The Great Escapes – Scoring Better From the Trees
The Great Escapes – Scoring Better From the Trees
Believe or not, during a round of golf, you may find yourself in a predicament where your ball is amongst some trees and you have to find your way out. Some of you may not comprehend how you could possibly miss a fairway, but trust me, sometimes it happens. All kidding aside, learning how to hit better shots from the trees is important if you want to improve your scores.
Today, I’m going to help you with some tips on how to hit better shots when faced with tree trouble. And, just in case you’re wondering, I am qualified to teach this subject. From April of 2002 – August of 2004, I didn’t hit a single fairway which allowed me to thoroughly research this subject. In fact, the Greater Golf Bureau of Mid-Western America (GGBMWA) granted me a Masters Degree in Tree Escapagery in 2005 becoming only the 7th golfer ever to achieve this honor. Without further ado, with the extensive data I have gathered over the years, I am now ready to share my wisdom.
First and Foremost: The #1 Goal is to get the ball out of trees
The #1 goal is to get the ball out of the trees.
You’re welcome.
Just kidding! In all seriousness, the #1 goal of any shot from the trees IS to get the ball out of the trees. So, before attempting a shot from the trees, you have the weigh the risk vs. reward factor. Is it worth the risk to try to hit the ball between two trees 5 feet apart? What would happen if you clipped the top of the tree you’re trying to hit it over? When facing a shot with trees in the way, you really need to be confident in the shot before attempting it. I’d recommend taking a more conservative route if you don’t feel you can pull the shot off at least 75% of the time, if not more. Pitching out isn’t much fun, but bogies are much better than double bogies and higher.
Curving the Ball Around Trees
This is the part where you learn how to curve it like Bubba. After reading the next paragraphs, there’s a better than a highly impossible chance you’ll be able to curve your shots up to 90 degrees on command. Remember, the first goal is to get the ball out of the trees without hitting them. Curving the ball on command isn’t easy, but understanding a few important aspects will help you out tremendously.
In a nutshell, you want to aim your club face approximately where you want the ball to end up and you aim your body where your want the ball to start. For more information on this, read the article below I previously wrote on shaping the ball:
http://kylevoska.com/category/tips-of-the-month/
How much you can curve the ball depends on your club head speed. The farther you hit the ball, or how fast you swing, the more you can curve it. Also, you can curve the ball more when hooking the ball when slicing the ball. For example, if a right-handed version of Bubba was in Bubba’s shoes on #10 in the Masters playoff, he wouldn’t have been able to curve the ball as much as the real Bubba did. Why, you may ask? The answer is loft. A higher loft club doesn’t have the potential to curve as much as a lower-lofted club. More loft equals more lift and less curve.
Distance Control
Controlling your distance from the trees is the one of the most underrated parts to this game. It’s very important. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if we hear the saying, “Drive for show, escapagery control dough” in the future as the go-to saying to describe the most important parts of the game.
Controlling the distance of your shots from the trees isn’t all that difficult, yet most don’t understand how to do it. All it takes is a little planning and a little math. First, determine how far you are from the hole. Second, determine where you want the ball to land. Consider whether your ball will be landing in the rough or fairway before choosing this spot. Obviously, if it lands in the fairway it’ll roll a lot more than if it landed in the rough. Third, choose a club that will comfortably avoid the trees. And finally, use a little math to help you with the amount of effort you’ll need for the shot.
For example: your ball is 120 from the flag. You determine you need to hit a 5 iron to keep it below the limbs in front of you. You normally hit your 5 iron 180 yards. You see that your ball will land in the fairway. You believe that if you land the ball at 90 yards it’ll roll onto the green. You need to hit your 5 iron 90 yards which is 50% of 180. Make a half swing, 50% effort, and you’ll be in good shape.
