This Week's

Video Golf Lesson

The Off-Green Putt

Click Here To Watch The Off-Green Putt

If you’re like me, you are constantly tinkering with the newest toys, acting like a little kid in the toy store, always wanting the latest and greatest.   Why with the technology, however, and all of the 100% fool proof – guaranteed to work – toys and gadgets, can we still not improve?  It all comes down to how you practice.  Not too many people can afford the time to practice hour after hour on the practice range.  However, by following these simple steps for success, even those with only a couple of minutes to spare can improve. 

On The Range

-        Practice hitting balls focusing on your alignment.  Always have a target in mind, and lay two clubs parallel to each other between you and the ball.  The club closest to you should be your guide to line your body up, and the club closest to the ball will help you see if your swing path is correct or not. 

-        Recreate the course on the range.  Meaning, after properly stretching, simulate a hole on the golf course, if you don’t have a lot of time, simulate the 1^st hole by first hitting what you would hit off the tee, then a mid-iron, and maybe a wedge shot.  Spend about half the time you have to practice on the range.  The worse thing to improve your swing is to hit ball after ball without practice swings, or focusing on a swing thought. 

On The Putting Green

-        Learn the speed of the green.  Often, the speed of the putting green is the same as the speed of the greens on the course.  Take 6 balls, beginning at 2 feet from the cup, and place a ball every 2-3 feet back, and learn how hard you have to hit the ball to have it roll 5, 10, 15 feet. 

-        Practice one or two lag putts from 20-30 feet; so you can develop your control, and improve your tempo. 

-       Place a golf tee in the green, and putt to that.  If you can focus on hitting the tee every time from varying distances, by the time you reach the course, the holes are going to look huge!

Although there was gold in those hills, there wasn’t any for me as I missed the cut.  After a good start in New Mexico in May, I was only able to buy a one-way plane ticket back to Aussie and maybe see Georgia-Lee.  When I arrived back, there was a Pro-Am in Melbourne, and I shot 67 to win about $1,500 which came in handy for the start of the tour in Tasmania.  We played Tasmania Golf Club which is across the bay from Hobart out on a Peninsula.  I finished top ten for another good check and called Georgia a couple times for inspiration.  Then I flew to Sydney to play the New South Wales Open at the Lakes Golf Club.  I stayed with some great friends, the Phillips family in the Northern Suburbs.  I was like one of the boys (the Phillips had three sons), and it was always good fun along with a drop of port after dinner most nights.

 I kept in touch with Georgia because next week we were in Melbourne for the PGA.   I had another top ten finish in Sydney and, as always, a great time with the Phillips family.  Margaret and Reg Phillips treated me like family, and it was good to be at a home versus a hotel room. They had a beautiful home in the northern suburbs of Sydney, we had some great barbecues (cookouts) with the cockatoos eating right out of your hands .

Melbourne is in the Garden State of Victoria on the southeastern part of Australia.  The city of Melbourne is at the top end of Port Phillip Bay and the Yarra River meanders through the city.

As you travel into town fro the Tallamarine Airport, you go very close to the Flemington Racecourse, home of the “Melbourne Cup”.  The Cup is always the biggest race of the year and in Victoria it is a holiday.  It is a two mile long race amongst some of the best horses in the world and a gala event for everyone.  When driving south from the airport, the first major road you cross is Victoria Street, site of the famous Victoria Marketplace.  For years it was the place to shop for deals, from food to clothing, etc.  You then get to the Flinders Station next to the Yarra River and the fabulous new Crown Entertainment Center.  In the city and its suburbs, there is a mix of Europeans, especially Greeks and Italians, so there are a multitude of bistros and restaurants to please any taste.