GlenArbor TCQ Summer 2012

GlenArbor Teaching Center Newsletter

Volume 8, Issue 12, March 2010

“Human Highlight Film”Brian A. Crowell, PGA

GlenArbor Teaching Center NewsletterWe are pleased to announce new additions to the GlenArbor Golf Academy for 2010 which are designed to make your experience more seamless and enjoyable.

The Professional Golf Staff is constantly trying to improve our skills in order to bring you the best learning experience possible. This season, we are pleased to introduce the GlenArbor Online Academy. We took a long hard look at our teaching systems, specifically our ability to share the information with a student both during and post lesson. Our current system utilizes hand written note cards and reports which are neatly kept in an individual binder at the Teaching Center, but are only accessible at GlenArbor. This can be a challenge if you are at Pebble Beach with a bad case of the rights.

With the Online Academy you are now able to access all of your lessons via the internet. At the end of a lesson we will provide students with a video summary of what was covered, including the drills and notes that were helpful. This summary will be placed in a personal e-locker on

GlenArbor Teaching Center 2010 AdditionsDavid Gagnon, PGA

the GlenArbor Academy website for your review. We can also choose from over hundreds of recorded drills and tips that the staff has cataloged over the years and upload them directly to your locker for review off site. This will enable other GlenArbor instructors to provide continuity in instruction.

We have also developed a new GlenArbor Putting Lab in our Teaching Center using the latest video analysis software called the TOMI system. This program allows us to capture and measure the key points of data with regards to your stroke including path, impact, tempo, shaft lean, and face angle. This tool will help us make your putting stroke better than ever and improve your handicap.

Along with the GlenArbor Online Academy and TOMI putting system, we have also modernized the Teaching Center’s hardware suite. High Definition monitors, additional video cameras, larger televisions, and high speed computers will provide an enhanced world class learning experience in 2010.

Those of you who are true basketball fans will remember the name Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins, a 6’8” forward, was a major NBA star from the mid 80’s to the mid 90’s. He was a member of nine consecutive All-Star teams and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame…thanks to his amazing tally of nearly 27,000 career points. It was how he scored points, that was so impressive. Dominique could instantly change the momentum of a game with a dazzling pass, a buzzer-beating jump shot or a thundering dunk. His dramatic and acrobatic heroics on the court earned him the nickname “Human Highlight Film”.

At this point you may be asking yourself: “What the heck does this have to do with golf?!?” Allow me to explain…

The majority of golfers, even experienced players, are likely to focus too heavily on their score. They grind and struggle to post good numbers and fight to play to their USGA handicaps. Many frustrated players even allow their scores to dictate their mood. They feel satisfied only after posting a low score and they feel terrible when their scores are higher than expected. The bottom line…too much concern regarding scores and performance leads to the number one problem in golf: TENSION.

Number-conscious players would be wise to take a page from the Dominique Wilkins playbook. You see, it never mattered whether Dominique’s team was winning or losing; he always wanted to make great plays. Wilkins was never

concerned about his stats for the night or an easy jump shot he missed in the last quarter…he just knew that the next time he touched the ball, he would have an opportunity

for greatness (a perfect example of what sports psychologists call “playing in the present”). Thanks to positive images and an absence of tension, Dominique made miles of “highlight film”! In golf, the best coaches will ask you to delete poor results from your “memory files” and visualize great success before making each swing. Those coaches are actually asking you to create your own “highlight reel” in your mind.

If I am playing in a Pro-Am and I tell my teammates: “I don’t care about individual scores…let’s go out there and make some highlight film today”…the pressure is far less than if I was to say: “Let’s play well”. Less pressure = better results! (Which is why many golfers enjoy match play, “skins” games, scrambles and best-ball formats…the pressure of compiling a personal 18-hole score is gone.) Ultimately, golf is a game…and games should be FUN!

Playing for “highlight film” is not only a great way to focus on the shot at hand, it is also more fun than playing for a score…and can frequently lead to some of your best golf.

