Range Finders vs. GPS Devices

Golf’s a game of shot-making, of course, but behind the shots there’s the decision-making. With the 2008 change to Rule 14-3b, distance-measuring devices are more and more common around the course. Making decisions is becoming easier.

Range finders and GPS devices are simple to use, accurate, light, durable — and helpful. But hold the similarities there. They are very different pieces of equipment and selecting one or the other can be complex and personal. Ease of use, accuracy, innovation, travel use, cost, annual fees, buzz factor – each device offers a mixed bag of pros and cons. Another decision for the golfer!

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RANGE FINDER
This is an optical device, part binoculars, part State Trooper’s speed gun, part 5th grade arithmetic exercise. Select and lock onto an object. The range finder shoots a laser, and by measuring how fast it travels to the target and back again, it determines distance.
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Upside of the Range Finder

  • Hassle-free – pop out of box, pop in battery, go.
  • Works on every course everywhere. Great for travel.
  • Measures distance to anything in line of sight – tree, face of bunker.
  • Pinpoint accuracy to the hole location, not just to front, middle and back of green.
  • Higher end models adjust distances based on changes of elevation (slope), giving readings of both straight distance and adjusted distance. Don’t guess about taking an extra club to that elevated green.
  • Can be used on the practice range.

Downside of the Range Finder

  • Requires a direct line of sight.
  • Needs an object to target. Sometimes hard to measure edges of hazards or bunkers.

GPS UNITS
Simply put, GPS devices talk to satellites. They pinpoint your exact location on Earth and use previously recorded locations on the course to tell you the distance to important locations such as the front of green. You download maps of specific courses into the GPS.

Upside of the GPS Unit

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  • Easy to use on course – walk up to ball, look at your GPS, see where you are.
  • You don’t have to see the target to know where it is. On a dog-leg, or in the woods? No worries.
  • Most courses are mapped.
  • Gives measurements like how far to carry the bunker in front of the green.
  • Gives rough outline of the green – helpful if course is unfamiliar.
  • Some have cool features, like Callaway’s uPro, which offers hole fly overs.

Downside of the GPS Unit

  • Doesn’t measure exact pin placement. Measures only front, middle, back of green.
  • Course maps must be downloaded. Most GPS units typically hold only a limited number of courses.
  • Just one vendor, Sky Caddy, has its own GPS mapping team (those guys with backpacks). Others purchase satellite maps or images and may not be as accurate.
  • Some require yearly fees for subscriptions.

Every owner of a distance-measuring device should know when to hold it and when to fold it. The new rule states “The Committee may make a Local Rule allowing players to use devices that measure or gauge distance only”. Most GAM events allow distance measuring devices. However, the PGA and the USGA have not adopted the same policy. Any model that features the slope feature will not be allowed regardless of the local rule.

There’s lots to learn about range finders and GPS devices. At Miles of Golf you can compare models such as Bushnell Tour V2, Nikon Lr550, as well as Sky Caddy, Golf Buddy and Callaway uPro. Talk to the staff about the fine points of each.

Fall is Prime Practice Time – Some Ideas To Try

With a little cooperation from Mother Nature and some smart clothing choices, we can enjoy golf on and on through the fall season. It’s a splendid time to work on your game – the courses aren’t crowded and you can accomplish a lot. Here are two fun practice ideas that I use with the Women’s Golf Team at Eastern Michigan. Don’t forget your wooly hat!

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Car Trunk Lock-Away
One of the things I like to do is play a round of golf with just a few clubs, bringing along my least-used ones. Put the rest in the car trunk or you might be tempted to pull them out. Try using as few as 2 or 3 clubs; the experience will be very educational. I had my EMU team use only their odd or even golf clubs. Besides the feedback that their bags were lighter 🙂 , they all liked the experience because they had to be creative and hit clubs different distances with smaller or bigger swings. Their creative side was turned on.

Six Club Up-and-Down
Choose 6 different clubs, maybe a hybrid, 5 iron, 7 iron, 9 iron, pitching and sand wedges. It can be any combination of clubs. Pick one spot to chip from. From that spot chip one ball to the hole and putt it out. In order to get an up-and-down, your score would be 2 – one chip and one putt. Try to get up and down with each of the 6 clubs. Women on the EMU team get up and down with those 6 clubs and do it in a row! That will be the most challenging up and down game you will ever play. Hole it or not, you will learn what those 6 clubs do when you chip them, and you’ll learn to pick a different landing spot for each club.
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Unleash your creativity this autumn!

