Another bio
Jennifer Borocz first started playing golf around the age of 10. She was a multi-sport athlete growing up and didn’t start playing until her dad picked the game up himself. As a multi-sport athlete, Jennifer was more focused on her other sports including basketball and softball.
PGA Member David Damesworth first started hitting golf balls and getting interested in the game at age 12, a little older than many kids that make their way into the industry. Like many, he started as a caddie, cutting his teeth at Plum Hollow Country Club in Southfield Michigan.
Scheffler and Smith have been phenomenal to watch the past few months. Both players are showing the same type of composure and mental toughness that the game’s greats are known for. Much like a Tiger or Jack in their prime, Scheffler and Smith are both confident and decisive once a decision has been made on the shot to play.
Augusta National affords us the opportunity each year to see the worlds best trying to maneuver their way around some of the trickiest green complexes in golf. Probably nowhere else do we get to see just how good the short game and putting is among the top players in golf. At the same time, it also exposes how the best can struggle just as much as we can on tricky greens. What can you take from watching the players in the field this week as they tackle the tricky and fast greens at Augusta National? The short answer is plenty.
Par threes present both a great opportunity for a birdie as well as an easy double bogey. How you approach them, from a strategic perspective, really makes all the difference in your success on them.
With Tiger remarkably making his comeback this week (a feat that almost seemed impossible even a few short weeks ago) a lot has been made of the idea of his being prepared, physically, to make his way around the course for 72 holes. For many players, being prepared for this tough test is something that is weeks, and even months, in the making.
Nowhere else in golf do we see the pre-tournament prep players perform being highlighted more than we do at The Masters. From the best-in-class practice facility that Augusta National Golf Club boasts, to the magnificent par three course, to the coverage of an on-course practice round, The Masters is unlike any other event in giving us a glimpse inside what the best of the best routinely do on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of a tournament week.
In what always seems to be the case, week in and week out, putting is what seals the deal for the professionals of the game. That was definitely the case for Kupcho. It is estimated that 40% of all the shots taken during the course of a round is with the flat stick. The putter is by far the one, single club in your bag that gets the most use. What do the Professionals Practice on the Green?
One of the cornerstones of my coaching philosophy is to always, no matter what level you may play at, remember to have fun and be grateful for the opportunity to play such a wonderful game. Some of the most important components that lead to success in golf are the ideas of staying in the present, not getting too far ahead of yourself, and keeping your nerves in check. These are all some of the main pillars of mindfulness, in golf, and in life.
I had the opportunity to catch up with Angela Nip, one of this year’s DCP National finalists. Qualifying out of the Southeast Region, in the 14-15 Girls Division, Angela punched her ticket to Augusta at the famed Bears Club in Jupiter, Florida.
The lesson we saw from Atthaya in these moments was her ability to gather herself and keep the good outcomes coming. Part of honing that ability to gather yourself after a slight trip up, during an otherwise good stretch, is to recognize that moments like that will indeed happen.
Scheffler hasn’t always been the best putter, but for the past few months he has really focused on his tempo, and more specifically, in his transition from the end of his backstroke and into his forward stroke. The drill that has helped him become more confident in his putting is simple. He places a quarter on the back of his putter blade and tries to keep it there during his transition. If it falls off, he knows that he got a little too quick.
Like many in the golf industry, I have the distinct honor of calling Bob Baldassari a friend. Anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting him knows what I mean when I say he’s a Pro’s Pro. He is a polished PGA Professional and that I consider the prototype of what it means to be one. However, he is also very forward thinking, and at times, an outside the box thinker, always trying to improve the image of the PGA member and the game itself.
That 30-putt stat for an 18-hole round is absolutely something most amateurs can achieve with a little work. In addition to putting in the practice time with the flat stick, how you pay attention and manage your putting game during a round is also key.
Anirban Lahiri is the 322nd ranked player in the world and the leader heading into the fourth round of The PLAYERS Championship. In his 15 years as a playing professional, despite close calls, he has no wins on the PGA Tour. “I was hitting my irons horribly before this week,” said Lahiri in a post round chat with Todd Lewis. In asking Anirban, what he might equate his success so far this week to, Lewis got an answer that some may find interesting… “I changed my swing weight in my irons by 1 and ½.”
Every round is unique, and every round has its own flow. The difference between a great score, good score, or poor score is how you manage the flow of that round. Several factors come into play and are required for you to own the flow of your round, and most of those have to do with shots on and around the green.
In a way, Justin Thomas was born to be on the golf course…I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Mike Thomas to talk about the impact that the game has had on his life and family. “My dad was a club pro, so golf is something I have always been around. Growing up, I would play some with my parents, club members and my brothers” Mike said.
I feel that most golfers will benefit greatly by focusing on those things that make the best LPGA Tour golfers in the world, like Jin Young Ko, the incredible players that they are…and that is learning to swing within themselves with an eye on proper technique.
I’ve been lucky enough to play Bay Hill on 10 occasions. One of the things that has always struck me with the layout are the number of holes that you really need to be cognizant of the lines you choose to hit your drives and approach shots on. Add wind into the mix, like we saw on Saturday, and you’ll need to be even more careful. With those two situations in mind, a strategically demanding course, and windy conditions, I would suggest these two classic tips, that came from the King himself, Arnold Palmer…
In golf, if we keep thinking about a mistake we made on a previous hole, or project how our score will turn out at the end of the round, our minds become filled with images of the past or future. It’s as if we’re daydreaming. Lacking mindfulness of the task at hand leads to poor decision-making before the shot and distracts us while we’re swinging.
In golf, if we keep thinking about a mistake we made on a previous hole, or project how our score will turn out at the end of the round, our minds become filled with images of the past or future. It’s as if we’re daydreaming. Lacking mindfulness of the task at hand leads to poor decision-making before the shot and distracts us while we’re swinging.
The Little Linksters Association for Junior Golf Development (501c3) is humbled to introduce The Danny Mapes Special Needs Lifetime Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship, named in the memory of Danny Mapes, is for a deserving youth with special needs that either plays golf now or would like to explore the game.
Shane Lowry, like others that tend to play hard courses well, usually equate that success to mindset. “You gotta take both the good breaks and those bad breaks on the chin and just move on…just shot the best score you can” Lowry said in a post 3rd round interview. With Shane’s thoughts in mind, I wanted to give you a few tips on how to play tough courses well, or at least better than your playing partners.
Golfers are obsessed with distance. Everyone wants to know how to hit the ball further. Some of the best ways to train yourself to hit the ball further is by working on and honing your primary fundamentals, such as posture, grip, and alignment, as well as creating a good understanding of what a sound golf swing should look like. This can all be accomplished by taking professional instruction from a PGA Coach. Another component to hitting the ball further is being able to learn how to increase the speed at which you swing the club. This is much easier said than done. For this, the combination of working with a PGA Coach, as well as a golf specific fitness coach, can help you in reaching your speed goals.