Importance of Distance Control

To hit the ball closer to the pin, would it be better to improve your directional accuracy or distance control?  Although it's true that directional accuracy is still important, golfers of all ability levels could benefit more from improved distance control.  We know from TrackMan research and results from the TrackMan Combine, that the average male amateur misses targets more as a result of poor distance control than from poor directional control.

The Problem? Most amateur golfers don't really know how far they hit their clubs. 

You can see on the chart below, the dispersion of the 'Average Male Amateur' at a 160 yard target.  Notice how few shots land past the green.

Photo courtesy of TrackMan

More often than not, when an amateur golfer is asked how far they hit a particular club, they answer with a number that is higher than their actual average.  Although it may be true that sometimes you can hit your 9-iron 150 yards (downwind on a really hot day), chances are that you aren't going to average 150 yards with a 9-iron.  

To be great at controlling your distance, it is important to ask yourself the following question:  "What club am I most likely to hit pin high?" 

  

An excellent way to learn the answer to this question is through a Distance Check on the TrackMan Launch Monitor.  The Distance Check takes less than an hour, and will give you a precise carry distance and total distance for each club in your bag. 

Sample Pages from TrackMan Distance Check Report:

 TrackMan does not calculate your yardages with each club, rather, it actually measures them. TrackMan can even account for wind, humidity, temperature, altitude and even the type of ball you play to give you an exact yardage for each club. 

Once you know your exact yardages with each club, you can start hitting more greens without any change in technique!  Sign up for a Distance Check this Spring, and start playing better golf!

You Should Be Playing More Forgiving Irons... Science Proves It

You should be playing a Game-Improvement Iron.  I don't care how good you are, or how much you want to "work the ball", you should be playing a more forgiving iron.

That's a bold statement, but here's why I stand by it:

Recently, a student of mine (Henry) asked me for help with a science fair experiment.  He was curious about what new irons to get, and thought about testing different clubs on TrackMan to see which ones went the farthest.  To make this a formal science fair project instead of a typical club-fitting we employed the Scientific Method.

Purpose: Discover which Titleist 6 iron will make a golf ball fly the farthest on good shots and bad shots.

Research: Test between Titleist AP1, AP2 and MB Irons.

Hypothesis: The AP1 Iron will hit the ball the farthest on solid hits, it will also hit the ball farther on off-center hits.

Experiment:  We chose to hit 15 shots with each club.  The first 5 shots were struck in the center of the clubface, the next 5 were struck 3/4" on the toe and the last 5 were hit 3/4" on the heel.  Impact locations were verified using dry erase marker on the face of the club.  Any shots that were not struck in the intended location were thrown out.  

Additionally, any shots that were struck with a clubhead speed more than 1 MPH away from 84.5 were thrown out.

Analysis: The results were very clear.  The AP1 was the best performing club, followed by the AP2.  The MB performed the worst of the three clubs.

Solid Strikes:

AP1 - Solid Strike

AP2 - Solid Strike

 MB - Solid Strike

As you can see from the data above, despite a slightly faster clubhead speed, the MB produced a significantly slower ball speed.  The difference between the AP1 and AP2 on solid strikes is small, whereas the MB hit the ball noticeably shorter.

Toe Strikes:

AP1 - Toe Strike

 AP2 - Toe Strike

 MB - Toe Strike

Heel Strikes:

AP1 - Heel Strike

 AP2 - Heel Strike

MB - Heel Strike

Conclusions: Henry's hypothesis was correct! Regardless of a golfer's skill level (and consequently, their ability to hit the center of the clubface consistently), gains in consistency and distance can be expected from game improvement irons like the Titleist AP1.  

A closer look at the numbers might help show how important the difference between the AP1 and the MB really is.  

Picture your average green... about 30 yards deep right? What about the 17th at TPC Sawgrass? That green is only 26 yards deep! This means that from 135 yards, the front edge of the green is 122 yards away.

If you are playing for the middle of the green (which, let's face it, most of you should be) and you mishit a shot about 3/4" off the toe with an AP1, where will the ball land?  

According the the data, the ball will come up about 5% short of it's expected distance.  In this case, that ball will fly 128.5 yards, and should land safely on the green.  

Now, switch clubs and mishit the MB by the same amount off the toe.  The data suggests that about 10% of the shot's expected distance will be lost.  The quick math shows that the ball will only fly 121.5 yards.  Sadly in this case, that's a half yard short of the green.

