Moisture Probe

For the past few years our Golf Operations Department has been using a device called a Moisture Probe to help regulate the percentage of moisture in our greens.  Our staff will walk the greens and get a percentage reading that allows us to regulate areas that need or don't need water based on the readings.  This has helped us immensely in getting a consistency in the mositure of our greens.  Our percentages that we target change throughout the year based on weather and agronomic practices.  With the summer Texas heat we have staff members assigned to check greens on a daily basis in the morning and afternoon on both golf courses.

Strength vs. Speed

The age old question that always gets asked is:  Should you be strong or fast?  Both would be a great combination but if you could only have one, I would take speed every single time.  Strength is important.  You need to be strong to hit it out of the rough and it does help to have strength to create speed.  But strength is overrated if you have speed. 
Speed is somewhat genetic but can be increased.  Golfers with fast hands have a tremendous advantage.  You need speed to get the ball  in the air and to carry it a decent distance.  Speed is in your hands and arms.  Speed is the swishing sound you make when you swing the club through the air.  The louder the sound, the more speed you have. 
There's a few training aids on the market that help create speed.  The Orange Whip, the Swing Fan and the Speedstick all serve a purpose for increasing speed but each is a little different.
The Orange Whip helps promote lag and gets you to swing on plane.  Lag is a byproduct of developing speed and you need to swing on plane to mazimize your speed.
The Swing Fan is a very good tool for creating resistance.  As you swing the fan, the rutters promote resistance in the air so it forces you to 'step on the gas.' 
The Speedstick is a pole that has a meter for reading clubhead speed.  The meter is decently accurate and gives you a quantifiable way to judge your swing speed.
All are good devices to increase your golf fitness.  The bottom line is that speed is a necessary component to maximize your potential in golf. 

Kelly Grassel - Indiana Girls Jr Champion

Congratulations to student Kelly Grassel on her win at the Indiana Girls State Match Play Championship.  Kelly was medalist in qualifying for match play with 77-71=148.  At age 15, was one of the youngest girls competing in the tournament.

Preston Trail Golf Club

I had the great opportunity to play Preston Trail Golf Club today.  I played with a good friend of mine Barney Adams.  The all men's golf club is just absolutely fantastic.  The course had been re-done over the last 18 months and opened back up in late November.
Preston Trails played host to the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament until 1984.  Byron Nelson had a hand in designing the course back in the 1960's.
Before the round Barney took me to the back of the range to check out the massive indoor teaching center. After having a look we visited with Lee Trevino for about 10 minutes while he was practicing on the back of the range.  We then headed back up to the top of the range and started warming up while visiting with Lanny Wadkins.
The round was very enjoyable with me posting a 77 and Barney playing very well from the back tees. After the round we adjourned to the grillroom for some lunch.  Dallas Stars center Mike Modano was just finishing up as we entered.
As always Barney was full of great stories and industry information.  He's been a good friend for long time and it's great to see him out playing golf again after having his knee replaced.  Tomorrow he's off to Pine Valley.  Barney definitely knows how to enjoy himself.

U.S. Open - 3rd Round

Happy Father's Day to all.  The 3rd round of the U.S. Open was absolutely fantastic.  The USGA has really gotten it right the last few years with giving the players a few chances to attack the golf course.  For example, they moved the tees up on holes 3 and 4 yesterday.  It enticed the players to take a shot at driving the green.  Hole 7 is only playing 110 yards but is a very tricky shot.  And then 18 can be reached in two but you must hit two very accurate tee shots.
The cream has risen to the top after 3 rounds.  Dustin Johnson is where everyone hoped he would be.  Having won the last two AT&T Championships, he's handled the pressure very well so far.  Tiger Woods played an incredible back nine to put him into 3rd place.  Ernie Els has won two of these championships and is also within striking distance.  Graeme McDowell handled the pressure of playing with the lead most of the 3rd round, and if there's another 66 out there Phil Mickelson could still have a chance.
It should be a great final round on the greatest 18 holes in golf.  Enjoy!

Round 2 - US Open at Pebble Beach

Round 2 of the US Open at Pebble Beach is in the books.  Graeme McDowell has the lead at 3-under par.  But the story of the day was Phil Mickelson's 66.  A very controlled 4-under for Lefty.  He hit alot of greens and played almost a boring round for Phil.  His putter was hot and he seems very comfortable after two days.
Also at 1-under is Ernie Els, Dustin Johnson and Ryo Ishikawa.  Ernie is very seasoned with two US Opens under his belt.  Dustin Johnson has won the last two AT&T Championships at Pebble Beach and then you have the 18 year old boy wonder.
Two holes were really interesting to watch today.  The par 3 seventh hole playing at 113 yards really created some great interest.  With a pin almost off the back side of the green and the hole playing down wind, you had to play very cautiously.  The other hole was the par 5 14th hole.  The green is just giving the  players fits.  Having played Pebble last October, I understand how difficult the third shot is.
Needless to say, the week-end is going to be very good golf.

