Make Your Practice Count

Make Practice Count by:

Rob Myers, PGA (Director of Instruction at SilverHorn)

I'm happy to say that over the past several weeks I have seen 

a number of new faces around the golf course practicing.  

Since this is a time of year where people spend a fair amount of time practicing, that is what I'm going to discuss today.  I would like to spend a few minutes talking about how to make your practice count.

Too often I hear people on the range talk about how long they practiced for, or how many golf balls they hit in a practice session.  While both of those things are admirable, it says very little about the quality of the practice.  I'm sure everybody is familiar with the saying, "practice like you play."  There is a lot of truth to that saying, especially with golf.  One of the most important things you can do on the driving range to have more meaningful practice is to slow down.  How often do you hit 4 shots in a matter of 60 seconds on the golf course?  Hopefully never, but it happens quite a bit on the range.  Next time you are at the range try taking your time in between shots.  Whether it's getting a drink of water, taking a practice swing, taking a deep breath, or simply just walking back to your golf bag to clean your club, make sure that you are slowing down your practice and giving each shot a little more thought. 

You might find that you hit half as many balls this way, but the shots you do hit will be well thought out, quality golf shots.  Remember it's not the amount of time you practice, but rather the quality of your practice that counts.  As always, good luck! 

Visit Rob at: www.riimgolf.com 

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

Grip Pressure

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Director of Instruction- Rob Myers, PGA is back again this week to teach us all about grip pressure. We all know the importance of a good grip. Take it away Rob...

"Today I will be disussing an something that is often forgot about or overlooked, but is an extremely important part of having consistency.  That something is your grip!  It's difficult to learn how to really swing the golf club properly if you never learn how to grip it properly.  Imagine trying to learn how to write if nobody ever taught you the most efficient way to hold a pen.  You would eventually find a way to do it, but odds are it  would be much more difficult and probably not very conventional.  There are two things that you need to understand in order to learn to grip the club properly.  Those two things are your hand position and your grip pressure.  This morning I will be focusing primarily on grip pressure.

I'm sure that many of you are familiar with the saying in regards to grip pressure that says, "hold the club like you would hold a bird; tight enough so that the bird won't fly away, but not so tight that you would crush it."  That would be fine if you were just holding the club and not swinging it, but thats not the case.  As you swing the golf club it generates a great deal of force that requires a firm grip on the club if you have any intention of controlling it.  I tell my students that they should be holding onto the club firmly with 5 fingers and loosely with the other 5.  With your top hand (left hand for right handers) you should be holding onto the club firmly with your pinky, ring, and middle fingers while the other 2 should be relaxed.  In your bottom hand (right hand for right handers) you should be gripping the club tightly with your thumb and pointer finger while the other 3 fingers are just along for the ride.  The 5 fingers that you are gripping the club firmly with are primarily responsible for releasing the club in a manner that will provide you with more power and consistency.  Having the pressure in the correct fingers will allow you to have the control of the club you need without feeling like you are strangling it.

This change to your grip pressure will most certainly feel awkward, but I have no doubt it will improve your solidness of contact and consistency.  Be patient as you make this adjustment as often times changes to the grip are some of the most difficult changes to make.  As always let me know if you have any questions!"

If you are looking to improve your golf game Rob is available for lessons at SilverHorn and offers discounted rates for members of SilverHorn (our lowest memberships start at $10 a month!). E-mail Rob at rmyers@centurygolf.com to schedule a lesson or to simply ask Rob a question.

Also visit Rob online at Rob's website: www.riimgolf.com. 

If you need new grips for your golf clubs hit up Chris Hopkins at chopkins@centurygolf.com. 

Are You a Loyalty Member?

The benefits of a Loyalty Membership:

-Save $5.00 on green fees
-Your choice of 2 Draft Beers or Fountain Drinks
-FREE Handicap Service
-Best Price Guarantee on Merchandise
-FREE Replays

-Complimentary instruction at any of our Clinics

-Special Member events

-Discounted rates for private golf lessons

The best part about a Loyalty membership?

-Play 10 rounds receive a choice of FJ, Adidas or Callaway golf shoes
OR you can bank your rewards points and take steps toward a
bigger Reward at 20 rounds!

-Play 20 rounds for a choice of a Taylor Made or Callaway fairway wood, hybrid, putter or wedge

Are you over the age of 60? We have a special loyalty program for you: 

-  Save $5.00 on posted rate greens fees

-  Your choice of 2 Draft Beers or Fountain Drinks with each paid round

-  Warm up bag of Range Balls with each paid round

-  FREE Handicap Service

-  Best Price Guarantee on Merchandise

-  FREE Replays

- 50% Discount on Food

-  Complimentary instruction at any of our Clinics

-Discounted rates for private golf instruction

-  Special Member events

2012 Senior Rewards Program:

-Play 10 rounds receive a choice of FJ, Adidas or Callaway golf shoes
OR you can bank your rewards points and take steps toward a
bigger Reward at 25 rounds!

