As I set goals and make resolutions for a new year, I also enjoy looking back at this year's highlights and accomplishments. 2008 proved to be an especially artful year! As I entered my fourth year playing golf, I not only reached my goals for lowering my index below 3 and breaking 70, but played more rounds of golf and on more new golf courses than during any prior year.


Photo by Aidan Bradley - golfcoursephotography.com

The year started off nicely with my second hole-in-one in January (at Cypress Ridge). In the middle of the year, I reached my low index of 2.4 after scoring my first par round from the back tees in July (at Monarch Dunes). And the year ended on a good note when I finally shot my first round under 70 last month (at Glen Annie). I enjoyed golf trips to the Big Island and Colorado and played a total of 17 new golf courses. I played my 50th career golf course at Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz and 60th golf course at Seven Oaks CC in Bakersfield. I played a total of 146 rounds of golf this year, averaging 12 rounds per month. Those rounds included exactly 100 rounds under 80, just 45 over 80, and 1 memorable round under 70!

But the most memorable highlight of the year was watching both of my children graduate from college! My son graduated from Cal Poly SLO with a Business Finance degree. My daughter graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Psychology and plans to enter law school next year. I'm obviously proud of both of them, and am grateful for the end of tuition bills.

There's plenty to look forward to next year too. I celebrate my 50th birthday in February and my 25th wedding anniversary in July! With golf, I simply plan to continue striving to improve and to enjoy and appreciate the game even more!

Wishing each of you a Happy Holiday season and an Artful New Year!

Labels: Goals, Statistics

I was hitting balls on the range the other day next to a guy I've run into a few times on the putting green. He's very analytical and his swing and putting stroke look very mechanical. He's a perfect example of someone who really needs to let go of all his swing thoughts and swing freely. His practice swing doesn't look half bad. He was hitting most of his irons fat, leaving a divot well in front of the ball. If you're hitting your irons fat, you're likely hanging back on your right side at impact.


Alex Ovechkin Slapshot

He asked for some help so I had him move his aim point well out in front of the ball so he'd more likely strike the ball, then the ground. He still struggled to get his weight transferred to his front leg, but he did begin to take some divots that started past the ball! His ball striking definitely improved.

I've always thought that golfers who struggle to hit down and through the ball need to purchase a hockey stick and puck learn how to shoot a slapshot. If you can get a puck up in the air, you can hit a solid golf shot. I'm certain that learning this skill before taking up golf is the primary reason for my good ball striking.

The key to a slapshot in hockey is the footwork and - as goal-scoring phenom Alex Ovechkin demonstrates above - an incredible shift of weight toward the target. Ovechkin's weight shift is so severe that he ends up standing on only his front skate. All of his weight has shifted to his target-side foot. If he hung back, he'd catch the ice, not the puck. Hitting crisp iron shots requires the same movement, with weight on the front foot at impact that stays there into the finish.

Hockey players actually hit with the stick into the ice and then use their hands as fast as they can going through. They also turn their shoulders through the golf shot when they play golf, or when they hit a hockey puck. A lot of times they are skating when they are hitting a hockey puck, skating on the lead skate, rear back with the stick, the elbow is in the air, and when they hit that slap shot, a lot of times you will see the back skate actually go in the opposite direction. They are not turning the hips in this direction, they are actually turning their shoulders more as they go through. So from the top of your backswing, instead of turning your hips through the ball, which often times can lead to a tilty shoulder turn, try leaving your hips in place and turning your shoulders through the shot. You will be amazed how much it moves your hips through.

If you're a scooper, give it a try.

Credit: Think like a hockey player to improve your faulty swing

Labels: Golf Instruction, Hockey