Starburst Junior Golf Classic winner - Matt Gilchrest

Congratulations to 15 year old Southlake, Tx resident Matt Gilchrest on winning the 2010 Starburst Junior Golf Classic.  Shooting 75-71-75 Matt continued his winning ways this summer with his 3rd and biggest win in the last two weeks.

Titleist Tour Van

The Titleist Tour Van visited the Four Seasons Resort and Club on Wednesday to do tour quality fittings for our membership.  Glen Mahler, one of Titleists' premier clubfitters, was on hand to take six golfers  through a fitting in one of four categories: driver, irons, wedges or long game (hybrids or fairways).
The tour van was available to built custom orders or to customize the golfer's existing set.
Glen Mahler is a longtime friend and teaching associate.  We taught together at the Hank Haney Golf Ranch 15 years ago.  He's still a very good teacher but he's a great clubfitter.  Each person he fit on Wednesday, not only improved the weapons in their bag, but got a fantastic education in understanding the importance of custom clubfitting.
Here's some of the gems Glen shared with us.
-  The ideal window for the path into the ball is from 1.6 degrees inside the target line to 1 degree from outside the target.  In this window you maximize your opportunity to hit quality shots.
-  To be a good iron player you must do some digging with the front edge of the club.  The digging must be done at the back edge of the ball and the digging should be consistent from the start to the end of the divot.
-  If you error, do so with to many clubs in your short irons not in your long game.
-  The head of the club is the most important part of the club not the shaft.
And finally, tools are important in clubfitting as well as knowledge and experience.  But most important is the person's heart and desire to do their job.  The person who shows a passion for his craft can make up for a lack of tools, knowledge and experience.

Impact

What part of the ball you contact at impact plays major influence on the initial direction of the ball.  The book 'In Search of the Perfect Golf Swing' published a study back in the 1970's that stated 75% of the initial direction of the ball was determined by the contact.  Their tests results were produced by high speed cameras.
Recently Trackman posted a study that up to 90% of the initial flight of the ball is determined by the club contact with the ball.
To produce the ideal impact, the left forearm and hand rotate together to contact the inside corner of the ball with the face still slightly open but in the process of squaring up.  This impact starts the ball slightly to the right of the target.
The right hand plays a supporting role in the impact.  As the left hand creates the hit, the right supports the contact.  If the right becomes too active, it can cause the clubface to contact the outside portion of the ball inside of the inside.

US Open Qualifying Update

Student and top junior golfer Anthony Paolucci shot a 4-under 68 in the morning round for the 36 hole qualifier to get into the US Open.  The Columbus, Ohio site has a field that's heavily stacked with tour pro's fresh from last weeks' Memorial tournament. 
Anthony's 68 put him in 14th place.  The site will send 15 golfers to Pebble Beach next week.  His playing partners, Rickie Fowler and Jeff Sluman, shot 72 and 73 respectively.

Tomorrow is the second stage of US Open qualifying around the country.  Three golfers with Dallas ties will attempt to qualify at different sites around the country.  16 year old Jordan Spieth will be in Memphis and then will stay to play in the St. Jude tour event later in the week.   Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo, will test his skills in Houston.  And a student of mine, Anthony Paolucci, will be in Columbus, Ohio.  He's paired with Jeff Sluman and Memorial runner-up Rickie Fowler.
The Memphis and Columbus sites have fields that are dominated by PGA TOUR players.  As a result more spots are available for a ticket to Pebble Beach.

Understand Your Swing Mistakes

The importance of prioritizing the mistakes in your golf swing is so important.  Golfers are limited to just a few things they can focus on, in any given swing.  So whether it be thoughts, feelings or pictures in your mind you must make sure you're getting the most bang for your buck.
Analyze your curvature, trajectory, face contact and impact.  If you're not hitting the ball to your liking one of these areas will stand out.  Once you've isolated a tendency look into your swing to make the necessary corrections.
Following this procedure you drastically raise the percentage of your swing keys making a positive improvement in your swing.

Victory for Anthony Paolucci

Congratulations to one of my students, Anthony Paolucci who won the AJGA Thunderbirds Invitational on Monday at Greyhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Anthony shot 66-69-69 for a 12-under total.  The field was exceptionally strong and included #1 ranked junior Jordan Spieth.  With the win Anthony moves up to the #3 ranked junior player in the US as ranked by Polo and Golfweek.
Anthony lead wire to wire in claiming his first AJGA win to go along with his PGA National Junior Championship in 2008. 
Next up for him is the US Open 36 hole qualifier on Monday in Maryland.