It’s exciting to think of each swing in 2010 as a chance for greatness or a “shot to remember”. The GlenArbor professional staff wishes you more “highlights” this year than ever before…the cameras are rolling!

A: No. Moving any natural object in a bunker is normally a violation, but in this case, the player is entitled to the lie which his stroke gave him. Accordingly, in equity (Rule 1-4) the divot may be removed without penalty.

Quiz Answer


Few motions in all of sport have been analyzed more than the golf swing. Magazines, videos, infomercials, telecasts and friendly members of your foursome all offer tips designed to lower your scores.

The challenge is sifting through the sea of advice to find what works for YOU. Of course any member of the GlenArbor Professional Staff will be a valuable resource and help you with the process. We can assist with a customized plan that will put steps toward improvement in the proper sequence. And keep in mind that a swing change that helped your friend, may NOT be right for you. In fact, certain common golf tips might actually be detrimental to your swing.

For example if you have trouble taking a divot, or seem to hit just the top of the ball, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “Keep Your Head Down”. Well, I’m sure your buddies mean well, but literally trying to keep your head down can lead to problems: poor body rotation, tight muscles, even possible back strain.

A more accurate analysis in most “topping” cases will indicate a loss of spine angle during the downswing. Keeping your axis (spine) on a consistent angle from address (photo A) through impact (photo B) will simplify your swing and lead you back to pure contact.

In life, and certainly in golf, tension and stress are BAD. Don’t bury your chin into your chest…having your head tucked down actually prevents your shoulders from turning properly. Lift your chin, relax your neck and find a comfortable height at address. From that position you’re able to turn freely and maintain a consistent spine angle through impact. Head down??? Don’t bother. Keep your chin up and make a smooth, level swing.

Keep Your Chin Up Brian A. Crowell, PGA

Volume 10, Issue 20, Summer 2012


2012 Summer Rules QuizDavid Gagnon, PGA

Q: A player’s ball comes to rest just inside the margin of a lateral water hazard. The ball is lying fine in some grass and the player chooses to play it as it lies. During the process of making his back stroke the player brushes the grass behind the ball and a leaf moves. Does the player incur a penalty?

Speed control is the key to reducing your putts per round. Reading putts perfectly does nothing for you if you don’t get the ball in or around the hole by stroking it with the proper pace. Many players have not developed the correct method for controlling the speed of their putts.

The ideal putting stroke is often described as a pendulum motion. If you picture a pendulum, the longer the swing arc of the pendu-lum, the more speed the mass has at the bottom of the arc. There-fore, controlling the speed of your putts is all about controlling the length of your putting stroke. It is not about how much forward force you apply with your arms or wrists. In fact, using arms and wrists as a method of speed variation often causes poor contact and untrue rolls.

Short putts should have a short backswing and a short follow through of a similar length (Photos A & B). Long putts should have a long backswing and follow through (Photos C & D). The club be-comes still at the end of the backswing, gradually builds speed until the bottom, and slows down gradually to the finish. Any time you putt, hold your finish for a couple seconds. This will help develop a proper stroke and prevent deceleration.

Practice this method of distance control. There is no secret to know-ing how long of a stroke you need; you need to practice it to master your putting speed. The following drill can help:

Line ‘Em Up DrillTake ten balls and find some open green with a subtle break. Grab a ball and try to putt it three feet. Then take another ball and try to putt it three feet past wherever the last ball ended up. Then the next ball three feet past the last. Continue until you have hit all the balls. If done perfectly, you should end up with a line of balls about three feet apart and about thirty feet long (Photo E). Vary the drill by doing it in reverse and hit-ting the longest putt first and each subsequent ball three feet shorter. Find even more variety by using five or six feet between balls instead of three.

When playing on the course, instead of obsessing over a certain line, get a general read and make the putt focusing on the feel of the speed that you have gained through practice. You will gain confidence in your putting, finding yourself two-putting and one-putting more often.

