Having been a golf instructor and custom club fitting specialist for the past 16 years, I have had many discussions with my students about club selection. Most players think of the yardage with the irons based upon the best swings on a level surface (like the driving range) and pull the club needed for the length on the shot based only on this information.

When playing golf in a playing lesson most of the students under club the shot because they did not take into consideration the lie of the ball and the topography of the hole and the wind effect on the shot. Some players consider wind and yardage but still think that they are going to hit their best yardage. Players that are using a GPS or laser yardage finder are getting better information but still need to consider more than just the length on the shot.

As a golfer I feel (and teach my players) that you need to have more than one yardage with each club you play with. As an example if you can hit your 5 iron 180 yards, are you also able to hit the 5 iron 160 or 165 yards? By expanding your shot selection with each club in the bag you begin to understand different shots that can be created with each club and thereby you have more choices when faced with a difficult lie to an uphill green against the wind!

The difference in length, lie and loft between irons is designed to produce about 10% difference between clubs based upon clubhead speed but some how this comes out as more or less 10 yards in most players minds and that is why players sometimes hit the shot much farther than they planned. The difference between your 150 yard club and the next club should be 15 yards not 10 and just because your buddy hit his pitching wedge 150 yards does not mean you should pick that club for yourself.

Get with you teaching professional and ask them to help you set the yardages for each club in your bag. This should only take about 30 to 45 minutes to do and knowing your yardage will save you more strokes and make the game much more enjoyable. This is well worth the price of a lesson and will do as much for your game as any lesson could. You will now be able to play to your strength!

Solid Contact

It seems like whether in life or golf we all search for the common ground where things seem equal and calm, allowing us to make proper decisions, or hit a golf ball correctly.

In golf all of us wish to make that perfectly balanced swing each time centering the hit from club to ball, watching it sail towards our target. Many times when that goal is not achieved we try to work on our swing when in reality most shots are mis-hit before the club moves.

True the motion may be off, BUT chances are very good that the root cause is an out of balance set-up. We watch the touring professionals all the time as they work on their balance IN their set-up daily, searching for the perfect spot for them to begin their swing. In fact you see them back away from their shot due to their lack of comfort over the ball, good lesson for all of us, if you feel bad, please don’t swing and if you do, expect unconventional results at best.

So, what is a balanced set-up? A set up that allows us to make a full swing motion. This set up should be in balance between the balls’s of your feet and your heel’s. It should be athletic and compact enough in order to allow the movement back and all the way through finish in balance

Due to the ball being on the ground all golfers must 1) bend from the hip joints, 2) flex the knees, and have a stance wide enough to support the motion needed for the distance of the shot. There is a blending of these that is correct for each person individually. Each person can find the correct balancing point in their set-up with some experimenting within these factors.

The definition of balance

"An ability to maintain the center of gravity of a body within the base of support with minimal postural sway"

So, now you have established your proper balance at the beginning. BUT you continue to mis-hit the ball, and are out of balance hmmm-how can this be? ANSWER: Your clubs were not fit to you! Having correctly fit equipment is crucial to your balance. Static balance (not in motion) will result in dynamic (in motion) lack of balance if your golf equipment is not fit. What will happen is that you will have much compensation in motion, causing postural sway, which is lack of proper balance (mis-hit).

Being in good physical condition provides a great opportunity to find your balance before and in motion, here are a few simple exercises to find out how your balance is, and to improve it.

1. WALK THE LINE: Find a straight line you can walk, attempt to walk about 20 feet one foot in front of the other, if you achieve this make your walk further each day.
2. THE FLAMINGO: With your feet about hip width, raise one knee up about six inches off the ground and balance to the count of ten, and then repeat the other foot. To take this "up a notch" do this exercise and when you have raised your knee up, balance-then close your eyes trying to feel your balance, repeat other side, usually one side will be better than the other, work on getting both sides of equal value.
3. UP-SIDE-DOWN: With a partner spotting you, do a hand stand with your feet resting against the wall, gradually have your partner place your feet off the wall-one at a time, this is a crazy one but awesome for your core and ultimately your balance.
4. 4. INDO-INDO-INDO, this is the very best balancing tool I have every seen anywhere, with some work this thing rocks and you will be amazed, go to this website for details.

