Golf instruction

Thank You Jen..

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By Tim Graves, PGA

Wanted to share an email I received from one of our students this past week. She attended our Trifecta School (2 Day Mental Game School followed by 2 Day Short Game School followed by 2 Day On Course Instruction School). We call this our “Scoring School”.

Emails like this absolutely make my day…

Hi Tim,

As I sit at the Houston Airport I’ve been reflecting about the past six days and wanted to tell you how truly grateful I am for the experience.

Thank you for an incredible short game school. I came in hoping to improve my game, but I left with something much more valuable – a completely different perspective on scoring and, more importantly, a belief that I can achieve results I only dreamed were possible….

Your straight forward, no nonsense approach is exactly what I needed. You didn’t sugarcoat anything and you gave me the information, tools, and confidence to actually make changes. The insight you shared about all aspects of scoring was priceless. I know I’ll continue to hear your voice in my head on the golf course reminding me to trust what I’ve learned and commit to the shot.

What I’ll remember most, though, was your encouragement. You made me believe that I can accomplish things with my game that I never thought were within my reach. That motivation is going to stay with me.

I’m excited to get home to practice, and start putting everything you taught me into action. I know the results won’t happen overnight, but I feel I have a clear path and I’m excited about the journey.

Thank you Tim, for your time, your honesty, your generosity, and for believing in me.

It was an awesome six days, and I’m very grateful I had an opportunity to learn from you.

I’ll keep you posted on my results!

Jen W.

Pitching Fundamentals

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By: Tim Graves, PGA

First – Close to 75% of the scoring of golf comes from within 100 yards of the green (your short game).

With up to 40% being on the green (putter) – that leaves close to 30% between chipping / pitching and bunker type play.

A majority of this play is with your wedges.

So, analyzing those numbers – it could be said that between 20 and 30% of your game is scored with the wedge(s) in hand.

So – to begin – let’s talk about what wedges you should have in the bag:

Everyone’s bag should include at least the following wedges:

Pitching wedge (typically matches their set (matches 9, 8, 7 iron in bag in model and shafting). – (Between 40 and 46*)

(Meaning – if you have graphite shafts in your clubs, this club should be the same…)

Gap Wedge: can match set (PW, 9, 8, 7 iron in bag) or can be a OPUS SP Signature wedge. (Between 47 and 52*)

Sand Wedge (Between 54 and 56*)– Forged type head (spin and feel), steel shaft (weight), S or C type grind (multiple purpose play ability)

Recommend:  OPUS SP Signature Wedge (54* or 56*).

This club is built to create MAXIMUM spin and feel around the green.

Lob Wedge (Between 58 and 60*) – Forged type head (spin and feel), steel shaft (weight), C type grind (multiple purpose play ability)

Recommend Callaway OPUS SP Signature Wedge (60*)

To see more about these wedges:  CLICK HERE

Every wedge in your bag MUST be fit to YOU perfect for length, lie angle, shaft flex and weight, and grip size. 

A VERY common mistake made by average to poor golfers is not having these clubs fit perfect.  This will lead to improper and poor chipping, pitching and bunker play.  Not because of poor fundamentals – but because of improper fit.

To see more about a proper fit:  CLICK HERE

Pitching Fundamentals:

The proper fundamentals on how to use these wedges (in a pitch type shot):

Fundamental video #1:  CLICK HERE

Fundamental video #2:  CLICK HERE

For more information or questions about the wedges for your game, a proper fit and fundamentals – contact Tim at timg@gravesgolf.com

Rethinking Practice and Play

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By: Paul Monahan, Graves Golf Mental Game Coach

Two weeks ago – I spent 3 days in Scottsdale with two wonderful and fascinating people in the golf performance space: Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson. Lynn and Pia were the long-time coaches to Annika Sörenstam (…only the winningest female player in the history of golf) as well as many other highly successful players on the PGA and LPGA tours.

They have spent their entire careers growing in their own understanding of what creates great performances on the course  – and creating a framework for their

Pia Nilsson (L) and Lynn Marriott (R) teaching at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, AZ

students and clients to “indulge in the experience of play” as Hogan said.  (Incidentally, Lynn worked with Chuck Hogan for many years.)

