September 3, 2010

Boy has it been one heck of a summer for golf.  Greg and his staff have done a wonderful job maintaining great turf conditions even with the lack of rain.  Hope you all are having a great summer and enjoying everything we can possibly give you to maximize your enjoyment when your here!  Always feel free to let me know at anytime if there is something I can do that would enhance your experience. 

 I was looking through my archives of tips I've given you over the past two seasons and I noticed that I have never instructed you on the bunker shot.  With all the new and crazy bunkers it might come in handy.  With a little practice, the bunker shot will literally become "the easiest shot in golf".....I promise.

When approaching a standard bunker shot, you need to first asses the situation...ie. the distance to the hole....the break in the green.....and where you need to land the ball so that you achieve the end result desired.

Here is easiest way to get set up the same way everytime so that we can take the guess work out of weather we are doing it correctly or not.  Rather than try to do every piece of the checklist in your monthly golf magazine....open your stance.....ball off the front foot.....hit two inches behind (enough of us have difficulty hitting the ball itself from a good lie, now they want you to be that precise?)......cock your wrists......swing upright.  How can you expect to do that consistantly and not be scared of such an easy shot?

Try this.  Enter the bunker and dig your feet in to provide a stable base to take your lower body out of the shot.  Address the ball as you would for a standard golf shot and open the blade.  The blade is now pointing right of your target.  From here just simply turn or shimmy your body around the ball till the club is pointing at your target.  What has this done?  It has opened your stance, put the ball off your front foot so you will automatically hit two inches behind it, and now all you have to do is swing the club along the same line as your body while accelerating.  There you go...it's that easy.

Until next month keep working hard and enjoy the game

Ryan Callahan, PGA

August 1st, 2010

It's been quite a while since I last spoke with you all.  I hope everybody is enjoying the summer weather, their families, and this new wonderful golf course we have here at Waubeeka.  Again, thank you all for being so patient with Mark, Greg, and myself through this long process.  But I am sure everyone agrees, that it was well worth the wait. 

This month I would like to take some time to talk to all of you about the short game.  By now all of you can see the importance of the short game, especially with all the recent changes greenside.  Here are 4 quick tips for improvement.

There is an old golf adage of "drive for show, but putt for dough," which basically means a long drive may look great, but it is the putting that makes a person a great golfer.  That remains true, but a superior short game is what makes a golfer truly a success.  You must be able to handle the pressures and intricacies of getting a ball onto the green, especially since courses continue to get longer and harder to play.

Practice your aim by putting a bucket in the middle of a field and walking about 60 feet away.  Use your pitching wedge to hit balls toward the bucket.  This exercise will help you build up accuracy, as well as your confidence.  It is very tough to get the ball in the bucket, but if you can start getting near it (or in it), your game will improve on the links.

Go to the practice facility and put down the woods.  Golfers love to go to the range and hit long balls, but that won't help your short game.  Hit an entire bag using just you wedges from the grass.  Focus on getting the ball high by striking downward.  Also, our facility has a sand trap.  Take about 20 balls and work on your shots from there.....you'll need that shot here at the Beek.

Cheat just a little on your swing.  Yes, everyone wants a graceful swing on the course, but sometimes a golfer does not need that in the short game.  Practice "punching" the ball with a wedge, which will allow you to take a short half swing and knock the ball up in the air and forward with some accuracy.  Some golfers look down on practicing the shortgame.  I promise you though that its a great drill for building confidence on the entire swing.

Lastly, study the course.  Many people with good swings and mechanics still do badly in the short game because they don't think on the course.  Look at the layout of the hole and decide if it is better to shoot for the pin, behind the pin or in front of the pin.  Know where the traps are around the hole.  Putt when you can and chip only when you can't putt.

-Never be afraid to ask for advice from me

-focus on successes in the training, as opposed to dwelling on the negative

-Don't get discouraged by failure.  Golf is a game never to be mastered.

Enjoy this great game.....By for now.

Ryan Callahan, PGA

June 3rd, 2010

In the last week or so I have noticed a great deal of people asking to take carts out to see exactly what we are creating with our back nine.  So far the comments have been nothing but positive.  Thank you so much for your patience with this process.  I can promise you, no one is going to be disappointed. 

Don't forget to pick up your three day member guest application in the proshop.  The tournament is the best in the area, and fills up fast so do not delay.

On a golfing note.........

This month I have given several lessons, and clinics.  One thing I have noticed, coincidence or not is that 95% of you have the same problems. 

I referred to the five fundamentals last year and the importance of getting them all right.  You cannot effectively hit a good golf shot or consistant golf shot if one or more of the "fundamentals" is out of whack. 