Winter Project – Getting (Golf) Fit

IMPROVING FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH & BALANCE … AND OUR GOLF GAMES!

tpi-237I stood on one foot, shut my eyes – and toppled over. Jeff Goble, Director of Instruction at Kendall Academy watched the leaning tower of womanhood and made a notation: under 5 seconds. A typical golf pro holds the no-peeking pose for more than 28 seconds. OK, yet another reason why I’m not a golf pro. But can I improve balance and other physical roadblocks to my better golf game? Yes! And raise my overall fitness level too. Game on.

We met with Jeff a couple of weeks ago at Miles of Golf, and he put us through a series of simple exercises designed to identify physical limitations that impact our golf games. Jeff is a certified instructor for the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI). After the assessment with Jeff, the program generated a personal fitness handicap and a just-for-me routine delivered through the MyTPI website, complete with scheduled workouts, video instruction, and plenty of information on golf-specific health and fitness.

It’s like having a personal trainer show up at the house 3 days a week.

“A golf fitness regimen starts out as something you do to lower your score,” said Dr. Greg Rose, a co-founder of TPI. “People aren’t thinking about their health at all. But it ends up making you more fit over all. It recharges people, and they play better too.”

Sounds good! So we’ve embarked on a 6-week TPI Workout Program after which we’ll head back to Jeff for a progress assessment.

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THE EVALUATION
It takes half an hour, nothing too strenuous.  Wear comfy workout clothes, sneakers and bring golf shoes if you wish.  No clubs necessary.

First we chatted with Jeff about expectations, any physical limitations, how the program works, etc. We hit a few 9 irons while he videotaped, so he can give our swings slo-mo scrutiny. Then we went on to the main event, about a dozen exercises to assess flexibility, core strength and balance. Jeff is a walking ad for the program, demonstrating the moves to perfection. He’s also patient and humorous. It all looked easy. Looks deceive.

EVALUATION FINDINGS
Within a couple of days we received our official TPI e-welcome, login info and evaluation findings including our personal physical handicaps and inspirational/motivational remarks. “You have over 180 degrees of flexion in your lat muscle on the right. Normal range of motion on the PGA Tours is over 180 degrees”. Very rewarding. Or, “It was very difficult for you to stabilize your pelvis in the bridge position, which indicates a weakness in the left glute”. Oh yeah? Just wait 6 weeks!
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STARTING THE WORKOUT – FIRST DAY, FIRST WORKOUT
I logged into MyTPI and clicked on the first of my personal workouts. Each is demonstrated in a video that can be downloaded to an iPod. You can print off the exercise info too.

Some folks may head to the gym to do the TPI exercises, but I’ll do them at home, opening up the back sliding door and looking out at the still-green world. Winter’s ahead, but I’m thinking spring.

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We’ll update you on our TPI progress.
If you have questions about the program, contact Jeff Goble.

Teeing is Believing

ETIQUETTE AT THE TEE BOX

Tee the ball and get set up for the drive; envision a beautiful arc down the fairway, and the bounce and roll that carries further still. Brava!  The teeing area is like a stage, each golfer stepping up to perform, every drive a soliloquy of motion.  Alas, poor golfer … sometimes we flub our lines.  Well, that’s golf.
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The teeing area is a pretty staightforward piece of real estate, but like everywhere on the golf course, there are things to know.  Learn the little details by heart, and then go ahead and deliver that top-flight performance.

Nine notable things to know and do around the teeing area

Brand your ball
Ever hit someone else’s ball on the course? You take 2 penalty strokes… and many self-inflicted lashes of embarrassment, regret and distraction. Save yourself! Before you begin your round, know what brand of ball you’re playing, tell the other players, and be sure to mark them with a distinctive squiggle, dot or initial. Golf is confusing enough.
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Ready or not
Has your group decided to play ready-golf? If so, there’s no order to players teeing off. Be aware, though, many golfers play honors; the player with the best score on the previous hole has the honor of teeing off first. If no one wins the hole, then the order of play does not change from the previous tee. Who tees first on the first hole? That’s often determined by random, or sometimes the player with the lowest handicap gets it going.