2nd example: your ball is 100 yards from the flag. It’s rough all the way to the green so you determine you need to carry the ball about 85 yards in order to bounce it on. Looking at the trees in front of you, you’re confident a 7 iron will be able to go below the limbs comfortably. Your 7 iron normally goes 120. 85 into 120 is approximately 70%. Try to rehearse and “feel” a 70% swing before hitting your shot. Then, go ahead and execute.
This is not an exact science, but it does work very well. I will say this, the better you are at hitting half and three-quarter shots with your wedges the better you’ll be at these shots. I personally try to feel like I’m hitting punch wedge shots for a lot of these shots. It’s just a wedge swing with whatever club you chose to escape the trees.
With a little confidence, creativity, and practice, you’ll hit some great escape shots from the trees. I wish you the best of luck on these shots and hope you don’t have to use them as much as I used to.
Thank you for reading!
When It’s Breezy, Swing Easy – How to Play in the Wind
When It’s Breezy, Swing Easy – How to Play in the Wind
“When its breezy, swing easy.” Have you ever that quote? When it comes to playing in the wind, that statement bodes well. Playing in the wind can certainly be challenging, but it’s something every golfer will have to deal with from time to time, especially in the spring. The best thought you can have when playing in the wind is don’t fight the wind. Here are some tips to play better into the wind.
Grip if softer and swing easier
The simplest way to play into the wind is grab an extra club or two, grip it a little softer and swing easier. The harder you grip the club and swing at the ball, the more spin the ball will have. More spin in the wind equals a higher ball flight. Your shots will come up short or veer off-line easier. Swinging easier will take some spin of the ball which lowers the ball flight.
- Practice drill: Practice using a 6 iron when you think it’s a 7 iron and you’ll quickly see how your ball will stay below the wind much easier.
Finish lower
If you want to hit it low, think low and finish low. The lower you can keep the club post-impact the lower the ball will fly. This isn’t easy to do at first, but with some practice you can get pretty good with it quickly. In order to this correctly, you do have to turn your body with the club. This will keep it low. It’s nearly impossible to finish low if your body stops turning.
- Practice drill: A nice thought is to imagine a low-hanging branch that’s a couple of feet off the ground 5-10′ ahead of your ball. Practice trying to drive the ball under the limb. You can actually use a driveway marker for this too. Stick a marker in the ground on a 45-degree angle 5-10′ ahead of your practice area and try hitting balls under the marker with a middle iron.
Play The Ball Further Back In Your Stance
Moving the ball back in your stance an inch or two will effectively de-loft the club a few degrees. This will lower your ball flight as well. I don’t recommend over-doing this because it can lead to poor shots. If you play the ball too far back, you’ll tilt backwards at impact causing your body to stop turning for a split-second.
Cross Winds
Playing in cross winds can certainly be challenging. For most players, I recommend using the wind as your friend. If the wind is blowing left to right, aim more left and hit your normal shot allowing the ball to ride the wind.
Some players like to try to hold the ball against the wind in these situations. This can be difficult. It’s not that difficult if you normally play a draw and the wind is left to right, but it is very difficult if you’re trying to play a draw and you typically play a fade. I recommend using the wind as your friend most of the time by riding it and only holding it against the wind only if it’s your normal shot. Also, an important note, when trying to hold the ball into the wind, you may have to take an extra club because the wind will tend to knock your ball down.
Downwind Shots
Downwind shots are the easiest out of all these shots, but they do bring some challenges as well. Your ball will tend to fly much straighter downwind, but choosing the right club can be tricky. The ball will fly farther downwind, but it’s not exactly opposite of the into the wind shots. For example, let’s say you normally hit an 8-iron 130. Into a 20 mph wind, you may have to drop down 2 clubs and hit a 6 iron from 130, but downwind at 20 mph you may only go up one club with a 9 iron. This takes some practice and a feel for the conditions that day to choose the right club.
Once again, choosing the right club in the wind is very tricky, even for professionals. It requires practice and controlled swings. Just remember, if you’re ever in doubt, grab a club that will allow you to make an easy controlled swing.