I recently made some notes for an individual, with a description of each and I thought I would share it with you to review.  Remember....It's easy for your buddies to tell you what you are doing.....it's my job to tell you why!  So do not be shy. Please ask me to give you a hand so you can enjoy the game more.  

Check out our new Mizuno Club Fitting System in the pro shop!

May 8th, 2010

By now I am sure most of you have either driven out to the back nine, or you have seen #17 from the road, and all I've heard is excitement from everyone.  Thanks again for all your patience.  Just a reminder to you all that on Friday May 21st, we will be having a demo/fitting day up on the practice facility.  Myself, along with tech reps from Mizuno, Taylormade, Cleveland, and Srixon will be ready to help anyone interested in being fit for, or hitting all the different companies product.

On a different note, you all will notice that with the changes to the golf course a great deal of emphasis has been placed on the short game.  The greens are all getting bigger, and have spines running throughout them, as well as the putting surfaces being surrounded by bunkers.  With that being said, I would like to offer you all a tip on chipping.

So what are the two most common, most annoying errors in chipping?  The fat chip (chunk) that goes nowhere.....and the thin chip (skull) that shoots across the green, perhaps even into one of the new bunkers on the other side.

Guess how they are caused?  Hitting up.  We are so determined to get the club under the ball that we either hit the ground first (and the slower clubhead speed of a chip means we cannot even muscle through the ground) and the ball goes nowhere, or, in an effort to miss the ground all together, we strike the equator of the ball with a rising leading edge.  This leads to a low, screaming shot that goes well beyond our intended target.

If we can somehow see our way clear to striking the golf ball first, before the ground, we can achieve clean contact and dramaticlally improved results.

The key to striking the ground after impact when chipping is acceleration.  Unfortunately, most of us are very reluctant to accelerate while executing the short game.  Why?  A simple fear of hitting the ball to far.

We have a realistic fear of hitting this "delicate" shot way too far - past the hole, over the green, perhaps even into the trap on the opposite side of the green.  Thus, we try to slow the clubhead down prior to impact.

So here's the situation:  Notwithstanding the fact we need to hit down, we have a short shot that we do not want to hit too far, yet we know we need to accelerate the clubhead in order to achieve clean contact.  How do we accelerate, and yet gain control over the distance the ball will travel?

The answer is simple, but not necessarily easy.  Shorten your backswing.  The two curses of bad chipping are trying to hit up at the ball to lift it, and swinging back to far.....followed by a deceleration of the clubhead in the hopes of not hitting the ball too far.

I said the answer was simple, but not easy.  The trouble lies within our perception of what is a short backswing.  We are used to wrapping our club around our necks in order to hit big booming drives, so relatively speaking a backswing that goes to our waist seems short.  The fact is, if you were to swing back to your waist, and accelerate the clubhead down toward the ball, you would likely create shots that travel in excess of 25 yards.  Yet here we are trying to hit a chip shot just 10 or 15 yards.

As a result, we try - whether consciously or otherwise to slow the clubhead down.  Deceleration.  Most players I have taught who struggled with chipping swung the club back too far;  not 10 percent, not 20 percent, but 100 to 200 percent to far.  And most were completely unaware of how far back they were swinging in the first place.

While this has been a quick tutorial in chipping, it is also vital information in understanding the connection between hitting up, and bad chipping.  Hitting up at the ball will lead to bad chipping.  I have found many students' poor chipping technique to be exacerbated by the fact they were trying extra hard to hit high chip shots when they did not need to.  This just led to them hitting up at the ball in an exaggerated manner which then made a bad thing worse.

When you do hit your chip high into the air, ask yourself this key question:  what are you trying to get over?  Unless you need to get over a bunker, or a hedge, you would most likely be better of keeping the ball low.  A ball that is low, rolls.  Shots that roll are easier to predict. 

Just a tip for you all to digest.

Until next month....may all of you enjoy this great game.

Ryan Callahan, PGA

April 10th, 2010

Welcome back everybody.  Waubeeka is finally open for the 2010 season.  The practice facility is also open and we are on the grass.  I hope everyone is ready for another great season.  TDI started back to work on the renovation on April 5th, and are moving right along at an unbelievable pace.  Thanks again for your patience.  You all are going to notice that the greens are in spectacular shape for it being so early in the season.  A lot of that is attributed to the recent purchase of a side to side roller that you often see being used during member-guest weekend.  We no longer have to demo one for that weekend, we own one and Greg will be using it several times a week, so take advantage of the putting green and spend some time practicing.  I have been teaching a long time, and have spent some time trying to give all you swing, and practice advice.  I would like to start the season of by trying to give you some mental food for thought, after reading a recent article that pertains to a lot of you, and myself as well.

