10
Aug '12

Preparing properly for playing a links course

By Kiel Christianson

Watching the Aberdeen Asset Scottish Open at Castle Stuart in Inverness, Scotland, and The Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, we started thinking about how links golf is so much different from our U.S. brand of parkland golf.

And now this week the PGA Championship is at The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, which in many ways is also links-like visually, although it plays more like a typical U.S. course (unless the wind is howling).

What should you do to prepare your game for a trip to the Auld Sod of Ireland, or the Home of Golf, Scotland, or a seaside course here in the U.S.?

One thing that comes to mind is to not expect to have a career round. Unless you've been there often, it'll take some getting used to.

Beyond that, we turned to SwingFix instructor Doug Spencer of the Brian Mogg Performance Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Here's what he suggests:

"Being prepared for the weather and windy conditions is a must. A few areas that I would practice would be as follows."

1. Make sure to have fresh grips.
2. Practice wearing your rain gloves to get used to wearing two gloves.
3. Invest in a quality rain suit and shoes, and hit some balls with the rainsuit on to make sure you can swing effectively before the round.
4. The greens will be a bit slower so practice on slower greens to get used to hitting your putts harder.
5. Practice working on hitting a lot of longer putts through the fringe and from out in the fairway. This is a great way to work on getting used to keeping the ball down on the ground.
6. The bunkers will also be deeper with high faces, so getting used to hitting high bunker shots is a must.
7. The sand also seems to be firmer on links courses, so get used to the firmer base and the wedge bouncing more (check the bounce on your wedges to make sure you don't have too much).
8. Learning to hit lower flighted shots is also a must to control your trajectory. Go out and throw some balls in the trees and practice hitting lower flighted shots under the branches. Hitting balls on the range doesn't quite tell you how you're controlling your trajectory.

Tags: Commentary
7
Aug '12

Dance the waltz to improve your tempo

By Kiel Christianson

We've all heard the cliché that golf is a metaphor for life. And as in life, in golf, timing is everything – bad tempo more often than not will lead to a bad swing and a bad result.

In this swing tip video, Charlotta Sorenstam, from the Annika Academy, demonstrates a graceful drill called "Dance the Waltz." Don't worry if you can't dance; all you need to do is count to three.

It'll take some practice to step back during the backswing and forward with the downswing, but if you ingrain that timing, your tempo will definitely improve.

Tags: Range Drills
6
Aug '12

Five questions with Karen Palacios-Jansen

By SwingFix.com staff

SwingFix Instructor Karen Palacios-Jansen has taught at three high-profile golf schools, so it's natural for her to think there are a variety of ways to teach the game effectively.

Now based at The Point Lake and Golf Club in North Carolina, She earned 2008 "Teacher of the year" and has been named to the "Top 50 Female Instructor" list by Golf Digest.

Palacios-Jansen spends a lot of time teaching on the road, so she's used to internet lessons and staying in touch with her students' games using the latest technology. We got to know her philosophy a little bit further with these five questions:

1. Tell us briefly about your golf instruction philosophy and how you preach it at The Point Lake and Golf Club.

PALACIOS-JANSEN: I have always believed that golf is a game that anyone can learn and enjoy. I feel my job as a teacher is not only to give out the best information I can give, but also to also motivate and inspire people to have fun and improve. Although I have taught with three different golf schools and dozens of well-known teachers that employ method teaching (David Leadbetter Golf Academy, The Faldo Institute by Marriott and the Jim McLean Golf School), I do not adhere to one method of teaching the game of golf. I evaluate each student separately and prescribe swing fixes and drills based on their needs. Each student leaves the lesson with a plan on how to improve and practice his or her game.

2. What attracted you to the SwingFix platform and how effective can this method be for golfers?

PALACIOS-JANSEN: I travel all over the country giving golf lessons, so now with SwingFix I am able to continue helping people remotely. I can help students in Boston or L.A. even though I am located in North Carolina. It is easy to keep track of students and see how they progress with this new technology. My students can be assured that they are working on the right things to improve their swings because I am constantly giving them feedback.

Almost everyone has a phone with a video camera, so it is so easy to upload a swing and in less than 24 hours have it analyzed. Since the lessons are short and concise with visual aides, it is easy for the golfer to digest and process the information. Having the video lesson saved on computer means you can go back and review often.

Golf lessons can be expensive and time consuming. SwingFix has the perfect price point to attract golfers that, who in the past, may have wanted to take lessons but could not afford them. The more we get golfers to improve and enjoy the game, the more they will play.

3. In your opinion, what is the secret to taking the "range game" to the first tee?

PALACIOS-JANSEN: Being comfortable and relaxed on the golf course is the key to good golf. It may be easier to hit good shots on the range because there is a certain "comfort" level, there is no pressure to score.  You have to practice on the range as if you were on the course, so when you get on the course, you are as comfortable as you are on the range.

Next time you practice, practice as if you were playing. After you have warmed up, imagine your favorite course and go through an entire 18 holes as if you were playing. Tee off with a driver, note where the ball finishes and then imagine what your next shot would be, use a different club to approach the green. If you miss-hit your approach shot, go over to the putting green and chip a ball up to a flag or even hit a sand shot and then go putt that ball out. You would never hit 15 drives in a row on the golf course, so why would you practice that way?

4. Is there a particular training aid that you tend to use most regularly and with the most effectiveness?

PALACIOS-JANSEN: I use all sorts of training aides, but the most effective thing for me is to show people how to incorporate golf fitness into their daily routines. When you condition your muscles for golf, including strengthening and especially stretching, you elongate your muscles and long lean muscles work best for golf.  When you elongate your muscles, you are able to make longer movements, so your swing arc gets longer and you can create more clubhead speed and power.  With long muscles you increase your range of motion, so you can turn and swing easier with less effort and more power. Also long muscles help you smooth out your golf swing and prevent those short choppy motions which are usually caused by compensations because of weak and tight muscles.

Also, the longer your muscles, the more efficient your swing becomes and the lower your chances of injury are. Showing people how to improve their fitness accelerates their progress.

5. Is there a way students who have worked with you most often dramatically improve and achieve that coveted five-shot drop in scores?

PALACIOS-JANSEN: You have to incorporate all aspects of the game into a program, you just can¹t work on one thing. So you want to show people a little of everything.

Following a game plan is the best way to improve. You have to have a goal in mind and then a plan to achieve that goal. If you take a bunch of lessons and practice for two hours a day for two weeks, but then not touch a club for 6 months, you lose all the benefits of the lessons and practice. You have to be consistent with your training. You want to write out a plan with your instructor and try to stick to a practice program that fits your lifestyle. The program doesn't have to be vigorous or intense either. It just needs to be consistent.

I always tell people that it is better to practice your swing or putt or stretch a few minutes everyday, than to wait for a day where you have two hours to try to fit in all aspects of the game. First of all, those days hardly ever happen, and second, long drawn out practice sessions take a toll on the body and they can be boring, so you hardly ever can keep them up. Have your instructor write out a plan with few exercises or drills and then try to do one a day. The more consistent you become with your practice or play then more consistent your skills will become.
 
Tags: Instructors

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