Kyle Voska Golf

PGA Professional shares tips and advice on golf

Change Tee Heights For Different Tee Shots

CHANGE TEE HEIGHTS FOR DIFFERENT TEE SHOTS

Nowadays, there are a variety of tees to choose from for your game.  Some are designed to tee the ball as high as possible, some are for par 3 shots, and others are made to last longer.  Choosing the type of tee is a personal preference, but today I’m going to explain how changing the height of your tee for tee shots can affect your shots.

I personally change my tee height for certain shots.  I tee it high for draws, medium for fades, and low for accuracy.  You may wonder why I don’t choose the same tee height for all shots, but there are valid reasons why I change the height for different shots.

First, it’s important to note that the size of drivers are very large now so most golfers would benefit teeing it pretty high, if in doubt.  Second, it’s been proven through data from launch monitors such as Trackman that in order to hit a draw, your club should be swinging in-to-out and on an upward path.  This is very difficult to do teeing it low.  So, tee hit high to hit more draws.

For fading the ball off the tee, I’d recommend teeing the ball about even with the center of the clubface when the club is lying on the ground.  This will encourage a straighter and more level swing path which makes it easier to fade the ball.  You can certainly fade the ball teeing it high, but many find it easier from a lower height.

The last type of tee height I use is teeing it low, about an inch off the ground.  This is a personal preference, but it’s something a lot of better players use to hit it more accurately.  For me, I use this tee height on tighter holes or on days I’m not swinging my best.  It allows me to swing more within myself and through the ball better.  I may lose a little distance, but I gain confidence knowing I’ll be in the fairway more often.  The key for using this tee height is to not hit down on the ball.  Use a sweeping motion which keeps the clubhead level through impact.

Practice changing your tee heights when you go to the practice range and on the course.  You may find that teeing it high all the time is best for you.  Or you may find that teeing it level with the center of the clubface makes it easier for you to hit the ball more solid.  What works for some may not work for others, but the key is to find what works best for you.  A little trial and error can go a long way towards hitting more fairways in the future.

Good luck and thanks for reading!

March 20, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Roll Your Putts Better With This Drill

Tee Behind-The-Ball Putting Drill

Here’s a simple drill that will get your ball rolling better on the greens.  Place a tee almost all the way into the green with about a 1/4 inch left above the surface.  Next, place a ball right up to the tee on the hole-side of the tee.  Then, place your putter behind the tee and hit some putts without striking the tee.

This drill will give you instant feedback on whether you typically hit the equator of the ball or not.  To get the ball to roll consistently, you need to hit the equator of the ball.  If you’re striking the tee, you’re contacting the ball beneath the equator.   This will make the ball bounce a lot off the putter face.

Eventually, you will start feeling what you have to do with your stroke to make consistent contact with the equator of the golf ball.  This drill should help you strike through your putts, like a tee being driven through the back of the ball, rather than trying to hit up them too much.

March 6, 2011 Posted by | Putting | Leave a Comment

One-Day Specialty Clinics at Sharon Woods

One-Day Specialty Clinics at Sharon Woods Golf Course

This year, I thought it’d be fun to try something different by offering some one-day specialty clinics.  Last year, we had some success with Hit It Long, a one-day 90-minute clinic.  Currently, I’m offering 3 clinics this season with the first one, Slicer’s Corner, on Saturday, April 9th from 10:00 – 11:30 am.  This clinic will be a fun way to learn how to fix your slice so you can start the season off playing well.  I will also offer a second Slicer’s Corner clinic on June 11th.  The other clinic, Drive For Show/Putt For Dough, is a 2-hour clinic that will help you hit your tee shots longer and straighter, and help you make more putts.  Click on the links below to register and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  The class sizes will be limited to 10 students.  Sign-up early to secure your spot! 

SPECIALTY CLINICS

Drive for show/Putt for dough

Looking to hit the ball longer and straighter off the tee? Would you like to average a few less putts per round? If so, then don’t miss out on this unique 2-hour clinic that will focus one hour each to the two most important clubs in the game, the driver and the putter.  Sign-up early to secure your spot!