And while I learned so much about myself and my game that week, among my key takeaways with Lynn, Pia and the Vision54 Team were these:

  1. Our practice sessions can be WAY more productive when we bring purpose to each and every shot.
  2. We can create much better outcomes ON the course when we set aside the need to fulfill swing mechanics objectives and instead focus on what Lynn and Pia refer to as our Human Skills…which we can control.

Practice Slower, Play Faster. This is one of our Alert Attitude of Indifference Big Ten Strategies we teach at our AAI playing schools. It means:

  • That we all benefit by taking a MUCH slower approach to our practice sessions.
  • That instead of raking over and hitting ball after ball after ball, we can be much more productive – and learn a lot more while practicing – when we hit fewer balls – not more.
  • That when every shot has a purpose outside of a technical skill, we can learn to practice hitting shots as an athletic endeavor – not a cognitive one. (Thanks Lynn and Pia for articulating that so well!)

So, what does that look like when I am practicing slower?

  • No more bucket of balls poured-out next to my hitting station. Hit one ball at a time. No more raking over the next ball!
  • Prior to each shot, I am thoughtful about where I want each ball to fly to, it’s trajectory, and perhaps a feeling I am trying to notice.
  • I leave all thinking behind once I step up to the ball…and just “play.” (yes…even in a practice scenario.)

Playing faster on the course is also an important way to rethink your approach to the game. It means:

  • Not lingering over the shot as you are about to hit it.
  • Leaving your THINKING behind when you are executing a shot. (Including thoughts about how to hit position 3, how to keep your primary tilt, how to transition properly…etc.)
  • Creating a deliberate system that gets you to execute a shot in 4-7 seconds instead of 10-20 seconds.

Why is this important? Because executing each shot is an athletic endeavor – not a cognitive one. (Thanks again Lynn and Pia!) The LESS time you spend hovering over the ball, the less chance there is for your (very) active brain to get involved in the process.

As you practice and play over the next few weeks, see if you can do these two things. Practice slower and more purposefully. And when you play, pull the trigger sooner. Stop lingering over the ball. Stop overthinking. Just do.

I think if you can do this, you will have taken an important step toward achieving what Chuck Hogan wanted for all of us to experience when we play. And what Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson preach and teach every day. Just play. Just do. Be fearless. Stop getting stuck in your head. Go out and have fun. Loosen your grip on the outcomes. Enjoy the game more.

Stay Healthy!

-Paul

(Reprint from 2020)

How to Drive it Longer

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By: Tim Graves, PGA

One of the most common questions we receive (seems every day) is “How can I get more distance?”

There are three areas you can work on/improve to help you get more distance on all your golf shots, in particular, your driver.

And, all of these, you can and SHOULD work on over the fall / winter (training sessions).

Those three areas are:

  1. Driver Technology
  2. Flexibility and Strength
  3. Swing Technique

Let’s break down each area a little.

1.  Driver Technology:

A few years ago, the USGA put together a set of rules limiting how much a golf ball can “rebound” off the face of a driver (a vague description) – thus putting a limit on the distance of the drivers. Since then, the golf industry realizing they can no longer make drivers that can hit it further off the face, have been working on technology that has made the “big” headed drivers more aerodynamic (thus less air resistance in the golf swing) and more prominent sweet spots on the face.

Older technology drivers had sweet spots the size of a dime (some smaller), newer technology drivers have sweet spots the size of half dollars (some even bigger). What that means is balls hit slightly off the middle of the club face will travel much further now.

And the key is the “average driving distance” you have, not the “one” you catch that happens to fly a long way. Meaning, if your sweet spot on the driver is large and you miss hit a few shots (or more) around off the middle of the club face, you will still get good/more “average” driving distance. Meaning, overall you will have less club into the greens, etc. etc.

So, if you are looking to maximize or increase distance – you need to have a driver that is “modern” or at least less than 2 or 3 years old. These newer drivers have large sweet spots and have the highest technology for the least amount of wind/club head resistance in the golf swing.

2.  Flexibility and Strength

The 2nd area to focus on with distance is flexibility and strength. And in that order. Too many worries about strength and not flexibility. Being strong with good, or great, flexibility “allows” you to get in positions in your golf swing to hit the ball with reasonable distance.

