master strokes - golf the villages strokes.pdfmaster strokes it is an adage as old as golf itself, a...

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THE VILLAGES DAILY SUN | TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019 | B3 golf central IN THE VILLAGES Registration Open for This Year’s Upcoming Ladies Village Cup Ladies interested in playing in this May’s Ladies Village Cup can register now through March 30. The Ladies Village Cup is a team competi- tion that pits 12 groups against each other in a Ryder Cup-style format. The tournament starts at Belle Glade Country Club with elimination rounds on May 7, 8 and 10. The finals are May 14, 15 and 17. To sign up or get more information, contact Barb Johnson at 815-626-6666 or email [email protected]. “(Jennifer Song) told me Dustin (Johnson) hit so bad and he didn’t get angry. So, I tried like Dustin. I just tried no angry, no happy, just focus.” Jin Young Ko, on rallying to come back from a five-stroke deficit to win the Founders Cup Sunday. A LESSON FROM A VILLAGES GOLF ACADEMY INSTRUCTOR | ON PUTTING THE INSTRUCTOR WADE MARTIN Wade is a dedicated Class A member of the PGA of America. Since coming to The Villages, Wade has been heavily involved in junior golf and instrumental in building the current junior golf program offered by The Villages Golf Academy. How did you get into instruction? Growing up in a small town, there were no golf professionals in the area, so like a lot of people, much of what I learned came from reading books and magazines or from other golfers hanging around the course. I realized that many things I read or was told didn’t always fit me. Because of that, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the golf swing, how to teach it and how to adjust for the golfer rather than giving random tips that may or may not be effective. What is your instruction philosophy? When it comes to the swing, every golfer is different and, therefore, must be taught differently. We all have different body types, learning styles, physical challenges, etc ... so there is no one way and certainly no one “right” way to swing a golf club. Even more important is the short game. Every golfer could lower their scores if they spent more time learning about and practicing the short game. BOOK A LESSON The staff of The Villages Golf Academy wants to help you with your game. To schedule a session with an instructor, call 352-259-8121 or 352-259-2077. Master Strokes It is an adage as old as golf itself, a putt counts the same on a scorecard as a tee shot. So while amateur players are constantly seeking to get more distance out of their swing, it is important to remember that having good practices on the green is perhaps a more realistic way to lower your handicap. Wade Martin, an instructor with The Villages Golf Academy, walks you through some teaching aids and drills you can perform to make sure you address the ball correctly, create a square face at impact and develop solid contact — all of which will lead to more confident putting. Photos by Bill Mitchell | Daily Sun CHECK WITH SAM The Villages Golf Academy uses a SAM Puttlab machine to give players real-time and hyper- accurate feedback on their putting stroke. One of the many pieces of data the SAM can offer is the degree to which the putter’s face is open when a player makes contact with a ball. The average PGA Tour player strikes his putt with the club face open at .3 degrees. The average amateur should aim for a .7 degrees open or closed. GET OVER YOUR LINE Consistently setting up properly over a putt is the first step toward making more accurate putts and cutting down strokes. The player’s eyes should be directly over the target line at set up with their shoulders parallel to that line. One way to make sure you are doing this is by using the Eye Line training aid. Practice approaching the ball and setting up properly over it before putting and repeating the process to reinforce the routine. MAKE SQUARE CONTACT Players should strive for square contact with a ball when putting. That way you can be confident the ball will follow its intended line. A good drill to make sure you are making square contact is to hit two balls sitting next to each other at the same time. If they roll next to each other, square contact is being made. If the ball toward the heel rolls out farther, your club face is open at impact. If the ball near the toe rolls out farther, your club face is closed. GO THROUGH THE GATE One thing a lot of amateur putters do is make contact with the ball outside of the center of the club face. This drill — one used regularly by Tiger Woods — helps correct that. Place two balls, or tees or other makers, apart at a distance just wider than your putter face. Then practice striking a ball while avoiding the markers. This ensures you are pulling the club back and then following through on a straight path, which promotes square contact in the center of the club face. DRILL THREE DRILL FOUR DRILL TWO DRILL ONE BOTTOM LINE | MIX UP YOUR PUTTING DRILLS TO KEEP YOUR SHORT GAME TIDY