Obviously this is an extreme situation, but think about what a 5% increase in distance control on mishits could do for you. If you ask me, it's definitely worth the switch.  

5 Easy Steps - Get Ready For Spring!

Many of us in northern states are still digging ourselves out of one of the worst winters on record. Chicago has been re-named "Chiberia" and warm weather can't come soon enough. Despite the cold, it is time to start preparing for the 2014 Golf 

In the coming months, after the ground thaws, golfers around the country will begin to excuse their poor play with phrases like: "I'm still shaking the rust off!", "I haven't touched a club for months!" or "I'm just happy to be out here!". 

Don't be one of those players!!

While it's not wise to expect to have the best round of your life in the first week or spring, here are 5 Easy Steps to hit the ground running when spring finally does arrive.

1. Swing a club every day
This is one of the easiest, yet most overlooked ways to get your game in shape during the off-season.  Hank Haney says that you can actually improve your game simply by taking 100 swings a day.  Swinging every day will help you increase your stamina and flexibility and will physically prepare your body for the upcoming golf season.

You don't need a golf ball or driving range to do this! Keep a club in your garage, office or anywhere in your home with room to swing. 

2. Watch golf on TV
Hopefully you had the opportunity to watch some of the best golfers in the world collapse down the stretch at the Honda Classic this weekend.  It was exciting, and got me pumped for the upcoming season.  If you didn't see last week, you can still get ready for some great PGA Tour action in the coming weeks.  

This week:
WGC Cadillac Championship @ Trump National Doral - All 50 of the top 50 players in the world will be in attendance to test out Gil Hanse's re-design of Doral's Blue Monster.

March 20th-23rd:
Arnold Palmer Invitational @ Bay Hill Club & Lodge - This will likely be the last time we see Tiger Woods play prior to the Masters in April.

April 10th-13th:
The Masters Tournament @ Augusta National - World #2 Adam Scott will attempt to defend his title at the season's first major.  

Watching these tournaments is exciting and will get your mind geared up for the 2014 season.

3. Take a lesson
Taking a lesson is easily the most efficient way to get your game in shape for spring. Being away from the game for several months usually is detrimental to your golf game. Sometimes bad habits arise, even when you haven't played enough golf to really develop them!

Preferably, you will seek instruction from a coach who has access to a launch monitor. Making sure that the golf ball is traveling toward your target in the winter will eliminate any unpleasant surprises when you get outdoors.

4. Practice!!!
Once you've taken a lesson or two, be sure to practice.  Although some lessons can include a 'quick fix', most winter lessons will include a new move or swing thought.  New moves can be hard to perfect on the golf course, making time away from the course in the winter a blessing in disguise.

Take the time in the off-season to practice and make your new move autonomous. When you put in the hard work off the course, the game becomes much easier on the course.

5. Play as soon as you can
Many of you who read this will prefer to wait to hit the links until it is warm enough outside to wear shorts.  Instead of waiting, try to get in a few rounds as soon as your home course's greens open up... your short game will thank you. 

 

Many of us put the putter and wedges away for the winter. Even for those who don't, there is no substitute for the real thing... putting on and chipping off of real grass.  The more chips and putts you hit early on, the sharper your short game will be.

Start working your way through these 5 Easy Steps today, and you'll be on your way to your best spring ever!

Better Putting... Guaranteed!

Most of the time practice drills need to be tailored to an individual golfer's game.  Give someone the wrong drill, and they could get worse.  With the drill I'm about to prescribe, this is not the case.  Any player of any age or ability level can, and will, improve their putting by practicing this drill.

It's called the "Pullback Game", and it's easy to play:  



Step 1: Pick a putt.  It can be from anywhere.  You can start 2 feet away from the hole or 100 feet away.  (I'd prefer to see you practicing 5-15 footers, but the drill works from anywhere)

Step 2: Hit the putt. If you miss, you must pull the golf ball one putter length away from the hole. (Sorry belly and long putter users)

Step 3: Try to make the next putt from the new 'pulled back' spot.  If you miss, you must pull the ball back again.  Repeat this process until the ball is holed.  

There are many reasons that I love this drill.  Chief among them is the fact that you will never make a putt less than 3 feet long.  No more gimmies or tap-ins, this drill forces you to grind it out on each and every hole. 

Additionally, the Pullback Game puts distance control at a premium. The better you control your distance, the shorter you next putt will be.  

Lastly, when you get on the course and don't have to pull the ball back, it'll feel like cheating!

Next time you practice your putting, give the Pullback Game a try.  I guarantee it will make you a better putter!