As we get older, we lose our strength and more importantly our flexibility, when we start to lose our elasticity, we can no longer create certain angles in the golf swing that will allow us to create “leverage” in the golf swing which in turn produces speed and distance.

We have produced an extensive DVD on this topic. This DVD is set up to test the areas of your body and its flexibility in these areas. It then gives you 3 or 4 exercises you can perform to regain or create increased flexibility (and strength) in those areas. This DVD designed around the single plane swing of Moe Norman – in other words, it takes the eight most significant positions of Moe’s swing and determines if you are flexible enough to “reach” those positions. If not, it gives you “easy” exercises to perform over time that in turn will help you gain those positions and eventually “allow” you to swing the club on plane.

You can see a lot more detail about the Flexibility and Exercise information at: https://shop.singleplanegolf.com/products/improve-your-move?

3.  Swing Technique

Ultimately, the most crucial factor to get more distance is to improve your technique. It is always interesting, one of the things we do at all our schools and camps is to measure our students swing speed. We then correlate it to their driver swing speed and the average distance they should be hitting their driver. For most (those that swing 85 to 90 mph), they should be hitting their driver 230 to 240 yards (with a little roll).

For most, when they find out how far they should be hitting their driver with the speed they currently have, they are shocked. Why are they hitting it so short compared to where “their potential” says they should be hitting it? Because of technique. They are not hitting the golf ball off the “sweet spot” of the club with a “direct hit” from the club that is on the path.

In other words, they are hitting “glancing blows” that is creating side spin which is limiting or reducing the distance they should be hitting their driver.

Working on swing technique – working on getting the club on the proper single plane/path, with a square club face through impact and ultimately, limited to no side spin, will give you the maximum distance.

In conclusion, to answer the all too common question, we get from so many of our students/customers

How can I get more distance?

Answer:

1.  Obtain a new/modern driver that has the highest technology for increased sweet spot and limited wind resistance (aerodynamic).

2.  Work/continue to work on flexibility (especially over the “off-season” months when so many loose elasticities because of an increased static lifestyle) and… 

3.  Always work on improving your technique to maximize the optimal hit on the ball with limited side spin and enhanced sureness of hit.

P.S – Here is the P.S. to this article as EVERYONE will ask this question to us (in person, at schools, during webinars, across emails, etc….).

What is the fastest way to improve technique?

Answer – FIGURE OUT YOUR NEXT STEP TO IMPROVEMENT

To see more about YOUR NEXT STEP TO IMPROVEMENT: CLICK HERE

(You can see the specials associated with the Your Steps Video above)

Please feel free to contact me anytime at timg@gravesgolf.com with questions, comments, etc.

Give Yourself the Best Chance

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By Tim Graves, PGA

Hello Everyone, I thought I’d write a little about wedges, spin and the importance of having a good wedge game.

First – as most of you have read from me before – the wedge game is a CRITICAL part of the golf game. When I am talking about wedges, I am basically talking about anything inside 100 yards for most.  (For some will be a little further, for some a little shorter). This is a part/large part of the “scoring” part of the game.

Second – Again – as most of you have heard me say before – no one should have an advantage over you in this part of the game. Meaning – it is not a strength issue, but rather a practice/technique, etc… issue. In other words, you can have a GREAT wedge game as long as you work on it properly and have the proper equipment to give you the best chance.

Third – You need to make sure your equipment allows you to maximize your wedge game. As I have come to find out, it seems a majority of golfers don’t understand wedges, how they can work for them and how to use them…

So, let’s talk about wedges and hopefully working with your equipment can help improve your game, or at least, give you the best chance to score your best.