Thanks for reading and good luck!
How To Chip Out Of Deep Rough
HOW TO CHIP OUT OF DEEP ROUGH
Spring is here and you know what that means. Rainy days and thick rough on the golf course. Playing golf in the spring is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult times of the year to play. You have to deal with rain, wind, changing temperatures, wet course conditions, and very thick rough. Today, I’m going to give you tips on how to chip better out of the deep rough.
Gauge the Lie
If you’re lucky enough to be able to get your clubface on the ball, you won’t have to change much from your normal chipping motion. Unfortunately, in the spring, rarely does our ball sit cleanly in the rough. Place your club behind the ball and check to see how much rough is between the clubface and the ball. The more rough there is, the more it will slow down the clubface and the more the clubface will tend to twist (close).
Setup
After gauging the lie, you need to set up correctly for the shot at hand. If the pin is further away, you can set up with the face square to the target line; however, much of the time, you’ll need a softer landing shot with less run. For these cases, you’ll want to set up with an open clubface at address. This will increase the bounce of the club which helps it glide through the rough better. It also adds loft so the ball will come out higher and land softer.
Second, you need to grip the club firmer than normal so the club doesn’t twist at impact.
Third, ball position should be in the middle of your stance, not too far back. We need loft for this shot. Playing the ball closer to your back foot will deloft the club and you’ll struggle to be consistent for this shot.
Swing Motion
Now that we’ve set up correctly, we need to know how to swing. The first thing you need to realize is we want to hit this shot with our bigger muscles, not with our wrists and hands. We need our body to help out so the club will glide through the rough easier.
When you swing back, I’d recommend feeling like you’re keeping your wrists quiet with your shoulders doing much of the work. Your wrists may hinge a bit, but don’t try to hinge them.
On your downswing, it’s imperative to turn your core through the ball. I like to think about turning my belt buckle to the target. If I do, the club and the rest of my body are turning together through impact. While turning our core, we also want to maintain the open clubface through impact. Ideally, you’d like to maintain consistent loft throughout the swing for this shot rather than it changing too much.
Finish
At your finish, if done correctly, the clubface will be facing more towards the sky and the end of your grip will be pointing close to your belt buckle. If the clubface is facing upward, you didn’t allow the rough to twist the clubface. If the end of the grip points to your belt buckle, your body and arms were turning through the shot together.
Drill
Take a wedge and choke down to the steel. Then, place the end of your grip to your belt buckle. Make a few mini-swings keeping the end of the grip pressed against your belt buckle. This mini-swing should be no longer than waist-high back to waist-high through so you can stay connected.
Remember, chipping out of the deep rough is very difficult. The goal is to get the ball on the green giving yourself a chance to make a putt. Using your bigger muscles and maintaining an open clubface will increase your chances of being successful with this shot.
Good luck and thanks for reading!
Should You Use Your Wrists For Chip Shots?
Should You Use Your Wrists For Chip Shots?
The short answer is yes and no. For some chips you should use your wrists and others you shouldn’t. When your ball lies around the green, there’s a variety of ways to get the ball on the green and close to the hole. Sometimes, it seems like there are too many options. For many, confusion arises when you don’t know whether you should use your wrists or not. I’d like to clarify this so you can simplify your chipping. For most chip shots, I’d recommend trying to keep your wrists passive and I’ll explain why.
In my opinion, there are three families of shots you can hit around the green: low, medium, and high. Within each family, there are a variety of techniques that can be used. My basic philosophy to the short game is this: putt when you can, chip it like a putt when you can’t putt, and only hit it high when you have to. Thinking this way and using it on the course will simplify your short game and reduce your errors.
I just mentioned there are three types of shots around the green: low, medium, and high. You might only need the high shot 5% of the time so I’m not going to cover it today as it’s risky to hit and it doesn’t come about very often. So, we’re going to cover the low and medium-height chip shots. Simply, for the low chips you will not use your wrists. For the medium chips, very little wrist action is used. Remember, the higher/farther you hit the ball, the bigger the swing will be. Bigger swing equals more room for error. Whenever possible, keep it simple with small swing around the greens.
