Thoughts for today
Golf is in a really great place. The PGA Tour has had many good finishes and added another yesterday.
Luke Donald is a very good player. If he ever wins a major, he'll become a great player. Every time he plays, his name is on the leader board at the end. If he had length, the world would be his oyster. Great putting and iron play keep him in every tournament.
Very sad to see Ernie finish like he did. His set up on his full swings doesn' t fit him and he looks very uncomfortable with a putter. His interview with Steve Sands after the tourney was brutal to watch. Steve Sands is normally a good reporter but, his questions were clumsy at best. Ernie handled it
Jim Furyk must have the most gifted hand eye coordination on the planet. There are very few people who could set up like he does and make a living playing golf. Feherty said his swing looks like a octopus falling from a tree.
I recently purchased an I Pad and use it for lessons. The camera is pretty good and the V1 golf app allows frame by frame movement and you can draw lines and circles. I need to figure out how to post videos and start doing videos for the blog.
Wish me luck.
Mike Hurley

I'm back.

It has been a long, busy, and hot summer. I have never been busier with lessons. Hence the lack of posts. This is the start of several posts.

While watching the Canadian Open, the golf course reminded me of courses in Michigan. Tree lined, dense woods, gentle movement in the land. These courses force you to hit it straight and play golf shots.

The winner was Sean O'Hair. His goal this week was to play golf and stop playing golf swing. I can relate. I want my students to be focused on their set up, posture and alignment. Part of the alignment process is target orientation. The golfer should be looking at their target when they step into the shot.

Watch a video of Jack Nicklaus at the Masters in 1975 or 1986. During his set up, the only time he moves and steps into the shot is while he is looking at his target. He never steps into the shot or moves while looking at the ball. As a left eye dominant player, Jack's target was on the ground within a couple of feet from the ball. Right eye dominant players will be looking at a target in the distance.

I often tell my students to move around and get comfortable while they are looking at their target. If they are not comfortable, they are instructed to begin their preshot routine again.

Thanks.

Happy New Year

Hope the year is starting well for you. This post is related to a television infomercial and a television show.

The infomercial is the one with Jimmy Ballard and Rocco Mediate. There is a lot of good stuff in the segment with Rocco swinging the club and Jimmy commenting. The comments were loading into the right leg on the back swing and keeping your elbows pointing at the ground on the back swing and the follow through. These are very good swing thought for golfers of all skill levels.

The television show is the Haney Project with Rush Limbaugh. Watch Rush' back swing and see where his right elbow is pointing at the top of his swing. The elbow points behind Rush. From this position, the human body is going to have a tough time returning the club squarely to the ball.

The "flying right elbow" is a criticism of Jack Nicklaus from years past. Why did Jack "fly" his right elbow? If you answered because he's left eye dominant, go to the head of the class.

There is a good chance Rush is left eye dominant. Another clue is what Rush said when he was on the green. He stated he had a hard time seeing break and lining up. If your dominant eye is closer to the target than your hands and/or the ball, you've got problems seeing the line. If sometime in the show Rush looks through a range finder, we'll know.

Until next time,
Mike Hurley
PGA Professional

Greetings

Can you remember a golf tournament held in December with the excitement and meaning of yesterday? A normally non event suddenly became very important.

What is the state of Tiger's game? He has come a long way but, he's not all the way back. He still has issues with his set up which causes the occasional bad shot. What is new is the putting issues.

He has always set up with the ball and his hands slightly forward of his left eye. It looks like he needs to make the gap larger in his set up.

During the week, I caught a few swings from Padraig Harrington. His posture at address was poor. His back was rounded and his balance was off. He is another left eye dominant player.

Recently, I purchased a book by Esther Gokhale called "Eight Steps to a Pain Free Back". I had read a raving review on the internet of her book and I can wholeheartedly agree with the reviewer's conclusion. I purchased my copy at Half Price Books.

Thanks for your attention.

Mike Hurley

Winter Golf

With the shorter days and cooler temperatures, there is less time to play and practice. Here are some tips to get the most out of your time.

On the course options;

Play the course differently.

One of the many things I enjoy about the GCC course is the different ways and the shorter increments it can be played. You can play 1, 8 & 9 or 1, 6, 7, 8, & 9 or 1, 6, 7, & 18. There are even more ways to play the course by starting on #10, #14, or #16. All these holes are in close proximity to the clubhouse.

Make up your own holes.

I often begin by playing 10 & 11 as normal. After 11, I go behind the green about 30 yards and play back to 10 green. I then go 30 yards behind 10 green and play back to 11 green. I then follow that with going to the back tee on 12 and playing to 13 green which is by the clubhouse.
Or I play 12, go to the back of 12 green and play to 14 green. Then play 13 or 15 which go back to the clubhouse.

This only works if the course is not crowded. If the course is crowded and play is slow, there are options.

Play a scramble by yourself. Hit two shots and play the best one. Continue until you hole out.

Play a worst shot scramble. Hit two shots and play the worst one. Continue until you hole out twice from the same spot. This is time consuming and I usually can play only 3 holes in a row this way. However, it will show where you have a weakness.

Use a different club than normal from the tee. Use a 7 iron to tee off on a Par 5, or a driver to tee off on a Par 3.

Play using only irons or using only hybrids and woods.

These are not the only options. Use your imagination and have fun.

Thanks,
Mike Hurley

Notes from Summer 2010

It is hard to believe it's already September. Where does the time go? It has been a good year for me. I have learned so much about golf, health, and life. My students have been very dedicated and motivated. Significant progress has been seen in most.

In Real Estate the three most important things are; location, location, location. In golf, the three most important things are; set up. set up, set up. If a person can set up correctly for them, the game becomes much easier. Your pre shot routine must reflect your nature and must insure your fundamentals are established for each shot.

It is stunning to still see golfers give the advice of keeping your head down and keep your left arm straight. One more time; your head should be on top of your spine at address. Your left arm extends on the backswing because of momentum and centripetal force. The left arm should be relaxed enough that the elbow could bend if you wanted. This will allow the left arm to extend without tension or effort.

With a little luck, I will be posting much more in the next four weeks.

Thanks,

Mike Hurley
PGA Professional

Comments on Recent Tournaments

Watching the Women's U.S. Open last week was painful. Those slow motion replays of Paula Creamer made me wince. She is so steep coming into the ball her wrists take a beating. I don't see a long career on the golf course unless changes are made. Do not try to copy this golf swing.

Another swing you should not copy is Natalie Gulbis. It is amazing she is successful using the motion she does. She must have excellent hand eye coordination.

The best way for a person to swing a golf club is to have the path of least resistance be on plane with the club face square at impact. This is the purpose of getting your grip, stance, set-up and alignment correct for you.

I have figured out that when I set up with the face looking closed, I actually am aiming correctly. I know this because before I bend over to address the ball, I hold the club in front of me making sure the grooves are vertical. I then simply bend from the hip joint to set the club face behind the ball. It looks closed.

Back in college, I was playing a tournament in Florida and set up to try and hit a hook off the 15th tee. I thought I closed the clubface and aimed right of target. Much to my surprise, the ball flew straight. I continued this for all shots during the rest of the round.

I carried this over to the next week's tournament. We played the University of Miami (FL) Invitational at the Costa del Sol golf course. The course was very tight with water and out of bounds everywhere. I shot rounds of 68 - 70 -70 - 72 = 280. This was good enough to win the individual title by 18 shots. This is not a typo. 18 shots.

I have a facebook page which I hope to post pictures of good set-ups and show the difference between a set up with the dominant eye closer to the target, and a set up with the dominant eye farther from the target.

Stay tuned.

Mike Hurley