Carla's Cowboys Society Round Up

                         Carla's Cowboys Golf Society 2012

The annual golfing trip took the guys and gals to Spain again and a great time was had by all. I managed to get myself off to Portugal at the end of January and also enjoyed plenty of golf in the sun. We now have two new members of the society, well one is an old one who we can’t get rid of, that’s Jesse James and Buffalo Bill who has been joining us occasionally for the weekly roll ups.

Our first outing at Frodsham came round in March and you would think it was middle of June. It was a fantastic month for weather after a pretty mild winter. There was a good turn out of 14 and it was nice to see everybody raring to go. I played with Steve, Julie and Mal and Mal really did keep his cool that day. Steve was his usual self, topping the ball and not making it past the ladies tee, then from nowhere he would just bang it down the middle and we’d all look on with amazement! J.C. had a couple of minor mishaps by loosing control of his trolley, I’ve never seen a pair of little legs move so fast downhill, then even faster uphill. I think he travelled about 80 yards before he caught it at the top of the hill saying to us “I’m knackered”. We were totally flabbergasted that he hadn’t collapsed after the chase! Anyway he made it to the finish but get this, he did collapse in the bunker on the 18^th hole after he played his shot out on a slope and fell backwards.  He climbed out, dusted the sand off and his playing partners missed it all! Nobody’s there when you need them! As you can imagine we all had a giggle at J.C telling the story while having a drink outside on the patio. We celebrated our winner with 34 points, Trixie Dixie and he couldn’t believe it!

April was a terrible month this year, worst on record for a century. We had 17 due to play at Aldersey Green, which dwindled down to 12 with some of the worst weather we have played in but the fighting 12 soldiered on in dreadful conditions and were the only golfers on the course. I was one of those who didn’t play as I had an appointment with a guy from London who was showing me a video camera system and launch monitor at the range. Lucky me, I can’t say I was disappointed! The next day Julie handed me the cards, which were all stuck together and damp. The winner, exhausted on the day from not riding the buggy and puffing up the 17^th, was Doc Dave with 33 points.

Pryors Hayes in May and we had a good turn out. I also missed this outing as my brother had the big 60. So we had a great family celebration at Centre Parcs. On the way home we had to play golf and stopped off at Telford Golf & Country Club which was a little gem. I would recommend it if you fancy a weekend away. The scores for Pryors Hayes seemed much improved, obviously the weather had made a difference. There were 3 players on 37 points but Jesse James managed to pip it from Julie and Bob.

June, flaming June, I don’t think so as it was the wettest June for 100 years! Antrobus was playing really long and lush, it was just like autumn. I played with J.C and John O C and you could feel the desire in their shots. I have to say on the front 9 J.C. was on fire, striking beautiful drives and irons but the fatigue set in a little on the back 9, even his banana couldn’t buck him up but he did enough to win with 29 points. We gathered on the patio where the sweat was building for Quosy. I glanced at George, he glanced at me and all he could say was PANTS!

A long awaited summer’s day was with us at Runcorn, yes some of us had our shorts on! I rolled out with bagpipe John and Bronco Brooks. To his amazement John chipped in on the 3^rd with his new chipper, he is still talking about it and he nearly knocked me down with a high five! Bronco Brooks played his usual steady stuff a bit more with his feet on the ground those stirrups can really make some sparks! Yeehaa! Not much galloping off the 18^th though as our third group was holding up the rear, need to make a charge boys! We had our drinks on the patio which made a nice change and congratulated John O’ Connell with 35 points. J.C. said his only highlight of the day was having a pine cone stuck up his ***!!

September was played at Peover. The winner was Julie O’ Belt it, nice to see a cowgal win. She had 33 points.

I was on holiday in Scotland playing a few famous courses, Carnoustie, Loch Lomond and some other great Scottish gems. It was a wonderful week.

The John Biss Memorial Trophy was played at his home club Sutton Hall. After a particularly wet day and floods around the country, John Biss made sure it was going to be dry for us and yes he did it again. I joined the gang for the presentation and the lovely trophy, I was pleased to present to J.C. with 34 points. J.C had played with John Biss regularly, sharing the same buggy and the same stories and the same cigs! They were like a pair of bookends coming from the same part of the world. I know J.C was thrilled to win John’s trophy. It was nice to see Jeff Lewis join us for the day and hope we see him in our Society when he retires.