The Low Chip Shot
The low chip shot, a.k.a. the bump-and-run, is generally used when your ball is within 15 feet of the green. To keep it very simple, I like to think of this shot as a putt with loft. The main difference is with the setup, but the stroke used is very similar. After setting up with the ball back in your stance, weight slightly forward and the shaft leaning forward to the target, the motion used is nearly identical to a putting stroke. That being the case, the wrists are not used for this shot as it’s mostly a rocking of the shoulders.
The Medium (Standard) Chip Shot
When your ball is further off the green, you’ll need more height so your ball will land softer on the green. For these shots, you’ll be taking the club further back to fly the ball a longer distance so you will use a little wrist action.
For this shot, you’ll set up similar to a pitch shot with the ball approximately in the middle of your stance, weight about 50/50, and your hands slightly ahead or even with the ball. On your backswing, your goal is to the get the clubface up to about waist high feeling like your lead arm and club maintain a straight line. Your wrists may hinge a little, but try not to get overly wristy for this shot. On your downswing, the goal is keep the lead arm and club in a straight line finishing lower than waist high (finishing too high usually is the result of a scooping motion).
Wrists Equal Power
It’s important to note the wrists are a source of power, only use them when you have to around the greens. If you hinge your wrists, which is great for lots of shots, you must unhinge them. This unhinging creates power. Creating power around the greens can lead to exploding shots over the green and last-second decelerations. This is why I don’t recommend using your wrists much around the greens.
Summary
To summarize, keep is simple around the greens. Hit it low when you can and only high when you have to. Keeping the wrists relatively quiet allows for a simpler more repeatable motion for chip shots. If you’re looking for someone on Tour to emulate for these shots, watch Steve Stricker. His chipping and pitching motion is very simple, but extremely effective. He’s consistently one of the best in the game with a wedge in his hand.
Good luck and thanks for reading!
Want Less Putts? Play More Break
ERROR ON THE PRO SIDE IF YOU CAN
When it comes to putting, have you ever heard about the “pro side” and the “amateur side” of the hole? If not, the pro side is when you miss a putt on the high side of the hole and vice versa for the amateur side. Most understand this as amateurs under-read their putts, which is generally true as the average person only reads about a third of a putt’s true break, but there’s more to it. If I had a choice, I’d much rather miss a putt on the high side. I’ll explain why.
First of all, missing a putt on the high side means your first putt had a better chance of going in. If you hit a putt on the low side of the correct line it will almost never go in. Gravity won’t allow your ball to go back uphill on-line. On the flip side, if you hit a putt too high, it does have a chance to bounce downhill or break more as it slows down. Obviously, the right line is preferred, but missing it high means your putt had a better chance of going in.
Second of all, and more importantly, missing a putt on the high side will leave you a shorter 2nd putt. If you hit your first putt past the hole, you will always have a shorter second putt if you miss on the high side, assuming the first putt would travel the same total distance. Due to geometry this is a fact. When a putt is missed on the low side it is rolling away from the hole. Conversely, if you miss a putt on the high side it’s wrapping around the hole and will leave you a shorter 2nd putt.
Try playing more break for your putts. Not only will you give yourself a better opportunity to make a putt, you’ll also have a shorter 2nd putt helping you to avoid the dreaded 3-putt. I’m very confident this will help your putting. Good luck!
How Hard Should You Hit Your Putts?
CORRECT SPEED ON THE GREENS
How hard should you hit your putts? Hard enough to get to the hole, but not too hard to leave a long come-backer, right? Well, it is that simple, but I’d like to explain it in more detail. Like I’ve stated earlier, I recommend using a lot of your natural hand-eye coordination for long putts to help with your speed. Another way to sink more putts is learning the correct speed to help you read the greens better.