  1. I believe you should carry the maximum amount of wedges “your bag” will let you carry. Meaning – as you can only carry 14 clubs – I would recommend carrying at least 4 wedges (including your pitching wedge). If possible, carry 5. (Pitching, Attack, Gap, Sand and Lob). Reason – the more wedges you carry the better your yardages will be between the wedges.  In other words, you will less gap in yardages between the wedges the more you carry.
  2. Different wedges are made to use for different shots. Let’s talk about the sand wedge first (typically 54 to 56 degrees).
    Most sand wedges have at least 10 degrees of bounce or more and a S or C type Grind on the wedge. The Bounce is the angle on the sole from the back of the club to the front. Every club in your bag has a little bounce, the sand wedge has increased bounce (typically 2 to 3 times as much) to help you keep the club from digging in the sand (soft surface) too much. Meaning, it is a very good bunker/sand or medium to high grass club, but not so good at hitting short shots from “tight” (minimal grass) or hard lies. The added bounce on the club will make the club skip/bounce on hard ground and will cause blade/thin type shots. Most see this when hitting chips/or shot shots off of tight lies. It is not recommending to chip or pitch with a sand wedge from tight/hard lies. The grind on the club allows for the club to be played in many different situations including tight lies, rough, high rough, bunker, etc..
  3. The lob wedge (typically 58* +) is a great wedge for high pitch/lob type shots.  Reason – appropriate bounce, added loft and typically a little “wider” sole. Most lob wedges have a slightly wider sole which will help the lob wedge slide across the ground and get more weight on the ball to help get the ball up fast. The bounce should be at least 10* and it must have a C type grind on the sole which will keep the leading edge of the club down when pitching from tight lies.
  4. It is recommending to have steel shafts in your wedges (sand and lob and sometimes Attack and Gap).  Reason – you want the added weight in the clubs. These clubs are the shortest clubs in the bag (besides putter) and are often hit with 1/2 shots, out of rough, out of sand, etc. etc…  The added weight is a big advantage when hitting the clubs in these situations.  Makes it easier to hit out of rough, sand, etc. Don’t have to swing so hard, club head will get through grass, sand much easier with added weight. Graphite is a great material to protect the body when the club is being swung fast and allows you to hit the club further. No needed with the wedges – wedges are “control” type clubs – the added weight in steel is STRONGLY recommended in the wedges.

Last – let’s talk about spin. We all want to create spin on our wedges. Without spin, it is very difficult to get the ball close to the hole. Most won’t be able to create spin to stop the ball completely, but everyone can and should create spin to slow the ball down which helps get it close to the hole.

The primary variables of spin are angle of attack/speed, club type, and ball type. The more speed, the more spin you can create.  The softer (or more layers) the golf ball, the more spin you will create. Finally, the softer the metal of the club, the more spin you will/can create.

Another important variable and the one of improved grooves on the wedges. The most updated and improved grooves in wedges are in the new Callaway Opus Wedge. The New Opus SP Wedges feature: Spin Gen Face Technology which provides spin and control in your wedges by combining 3 key elements on the face; an all-new tighter pitch which puts more grooves on the face, offset groove-in-groove for spin when opening the face, and a new aggressive face blast providing spin and bite on partial shots. These three elements work in conjunction to provide a crisp, tour level spin.

To make a “long story short” it is recommending everyone carry wedges that give them their best advantage in their scoring part of the game.

The recommended wedges are those that are a “forged” (soft metal) type, steel shafted, with the best / most updated grooves (maximum spin grooves).

If you have any additional questions about the wedges, groove rules, etc… please don’t hesitate to give us a call or email anytime.

If you would like to order new/additional wedges give us a call. All wedges need to be custom built to the golfer’s specifications – absolutely critical to have a proper fit.

To see more about the recommended wedges: CLICK HERE

Remember – Always Practice with a Purpose.

Also, Remember – A little improvement every time you practice adds up to a lot of improvement over time.

The 4 Cs of a Great Short Game

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By: Tim Graves, PGA

During all short game schools we discuss many principles and philosophies of the short game, such as the 4 Cs of the short game.

Wanted to remind everyone about my 4 Cs of a GREAT Short Game. These are/will be covered “in depth” during our short game school and covered in all different areas (putting, chipping, pitching, bunker, specialty shots… especially those specialty short game shots).

In our schools, camps, and clinics (and pretty much anytime you’re around me), you will continually hear how important the short game is for scoring. In this article, I’m going to compare the long game vs. short game then give you my 4 Cs that you must follow to have a great short game.

First, you must be convinced that the short game is the most important part of scoring. Here are a couple facts about the short game.

