The journey has not been without it’s challenges as South Texas is in a drought and in this part of the country water is more valuable than gold. We had the hottest temperatures on record in the history of recorded temperatures with 56 days over 100 degrees and a few days approaching 110 degrees. This is really not good for growing grass and tends to keep all but the most serious golfers at home, out of the sun. Thanks to a knowledgeable grounds crew and some excellent training and experience I have from my days as a PGA member in Illinois, we have weathered the storm and as of now have survived the drought. Just last week we had just under 4 inches of much needed rain and the fairways, once dormant and brown have perked up and the course has greened up nicely. Not that we are completely out of the woods, we still need more rain but the course is green and the weather is beautiful.

The Hawk at Rebecca Creek is a fun course to play. Four sets of tees make it a challenge for everybody regardless of ability.The course is heavily wooded with mature oak trees. We have no sand traps and only one water hole. Regardless the course record is 6 under par 66.

I invite you all to visit me. I am here 7 days a week. If you do come to the Hill Country ask for me and receive a special Oldproblog reader discount. Visit our web site if you get a chance www.thehawkgolfclub.com

If you have never visited the Texas Hill Country I can’t begin to tell you what you are missing. There is so much to see and do. You are within driving distance of both San Antonio and Austin. To tell you the truth it is now rare for me to venture into the big cities. I have acclimated to Hill Country living and really don’t have a need to. The area is rich with traditions and history of the Old West. There is plenty to see in the Hill Country that could keep you busy for months.

I have not written much in the last 6 months as the golf course has kept me very busy. I will try to pick it up and post more often in the near future.

If you have an opinion on Texas Hill Country Golf or The Hawk at Rebecca Creek please leave a comment. Until next time,  Good Golfing !!!!

If your grips are to small you have to grip the club to tightly reducing the natural arm swing back to the ball. Most people that have grips that are to small tend to be wristy and involve the hands to much delivering the club to impact. This often leads to inconsistent ball flight with a tendency to close the club face through impact.

The last two examples are just rule of thumb but the fact is that playing with the wrong grip size is not good for your game. When I worked on the PGA Tour in 1983 I found that most of the players were quite concerned with having the correct size. A note of caution: Be aware that changing grips and altering size can effect the overall balance of the club. Care should be made to ensure that the overall weight of each replacement grip is similar.

Many of my students have arthritis or other afflictions that effect their ability to grip the club as they have been taught. It has never made sense to me that the golf grip tapers from large to small while the human hand does almost the opposite. In the early 1980’s I brought a grip idea to Lamkin Leather in Chicago with a grip design that tapers to fit the hand. They called it the Silhouette Grip and my guess they sold zillions of them. The USGA made a change in the rules of golf that made the grip illegal and Lamkin no longer offers the grip. If you have arthritis or other hand problems you may want to see if you can find some. They are still out there. If you are playing for the enjoyment of the game don’t worry about if your grips do not conform. Just have fun. Below is a picture of the Silhouette Grip.

I apologize for not keeping up with this blog but for the last 90 days I have had my hands full at my new course, The Hawk at Rebecca Creek in Spring Branch, Texas. When I got here the course was in poor shape. The greens were terrible and had little grass on them. I am happy to say that the greens are now perfect. I will put them up against any greens in the San Antonio golf course market. We have made other improvements, including 66 new EzGo golf carts and have updated the kitchen menu to include Chicago style hot dogs ( for those of you that have had a Chicago hot dog, these are as good as Portillo’s) and Deep dish Chicago style pizza much like Lou Malnatti’s. We have live entertainment every Saturday from 4 to 8. If you are in the area come out and enjoy the music, food and beer in a beautiful Texas Hill Countery setting.

Until next time, Good Golfing !!!

Always remember that it is the club that strikes the ball. There is no need to help the ball get up in the air with your hands or your wrists. Let the natural loft on the club determine the trajectory of the shot.

I believe that you should always try and visualize the chip shot in your mind. Select a club with the necessary loft to launch the ball to the green and let the ball roll to the hole. Try the following method to improve your chipping.