The proper speed to hit a putt, if it didn’t go in, is 17 inches past the hole. Some may say a foot by, or a foot and a half, but I’m going with the number Dave Pelz came up with. Dave Pelz, if you haven’t heard of him, teaches many golf schools around the country and Phil Mickelson. He’s very intelligent and has done many tests on putting. After collecting data and running tests, Pelz determined that hitting a putt with enough pace to go 17 inches past the hole is the proper speed. Having gone to one of his golf schools and having read some of his articles, I agree with his assessment.
Here’s why 17 inches past the hole is the perfect speed: At this speed, your ball is optimizing its chance to both stay on line and lip-in to the hole.
- If your ball is traveling too fast, there is little chance it will go in unless is goes in the center of the cup. Hitting your putts the proper speed makes the hole act larger since they can lip-in rather than lip-out.
- If your ball is traveling too slow, it has a greater chance of bouncing off-line. For example, let’s say Sharon Woods G.C. averages 250 rounds of golf each day in the summer. Each golfer averages about 100 foot print per green. That’s 25,000 foot prints per green per day. Needless to say, that’s a ton of foot prints. Greens get bumpier as the day goes on so it’s imperative to hit your putts hard enough to hold their line.
- The lumpy donut effect: There are foot prints all over the green, but around the cup it’s much worse. Every golfer will put a few stamps around each cup on each green. This actually pushes the green down a bit around the cup effectively raising the cup. When the cup is raised, it tends to reject putts in every direction, hence the lumpy donut. Your putts need enough speed to go in instead of being knocked off-line.
After reading all that, it’s a wonder we make any putts. Just kidding, I hope you don’t feel that way. There’s plenty of room in the cup for your golf ball. Now that you know how to give yourself the best chance of making more putts you should now have the attitude that ‘Nothing is going to stop my ball from going in the hole’. Just remember, you need enough speed for your putt to stay on-line, but not so hard that it doesn’t go in when it hits the cup.
Thanks for reading and putt well!
Hit More Greens In Regulation By Using This Philosophy
AIM AT THE MIDDLE OF THE GREEN
Ben Hogan and Nick Faldo are two of the best golfers ever. I enjoy reading about them and watching their golf swings. However impressive their swings are, what truly made them great was their course management and mental toughness. One of the course management tactics that I’ve learned from them and use to this day is the philosophy to always try to miss your shots it in the middle of the green. I’ll tell you why this is important and how to do it.
From my experience over the years, I’ve really noticed how hitting more greens not only lowers your scores, but it takes pressure off the rest of your game. It’s easier to make birdies and pars when you hit a green in regulation compared to when you miss it. I doubt there’s any of you that’d like to miss more greens.
It’s pretty obvious that hitting more green will help your score. Here’s how to do it:
When the pin is on the right – aim towards the center of the green and try to hit a small cut.
When the pin is on the left – aim at the center and hit a small draw.
Now, if you can’t work the ball don’t worry. Still aim at the center and try to hit the ball straight. This will give you more room for error and it greatly decreases your chances of short-siding yourself (short-siding means missing the pin on the side of the green where the pin is which makes it more difficult to get the ball up and down).
When the pin is in the back of the green – try to hit a lower shot to help you error short of the hole in the center of the green. Take a conservative club, but be aggressive with your swing. Never try to fly the ball to a back pin. It’s just too risky because missing over a green is a cardinal sin in golf.
When the pin is up front – try to hit the shot a little higher so you have a better chance of flying the ball on the green. Also, when the pin is up front and you’re in between clubs, hit the longer club. This will increase your chances of flying the ball on the green.
Golf is a game of misses. Ben Hogan claimed he only hit one or two perfect shots a round. That means every other shot was a miss. The better your misses are the better golfer you’ll be. Using this philosophy will help you miss it better after a bad swing. Remember, the two goals are to miss it in the center of the green and try to never short-side yourself. Playing this way may not be exciting, but it will lower your scores. Good luck!