  • Date: Saturday, June 4
  • Time: 9:30 – 11:30 A.M.
  • Cost: $40 (Class size limited to 10 students)
  • Register online

The Slicer’s Corner

Have you been slicing the ball for years? Would you like to learn why you slice the ball and how to hit a draw? If so, then sign up for this 90-minute clinic and fix that slice forever.

  • Dates: Saturdays, April 9 or June 11
  • Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
  • Cost: $30.00/class (Class size limited to 10 students)
  • Register online

****Call me at Sharon Woods, 769-4325, or email me, kvoska@greatparks.org, if you have any questions.****

February 12, 2011 Posted by | Sharon Woods Updates, Slicers Corner | Leave a Comment

Cabin Fever

How To Get Through The Winter and Improve Your Game

For those living north of Florida, this has been a brutal winter.  Very cold, very white, and very long.  As it’s snowing again as I’m typing this, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.  This can obviously lead to cabin fever for many of us, especially those who have the golf bug.  Today, I’m going to share with you some tips on how to get through the winter as a golfer and how to improve your game doing so.

Tips

  1. Put a club in your hand at least a few times a week.  This is one of those things that sounds so much easier than it is.  What I recommend is keeping a wedge in your house and swing it a few times a week.  This is pretty easy during the weekend when golf is on tv.  Watch golf for a bit, then take a few swings in your living room trying to copy the tempo of one of your favorite golfers you just saw on tv.  Swinging a club a few times a week will keep your golf muscles loose and make it easier to transition to an actual round when spring rolls around.
  2. Play simulated golf rounds.  Find a nearby place that offers simulated golf.  This is a great way to break up the monotony of winter, have fun with friends and play a round of golf.  In the Cincinnati area, I know you can play at Dave and Busters and The Practice Center at Clearcreek in Franklin.  If you’ve never done this, give it a try.  It’s fun.
  3. Go to a heated driving range when it’s above 30 degrees.
  4. Put an indoor golf net and mat in your basement.  I was lucky when I grew up because my dad put up a net in our basement.  I hit balls almost everyday in there.  Fortunately, our ceilings were 9 feet so I could swing any club.  If your ceiling is just 8 feet, you may only be able to swing a short iron.  That’s still much better than nothing.  This is a pretty inexpensive way to beat the winter and improve your game.
  5. Take a short golf trip somewhere warm.  This winter, I went to Florida and played 6 rounds of golf.  It was great.  Even if you can’t get away for a week, you may have time to get away for a long weekend somewhere.  3 days of golf is much better than nothing.  I’d recommend going to Orlando or south of Orlando for the best weather.  One of my favorites is World Woods, north of Tampa and West of Orlando.
  6. Hibernate or move south of your current location.

Drills

The winter time is a great way to improve your game.  You can work on your putting stroke, chipping, and all of your fundamentals.  Here are some of the drills I’d recommend:

  1. Check all your fundamentals once a week in a mirror.  Check your grip, posture, shoulder and foot alignment, balance, weight distribution, ball position, etc.  The better you are at these, the more consistent you’ll be.
  2. Check swing positions in a mirror.  Check your backswing halfway back to see if the clubface and path are good, check the top of swing face-on to see the length of your backswing, and check your finish position to see if you’re balanced.
  3. Swing in slow-motion in front of a mirror.  This is a great way to feel your golf swing and check certain position.
  4. Chip off carpet.  Buy some plastic practice balls and chip somewhere inside.  The firmer the lie the better.  If you can chip off a hard floor you can probably chip anywhere.
  5. Putt on smooth carpet  into a cup or buy a putting mat to putt on.  This a great way to groove your putting stroke.
  6. Draw a line on your ball and try to make it roll end-over-end.  If it’s wobbling a lot, then practice making the ball better.  If you do so, you’ll make more putts.

Conditioning Your Body

It’s easy to get lazy in the winter, but I believe it’s the best time to workout.  First, what else are you going to do?  Second, when you have free time in the summer, you’re usually golfing.  Use the winter to get healthier and stronger for the upcoming season.

