body leans to the left but you never think about it, and you would never tell anyone to just lean to the left and expect the car to turn to the left. Manuel was explaining that the arms are used to swing the club or turn the steering wheel of your car and the body should just respond.
Manuel put a second golf ball about a foot in front of the ball and asked the student, “What would you do if I asked you to hit both golf balls? The student pondered this and then Manuel said, “Go ahead and do it.” The student did it and hit both golf balls. This was done to get the motion to go forward and it worked. Prior to this the student had been going upward and topping the ball.
Q – Do WE turn in the golf swing? (We were all sure that we turned but knew that we better consider the question before blurting something out!) The student finally said, “Yes.” A – Nobody turns. Manuel had the student set up with the club then he put his right hand on the club with them and he swung it about half way back. Then he looked at the student and asked again, “Did YOU turn?” The student answered, “No.” Manuel added, “I turned you.” This was to get the golfer to have the backswing motion turn the golfer and not to have the golfer try to turn to produce the backswing.
Q – Why don’t you change? A – “And I am being very brutal; it is because you don’t want to change. You want it (the improvement) to happen but you don’t want to do it.”
As always, please call or email with your questions and comments and I hope to see you soon in beautifulClearwater,Floridaat the Chi Chi Golf Range & Family Sports Complex.