Set up with a slightly open stance. This will allow you to swing the club through the ball to an abbreviated finish. Use a slightly narrower stance than normal. Place the ball in the middle of your stance. Even though you have opened your stance make sure that the club face is aligned directly to the hole or to a spot that, with the roll of the ball on the green, will get the ball to finish close to the hole.

Take a few practice swings trying to brush the grass with the club head. Make sure that when you strike the chip shot that your wrists remain firm to your abbreviated finish. If you have been a flippy chipper this may be a bit difficult to master. If you can’t seem to get it, practice with just your left hand on the club only. It is very hard to be flippy on a one-handed chip shot. Once you master the one-handed chip, put both hands on the club, but keep you wrists firm through impact. This method will make you a more consitent chipper.

Note: I am now giving lessons by appointment at my course, The Hawk at Rebecca Creek, in Spring Branch, Texas Ph 830-885-7495. We have a terrific practice facility here. If you visit the Texas Hill Country please give me a call. The golf course is in great shape.

Please leave a comment about your chipping woes. If you would like to join our community of golfers please sign up for the oldproblog newsletter. Until next time Good Golfing !!!!

When I acquired The Hawk at Rebecca Creek Golf Course in April, I never thought that my biggest lesson so far would come from an exceptional young man by the name of Kyle Butts. I hired Kyle as a part of our cart staff which is nothing special in its own. What is special is the fact that Kyle has Downs Syndrome. Kyle is 22 years old and has graduated from high school. He is currently enrolled in the Reddix program in San Antonio where he is being taught basic job skills.

I must give credit to his family that have guided him to this point and the teachers and therapists that have been especially helpful in his development. My sister-in-law Kim , who has been a special ed teacher as long as I can remember, introduced me to the young man. You see it has always been Kyle’s dream to work at a golf course. I was able to help him achieve his dream but I have learned much more just by being around him.

Kyle has tackled all of lifes obstacles with a fervent passion and has overcome much of his disability. He is an accomplished public speaker and often gives talks to large groups about overcoming his challenges. He plays the trumpet , is a better than average swimmer and has participated in soccer.

His greatest talent is for golf. He was fortunate to have a dedicated instructor when he became interested in golf, Mr Dick Logan, Golf Coordinator for the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio took a special liking to Kyle and patiently taught him the fundamentals of a good golf swing. His efforts paid off and Kyle has been active in Special Olympics.

It is quite unusual for a person with Downs Syndrome to have the eye-hand coordination necessary to be a good golfer. As with many of his challenges Kyle has surprised most with his well coordinated swing. If you ask Kyle he will be glad to tell you that he is better than Tiger Woods. He also does a pretty good imitation of Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley.

You can meet Kyle on Saturdays at The Hawk at Rebecca Creek in Spring Branch, Texas. He is an inspiration to all the people he meets and he is particularly special to me. Below is a video of his swing. Some of you will be jealous.

The Golf Swing and Downs Syndrome

Please feel free to leave me comments about this exceptional young man. To keep up with the old pro and the Hawk at Rebecca Creek please sign up for the oldproblog newsletter. Until next time. Good Golfing  !!!!

GOLF TIP:

If you are having problems with your short pitch shots, chances are that your body is too rigid and you are swinging just with your hands and your arms. This flippy type of swing will make you inconsistent at best.

Try swinging with a mini version of your full swing allowing your body to turn with the shot as you would with a full swing. Remember the following: Swing the club down and the ball will go up, conversely, swing the club up to hit the ball down. A steep angle of attack is necessary with your short pitch shots. If you pitching swing is flippy, you will be swinging the club up at impact and the result will either be  a fat or thin shot. Remember your mini-swing to eliminate the problem.

If you ever get to the Texas Hill Country, by all means stop and see me. If not please sign up for the oldproblog email club or leave a comment about favorite subject. Until next time, Good Golfing  !!!!

It is every Golf Pro’s dream to someday own a golf course. I have been truly blessed with this opportunity. This opportunity just sort of fell in my lap. The golf course is just about 1 mile from where my wife and I had bought land to build a retirement home. I love the Texas Hill Country and the golf course views are breathtaking. I plan to get back on a regular blog schedule as soon as possible. The golf course has a great practice facility. Once I get organized down there, I will start using video on the blog.