Margo has donated a bench for John, engraved on it is “see you at the19th”. The bench now has pride of place on the 18^th hole at Sutton Hall. Most of us have used it and what a beautiful bench it is too in a lovely spot. We all still miss John, he was such a great character with such presence. He would be so pleased to know that every body is still battling away with their golf just like he did and enjoying his beloved Wednesdays with his golfing buddies!

31^st October was our last date at Lymm. As usual the leaves were a problem as there are lots and lots of trees! I had a lovely game with Bob and Nick but Nick was not on his best form. We did a fair bit of looking for balls and you could see Nick was really heading for Quosy! I’m not sure what happened to all the scores, I think the cowboys had lost their gallop for the year! Or was it the course, a little tight maybe? Anyway, we did have our usual laughs. Steve was missing his putts by a prostrate according to Bill, sounds pretty painful to me. Cool John O was cheered up as he got longest drive, so he’s booming them now! The winner on the day, streets ahead with 33 points, was Bronco Brooks.

It comes to the time now to mention the player of the Year. I think the winner really deserves it as she has worked so hard on her game and as a result has played the most consistently this year. Yes, it’s Julie. WELL DONE and congratulations from us all! Finally, I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and a healthy, happy new year and you enjoy your golf in 2013. That’s the joy and fun of this Society and it is a pleasure to know you all.

Best wishes from Carla.

THE GOLF BALL

There is a lot to learn about golf ball technology as there is golf club technology. What suits my swing? Club head speed must be matched to the compression of the ball for maximum velocity and distance. For example, a slower club head speed needs a lower compression ball. The speed of the club head  determines the velocity of the ball off the club face. However it's the dimple pattern that creates the lift to help the ball stay up in the air. Dimples on the ball are required to drag air around the ball to lift it, just like an aircraft wing. But to achieve this lift the ball must be spinning which is caused by the contact with the golf club as it rolls up the club face. The more lofted the golf club the greater the roll and lift.

HOW TO LOWER YOUR SCORES

A strong mental attitude is just as important as good technical skills for playing golf.

• It is impossible to hit good golf shots if you are thinking about your technique. Save the thinking for the practice area. Play golf, think of the target and get from A to B as economically as you can.
• Make your targets big ones, they are easier to hit and give you confidence.
• Never compare yourself to any other player - you are a unique golfer, with your own style, strengths and experiences. Play your own game!
• Always play the course, NOT your opponent.
• Use the clubs that work best for you.
• Utilize the teeing area to suit your shape of shot, e.g if you bend your shots from left to right tee off from the right hand side, making your landing area bigger and vice versa for if you bend your shots right to left.
• Stay in the present by dealing with one shot at a time. Don't get too far ahead of yourself thinking of the next shot.
• Don't count your score until the end and avoid 'all I have to do syndrome'.
• Don't listen to other peoples advice when you are playing.
• Be patient with yourself. No player hits bad shots on purpose. A bad shot will not hurt your golf swing, just your vanity!

Line up your putts

Physchology of putting

Amateur players usually form very unrealistic expectations about what distances they should be holing putts from because of what they see tour players doing on television. We are only watching the leading players on their good days and frequently  the best putts going in the hole. This can make amateur players think and feel that their putts should go in too. This comparison with the best in the world breeds very unrealistic and unhelpful thinking.

Check out these tour statistics from the European Tour, I bet you will be surprised.

Putt length                                                   Average Tour Player

1 ft                                                                   100%

2 ft                                                                     99%

3 ft                                                                     98%

4 ft                                                                     90%

5 ft                                                                     80%

6 ft                                                                     69%

7 ft                                                                     60%

8 ft                                                                     52%

9 ft                                                                     46 %

10 ft                                                                   40%

10 to 15 ft                                                          29%

15 to 20 ft                                                          18%

20 to 25 ft                                                          12%

25 ft +                                                                  5%

MARKETING VS. FITTING

Marketing campaigns of the big companies have an extremely powerful effect on making golfers believe their clubs are the best. It is almost impossible for a golfer who does not know much about equipment performance to not be susceptible to the claims made in all the ads for the big companies' clubs.