  1. Walk or jog on a treadmill using a lot of incline to get your body used to walking up and down hills.  The longer you walk the better prepared you’ll be for the 4+ hour rounds.  Shoot for 3+ miles each time.
  2. Swim.  I swing throughout the year.  It’s a great full body workout.
  3. Strengthen your hands and forearms.  Squeeze stress balls at work.  Lift light weights for your forearms.  The stronger your hands and forearms are the more power you’ll have.
  4. Do a lot of ab work.  This will not only stabilize your body, it will help prevent back injuries.
  5. Learn new golf stretches and exercises.  One great website for this is Titleist’s Performance Institute, www.mytpi.com.

Club Maintenance

Winter is a great time to take care of your clubs.

  1. I recommend re-gripping them at least once a year.  There’s plenty of time right now to do it and you won’t miss them like you would in the summer.
  2. Check the lofts and lies of all your irons.  Believe it or not, the lofts and lies of your clubs can change.  It’s important to check to see if your set is consistent.
  3. Clean your grips at least once a month.  Think how often you play when your hands are sweaty.  Now, think how dirty your grips are.  Yuck.  Simply scrub them with soap and water.  This will make them tacky again and it will prolong the life of the grips.
  4. Get on a launch monitor with a local PGA Professional to see if your current set of clubs is good for you.  They may be perfect, they may need some tweaking, or you might need a complete overhaul.  If you love the game and you want to play your best, you owe it to yourself to know that your equipment fits your game.

I hope these thoughts and tips help you get through the winter faster and improve your golf game.  If all else fails, pray that the groundhog was right in predicting an early spring.  Thanks for reading!

February 6, 2011 Posted by | Practice Time | , | 2 Comments

Women’s Clinic, League, and Classes at Sharon Woods

2011 Women’s Clinic, League, and Classes at Sharon Woods Golf Course

I’m excited to announce the 2011 schedule for women this year at Sharon Woods.  We will offer another free women’s clinic on Friday, May 13th.  This clinic will springboard into the Lady 9ers Sunday evening league.  Additionally, for the first time at Sharon Woods, we’ll be offering 3 women’s classes to improve your games.  The first class starts on April 28th.  I’m limiting the class size to 10 students so sign-up early to secure your spot!

Go to http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/rec_sharon/sw_womensgolf.shtm or call the pro shop at (513) 769-4325 to sign-up.

Here’s the full schedule:

Women’s Free Clinic
This clinic will focus on basic fundamentals, rules, and etiquette in a fun, relaxing environment. It will also springboard into an optional casual ladies golf league shortly after the event.

  • Date: Friday, May 13, 2011
  • Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
  • Register online to the right.

Lady 9er’s Golf League
Are you looking to meet other lady golfers?  Would you like to play in a non-competitive social league?  If so, then join the Lady 9ers League.  This 9-hole league plays on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. beginning May 15 and runs through September.  The league membership fee is $10.00, of which 100% goes into weekly prizes. As a league member, you are not required to play every week and you pay greens fees as you play ($16.00 walking/$23.25 riding).  Contact Melissa Davis, Kyle Voska, or call the pro shop (513) 769-4325 for more information.

Women’s Golf Classes
Would you like to play better golf with your friends, or improve your scores in your ladies league?  If so, sign-up for these women’s golf classes designed to improve your overall game.  Topics covered include putting, chipping, pitching, iron play, hybrids and woods.

SPRING SESSION

  • Dates: Thursdays, April 28 – June 2 (6 classes)
  • Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
  • Cost: $99.00 for all 6 classes ($20.00 for one class if space available – 10 student limit)

SUMMER SESSION

  • Dates: Thursdays, June 16 – July 28 (6 classes – off July 14)
  • Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
  • Cost: $99.00 for all 6 classes ($20.00 for one class if space available – 10 student limit)

EVENING SESSION (Class is Full)

  • Dates: Tuesdays, May 31, June 7 and June 14 (3 classes)
  • Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
  • Cost: $75.00 for all 3 classes ($30.00 for one class if space available – 10 student limit)

Advanced registration required. Contact Kyle Voska for more information.