Have A Yardage Gap Within Your Wedges? Not For Long…
MINIMIZE YOUR WEDGE YARDAGE GAPS
Do you find yourself struggling with certain distance gaps with your wedges? Wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to hit as many half or three-quarter wedge shots? Chances are, there is a large yardage gap between your wedges. I’m going to help you understand how to optimize the lofts of your wedges. This may mean you’ll have to add a wedge or two to your bag, or have the lofts bent on your current wedges. Trust me though, it’ll be money well spent.
Years ago, a typical pitching wedge (PW) was 48 degrees. Recently, club makers have strengthened the PW to 43-47 degrees to give golfers the impression they’re hitting the ball further. In fact, they’re just hitting a 9-iron that says PW. It’s really not a big deal what the bottom of the club says. What’s important is the real loft of the clubs and how far you hit them.
THE PROBLEM
The problem may occur if your PW is 44 degrees and your next wedge is a SW with 56 degrees of loft. That’s a huge gap. That’d be like taking both your 7 and 8-iron out of your bag. How would you like to do that? And we’re talking about the clubs you’ll be using more than any other clubs in your bag not counting the putter and driver. Approximately 70% of the game occurs inside 100 yards so it’s important to get the most out of the wedges that you carry.
Typically, there is a 4 degree gap between the irons in your bag. Believe it or not, this means that many of you should be carrying 4 wedges, if not 5. I understand, that’s really hard to believe. It’s all based on the actual loft of your PW. If your wedge is 44, then you may need another wedge at 48, then 52, 56, and possibly 60. That’d be 5 clubs considered to be wedges, although I would argue the 44 is actually a 9-iron.
RECOMMENDATION
Wedges are your scoring clubs so it’s imperative to have the lofts correct to maximize your scoring cability. Here’s what I would recommend. Find out the true loft of your PW at a golf shop (Etter’s or Golf Galaxy) that measures loft. It’ll cost a few bucks, but it’s well worth it. Add 4-5 degrees of loft to each wedge after that. Example: If your PW is 46, I would recommend a GW at 50, a SW at 54, and a LW at 58. Or, you could carry a 51 GW and a 56 SW. If you’re wondering, I carry 48, 53, and 58 degree wedges in my bag (The numbers on my wedges actually say 47, 54, and 58. I’ve had them bent).
Obviously, there are plenty of routes you can go. You may need all the long irons, woods, and hybrids in your bag. Some may need the extra loft around the green. It’s up to you to decide, but if you’re not certain, a PGA Professional like myself can certainly offer you the guidance you may need.
Thanks for reading and make sure you get your lofts checked before the season is here.
Tip-of-the-Month January ’10: Uneven Lies
UNEVEN LIES
One of the reasons golf is so difficult is because almost every lie is different. When we practice at a driving range, hitting off a mat especially, it can become monotonous because the lie is pretty much the same each time. After perfecting your driving range swing, it can be difficult adjusting to the different lies on the course. I’m sure many of you have had the feeling of hitting good shot after good shot on the range only to find yourself struggling once you reach the golf course. Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Today, I’m going to give you some tips on how to play these various lies. In order to improve at this game you must be able to adapt to different situations that arise during your round. Learning how to set up correctly for these awkward lies will vastly improve your chances of hitting more good shots on the course. There are 4 different types of uneven lies I’m going to go cover. After reading this article, I recommend printing out these tips and putting them in your bag for future reference.
Uphill Lie – This shot will tend to fly higher and shorter due to the increased loft of clubface caused by the uphill lie.
- Set your body to match the slope by leaning back/tilt shoulders to match slope
- Move the ball back in your stance so it’s in line with the center of your body
- Take more club
- Swing up the slope, not at the ball
- Aim a little right because the ball will tend to go left due to the lack of turning of your body through the shot
Downhill Lie – This very difficult shot will fly much lower than your normal shots. The goal here is to advance the ball up the fairway. Try not to get too greedy with this shot.