-Play 25 rounds for a choice of a Taylor Made or Callaway fairway wood, hybrid, putter or wedge

*Rewards Program runs from March 1, 2012 – February 28, 2013

What are you waiting for? Head into the golf shop today and sign up- just $10 a year for 365 days of golf rewards! 

Your Questions Answered By Rob Myers, PGA (Part One)

We asked our Twitter followers and Facebook fans, "If you could ask a PGA instructor any question what would it be?" We received some great questions and here are the answers from Rob Myers, PGA. 


Ruben J.-
"What's the best drill for improving impact or ball striking?" 

As I'm sure you have noticed, the impact position is one of the most important areas of the golf swing to have fundamentally sound.  One major key to improving impact is to make sure that your hands are in front of the club head and the golf ball upon impact.  Try this: Once you are confident that the ball position is correct for the particular club you are using, place a tee in the ground about 12 inches in front of the ball.  As you execute the next golf swing, focus your eyes on the tee rather than the ball.  While this will certainly feel awkward, this is a great drill to trick your mind into thinking impact is actually later than it is.  The anticipation of impact with the ball often times causes people to release the club too early leading to inconsistency at impact.  As you begin seeing more success, slowly bring the tee closer and closer to the ball until you are able to just focus on the front half of the golf ball.  Best of luck!

Nicolas N.-
"How do I get more distance out my drive!?" 

Great question!  The search for more distance with the driver is something that is common amongst many!  While there is no potion you can drink to increase distance, there are a couple of things you can do to maximize your ability.  First, check your ball position to make sure it is just INSIDE your front foot.  Having the proper ball position will help you hit the ball at the bottom of the swing arc when the club should be moving it's fastest.  Another thing to focus on would be your turn away from the golf ball.  It's super important particularly with longer clubs that you get turned "behind" the golf ball on the backswing(lead shoulder and hip turned even with or behind the ball).  This full turn on the backswing will make it easier to generated more club head speed on the through swing.  Between these two adjustments you should see some increase in your yardage with the driver!  Hit it long!

Brendan N.-
"What is your number one piece of advice for beginners to the game of golf?" 

The best piece of advice I could give to somebody starting out is to PRACTICE!!  Spend as much time as possible with a club in your hand, even if you are not hitting golf balls.  Just holding a club, making practice swings, and working on your posture will get you more comfortable with some of the basics.  The sooner you are able to get comfortable with some of the basics you will be able to start focusing more on the mechanics of the swing.  It's also important to exercise a little patience when getting started.  Golf can be a frustrating game to learn, but hang in there for the first few months and it will be very rewarding! 

Mike P.-
"How can I improve my lag putting" 

Lag putting is a highly underrated area of the game.  Most people don't spend much time thinking about it until they find themselves on the green putting for birdie from 50 feet!  A great exercise for lag putting is to practice putting with your dominate hand only.  It will feel very strange at first, but the dominate hand is responsible for your touch or feel and thus is largely in contol of your speed.  Once you have struck several lag putts using just the one hand, you can place your lead hand back on the putter with very light grip pressure.  The light pressure will allow your dominate hand to still do the majority of the work while not drawing too much attention to yourself for only using one hand.  Before long you should find your speed on all putts (particularly the lag putts) drastically improve.  Best of luck!

If you are looking to improve your golf game Rob is available for lessons at SilverHorn and offers discounted rates for members of SilverHorn (our lowest memberships start at $10 a month!). E-mail Rob at rmyers@centurygolf.com to schedule a lesson or to simply ask Rob a question.

Also visit Rob online at Rob's website: www.riimgolf.com. 

Junior Summer Golf Camps

Join Director of Instruction, Rob Myers- PGA for this 

summers' junior golf camps. Your young ones will learn the

 game of golf in a fun and friendly environment. The junior

 camps are designed to educate each individual on the 3 

major phases of the game (full swing, short game and 

putting) as well as rules and etiquette. 

Camp Dates:

1. June 11- June 15

2. June 25- 29

3. July 9- July 13

4. July 23- July 27

5. August 6- August 10

Age Divisions:

Ages 11-14 (8am-12pm)- $275 

-3.5 hours of instruction each day

-Each student will be provided with snacks, drinks and lunch daily

-All participants will receive a logo camp shirt


Ages 6-10 (8am-10am)- $125 

-2 hours of instruction provided each day

-Each student will be provided with snacks and drinks daily

-All participants will receive a logo camp shirt

To register for a camp contact Rob Myers at

             (210) 545-5300       ext. 1 or via e-mail at 

rmyers@centurygolf.com. Payment for each camp is due 7 

days prior to the first day of camp.

www.riimgolf.com

www.silverhorngolf.com