February 5, 2011 Posted by | Sharon Woods Updates, Women's Golf | Leave a Comment

The Cincinnati Golf Show and Future Tips

Thanks to everyone who attended the Cincinnati Golf Show today.  It was great to see some old faces and meet some new ones.  While the weather outside is pretty rough, it was a nice change to talk about golf again.  I had a great time.

Also, I just want to note that I’ll be posting tips on my blog again shortly.  With long days at the golf course and a new born at home, my free time to write at home has been cut down drastically.  Check back soon to see the new tips and I’d also love to hear some suggestions for tips you’d like me to write about.

Thanks,
Kyle

January 15, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | 2 Comments

I’ll Be Presenting and Teaching at The 2011 Cincinnati Golf Show

2011 Cincinnati Golf Show

The 2011 Cincinnati Golf Show will be held January 14th – 16th at the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati.  On Saturday, the 15th, I’ll have the stage from noon to 1:00 to talk about whatever I want.  After much thought, I decided I’m going to dive deeply into one of the most common problems of golfers:  the slice.  I’m going to cover 6 major causes of the slice, how to fix them, and share some drills that will help cure the slice forever.  I imagine that those who attend will never hit a slice again.  Also, during my allotted hour, I’ll have a question and answer time along with some live lessons. 

After I present, I’ll also be giving free lessons until 4:00.  It should be a great time and a nice way to break up the monotony of this long winter season.  Hope to see you there!

Kyle

January 7, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Free Golf Lessons At The Reds Game This Saturday, 7/31

If you’re heading down to the Reds game this Saturday afternoon, 4:10 start time, try to stop by the Fan Zone (near the main entrance) for a Free 5-minute Golf Lesson with a Southern Ohio PGA Professional.  I’ll be one of 6 PGA pro’s offering free lessons from approximately 2:15 to 6:45 (7 innings).  The S.O.P.G.A. is setting up hitting stations with mats, nets, clubs, balls, etc.  It should be a lot of fun.  Hope to see you there!

July 29, 2010 Posted by | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

I’m Playing In The Nationwide Event at TPC River’s Bend

Good news!  I’m very pleased to announce that last week, at Walnut Grove CC in Dayton, I shot an 8-under 64 winning an SOPGA event and qualifying for this week’s Nationwide Tour event at TPC River’s Bend.  We were competing for 2 spots and I was fortunate enough to get one of them.  Jeff Olson, from Kinsale Golf Course in Columbus, fired a 69 to grab the other spot.

I’m looking forward to this event.  I haven’t played in a big event like this in a long, long time.  9 years to be exact.  It’s going to be a lot of fun.  I’ll post some updates from the event when I get a chance.  Thanks for everyone’s support!

Kyle

July 11, 2010 Posted by | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Update: Cleveland CG15 Tour-Conforming Wedges Review

Cleveland CG 15 Tour-Conforming Wedges Review

A few months back I gave a review on my then new Cleveland CG15 Tour-Conforming wedges.  At that time, I had 3 of the wedges in my bag:  48, 54, and 58 lofts.  In March, with the conditions soft and wet, I saw virtually no difference in the wedges compared to my previous wedges.  After 3 and a half months of playing these wedges, I thought I’d give another review.

Currently, for a variety of reasons, I have 4 wedges in my bag compared to the usual 3.  I’m now using the CG Tour set PW at 48 degrees (I hit this wedge a little better than the CG15 one I have), a 52 and 58 (bent to 57) lofted CG15 Tour-Conforming wedge, and an old 588 60-degree bent up to 61 degrees.  First of all, I’d like to say I still love the new CG15 Tour-Conforming wedges.  Personally, I still prefer them over the Zip Grooves as I don’t need or want a lot of backspin.  That being said, now that I’ve played them in a variety of conditions, I have noticed a couple of differences.  The new wedges react and spin well out of the fairway, but from dry rough they do spin less and release more once they land on the green.  Another thing I’ve noticed is these wedges fly higher.  It’s kind of odd because with less spin you’d think they’d fly lower, but with the V-grooves the ball actually slides up the club face more creating the higher launch angle.