Concluding that balance is ultimate in golf:

• Establish what your balance is by a flex of the knees, bend at the hips, and a stance that supports you
• GET FIT FOR YOUR EQUIPMENT
• Understand what "your" balance feels like by placing your "label" (your words) on it, to repeat during your round or practice
• Work physically to improve your balance each day if only for a minute or two, it’s fun and rewarding.

Putting is by far the most personal and subjective part of the golf game. The goal is to get the ball into the hole and I have seen many different approaches that work to that end ("it's not how it's how many")! There are some basic fundamentals that I have observed in all great putters and the most common is confidence.

Eye's over the line of the putt
Set up with your eye's directly over the line of the putt or slightly inside the line but not out over the line or too far inside it. This is the very best way to insure proper alignment to the target and keep your putter blade square through impact.

Square to square putter face
If you work on a putting stroke that works around you spine angle and keeps the blade low throughout the stroke or if you work on one that allows the putter too swing up and down through out the stroke all the best putters work on square too square putter face angle through out. If fact I have witnessed players that go to great lengths in their set up and posture too insure that very fact. Having the ball start on the intended target line is the goal and having a square too square approach is the very best way for that to happen.

Line vs. Distance
The two main goals you have to achieve in order to hole more putt's are picking the correct line to start your putt on and then hitting the shot the correct distance in order to make that happen. Of the two objectives (line and distance) the most important is distance by far. In fact the only way to train yourself to pick good lines is to first have control of your distance. You will not know if you picked the right line or not if you hit the ball short of long each time. The correct distance is about 6" to 18" beyond the target or hole. This speed will keep the putt on line well into the hole but not be so much that it bounces out in most putt's. Knowing your speed or distance also helps you see the line or break in the putt (slower putt's have more break...) once you have an idea of your speed you can then learn how to read break in your putts. First pick and commit to your putting line then stop thinking about line and concentrate only on the speed needed to make the putt. All to often I have witnessed players working on line right up to the point of hitting the putt with no idea of the speed needed and never have a chance to make the putt. If you keep things in this order you will not only make more putt's but you will learn more about reading the break each time you putt.

Does your putter fit?
The standard manufacturer length of putters is 34" or 35" long. The reason for this is that at 34" long the putter fits into most golf bags. The players needs are not even considered in this measurement. Most player I have worked with are playing with too long or too upright a putter or both. Their set up and stroke are to fit the putter and not much thought is put into getting their eye's over the line with their arms extended under their shoulders and their balance such that they can produce a square to square face angle through impact. We must also consider target alignment when picking a putter and realize that offset helps some players align to the target while it hurts others. So just like woods and irons your putter should be fit to your needs as a player by a professional.

Each club manufacturer in the industry offers some type of custom club fitting options. These options usually do not add additional cost to the club for the retailer or for the players unless they decide to upgrade a shaft or some other part of the club to something not offered a a standard (stock) option. The only difference in cost to the player is time as custom clubs are built for the player after placing the order instead of being built complied from a batch of irons all made at different times. We offer most major brand manfacturers and some other brands that we feel are of good quality but at a better price and value to our clients. We also encourge all of our clients to go through a custom club fitting in order to ensure that all of the questions about their development as a player have been answered.

We know as experienced golf instructors that having equipment that does not fit can cause swing faults (bad habits) and train the player to adjust to the short comings of the clubs rather than develop a stronger more balanced motion. Golf Fit learning Centers utilizes the industries latest technology and years of custom club fitting experience to insure that each client is satisfied with the clubs they purchase from us. In fact we stand behind each club fitting and will make any necessary adjustment if you are not completely satisfied with the fitting.