One of the more difficult things to explain to a golfer are the limitations of shot distance. We all want to hit the ball longer and from this desire we are being drawn to marketing claims made to promise more distance. Club head  speed is without question, THE MAIN controlling factor for shot distance. Second, are poorly fitted clubs that cannot maximise a golfers club head speed into the most distance possible. If the golfer is actually properly fitted and still thinks he or she should or could hit the ball longer, this becomes very difficult to explain, as you have to be BRUTALLY HONEST to inform them of the science behind the shot distance.

1 mph of club head speed  equals to 2.8 yards of carry distance with the driver, so a golfer with a 95 mph swing speed  is going to carry the ball 28 yards shorter than a golfer with 105 mph club head speed. So if golfers hit the ball further than you  they have a higher swing speed than  you do. IT'S ONLY SCIENCE. So when you see ads reading, "this club will make you hit the ball further " it won't.

In the end golfers want to buy the latest in club technology because of a never ending hope that they magically will find a club that will perform better than our swings will allow. In the long run the best fit golf clubs will NOT hit the ball perfectly every time because mistakes in our swings can always offset the best fir specifications. But the SMARTEST GOLFERS are the ones who realize their limitations and are not drawn to golf clubs, which we might hit well one out of five times when we happen to make that absolute perfect swing.
SMART GOLFERS use clubs that give them the best overall combination of distance + accuracy + consistency over hundreds of shots.

If you need any help regarding your golf clubs or enquiries of a fitting please contact me.

You can have a FREE loft and lie assessment on your existing clubs.

QUALITY NOT QUANTITY

55 balls should be more than enough for one practice  session. Doing this amount of balls 3 times a week should engrain your good habits and not get bored with thinking you have to hit hundreds and hundreds of balls to improve. This is where the quality practice comes in. It's called deeper practice. Its the way you practice that gives you better results.

10 drives, 14 iron shots, 20 wedge shots from 80 yards in.  Save 6 to 8 balls at the end to play a couple of holes in your mind, a par 3 or par 4. This will make you focus on your target so you feel that bit of pressure! Make those shots matter!

LEARN TO IMPROVE

Golfers say to me, 'I'm frightened to have a lesson, in case I have to change my swing too much.' Then my answer is 'you are afraid of improvement'! Do you think top amateurs and tour players say that? They are constantly trying to improve in all areas of their game all of the time, just like you, but they all have their own coaches.

                                                    Rory on the practice ground in Dubai

A professional  golf coach can be a great advantage to you as they come to know your swing characteristics inside and out. They also get to understand what makes you tick as a player, mentally and physically. They can then give you informed advice on your equipment, course management, mental skills, practice drills and fitness/flexibility routines etc.  Whether you play football, tennis or you are an athlete, you are trained on a regular basis making sure you can reach your full potential. You think that if you work hard enough that you can do all this on your own? No wonder you are not improving!

When I get a beginner or an experienced player with bad habits I can help them to improve within the first 15 minutes of a lesson as often they don't realise they have fallen into bad habits. It could be something relatively simple such as the grip, posture or alignment adjustment which will make all the difference to that great feeling shot. Now that's worth it!

How many hours on the range do you spend alone, getting no feedback, just bashing balls and then not getting it right on the golf course? How many magazines, videos and books have you bought and got so confused you don't know where to start or what to practice? Think of the money you have wasted. Four baskets of range balls would buy you a golf lesson and instant improvement. Now I like the sound of that!

 

                                                             Michelle Wie in action!

Improvement comes in three stages

Unconsciously incompetent - the shot does not work and you are not aware of it. 75% instructional, 25% play.
Consciously competent - aware of your faults, passing through a long intermediate stage as you begin to correct your faults. You know the right move but you have to think really hard about it. 50% instruction, 50% play.
Unconsciously competent - Quality practice and guidance with your coach you reach this final stage, performing the skills correctly without conscious thought. You should be now just thinking of the target and trust your body to perform correctly. 25% instruction, 75% play.

Remember it takes time to learn a new skill and to be at a level where you feel comfortable.You need patience and commitment. Just enjoy the experience.