Hitting from the “ladies tees”
Stina Sternberg, former editor of Golf For Women Magazine and current TV golf personality, has some strong opinions about what tees to use and she shares them in her Golf Digest blog: “Ladies tees” is an out-dated term – like calling a flight attendant a stewardess. It might have been acceptable years ago, but today it’s insulting. Tees should have nothing to do with gender and everything to do with the golfer’s skill level. If you’re a short hitter, you should play from the forward tees, no matter your age or gender. It pains me to watch men who can’t hit the ball 200 yards off from the whites – or heaven forbid, the blues. The reverse is also true: Long hitters should move back, even women. I know many men who cringe when they play against a woman who bombs it from the reds. It’s a huge advantage”. Thanks, Stina.
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Behave
When someone’s teeing off, stand safely and courteously out of the way and out of her peripheral vision. Turn off your conversation and stand still, no banging of clubs, blowing of noses, sneezing, coughing or wiggling of anything. This is the theatre, remember?

Pretend you’re a caddie
Watch everyone’s drive and make note of the spot where each ball lands. Have you ever disowned your errant drive, its pathetic path too painful to watch? It’s great to have another pair of eyes. I always appreciate it when someone can quickly and accurately help me find a hidden ball.

When it’s your turn…
Have your club ready, and ball and tee in hand. Rule 11 defines the teeing area as “a rectangular area two clubs lengths in depth, the front and sides of which are defined by the outside limits of two tee markers”. Think of a rectangular box. You may stand outside the box, but your teed ball must be inside it.

When you’re done, attend to some housekeeping, filling in your divot with the sand mixture provided. Don’t forget to pick up your broken tee.

Curb your cart
Motorized carts should not be driven on the teeing area, and the best-mannered golfers will even leave their pull carts and carry bags off of it.

Just a wee bit of tee history
Early golfers made tees from piles of sand. At each teeing ground, courses provided sand in boxes as well as water so golfers could clean up. Sand tees are long gone, but the term “tee box” has remained and is now used by golfers to refer to the entire short-grassed area where a hole begins. A more accurate name would be “teeing area” or teeing ground”.
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Exit stage right, stage left, just exit!
When your group has finished driving, be ready to move out with dispatch. Show’s over.

Don’t Put Those Clubs Away!

Words of wisdom from Eastern Michigan University Women’s Golf Coach and Kendall Academy Instructor

Summer’s winding down, autumn is in sight, and my ardent advice is, “Don’t put the clubs away!” Late summer and fall golf in Michigan can be downright glorious. There are so many reasons to keep swinging.

On the Course
End of summer the courses start to slow down. Tee times are easier to get, or not needed at all. When you’re one of just a handful of players out there, you have more time to play a shot or maybe even take an extra one without feeling rushed. As an added benefit, some courses offer slow-season price deals.
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Here’s To Our Health!
Do something that you love and get exercise too – is there any better reason to continue golf in the off season? And let’s not forget the social positives of connecting with friends. And how about the stress buster aspects of being active and out-of-doors? Golf’s a hobby with health benefits – let’s keep it up.

Getting Better All The Time
Fall and winter (ok, I said that cold word!) are great times to work on your swing. I always see a slowdown in my lesson business the first part of September, and though that is partly due to my commitment to the Women’s Golf  Team at Eastern Michigan, the end-of-the-season golf slowdown is also at work. I encourage you to think about golf improvement year-round.

I have a Women’s Practice Club that starts up the first part of November and runs through mid-March. Many participants will tell you that though they aren’t scoring a ball during those months, they are improving their techniques and using repetitive motion to fix flaws and improve consistency. Not worrying about scoring can be the best kind of practice.

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Picture It!
Golf is a game of mental imagery. Visualize your shot, picture the ball flight, see it headed to the cup. Off-season golf offers plenty of opportunities to practice the power of the mind. Work on mental imagery. You’re on your favorite course – it’s 80 degrees with a light breeze. In Winter Practice Club it’s fun to work on imagery drills . Picture green grass and sun shine! The looks on new winter practice members always give me a chuckle when the snow is flying!

We’re not ready to kiss summer goodbye just yet. There are too many good rounds to be had. But think ahead. Consider a lesson this fall or winter, and see where it takes you. (Lesson rates are also cheaper in the off-season) If you are looking for a fun weekly activity this winter,  consider the Women’s Winter Practice Club at Miles of Golf. Details will be coming soon. It’s the perfect way to beat Old Man Winter!