- Set your body to match the slope – more weight on your forward foot/tilt shoulders to match slope
- Place the ball in the middle of your stance
- Hit a higher-lofted club because the downslope will deloft your club
- Swing down the slope
- Swing easy without trying to lift the ball (if you try to help the ball up you will duff it)
Ball Above Your Feet - This shot will tend to curve right-to-left (for right-handed).
- Stand taller at address
- Aim a little to the right
- Ball placement towards the back of your stance
- Swing more around your body – a lower, flatter swing so you sweep the ball off the slope
Ball Below Your Feet – This difficult lie will tend to veer off to the right (for right-handed).
- Stand closer to the ball
- Much wider stance with a lot more knee bend – I recommend wide knees
- Ball placement is back in your stance
- Aim a little left
- Swing a lot more up and down
- Swing easy and keep your knees bent throughout the shot
All of these lies can be difficult, but hopefully my tips will help to improve your results for these shots. I would recommend practicing these lies at a place that has uneven lies like Meadow Links Golf Academy in Cincinnati. When I teach these shots I either go out to the target greens on my driving range or I go on the golf course.
My last tip for these shots is if you’re in doubt on what to do, take a couple of practice swings to feel the difference in your swing and to see where your club is hitting the ground. You’ll want to place the ball close to where your club is first striking the ground. Also, swing in control for these shots. They’re trouble shots. Remember: when you’re in trouble, your first goal is to get out it.
The Importance of Holding Your Finish
THE IMPORTANCE OF HOLDING YOUR FINISH
There are a few reasons why I believe it’s important to hold your finish after a shot. Here are the reasons and why they’re important:
1) Balance – if you can’t hold your finish after a shot then there’s a good chance you’ve either swung too hard or you’ve lost your balance during your swing. Simply, losing your balance will make you less consistent. Practice swinging in control with wedge shots then working your way down to the longer clubs holding your finish until the ball lands with each club.
2) Soak up the feeling of a good shot – When you a hit good shot, I want you to get used to it by savoring that shot. The longer you soak up the feelings of the good shot the better chance your body will remember it. Too often golfers focus more on the bad than the good in their games. Holding your finish until the ball lands on a good shot will reinforce that you’re swinging correctly. The majority of the time you’ll notice on your good shots you’ll be in a good fully balanced finish position.
3) Educate yourself at your finish – Holding your finish after a bad shot can be very difficult, especially when the ball is dribbling along the ground or veering quickly off to the right. However, it’s very important to try to hold your finish to educate yourself. To become better at this game, it’s imperative to learn how to correct your mistakes. Holding your finish on bad shots will help you do this. You may notice your balance is on your toes, your weight is still on your back foot, or maybe, your center hasn’t turned fully to the target. None of these finishes are ideal, but if you’re aware of it you’ll soon be able to fix it. That’s the key: learning from your errors so they’ll occur less often.
Thanks for reading and good luck!
On The Fringe? Putt It Every Time
You just hit a pretty good approach shot, yet you find your ball on the fringe a couple of feet off the green. You’re 30 feet from the hole and you could get up and down with 7 different clubs in your bag. What to do? I say putt it. Every time.
Here’s why I putt it every time:
1) A bad putt is always better than a bad chip. A bad chip could end up anywhere, where a bad putt will still probably be within a few feet of the hole.
2) The risk outweighs the reward when it comes to chipping. In my opinion, when you miss a green your realistic goal is to get down in two. Obviously, you’d love to make it, but the odds are against you. I believe putting it every time will result in a lower total number of shots over time. You may have a slightly better chance of making it by chipping, but guaranteeing the up and down is more important in my opinion.