In the future I will be writing the blog from the golf course. I intend to offer case studies of some of my students and you will be able to chart the changes they make and their progress as they work on some of the very same things that may be troubling you.

Golf Tip- The Take away

If you are a slicer, pay close attention to this tip. Taking the club away from the golf ball by fanning the club face open in order to create the proper swing path for the back swing is a mistake. Fanning the club face open in the back swing will almost guarantee a slice. Concentrate on taking the club away from the golf ball without fanning the club face open. This will put you in a position at the top of the back swing with the club face in a slightly closed position. Say goodbye to your slice.

I welcome your comments. More about the new golf course later. If you would like to join our community of golfers please sign up for the oldproblog email club. Until next time, Good Golfing   !!!

If you have taken golf lessons before or read a lot about the golf swing, I must ask you to try to forget it all for now. Read this information with an open mind and soon you will be able to diagnose your swing problems by watching the flight of the ball. This does not mean you do not need a teacher or a coach because just knowing the cause does not cure the problem. Knowing the cause of a good or bad shot pattern will help you better understand your instructor.

Below I list the four influences on the fight of the golf ball:

The golf ball is only concerned with 4 things. There are only 4 influences on the flight of the golf ball. If you can learn these 4 influences on ball flight, you will be well on your way to becoming a better player. In future posts I will describe in detail the secret to understanding ball flight. I know that many of you have taken golf lessons and by the time you are done with the lesson you are probably hitting the ball better but by the next time you tee it up you find you have lost the magic of what you learned on the practice range. If you don’t comprehend the pinciples of ball fight the lesson process can be very frustrating.

The 4 influences on the fight of the ball are:

1. Face- Where the clubface points the ball will ultimately end up.

2. Swing Path- The path the club travels tells the golf ball where to start. The club face tells it where to finish.

3. Angle- The angle the club takes to approach the ball determines the trajectory of the shot.

4. speed- the clubhead speed determines how far the ball will go

Once you understand these principles you can apply them to your own shot patterns. I have listed a few below with a ball flight explanation for each one:

1. Golf ball starts to the left and then slices to the right- path is outside to inside of your intended  target line and your clubface is open at impact. Solution- Review section on Swing Path. Make sure that your shoulders are parallel to your intended target line in your set up. Check your golf grip. It is ok to alter your grip to effect the clibface but check your set up first.

2. Golf ball starts to the left and draws further to the left- path is outside to inside of your intended target line and your clubface is closed at impact. Solution-Review the section on swing path. Make sure that your shoulders are parallel to your intended target line. It is ok to modify your grip to open the face slightly but work on your set up first.

3. Golf ball starts to the right and slices further to the right to the right- commonly known as a push slice, the swing path is from the inside of the target line to outside the target line.The clubface is open. If the clubface was closed at impact this swing path would result in a golf shot that starts to the right and then draws to the left.This is a swingpath/grip issue. Review the exercise that I mentioned in the blog about swing path. This exercise will give you the feeling of a path that returns the club to the ball from the inside, travels down the target line a very short distance and then returns to the inside. You may have been told or read somewhere to swing the club inside out but that will always start the ball out to the right of target. A more corect terminology would be inside to inside because that is exactly what happens in a good golf swing.

4. Golf ball starts straight and then curves to the left- Congratulations, your swing path is correct but the clubface is closed ar impact. Check your grip. Remember, your hands are the only real influence on the position of the clubface at impact.

5. Golf shot starts straight and the fades to the right- Congratulations, your swing path is correct but the clubface is open at impact. Check your grip. Your hands are the only part of your body attached to the implement that strikes the ball. Your grip can influence the position of the cluface at impact.

I welcome your comments. If you would like to join our community of golfers, please sign up for the oldproblog newsletter. Until next time, Good Golfing   !!!!!

There are two approaches to developing a putting touch on the greens. You can try to roll a putt at a speed that would let the putt drop in the hole on its last revolution or you can strike the putt more solidly so if you miss the hole your golf ball will roll no farther than three feet past the hole.