A little over a month ago, I added the 4th wedge, 61, in the bag.  I did this because I felt like I’d use the 4th wedge more than a long iron, and I hit my 58 degree wedge 100 yards.  It’s nice to have a wedge that I can hit full at about 85 yards, especially from the rough.  Additionally, the 61 degree gives me more loft around the green which is great when the conditions are firm and fast in the summer.  In the near future, I will be putting the CG15 Tour-Conforming 62 degree (bent down to 61) to replace the current 588 in the bag.

To summarize, the new V-groove wedges definitely react differently than the U-grooves, but it’s not something you can’t get used to.  I’m still a big fan of them.

July 5, 2010 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Tip-of-the-Month June ’10: How to Play Bad Lies in Sand Traps

TIP-OF-THE-MONTH JUNE ’10:  HOW TO PLAY BAD LIES IN SAND TRAPS

Watching your ball sail into a sand trap can be very disappointing.  Arriving to that sand trap only to find your ball in a bad lie can not only be disappointing, but also very intimidating.  Now how are you going to get the ball out?  Just getting out of a sand trap is a challenge in itself for many, but getting out with a bad lie can be almost impossible.

Unfortunately for all of us, sometimes when you hit your ball into a sand trap you’ll find your ball plugged/buried, fried-egged, in a rake track, or even worse, a footprint (how dare they not rake the bunker after exiting it, right?).  If your ball does end up in one of these predicaments you have to play it from there.  I’m going to teach you how to play a shot from these lies so you can get your ball out of the sand trap successfully to continue your round without ruining it.

First, I’d like to emphasize the importance of coming down steeply into the sand for this shot.  In order to get your ball out of the sand trap with a bad lie, you must enter the sand at a very steep angle.  Thinking about entering the sand at a 60 degree angle will help you for this shot.  This may sound easy, but it’s not.  If you think you’re coming down at 60 degrees, try doubling it.  Why is it important to come down steeper you may ask?  With the ball sitting down lower than the surface you must get under the ball to get it out.  If you enter the sand at your normal angle of attack, the wedge will bounce off the sand into the equator or top of the ball which will drive the ball into the lip of the bunker most of the time, if your lucky (you’d be unlucky if it missed the lip and flew about 50 yards over the green).  Thinking about digging for this shot would be better than thinking about bouncing or sliding the club off the sand.

How to execute this shot

  1. Place approximately 70% of your weight on your lead leg – this will help you come down more abruptly into the sand.
  2. Close/hood the clubface* – this will help the club dig under the ball.
  3. Hinge the club up as quickly as possible with your wrists – try hinging the club up keeping your hands inside your back foot.  Try creating a 90 degree angle as soon as you can with your lead arm and the club shaft.
  4. Swing the club down trying to pop the sand right behind the ball – normally you’ll hit the sand about 2-3 inches behind the ball in the sand.  For this shot, you’d like to enter the sand much closer to the ball.
  5. Rebound the club back after hitting the sand – I actually want you to rebound the club away from the target for this shot after it enters the sand.  If you can do this, it means you entered the sand at the proper angle.  Most likely, you’ll struggle with this at first because you’re coming down too shallow, but eventually you’ll get it and it will dramatically improve your results for this shot.  Some prefer to leave the club in the sand for this shot, which is fine too.  I prefer rebounding the club to ensure I came down steep enough.
  6. Allow for roll – because the ball is sitting down lower it will exit the sand lower and roll more than a typical sand shot.

Hitting shots out these bad lies in sand traps can be challenging for sure.  The key is to not try to help the ball out.  If you do, you’ll come into the sand too shallow and leave the ball in the trap.   You must trust that the club will do the work for you when you enter the sand on a steep angle.  Try your hardest to not allow the club to pass the spot where the ball was.  If your club passes that spot then you came into the ball too shallow.

Another note I’d like to make is most of the time you will need to swing with more effort for these shots compared to normal lies in the sand traps.  Since the ball is sitting lower, you will be moving more sand so more effort is typically needed.

