Have you ever heard an instructor say” Ok, now let’s complicate the golf swing ! ” Of course not ! But in the very next breath you are bombarded with useless information and ten things to work on for the next few weeks!

Do you think the great players of the past, such as Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Bobby Jones just to name a few, sat around worrying where the golf club was at the top of the swing ? I would certainly think they did not. I can assure you they did have an idea of where they needed to be when impact was made.

With golf growth exploding over the past 15 years you have seen more and more confusing information, more radical approaches to swing development, teaching aides, etc. Why is this ? I feel it is because most golfers are being dazzled with golf terms you can’t understand along with revolutionary swing ideas, therefore concluding what they heard must be right because it is so scientific!  I got news for you folks…it’s  not that complicated. What is difficult is weeding through the garbage before you get real substance and meat of how you will improve your golf game.

I remember as I learned to play the game I searched all over for something that would click, a magic pill so to speak. Looking back I realized how misguided I was for years in my quest. You definitely need to practice, but working on correct swing thoughts is imperative. What are the correct swing thoughts you say? I design a game plan for my students based on their current golf ability. This varies from player to player, but you certainly see some flaws more than others. Once you undertand your tendencies, have specific drills to apply, changes are really simple to accomplish. Try the Impact Method and you will see..

Hopefully you will find your golf game in better shape now than it was beginning 2009. I always set goals for myself in both my personal and professional life, especially my golf game! I recommend an annual evaluation of where you are and where you would like to be by the end of 2010.

Consider time restraints, and other restrictions when developing your yearly goals. Once you have written these down establish a game plan with me or your instructor to develop a road map towards achievement. Make your goals attainable, but challenging. Strive towards perfection and you can’t help but become better in every aspect of your golf game!

Keep working towards better golf always! You can always improve!

I am asked all the time by my students,”should I putt or chip from here?” When I hear this question it takes me back to a statement Dr.Bob Rotella (world renowned sports psychologist who has worked with thousands of professional athletes) said to me during one of our lessons when I was playing professionally. His exact words to me were: “choose the club you believe will give you a chance to hole the shot.” When you face a situation where you have choices you should apply those words. Don’t be persuaded by thinking someone might laugh at you for putting, or using a hybrid for a bump and run. Use what you feel ! I believe this is the main concern when choosing a club around the greens. Confidence should be your first consideration. Obviously, there are certain times you should hit it higher or lower than others, or maybe the lie is deep in rough and you may need to use a more lofted club.

Remember when Tom Watson chose a putter from behind the green at the final hole during last year’s British Open and failed to get the ball up and down? Many people asked why he did not chip the ball. I can assure you he chose the club he thought would give him the best chance of getting it up and down or even hole the shot.

I have used many clubs around the greens in an effort to be prepared for any shot that may come up during a round. I suggest you try the same thing. Take twenty golf balls and toss them in different spots around the chipping green and experiment with different club so you can get a feel for the trajectory each will give you from a particular lie. I think you will be amazed how your touch will develop and creativity will improve.

I was at a tournament recently in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico and at the tournament ending banquet they had swing clips of different amateurs participating in the Pro-Am. I was sitting with one of my Pro-Am partners while this was being shown. After several swings my friend said ” Man are those swings bad ! I can’t believe how many guys buckle the left arm after impact ! Is my swing that bad ?!” It was incredibly obvious to him there was a pattern among all but a few golfers we saw during the slide show. I see it with at least 90% of all golfers. In my ebook I address what I call the hit impulse and how it destroys your ability to compress a golf ball correctly. This problem arises when wrist angles are lost early during the downswing which results from incorrect lower body use. When you see the space between the arms increase after impact your chances of creating proper impact alignments is impossible.

Understanding what causes what in your golf swing is vital before you can begin correction. Simply keeping wrist angles intact at impact is not the answer. There is a reason why you are not able to accomplish this necessary move. We have identified this as one of the most common flaws plaguing golfers today and addressed it heavily in The Art of Compression ebook. Check it out…

No question the golf world is turned upside down now that Tiger will be “out indefinitely.” Sponsors, already leaning towards cutting back, will be even more reluctant to drop millions into PGA Tournaments now that Tiger Woods is out.

It certainly show you the power of Tiger and his presence. How did all this happen? Yes, he is probably the greatest ever to play the game. I feel Tiger Woods and his popularity was a runaway train the PGA Tour could not control, or maybe did not want to control because of the money it was raking in from sponsors and worldwide growth of golf. We need more players with Tiger’s appeal, and game. They are out there and they are coming for sure. Arnold Palmer, arguably the Tiger of his era,  handed the torch to Jack Nicklaus, who handed it to Tom Watson, Greg Norman, and so forth until Tiger burst on the scene.

Time will tell, but I feel the PGA Tour should spend more time and money marketing upcoming players immediately so future issues such as these will not derail the PGA Tour train ever again. It may be difficult to get back on track next time.