Since I'm not a psychologist I will not try to get deeply into how the mind works during a game of golf.....who really knows anyway?  Everybody is different.  Whether you call it Golf Psychology, or Sport Psychology, or the Mental Game, The Mental side of golf, Trying to get in the Zone, whatever you call it, from my experience the mental side of the game of golf really boils down to something simple:

The most important thing you can do mentally to give yourself the best possible chance of success is to.....focus you attention on what you want to have happen.

Yes, it is simple in essence.  No, it is not always easy to do.  Yes, there are distractions.  No, it's not always a trivial matter to focus.

Here is a couple of examples..

You have a putt to win the Galactic Championship of Golf.  Perhaps there are many things going through you mind.  Do you focus your attention on thoughts of, "Oh &%#!, I'm putting to become the best golfer in the galaxy," or do you focus on the process of making the putt?

Here is a more realistic example

You're on the first tee at your usual course on a weekend.  There are numberous people in the vicinity and the first two players in your group have hit nice tee shots.  Do you focus your attention on the fact that they hit good tee shots and what if you don't?  Do you focus your attention on the fact that there are people watching you?  Or do you focus your attention on the procedure of hitting your tee shot where you want it to go?

This is obviously easier said than done, but the fact is that you are the only one in control of where and how you focus your attention.  If your attention is on something other than the immediate task, it seems unreasonable to expect a good result, doesn't it?

Having a comfortable pre-shot routine helps tremendously with focusing.  If any of you would like for me to help you develop one, don't hesitate to ask.

Till next month, have fun and enjoy the game of golf.

Ryan Callahan, PGA

March 5th, 2010

We are finally on the home stretch towards Spring!  I hope everyone had a happy, and healthy holiday season...and enough skiing.....let's get to golf. 

As you all know we are under going a significant renovation at Waubeeka, and although it might seem inconvenient, just remember how exciting and awesome this project is going to be upon completion!! 

I wanted to let you all know that I will be back in the shop for the season beginning March 15th, so please by all means stop by, talk, ask questions, and get in the mood for golf.  I am very pleased to say that Mike Baratto, and Brett Moore,will be returning to Waubeeka to help service you. 

Don't forget about our new "state of the art" practice facility.  It will be open to you as soon as possible, and we'll finally be on the grass.  I don't know if you all noticed, but there is even a tee reserved for instruction only, which will provide me the opportunity to work with you in a private, beautiful, and controlled environment. 

While we are on the subject of practice facilities, let's ask ourselves one question.  What is the reason for a practice facility?  Warm up?  Practice?  Or how about LEARNING!!  One of the things I've noticed in the many years of my teaching, and playing with amateur golfers is that so many golfers go to the practice range religiously, and all carry 14 clubs, but haven't learned how far they hit each club.  Last time I checked, golf is not only the most target oriented sport out there, but requires one to hit a little white ball a specific DISTANCE, with the end result being to get that little white ball into a 4 1/4 inch cup in the fewest shots possible. 

Waubeeka is no longer going to be....hit a marginal shot....with no thought....and still walk away with a bogey, par or birdie.  We have redesigned Waubeeka to make it a more beautiful, and strategic golf course that requires the golfer to think about each shot....so that the result is a more challenging and enjoyable experience.  So I ask you...if you are going to have to think about all of your golf shots how can you prepare yourself mentally if you don't know how far you hit your clubs?  How is your confidence going to be over the ball before you hit the shot?

Knowing how far you hit your clubs is one step in course strategy.  Playing to these yardages should be one of your goals while playing.  Touring professionals try their best to hit to their known yardages especially if they have to lay up on a long par 5 or if they cannot reach a short par 4 with their drive.  They would rather hit a full wedge to a green with a shot they have more control over than a partial wedge that they don't have full distance control of.

Here is a simple strategy I use.  Instead of hitting driver off every tee, I will hit a fairway wood, utility club or long iron to a certain yardage in the fairway.  By doing this I am trying to increase my chances of making a full swing rather than a partial swing.  I feel I can control a full swing better than a half or 3/4 swing.  I don't play or practice as often as I used to so I don't feel comfortable playing shots that I do not practice.  My goal on each hole, other than par 3's, is to leave myself a full shot on my appraoch to the greens.

Bottom line....Get to know your distance with each club and use this knowledge to your advantage in setting up your apprach shots.  Play to your strengths at the new "Beek".  How do we get to know our yardages?  Pay attention the next time you use the practice facility!  If you are more comfortable hitting your driver as far as you can to have the smallest yardage possible.....then bombs away!!!  I cannot wait to see you all soon.

Hope this tip helps you all enjoy this great game.  Bye for now.

Ryan Callahan, PGA