If you’re having difficulty scheduling a lesson with me because of my limited availability, just email me:  swagner2@emich.edu .  I’ll do everything I can to help you!

Master Mentor – Gayle Champagne

Gayle Champagne, centerGayle Champagne started playing golf to avoid answering the phone.  On Friday afternoons the guys at the ad agency would ask, “Gayle, would you cover my calls?” as they headed for the course with a client. Pretty soon Gayle was out there too.  (That’s Gayle sitting between Carolin Dick and me).
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She REALLY took to the sport, organizing trips up north for dozens of women at a time, landing a job at Golf For Women magazine, becoming an expert on the pleasures and perils of business golf.  She’s been involved with the American Junior Golf Association for 16 years and is currently President of the Board of Directors of that national nonprofit. That’s in addition to her full time job at Self Magazine! This is a woman who gives to golf!
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I met Gayle the year I started playing golf – before I had golf shoes OR a golf swing.  She hit a ball 90 yards over a little patch of wetland and I thought she was a golf goddess.  What really stuck with me though, was the way she inspired a new player, with just the right blend of humor and helpfulness.  I so appreciated the time she spent with me.

Whenever I play with Gayle I get inspired.  So with summer on the wane, I’ve made a pledge – to get out there and play with some new golfers, to pass on those good golf feelings.
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Once again, Gayle, thanks!

Practice with a Purpose

Everyone likes to practice but not everyone’s practice leads to improvement. In almost 20 years of teaching I’ve found that it isn’t just practicing that makes you better. It’s HOW you practice. Many people wonder, “Why can I do it on the range and not on the golf course?” Well, what exactly WERE you doing at the range? Firing off 100 drives without a target, maybe?

When you go to practice there should be a purpose to what you’re about to do with those 100 balls. Is the practice short game based? Is it putting that’s causing you to lose strokes? Or maybe it’s bunker shots? Some people have trouble with uphill/downhill/side hill lies on the course but do we ever practice them? Yet we expect to hit a good shot when faced with that situation on the course. I don’t think so!

Your first step is to figure out what area of your game needs the most work or what area you have the most questions about. That’s your focus during a practice session.

Here are some simple things you can practice at the driving range that will help lead you to better outcomes on the golf course.

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Warm up
Get your 100 balls and warm up with some short wedge shots and then a few mid iron shots. Now you’re ready for your main practice.

Pitching & Chipping Practice – The Ladder Drill
Hit a ball 10 yards, then 20 yards, then 30 yards, etc, all the way out to a full wedge distance. For some that might be 60 yards and for others it might be 100 yards. Then work your way back to the 10-yard distance.

See if you can transition from ball to ball the distance you want it to go. On the course you’re never the same distance from the target each time so you need to practice shortening and lengthening your swing to accommodate those distances. I see many people having difficulty making smaller swings when they get near the green.  That’s because golfers practice way more full shots than they do half swings.

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Putting Practice – Distance & Direction
To practice putting productively, separate it into 2 categories – distance putting (lag putting) and directional putting.

Distance Drill
Try putting a 30 foot putt to the edge of the green and see how close you can come without hitting the fringe. Try it with any number of balls. Taking the hole out of the equation works well for people because you’re not trying for a hole, just for distance.

Direction Drill
Lay 2 clubs down parallel to each other, just wide enough so your putter fits in there. Place the clubs in the direction you want to putt and not more than 15 feet from the hole. You want to swing your putter in this path to better guide your stroke to the hole. You will make a lot of putts this way so don’t be surprised!

On the course if a player is unsure of what she’s doing as she stands over a ball, her chance of hitting it correctly are about zero. She’s not committed to the shot she’s about to hit. If she’s practiced that situation, purposely at a range or with the guidance of an instructor, she will have the confidence to hit it successfully.  Now THAT’S fun!

Dancing on the Green

“You’re on the dance floor,” is music to a golfer’s ears. You’re on the green!

Watch an experienced foursome, each moving about the green with quiet dispatch, precision and cooperation. It’s a beautiful thing – to the players and to the golfers behind them. Etiquette ensures fair opportunity for all players and moves play along.

Miss Manners of Golf? Please, not me. But knowledge and courtesy on the course are always prized. I’ll never master golf, but I can practice and become a good partner on the “dance floor”! Here are suggestions.