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Page 1: Master strokes - Golf The Villages Strokes.pdfMaster strokes It is an adage as old as golf itself, a putt counts the same on a scorecard as a tee shot. So while amateur players are

T h e V i l l a g e s D a i ly s u n | T u e s d ay, M a r c h 2 6 , 2 019 | b 3

golf centralIn the v Ill ages

Registration Open for This Year’s Upcoming Ladies Village CupLadies interested in playing in this May’s Ladies Village Cup can register now through March 30. The Ladies Village Cup is a team competi-tion that pits 12 groups against each other in a Ryder Cup-style format. The tournament starts at Belle Glade Country Club with elimination rounds on May 7, 8 and 10. The finals are May 14, 15 and 17. To sign up or get more information, contact Barb Johnson at 815-626-6666 or email [email protected].

“(Jennifer Song) told me Dustin (Johnson) hit so bad and he didn’t get angry. So, I tried like Dustin. I just tried no angry, no happy, just focus.”Jin Young Ko, on rallying to come back from a five-stroke deficit to win the Founders cup sunday.

A L e s s o n f r o m A V i L L Ag e s g o L f Ac A d e m Y i n s t r u c t o r | O n pu T T i n g t h e i n s t r u c t o r

Wade MartinWade is a dedicated

class a member of the pga of america. since coming to The Villages, Wade has been heavily involved in

junior golf and instrumental in building the current junior

golf program offered by The Villages golf academy.

how did you get into instruction? growing up in a small town, there were no golf professionals in the area, so like a lot of people, much of what i learned came from reading books and magazines or from other golfers hanging around the course. i realized that many things i read or was told didn’t always fit me. Because of that, i wanted to learn as much as i could about the golf swing, how to teach it and how to adjust for the golfer rather than giving random tips that may or may not be effective.

What is your instruction philosophy? When it comes to the swing, every golfer is different and, therefore, must be taught differently. We all have different body types, learning styles, physical challenges, etc ... so there is no one way and certainly no one “right” way to swing a golf club. even more important is the short game. every golfer could lower their scores if they spent more time learning about and practicing the short game.

Book a lessonThe staff of The Villages golf academy wants to help you with your game. To schedule a session with an instructor, call 352-259-8121 or 352-259-2077.

Master strokesIt is an adage as old as golf itself, a putt counts the same on a scorecard as a tee shot. So while amateur players are constantly seeking to get more distance out of their swing, it is important to remember that having good practices on the green is perhaps a more realistic way to lower your handicap. Wade Martin, an instructor with The Villages Golf Academy, walks you through some teaching aids and drills you can perform to make sure you address the ball correctly, create a square face at impact and develop solid contact — all of which will lead to more confident putting.

Photos by Bill Mitchell | Daily Sun

CheCk With SaMThe Villages golf academy uses a saM puttlab machine to give players real-time and hyper-accurate feedback on their putting stroke. One of the many pieces of data the saM can offer is the degree to which the putter’s face is open when a player makes contact with a ball. The average pga Tour player strikes his putt with the club face open at .3 degrees. The average amateur should aim for a .7 degrees open or closed.

Get over your lineconsistently setting up properly over a putt is the first step toward making more accurate putts and cutting down strokes. The player’s eyes should be directly over the target line at set up with their shoulders parallel to that line. One way to make sure you are doing this is by using the eye Line training aid. practice approaching the ball and setting up properly over it before putting and repeating the process to reinforce the routine.

Make Square ContaCtplayers should strive for square contact with a ball when putting. That way you can be confident the ball will follow its intended line. a good drill to make sure you are making square contact is to hit two balls sitting next to each other at the same time. if they roll next to each other, square contact is being made. if the ball toward the heel rolls out farther, your club face is open at impact. if the ball near the toe rolls out farther, your club face is closed.

Go throuGh the GateOne thing a lot of amateur putters do is make contact with the ball outside of the center of the club face. This drill

— one used regularly by Tiger Woods — helps correct that. place two balls, or tees or other makers, apart at a distance just wider than your putter face. Then practice striking a ball while avoiding the markers. This ensures you are pulling the club back and then following through on a straight path, which promotes square contact in the center of the club face.

d r i L L t h r e e d r i L L f o u rd r i L L t w od r i L L o n e

B o t to m l i n e | m i x u p yo u r p u t t i n g d r i l l s to k e e p yo u r s h o r t g a m e t i dy