At the start of every golf season we always have a positive outlook. After all, the winter break erased the little flaws in our swing and our putting stoke improved - right? That is until we fall back into our old routine or patterns.

As kids we learn through modelling, watching others when they’re active doing things. This is an important concept because in our hustle and bustle world, we often don’t find or create the time to understand the good things about our golf swing. We just worry about our bad habits and the outcome they produce.

A great drill to develop feel shots is to attempt to hit all your clubs as far as you can hit your sand wedge. If you hit your sand wedge 80 yards, see if you can hit your 9 iron 80 yards,  your 6 iron 80 yards, then your 4 hybrid 80 yards and so on. Even try your driver to 80 yards. The same drill will help with your little wedge shots around the green, changing the pace of your arms in a practice routine with your wedges.
​
Be sure to Develop Feel Shots at the practice facility before you attempt them on the course.

By Ethan Danish
Human beings are creatures of habit. Never more true than in golf where our habits need to be the same, time and time again. Here’s something we teaching professionals see every year, especially among amateurs. Is this you? Do you view some rounds as more important than others? Do you change your routine, your habits, when the stakes are higher? Here are three things to think about.

1. Tournament day diet vs regular round diet
2. Tournament day mental preparation vs regular round preparation
3. Tournament day warm up routine vs regular round routine

By Ethan Danish
​
Look up the word insane in the dictionary. It’s defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We can only do what we know. I guess that makes us all a little insane because it’s easier to practise what we’re good at than it is to develop a plan for improving our weaknesses. The obstacle is identifying the problems and then, knowing how to fix them.

In my experience watching members and guests on the practise range, most of you warm up with driver. You might hit as many as 40 with the big stick then switch to an iron for another 10 before moving to the putting green to try a handful before your tee time. If this is you, your routine is less than ideal. The majority of golf is played from 100 yards to the pin.
​
As a teaching professional, I’d prefer to see a progression such as 15 wedges, a handful of 7 irons, a few 3 irons and maybe 10 drivers. Then, off to the practise green where I recommend you spend the same amount of time with the putter in your hands, working through a variety of lengths before you go to the first tee.

Let’s talk first about the youngest we work with in our programs, 4 – 7 year old girls and 6 – 9 year old boys. It is very important that Junior Golfers understand and practise the “ABC’s” before and during the process of learning to swing a club. And like most things in life, the more you do it the right way, the better you get.
​

Ball Position - for the driver, the ball should line up near the front of the ruler. For irons, the ball should be in the middle. The junior will relate because of the ruler drill above.

Posture - back straight & bum’s out. Showing juniors where to bend hips and knees is the key to this FUNdamental skill.
​
Alignment – learning through discovery is how we teach alignment.  We have the junior aim and hit a ball to the left of a target, then the right of the target and we use the pool noodle.

​Swing – Technical swing skills are not our goal in this early phase.  Of the ABC’s, speed is the most important.  If a Junior can learn to swing fast early in their golfing journey, they will always have speed and power.  It is much harder skill to learn later in life!

We have everything they’ll need to get started with lessons. You’ll want them practiced in the FUNdamentals before you take them on the course for the first time. When you think they’re ready to have their own clubs, talk to us. ​