Thursday, July 26, 2012

Proper Divot Patterns on the Range


As a golfer it can be a real downer to hear the phrase, "we're on the mats today". We all know that practicing your golf game off of artificial mats is no where near the real experience you receive practicing off the grass. One of the reasons that we do hit off the mats is because the range can honestly not handle the traffic that it takes on a daily basis. A simple way that we as golfers can fix this is trying to follow a divot pattern on the range. We at SilverHorn found this article from the USGA so very helpful to explain what it means to follow a divot pattern on the driving range. If you have a moment check out this article and pass it on to fellow golfers who you know practice on the driving range. Let's all do our part to keep the driving range and real grass in the best possible condition that we can. 


Images via USGA

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

The 2012 Club Championship



Cart Path Only- Why?


Many golfers dread the phrase, "today we are cart path only". It can be an inconvenience in what was to be a relaxing day on the golf course. The fact of the matter is that the cart path only rule is put into effective after careful evaluation of our superintendent on the current condition of the golf course. Cart path only is a measure taken to protect the golf course and keep it in pristine playing condition. Recently a cart path question was asked in the USGA newsletter and we think their answer is very helpful in understanding cart path only so we are going to re-post it here for you today: 



Q: For some reason, our golf course staff does not want golf carts to be used on our hybrid bermudagrass fairways during January, February, and March. I know of no other golf course in our part of the world that has this guide, and a large majority of our golfers disagree with it. What do you say?

A: This is a case where the maintenance standards of the golf course have placed a premium on having the best possible hybrid bermudagrass fairways in the winter and spring.  As a result, your course has decided appropriately to restrict carts to the path during January, February, and March. On the other side of the coin, we receive calls or emails during March from golfers who complain "there's no grass on the fairways."  This happens because carts beat down the dormant bermudagrass. Our position is that as long as the course officials know the facts, they are free to decide what's best for them.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Flop Shots- Golf Tips From Rob Myers, PGA


Today, I am going to talk about the challenging, yet fun shot that is commonly known as the flop shot.  We have all seen the guys on TV execute this shot to perfection all the while making it look easy!  For those of you who have rushed out and tried to duplicate this shot at your local range or course you have probably found that it's not as easy as it looks.  Before we get into the details let me first define the flop shot.  A flop shot can best be described as a greenside shot that is designed to fly higher than your normal chip or pitch and land on the green softly.  This type of shot requires an enormous amount of touch and feel as well as the proper fundamentals.

The key to hitting a successful flop shot is to make sure you have the proper setup.  So with that being said, lets first start with the proper setup to perform a flop shot.  Grab your highest lofted wedge (sand or lob) and begin by addressing the ball as you normally would for a standard chip shot.  The first adjustment you will make is to move the ball from the middle or back third of your stance to the front third.  Next you will pull your front foot back so that your stance is open.  You should now feel as though you are aiming left (for right handers) of the target.  In order to make up for being aligned left, you will lay the club face open so that the leading edge of the club is pointed at the target.  This adjustment has added loft to the club while still keeping your club pointed towards the target.  At this point you are now setup properly for this shot and ready to give it a try.  You will make an effort to swing the club along your foot line which will have the club moving from what feels like the "outside in" or "across" the ball.  By moving the club this way you are able to put fade spin on the ball which helps it to land softer on the green.  Notice that the bulk of these adjustments were made in your setup, so as you get more comfortable with this new setup you should start to see some better flop shot results.

It is my strong recommendation that you try this shot for the first time on the driving range where a poor result will not end up jeopordizing anybodys physical well being.  Once you gain some confidence in your ability to perform this shot successfully than you can try it around the green where there are other people practicing.  Please let me know if you have any questions as you practice, and I look forward to hearing your feedback!  Make it a great day!



Visit Rob at: www.riimgolf.com 

Call             210-545-5300       ext. 1 to book a private lesson.

Rob offers discounted lessons for SilverHorn members and you can become a member for just $10 a YEAR!