Fact: The difference between a 30 handicap golfer and a scratch golfer (0 handicaps) is associated with 7 to 10 shots in the long game (shots over 50 yards) and 20 to 23 shots in the short game (shots under 50 yards). Meaning, if you are a 30 handicap golfer and only work on your long game you will only improve 7 to 10 shots toward scratch golf. The best you will ever reach is a 20 handicap. The difference between a 15 handicap golfer and the scratch golfer is associated with 3 to 5 shots in the long game, and 10 to 12 shots in the short game. In other words, if you are a 15 handicap golfer wanting to reach scratch, if you only work on the long game, you will basically never improve beyond a 10 handicap.

Fact: No professional (or scratch golfer) has an advantage in their short game over yours. In other words, the short game is not associated with strength, working out or athletic ability. It is a part of the game that is associated with practicing the correct fundamentals and putting those fundamentals into play at the right time. Ever notice how many young players (talking about 10, 11, 12-year-old juniors) have a great short game. In fact, many compare to the professional’s short games. Don’t you wonder how someone who is 75 pounds soaking wet can compete with the best players in the world? This shows it is not strength, but rather what matters are things like finesse and feel. This is what I call the 4 Cs to the short game: Creativity, Confidence, Commitment, and Critique.

4 Cs

CREATIVITY: The first thing you must do when confronted with a short game shot (pitch, chip, etc.) is to create the shot. Part of the teaching we give our students during their short game instruction is to pick a shot around the green and ask the group to name 5 different ways to play the shot. Most of the time the group is able to name 2 or 3, but almost never 5. An example would be a shot that is 20 to 25 yards off the green with minimal rough between the ball and the hole.

You could:

  1. Pitch the shot to the hole,
  2. Chip the shot into the fringe around the green and roll to the hole,
  3. Putt through the entire rough and fringe,
  4. Hit a flop shot all the way to the hole, or
  5. Hit a 3 wood chip that will have moreover spin and roll to the hole???

The point here is you need to be creative over the shot. I like to call it the “artistic” part of the game.

A good rule of thumb: “Putt when you can, Chip when you can’t putt, Pitch when you have too…” (Aka – the “PCP Rule” – refer to past articles on the PCP Rule). Yes, this is a very basic “rule”, but a good one to fall back on.

COMMITMENT: Once you have created the shot, you must commit to the shot that is the lowest risk for error FOR YOU. If you have a good pitch shot and feel it is the most likely to get the ball close to the hole with the least room for error, hit the pitch shot. Many will feel the chip from the fringe or even the putt will be their lowest risk shot. DON’T think you have to hit a shot in a particular manner because the pros on TV hit it that way, but rather execute the shot YOU feel you can hit with the most confidence.

CONFIDENCE: So now that you have created and committed to the shot, you must play the shot with confidence. This means that if you have chosen to chip the shot, tell yourself you will chip it close, pick your spot you want to hit, use good fundamentals, and with 100% confidence, hit the shot. If you don’t feel confident over the shot, BACK OFF and commit to something different or swing a couple practice swings/chips until you have gained the confidence back. The last of the 4 Cs are:

CRITIQUE: You must critique your short game shots after you have executed them. This is not to say, “I can’t hit a particular shot”, but rather “I had 4 chip and run shots today and only hit 1 good. Therefore, I need to put more practice in the chip and run shot”. Look back at each shot and determine if you need more practice in that area. Here’s a question you can ask yourself and see how well you currently critique your short game: How many of you practice chipping short of the green (maybe into the fringe) and then roll the ball onto the green close to the hole or how many of you when practicing putting, putt balls from off the green (from the fringe or low rough) to the green? I believe that these are the shots that, after you critique your short game, will probably be the shots that need the most practice.

Finally, I believe that EVERYONE can have a GREAT short game. In fact, everyone can have a short game that is as good or better than any professional. But, to get this GREAT short game, you must first learn the proper fundamentals and practice these fundamentals. Then you can use the 4 Cs – Creativity, Commitment, and Confidence and then Critique to bring that short game to the course.

Good Luck and Remember – ALWAYS PRACTICE WITH A PURPOSE!

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