This afternoon I got in my first few holes of the 2010 season. I had a 7 hole playing lesson with a student of mine, Four Seasons member Cash Nickerson. Cash has only been playing a few years but he's improved immensely in a short period of time. We'll go out and play from time to time. It helps me see how his game translates from the driving range to the course. It helps Cash learn to play the game better and hopefully watch me hit a few good shots along the way.
Well, we were both in for a treat today. Playing TPC we started on #1 and both hit very nice drives. I had about 165 yards into a slight breeze with a back left pin and hit the most perfect three quarter 6 iron straight at the flag. It stopped about 12 feet directly behind the hole. One putt later I birdied the first hole I played in 2010. It has to be a good omen. We'll see as the year progresses.
One takeaway from today's round is how difficult winter golf is in Dallas. When the course goes dormant, the lies start getting awful tight in the fairway and around the green. It puts an absolute premium on getting the bottom of the downswing in the correct place. You must make contact with the ball and ground at the same or the ball first to be successful. There's no cushion that allows you to slide into the ball.
A couple keys to help your ball/turf contact are:

1. Move the ball slightly back in your stance.
2. Make sure you're moving your lower body forward and then through the shot.
3. Retain your wrist cock in the downswing as long as you can.
4. Square the back of your left hand at impact to pinch the turf as you strike the ball.

The above picture is of the 18th green of our TPC course at the Four Seasons Resort and Club.