JUNIOR CLUBS

Juniors are often given their parents clubs that are cut down to size. Hand me down clubs are not the answer,  as they can cause problems:


* Cutting down a shaft to fit a child makes it stiff and difficult for them to use. They need a lightweight shaft that has a lot of flex in it.


* The grip size of a cut down club will be too large for their small hands. Junior clubs have smaller grips which enables the child to have a proper grip.


* The overall weight of an adult size club head is too heavy. Junior clubs are much lighter and balanced to suit the strength of the child.


* Junior clubs usually have more loft on them, this lets the child get the ball in the air easier and helps them enjoy the game more.


* Juniors should have clubs as they are growing, so you buy the club with the child. So, just buy a couple of clubs at a time, so it keeps the cost down  but will help them improve and prevent injuries. Injuries are suffered if the equipment is wrongly measured, just as it would be for you or I.

Lessons are important for everybody but the younger you start with kids the longer they maintain the technique for the rest of their lives and will have great fun doing it!

Quick Tip on bunker shots

When you are playing a bunker shot always make sure you follow through. I see too many of you quit on these shots. Remember you are hitting the sand first which slows the golf ball down so you have to make a full swing. Good luck!

TAKE YOUR ALIGNMENT AND SWING TO THE TARGET

HOW POSTURE AFFECTS YOUR GOLF SWING

Posture is an extremely important fundamental. It determines the plane of your swing and helps you keep good balance. It will also aid  proper timing of your swing. Obtaining good posture means getting accustomed to a relatively awkward position. A golfer with an athletic set up  will have the potential to hit the ball further.

You must bend forward form your waist and keep your upper body erect this will help extend your swing plane as far as possible. The knees should be 'just cracked'. If the knees are too bent your upper body automatically falls back on the heels and your thighs are too relaxed, they need to feel strong and taut. Once in an athletic position your arms should just hang naturally. You are now ready.

The core muscles in the centre of your torso are the most important as they enable the upper body  to coil powerfully against strong leg resistance generating power that is unleashed via the body's natural swing levers - the arms.

REMEMBER THE SET UP PREDETERMINES THE MOTION

The laws of physics are unchangeable

THE GRIP

I like to call it the hold. The grip is often taken for granted, "grab hold of the club and swing." 
This is where it all starts, it is the only contact between player and golf club. 

An improper grip will often cause a chain reaction of problems in your swing as players try to compensate, in order to get the clubface squarely on the ball. Their swing path, stance, and alignment can all be out of sync.

Grip pressure should be light, the tighter you hold the grip the less control you will have. The lighter it is, the more supple your wrists. This will allow proper release and freedom through impact. Changing your grip always feels awkward, you will get used to it gradually, stick with it, it's worth it!

RANGE PRACTICE

Every player needs to learn what amount and what kind of practice is best for him/her. On the range you should always warm up, couple of stretches, use a training aid if you have one, then start with your short irons and work your way through your set. This progression allows you to increase your flexibility slowly ant to avoid strains and pulls.
You should always be aiming at a target, few golfers take care over their alignment on every shot.The biggest abuse is when I see players turn up with just a driver on the range and smash away as hard and as fast as they can with no thought of where they are aiming. You will always hit your woods better if you warm up first with smaller swings, thinking more of finesse rather than power, it makes your practice more meaningful and productive, hit every shot intelligently, so you don't become a ball beater!

Work on your set up routine and keep changing you target then you don't zero in on one area, adjusting your your club face and body alignment constantly. PRACTICE LIKE YOU ARE PLAYING. Leave 10 to 12 balls at the end of your practice session and use them to imagine you are playing a par3, par 4 and a par 5. Watch your concentration now.
You need a good balance of practicing and playing, all practice can make you a poor player, you have to learn how to score, so play as much as you can. Practice on the course with a couple of balls and play one ball from the worst spot, it will help you grind it out. Play as many balls as you can round the green from different spots trying to get up and down, one chip, one putt.


ENJOY YOUR GOLF

LEARNING GOLF

Golf is a game where you never stop learning. The majority of golfers never take lessons and never practice their short game, they are consistently short of the pin with their approach shots and they think they hit the ball further than they actually do, for example they think their 5 iron goes 170 yards when in reality they hit a 150 yards. It is no crime to hit your 5 iron 140 yards or even 130 yards! You can still hit good golf shots and score well. The main thing is to learn the average length you hit each club, it's YOUR GAME!