Good luck and thanks for reading!

*For more advanced players you can open your clubface for this shot to get the ball to come out a little softer.  If you try this, you want to try to hit the sand right behind the ball with the hosel of the club.  Sounds funny, I know, but it works.  I hit these shots this way, but I have also practiced them quite a bit.

June 27, 2010 Posted by | Sand Shots, Tips-of-the-Month | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Tip-Of-The-Month May ’10: Shaping The Ball Around Trouble

TIP-OF-THE-MONTH:  MAY ’10 – SHAPING THE BALL AROUND TROUBLE

Most golfers, including professionals, find themselves in different predicaments each round.  How the golfer handles these situations will determine the level of success of the round.  Golf is obviously a very challenging game.  It can feel easy at certain times when you hit that perfect shot, or you have that great round, but a golfer’s overall success can be measured by how good their mishits are and how they recover from them.

More often than not, you won’t hit the ball as good as you can so it important to still be able to score well when you’re not playing your best.  A few ways to score better when you’re not playing your best are to improve your short game, have better course management, and learn how to get the ball out of trouble more effectively.  Today, I’m going to cover the latter by teaching you how to shape the ball around trouble.

Making the golf ball curve probably comes naturally to most.  Especially making it curve left-to-right (slice for righties).  Believe it or not, using that shot can get you out of trouble about half of the time.  Curving the ball the other way, right-to-left, will cover the other half.  Shaping the ball in one direction is pretty easy for most, but being able to curve it the opposite way can be more of a challenge.

When you’ve hit an errant shot into the trees or behind a tree, you will generally have two options:  shape the ball around the tree or pitch out.  Pitching out is safe and relatively easy, but it doesn’t advance the ball very far and limits your chance of a good score on that hole.  Being able to curve the ball in either direction will improve your score.  Here’s how to do it:

Shaping the ball left-to-right:

  1. Align the clubface to where you want the ball to land
  2. Align your feet left of the tree/obstacle where you want the ball to start (your stance should feel open)
  3. Take your normal grip with the clubface still open
  4. Ball position will be up in your stance
  5. Swing along your toe line
  6. Try to hold the clubface open through impact

Shaping the ball right-to-left:

  1. Align the clubface to where you want the ball to land
  2. Align your feet right of the tree/obstacle where you want the ball to start (your stance should feel closed)
  3. Take your normal grip with the clubface closed
  4. Ball position will be back in your stance
  5. Swing along your toe line
  6. Feel like your rotating the clubface over more than usual through impact

Keys:

  1. Use a lower lofted club when curving the ball left-to-right.  Opening the clubface adds loft so the ball will go higher.  It’s very difficult to curve a 9-iron or any wedge.
  2. When curving the ball right-to-left, use a higher lofted club as the club is being delofted by closing it at address.  I would recommend using a 6-iron or higher when curving the ball in this direction.  Trying to hook a 3 or 4-iron will most likely cause a shot that rolls on the ground.
  3. Most importantly, allow for deflection when aligning your feet.  When opening and closing the clubface to curve the ball, the ball will deflect off the clubface in that direction.  The more you open or close the face, the more the ball will start in that direction.  Example:  If a tree is 15 feet in front of you, and you need to curve the ball left-to-right 25 yards you will open the face.  Don’t aim one foot left of the tree.  Aim at least 5 feet left as the ball will deflect off the face to the right at impact.  Remember, the #1 goal when you get into trouble is to get out of impact.  Try not to compound the problem by staying in trouble.

Learning to shape the ball around trouble is challenging and takes practice, but it’s also a lot of fun.  The biggest error I see when teaching this is golfer’s not opening or closing their clubfaces enough.  It’s very odd looking down and seeing the clubface 10-15 degrees open or closed, but this is where it has to be to get the ball to curve enough around trouble.  Practice this the next time you go to a driving range and you’ll be surprised how much you can curve the ball intentionally.

Thanks for reading and have fun!


May 14, 2010 Posted by | Golf Tips, Tips-of-the-Month | Leave a Comment

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