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When you get to the green

  • Don’t step on anyone’s putting line.
  • Ball farthest away putts first.
  • Mark your ball if you’re not first to putt, or if you wish to line it up.
  • Look for dent or ding left by your ball and fix it. Repair other divots too.

Flagsmanship

  • Take flag out and put it back nice and straight. It’s fragile around the cup.
  • Place flag GENTLY out of all golfers peripheral vision and putting lines.
  • Occasionally a player will request that you tend the flag. Do this correctly and you’ll score extra etiquette points. More on this in a later post!
  • No scooping the ball out of the cup with your putter head. Ouch!

Putting in Progress!

  • Stand out of the peripheral vision of person putting. You can “go to school” on someone’s putt with a similar line to yours but don’t get your education at her expense.
  • Don’t wiggle, waggle or whisper, or crinkle the wrapper of your granola bar. Or anything like that!
  • Keep your shadow to yourself.
  • Be ready, by lining up your putt while others are doing the same.
  • Putt-outs are allowable and courteous when you’re only a few inches from the cup and it won’t interfere with another’s ball. Ask, “Okay if I putt out?

Loiterers will be shot at – by the folks behind!

  • Put clubs at back of green or on side where you’ll exit to next tee. ALWAYS think of how to save steps. Never leave clubs at front of green.
  • Park cart so it is on shortest line to next tee.
  • When you’re finished putting, move to the flagstick, ready to pick it up and replace it in hole after everyone is done.
  • As you leave take a look over your shoulder for forgotten clubs.
  • Record your score when you get to the next tee.

That’s it – some smooth moves around the green.  Do you have more?

 

Mind Management in Golf

Holistic or half-baked, savvy or silly, whatever your opinion, the coaching methods of two women have taken the LPGA by storm.  Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott have the pros singing and “snowboarding” on the Tour.
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Both have serious golf backgrounds.  Nilsson spent 5 years on the LPGA tour, 10 years as head coach of the Swedish Women’s National team, and was Annika Sorenstam’s long time mentor.  Marriott worked for years as the LPGA’s director of teacher training.  Together they teach a “whole person” approach, going beyond stance and swing to focus on a player’s spiritual, social, physical, mental and emotional needs.
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Brittany Lincicome sings and whistles Keith Urban country songs after each shot. Suzann Pettersen counts out loud. Italy’s Giulia Sergas pretends to snowboard.  Others write inspiring words in their visors or recite funny movie lines.  It’s a whole new world of mind management in golf.  Read all about it in 7/15/09  Wall Street Journal article.

Who Needs a Practice Golf Swing?!

It’s a million dollar question. Why wouldn’t everyone take a practice golf swing before they hit a shot if they knew it would help their games? Over the years I’ve heard every excuse in the book as to why golfers don’t take one. If I told you that it would do your swing a lot of good to take a practice – would you take one? There are many reasons why you should.
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You perform an important pre-swing routine before you hit each golf shot. You determine your club, the distance from the hole, the type of shot you want to hit based on the lie and maybe the weather conditions that might affect the ball. You check set up, alignment and aim. Incorporating a practice swing into your routine allows you to “rehearse” what the swing feels like before there is a ball in front of you.

Here’s what I’ve been hearing about practice swings!

I don’t want to waste my good swing.
The practice swing is always better than the ball swing, so if we take one or two good practice swings and then one up-tight-not-as-good ball swing, we’ve just improved! Two good practice swings outweigh the one not-so-hot ball swing, and over time you will see your skill progress.
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In addition, your practice swing can be slower and you can think about the details of the swing better when there isn’t a ball in front of you. This is your time to process how to make the proper swing.

When there are people behind us on the course, I don’t take a practice swing because it slows me down.
Golf etiquette according to the PGA stipulates that from the time you select your club until you actually hit your shot, you should take no more than 45 seconds. At a driving range, practice hitting golf balls with a practice swing and see how long it really takes you. Then, on the course, you won’t be so self-conscious about how long it takes and won’t worry about the group waiting behind you. Everyone plays by the 45-second rule.
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I sometimes take a practice swing but then I get too tired because I hit so many shots.
Just think of the practice strokes you are taking as conditioning for golf! Over time, you may be tired only after the 6th hole, and then after the 8th hole, and then maybe not tired at all. That’s progress.

Remember you are just trying to tell your swing what you want it to do, so always take a practice stroke! That’s the path to improvement!