I believe you are better off learning a putting touch that rolls the ball past the cup no more than three feet. This type of putting stroke will reduce the amount of break you account for when lining up the putt. The putting stroke that tries to have the ball drop in the hole on the last revolution is more effected by the break in the putt and is much harder to master.

For practice, take 5 or 6 golf balls and practice rolling the ball to the hole not letting the golf ball roll more than 3 feet past the hole. Pacrice this from varying distances and this drill will make you a better putter

It has been my experience that the average golfer is prone to striking the put to softly.  Too soft a putting stroke has a very poor chance of holing any putts. Be agressive and practice to make sure you hit the ball past the hole. If it never gets there you do not give yourself a chance to make the putt.

On the practice green put several tees in the ground, 3 feet around the hole. Practice putts from 10, 20 and 30 feet from the hole. Make an effort to make the putts but if not let them roll no more than 3 feet past the cup. This sounds easy but it is not and will take practice. Build you confidence on the practice green and it will have a positive influence on the rest of your game.

I welcome your comments. If you would like to join our community of golfers, please sign up for the oldproblog email club. Until next time, Good Golfing  !!!!

Why is this cponcept so hard for many golfers? Certain factors are involved when you put the club in motion that will help you understand a little better. During the down swing a good golfer will generate as much as four horsepower and needs 30 pounds of muscle to achieve this power. To put this in prospective, a 4 horsepower engine on a dirt bike or Atv will propel the bike up to 30 mph. That is a lot of power generated to propel the golf ball and if not properly harnessed can produce some wild golf shots.

At impact the golf ball is only in contact with the golf ball for half a milisecond. Because of this it is impossible to manipulate the club face with your hands in order to square the golf club to the target at impact. From the moment of impact the golf ball remains on the club face an average of 3/4 of an inch. The force appiled to the golf ball at impact, assuming you are generating 4 horsepower is about 1400 pounds.

By the time you feel or hear anything as a result of a golf shot the ball has already traveled away from the club face 1/2 an inch. There is no way to alter the shot or modify your swing to effect ball flight in such a short period.

After reading this you can understand that once you start the golf swing it is too late to change or alter your swing. There is no magic I can provide you with that can change your swing mid-stream. Because of this it is important that you grasp the basic fundamentals of a good golf swing and practice them until they are totally ingrained and natural. A good set up, with your shoulders, hips and knees parallel to your target puts you in a position to make a good golf swing.

Remember that the golf ball only is influenced by swing path, club face, angle of attack and club head speed. Once you have begun your swing it is too late to make any adjustment. Practice the drills I have posted in the past to ensure that you are giving yourself the best opportunity to hit a good golf shot.

I welcome your comments. If you would like to join our community of golfers, sign up for the oldproblog email club. Until next time, Good Golfing  !!!!

I have covered in earlier posts, that the golf swing is just that, a swing and not a series of static movements to certain positions. If your golf swing is over mechanical and lacking fluidity it will be reflected in an off-balanced follow through. If this describes you, try to get the feeling that you are hitting through the ball to a finish position. The swing does not stop at impact. If yours does, your follow through will be abbreviated and off-balance.

You can diagnose your swing plane by examining your finish postion. If your finish has the club below and past your left shoulder tour swing plane is too flat. If the club finishes high over your left shoulder your swing is most likely on the right plane.

Check your finish position to make sure your hips have completely rotated and your body is facing your target. If you slide your hips forward (laterally)in your downswing rather that letting them rote naturally to lead the club to a finish, your follow through will probably be too high resulting in push slices ro duck hooks. Allow your hips to unwind the coil you created in your back swing allowing you to finish your swing with the club high over your left shoulder with your body facing the target. The proper rotation of the hips or lower body and the momentum of the swing should transfer your weight to your left side.

Follow through Drill

To practice your follow through, address the golf ball, and instead of swinging the club back as you would normally, swing the club forward to your finish position. Hold that position for 15 seconds. Try to get a feel for what a good finish feels like. Do this drill over and over until the correct finish feels natural.

I welcome your comments. If you would like to join this community of golfers please sign up for the oldproblog email club. Until next time, Good Golfing  !!!!