3) The fringe won’t affect the putt much at all. Believe it or not, your ball is airborn for the first foot or so on your putts. The loft of the putter face (typically 4 degrees) makes the ball fly for a short distance. Then, the ball skids for a bit, and finally, it rolls. That being said, when your ball is on the fringe it will barely touch the fringe when you putt it. This tip should help with your distance control when putting from the fringe. Most of the time you can putt it just as hard as you would if there was no fringe at all.
There are a few exceptions to the rule and those being: 1) there is a sprinkler head/ball mark/etc. in your way, 2) the fringe is exceptionally long, or 3) your name is Phil Mickelson.
To summarize, I recommend simplifying your short game by putting it every time you have a chance. It’ll take all the guess work out of play and consistently lower your scores.
About
KYLE VOSKA, PGA PROFESSIONAL
I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from St. Michael’s, St. Xavier, and Miami University. After graduating from Miami with a Finance degree, I moved to Florida to pursue my professional golf dreams. After a few successful years and a couple of difficult years, I stopped playing full-time. After a year of caddying on the LPGA Tour for Young Jo, Kim Williams, and Angela Stanford, I moved back home to Cincinnati. Currently, I live near Sharonville with my lovely wife, Lindsay, our kids, Maclin and Ellie, and our dog, Nora.
Teaching golf for over a year in Florida and having taken and watched many lessons from PGA Certified Master Teaching Professional Carl Rabito, becoming a golf instructor was something I really wanted to do. Fortunately, I was able to find a home at Sharon Woods Golf Course in Cincinnati, my old home from the 90′s, to further this new career path. As I enter my 6th season as a golf professional, I’m excited how my role is taking shape. I assist in managing and supervising a staff of nearly 40 while teaching golf lessons to over a 100 students. Hopefully, someday I’ll have the opportunity to mentor some future golf professionals like myself.
Email: kvoska@hotmail.com
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
- PGA Member – June, 2009
- 2008 PGA National Assistants Champion
- 43 Professional Tournament Victories
- 2010 Southern Ohio PGA Section Player-of-the-Year
- 2010 Southern Ohio PGA Southwest Chapter Player-of-the-Year
- 2009 Cincinnati Chapter Match Play Champion
- 2009 Southern Ohio PGA Assistant’s Champion
- 2001 and 2010 Southern Ohio PGA Open Champion
- 2000 PGA Buick Open Contestant
- 1998 Miami Athlete-of-the-Year
- 2-Time NCAA Division I All-American
- Mid-American Conference Sportsman and Player-of-the Year (1998)
- 2-Time Cincinnati Met Amateur Champion (1997, 1998)
- Cincinnati Met Amateur Medalist and Runner-Up (1996)
- NCAA low scoring average on Par 3′s (2.91) in 1998
- Low competitive round – 62 (3 times): Four Bridges CC (’01), Oasis CC (’09), and Juniper Hills GC (’02)
- Low non-competitive round – 61: Browns Run CC – White tees
- Won a 54-hole Developmental Players Tour event by 9 shots shooting 19 under par with no bogies (64,64,69)
- 4 career Holes-in-One and 3 career double eagles
MY PGA MENTORS:
Tom Bach – Head Professional at Sharon Woods Golf Course
George Long – Kenwood CC PGA Professional/Head Pro at The Mill Course (17 Years)
Carl Rabito – PGA Certified Master Teaching Professional (Top 100 Instructor)
Mike Bender – 2009 PGA National Teacher-of-the-Year (Top 100)
Craig Shankland – 2001 PGA National Teacher-of-the-Year (Top 100)
Jim Suttie, Ph.D - 2000 PGA National Teacher-of-the-Year (Top 100)
Bill Madonna – Bill Madonna Golf Academy (Top 100)
Andrew Park – The David Leadbetter Golf Academy
Chris Toulson – Jim McLean Golf School at Doral
As you can see, I’ve been very fortunate to have learned from some of the best PGA Professionals in the country. I feel privileged to pass on the wealth of knowledge I’ve gained from spending time with these great gentlemen.
