The Calibration Formula

Scott Keenlyside - CPGA Professional 
scottk@islandviewgolf.com

GOLF JOKE OF THE MONTH

One sunny day Jesus, Moses and a small, elderly man were playing golf.

Jesus was the first to tee off and he hit the ball a little left and it ended up in the water hazard. Because it was Jesus, his ball floated and when he got down to the hazard he walked upon the water and hit the ball onto the green. 

Moses was the next to tee off, and like Jesus he hit the ball into the water hazard. When he got down to the hazard, he parted the waters and hit the ball onto the green. 

The little old man was next, and he too hit into the water hazard. Just then a big fish swallowed the ball and began to swim away. A hawk swooped down and grabbed the fish in its talons and started to fly off. As the hawk passed over the green, it tightened its grip on the fish which caused the ball to pop out of the fish. The ball landed on the green and rolled into cup. 

Jesus then turned to the old man and said, "Look Dad, if you're going to play, play fair."

What some students do (which I think is very clever) is write down a chart defining each clubs distance. Keep it in your bag or handy when you play.a great strategy! 

So when you are playing familiarize yourself with the yardage markers on the course and club yourself accordingly. Just a couple of last thoughts. When judging distances remember most markers on the fairway are measured to the center of the green, and most hole placements are defined by either color coded flags or a moveable flag or ball on the shaft of the flagstick. Each golf club usually has it's own system to define pin placement and yardage markers. Ask the golf shop before you tee off, it will help your calibration big time. 

Best of Luck!

Scott

The Shark

Sean McNulty - General Manager 
seanmc@islandviewgolf.com  

HENRY DAVID THOREAU QUOTES 

(July 12, 1817 - May 6, 1862) 
Is best known for his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state.

A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting.

Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.

An unclean person is universally a slothful one.

Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it.

Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.

How could youths better learn to live than by at once trying the experiment of living?

Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.

If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.

It is what a man thinks of himself that really determines his fate.

It was a fantastic book and a excellent story of a man who strived for excellence in everything he did. Over his lifetime, he was ranked the #1 golfer in the world for 331 weeks and has built a multi national business empire, Great White Shark Enterprises, that specializes in everything from golf course design to wine.

If your looking for an entertaining, informative story of hard work and eventual triumph pick it up at your local book store!

Sean

Flop like Tiger, or at least like Phil

Andrew Wintraub - Class A CPGA Professional 
andrew@islandviewgolf.com

HANDICAP SYSTEM NOW AVAILABLE!

Arguably two of the best short game players in the history of the game of golf are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. They have that uncanny ability to get "up-and-down" from almost any situation, save par, maintain their momentum in rounds and eventually win a lot of tournaments. One shot I feel that allows these two players to separate themselves consistently from the field is the flop or lob shot. Most players won't even try this shot because of its high risk and unpredictability. This is a shot which allows them to go over bunkers to tightly tucked flags, or even to hit shots out of heavy rough and land the ball softly on the green. 

Here's how I would suggest tackling the shot:

1. Club selection- This shot can't be played without at least a 56 degree sand wedge. Ideally a 60 degree (or lob wedge) is the club of choice for the best players.

2. Assess the lie - The beauty with this shot is that once you get good at it, you will be able to hit out of some of the worst lies imaginable. Hence the versatility of the shot. The only lie you want to watch out for, ironically, is a perfect lie where the ball is perched up and almost "teed" up on the grass. In this situation, there is a big danger of swinging right underneath the ball. 

3. Pretend you're hitting a normal wedge shot from the fairway. That is, you will start square to the targetline.

4. With the ball in the center of your stance, you are going to "open" the club face anywhere from 10-35 degrees. As you're practicing the shot, begin with 10 degrees of or club rotation (openness), and then experiment with more or less rotation as you get better with the shot. Note: It is important that your grip doesn't change, and that you simply rotate or "twirl" the club in your hands to reach the desired amount of club rotation.

5. Here is the key to this shot. For every degree that the club is open to the targetline, the stance and body need to open the same amount to bring the club back to square. For example, if you start with the club open 10 degrees from a square stance, in theory the shot should go to the right (for righties). This is why you will need to open your stance and body. This will bring the club into a square alignment to the targetline, effectively turning the 60 degree wedge into a 70 degree wedge, and allowing for nice loft on the shot.

6. With your feet and body (knees, hips, and shoulders) to the left of your target (for righties), you are going to take a normal swing. The club should be tracking along your "toeline" for the first three feet of the swing. As with every shot in golf, you want to be nice and smooth and fluid.

7. Finally, this shot takes a lot of courage so don't be afraid to "go for it" and take a confident swing. If the alignments and angles are correct in your setup, the shot should come out fairly high and soft.

I would recommend practicing this shot many times on the range before ever trying it on the course, both to gain confidence in the shot, and also get a feel for when and where to use it. After some time, you will love this shot, and find yourself playing it more times than you think!!! 

Andrew

Beat the Pressure

Hyo Sang Yoon 
hyo@islandviewgolf.com

Here is how to play better golf under pressure: 

- Try to play your own game. Don't worry about how other people are playing. It's not them who are messing up your game, but yourself! 

- Try to hit one good shot at a time instead of thinking about what has happened or what will happen next. 

- Be positive on every shot you hit, and hit with confidence. Do not worry about where the ball is going. You have to trust your swing.

- Create a pre-routine. It's the best way to hit good shots under pressure. 

- Always try to stay in control whether you hit a good shot or bad shot. If you have a bad shot, stop to think about it and try to hit the next shot better instead of getting angry or frustrated.

- Don't set the bar too high, because if you don't get to that level it will probably frustrate you. Just enjoy the game and that's the main purpose for us in playing golf, unless you want to become a tour pro. 

Follow those tips, and see if it makes any differences to your game. I know you will enjoy the game more playing this way. 

Hyo Sang Yoon