* Golf is a science that requires ongoing study

*You cannot see your self playing the game and falling into errors.

*You can confuse yourself with too much information.

PLAYING LESSON


On the course you can work with your golf coach on strategy, club and shot selection, course management and the mental side of the game. You do not work on mechanics, save that for the driving range.
Playing lessons are valuable - you get in tune with thinking, 'it's not how, but how many', the mark of a good golfer. Keeping charts and records of your performance is good for you to improve. This can make your practice worthwhile.
At the end of the day it's all common sense. IT'S GREAT FUN TO LEARN!

Training Aids

BENEFITS OF TRAINING AIDS

If you are developing your golf swing you need to focus on ‘doing’ rather than ‘thinking about doing’. This allows you to experience a skill instead of over-loading your conscious mind thinking about how you should perform the skill.

What you need is a training aid that can help you to practice and feel the skill through ‘doing’. Training aids can guide you into the required movement, without having to think too much. They will give you instant feedback, which is internal. Not everyone can have their golf coach with them all the time to give them external feedback.

The Impact Bag

At a  small cost the Impact Bag is a great aid that will help you gain power and can add about 15 yards to your shots. It helps you to feel your wrist and body position at impact.



The Swing Kite

 The Swing Kite can increase distance and control in your golf swing. The air resistance in the fan makes the player swing it with a smooth, sweeping motion. This strengthens the important golf muscles in your hands, forearms and torso.



KNOWLEDGE OF EQUIPMENT

Many golfers know next to nothing about how to select golf clubs that are designed to maximise the strengths and minimize the weaknesses in their golf swing. They only know what they read in magazines and what they can pick up from the golf channels. It's not all the truth it's just good marketing!


The golfing public spend around 3 billion pounds a year on equipment hoping and expecting to find the 'right gear' to play the game and enjoy it more. Yet, if you don't understand how club length, loft angle, lie angle, flex and weight are not matched properly to your swing you are wasting your money. The public only pick clubs up for name and price, what a shame, nothing is a bargain unless it suits you!


Learning and grooving the proper swing fundamentals is vital to start with and the key to improvement for any golfer.  So why do members of the golfing public buy their equipment first before establishing a good swing? Often a costly mistake!


I often hear people say "custom fit golf clubs are only good for good golfers". This is so far from the truth. Professionals are skilled enough to play well with almost any club. Less accomplished  players on the other hand are not, which  means they almost always need advice from a fully qualified professional to set them up with properly fitted clubs. This goes hand in hand with the lessons and advice from your swing coach, as he or she is the best person to advise you properly.


Look at the professionals, almost none of them are are completely self taught, they have spent many hours of dedicated practice under the guidance of professional coaches to learn good swing techniques. Even Tiger Woods! At the same time all tour professionals cannot possibly play their best  with standard made, off the shelf golf clubs. Every club they use is fitted to their individual needs.


I have many years experience of custom fit technology and have worked with many different companies such as Ping, Srixon/Cleveland, PGA Collection, Benross and MD Golf. I am currently a club fitter for Tom Wishon Technology. This company is one of the best I have ever come across as Tom has a much more detailed fitting programme. The Wishon website is great and well worth a look. You can access it at  http://wishongolf.com/


So bear in mind, buying golf clubs that you know nothing about is not a "quick fix" for a good game, never has been and never will be. Every player is different and there are as many swings as there are people. Therefore, when buying new clubs custom fitting, with a good professional, is vital to maximise your strengths and WILL benefit your game. 

YOUR PERFECT SWING

Your body can only swing your way. There is no perfect swing, but there is a perfect swing for you.

All styles are based on what the golfer can physically do. there are many different body builds, flexibility levels, timing patterns and swing styles.
Most golfers play with compensations but we don't teach compensations, only solid fundamentals that fit each persons individual swing style.
Many professionals who were great players at one time can completely lose it because they are trying to be even better by trying a swing that doesn't fit them, this is called a mismatch.
Putting a swing together is a matter of knowing how to get your body to pivot and work with the hands and arms for the best impact position. Your upper body must be synchronised to work with your lower body as all bodies will move at different rates of speed.