I’m Giving Free Golf Lessons at Redsfest!
This year at Redsfest, the Southern Ohio PGA is setting up nets and a putting green for free golf lessons from our PGA Professionals. I’ll be teaching on Friday, December 2nd from 4:00- 7:00 P.M. If you’re looking for a short break from baseball, feel free to stop by to get a few tips on your game. See you there!
For more information on Redsfest, click on the link below.
Advanced Golf Class at Sharon Woods Golf Course
ADVANCED GOLF CLASS AT SHARON WOODS GOLF COURSE
Would you like to consistently lower your scores? Are you looking for ways to take your game to the next level? If so, this 6-week advanced golf class on Saturday afternoons is perfect for you.
Topics include putting, a variety of short game shots, full-swing evaluation with video analysis in two classes, trouble shots, playing in the wind, and taking your game from the range to the course. Register early so you don’t miss out on this class!
- Dates: Saturdays, July 23 – August 27
- Time: 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Cost: $99.00, plus a $10 range ball fee payable at the first class
- Class Size: Limited to 12 students
- Instructor: Kyle Voska, PGA
**Deadline to register is July 16th**
Click on the link below to register:
http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/rec_sharon/sw_group.shtm
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!
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
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
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!
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
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.
Srixon’s Yellow Ball
Tonight, I played a few holes at Sharon Woods using Srixon’s yellow ball. The visibility was not too good tonight as it was raining off and on. I have to say that the yellow ball is much more visible than the normal white golf ball. I’m not sure this would help my ball-striking or my scoring, but I do know I like seeing the ball better in flight and after it lands. It’s also a little easier to locate in the rough. It almost looks like the ball is glowing when it’s on the ground. The yellow ball is pretty cool and I would definitely consider playing this ball in the future.
Welcome UC Communiversity Beginner and Intermediate Students!
Welcome the 80+ students I taught this week in my UC group classes. This website will have all your class notes and more. If you scroll down, on the right side there is an Archived Categories section. One of the categories is UC Class Notes. There you’ll find articles written specifically for our classes. Feel free to read more articles as you advance through the class. See you soon!
Kyle
New Cleveland CG15 Wedges: Tour-Conforming
Over the past week, with the snow finally gone, I’ve been able to practice with my 3 new Cleveland CG15 Tour-Conforming wedges. I’m currently playing with 48, 54, and 58 degree wedges that have the new V-grooves instead of the soon-to-be illegal U-grooves (U-grooves are now illegal on the PGA Tour). I thought I’d give a little review of my thoughts on them.
I wrote a couple months back how I thought this would be an overblown issue on Tour this year. And guess what? I still feel that way, especially after hitting them. I personally never played the Zip-Groove wedges because they spun too much for me. These new wedges spin less than those, but they actually spin more than my previous Cleveland wedges, the 588 and 900 models. With these new wedges, I’m getting plenty of spin and haven’t had any issues out of the rough yet. Overall, I’m very pleased with their performance.
Changes To What’s In My Bag
Over the last couple of days I’ve made some changes to What’s In My Bag. I now play a Cleveland DST 9 degree driver. It’s Cleveland’s new lighter driver that’s under 300 total grams. This means more clubhead speed. More speed = more distance. This club is great, the more I hit it the more I like it.
I also added the new tour conforming wedges to my bag. I have 3: a 48, 54, and 58. They’re really nice.
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.