Score with SpeedJeremy McLean, PGA

These tips will help you manage your emotions the next time you are in a ‘pressure’ situation on the course:

• Pressure is something that you put on yourself. To be good at anything, you must practice properly. Think about NCAA and NBA teams. Do you think they just shoot free throws and play games? No. Time and again, they put themselves in scenarios like 10 seconds on the clock, down by one point and in a ‘need to make a basket,’ to get used to handling the PRESSURE of needing to make that basket. The same goes for the game of golf. As you practice, put yourself in a ‘need to hit the fairway’ or ‘need to make that putt’ situations.

• Don’t try to be perfect. You need to play to the best of your ability and sometimes that comes with letting go of perfection. Relax. Enjoy being in the moment and have fun! During the Ryder Cup, Rickie Fowler needed to birdie the last 3 holes to tie his match (which he did), and during his interview he said he was having “so much fun!” Now if he let that pressure get to him, he would have crumbled like a saltine cracker.

• Try to play your tournament round like a casual round. Don’t get so uptight. Talk to your playing partners or fellow competitors.

Taking it to the courseRob Labritz, PGA

A B

C D


Player’s CornerGary Player, Contributing Editor

“In golf, it is very important to know your limitations. Clint Eastwood said it best as Dirty Harry - ‘A man’s got to know his limitations.’ Do not try for miracle shots. If you have a poor lie, make sure to play a shot you know you can make successfully. Keep your cool at all times. Take a deep breath, let it out, and relax. Then calmly select a target for your recovery that will set up your next shot. It’s all too easy to get a little ‘hot,’ and that’s the time you’ll hit from the right rough straight into the left rough!”

On the 18th hole at GlenArbor, there are two important shots to practice right near the green. The first is the uphill pitch shot, which is applicable when your approach shot fell short or has been a mis-hit into the green. The second is the short bunker shot, which comes into play when your ball has run into the greenside bunker behind the green. Assuming the pin is in the front quadrant, you are now faced with a delicate bunker shot. There is no reason for the last hole to blow up your score and ruin your round.

Short Bunker ShotFor the beginner golfer, simply get out of the bunker and on the green. For the more experienced golfer, you may choose to try a riskier swing, one where the ball lands softly and has a chance to roll down the hill towards the pin. The key to this shot is speed of the swing and length of the follow through. The backswing should be of normal length, ball forward in your stance and short follow through. The sand may not fly onto the green. The risk is the short follow through so it must be practiced. If done right, the ball will fly out on the fringe and roll toward the front pin placement.

Dr. Bob Rotella once told me that Curtis Strange won the 1989 US Open by getting up and down eight times out of the bunkers. He was able to stay patient, think properly and obviously make putts. But he also got out of the sand consistently. Once you have the technique, try not to have any

Two Short Game Shots That Can Save Your Round on the 18th Hole at GlenArbor

Debbie Doniger, LPGA

“swing thoughts”. Think only of the target. Do not stay over the ball forever, so your touch leaves you and tension creeps in.

The Uphill Pitch ShotMake sure your shoulder alignment matches the hill. Ball will be middle to forward. You will feel an early wrist set. The key is to rotate through to your finish. The butt of the club moves with your center. Use your feet and move through and up the hill. Fell or visualize like you are tossing a ball. Do not hang back, and certainly do not just use your arms.

If you execute both these shots well and practice them, you should be able to save par or bogey and avoid ending your round poorly.


Quiz AnswerA: Yes. Under rule 13-4c The player must not touch or move a loose impediment lying in or touching the hazard. Penalty for doing so in stroke play is Two Strokes.

During this year’s PGA Championship many viewers witnessed Carl Pettersson ‘s second shot from the hazard on the first hole on Sunday. The tape was reviewed and it was determined that during his backswing a leaf moved. Although it moved only a fraction of an inch, it was caused by the backwards movement of his club and two strokes were assessed. This ultimately cost him second place alone and upwards of $400,000 in prize money.

Out on the course I rely on three simple strokes around the greens to get me out of sticky situations. Here are a few weapons to bail you out of trouble around the greens:

The Hinge and Hold produces the most consistent results. This shot is used when you have a very good lie in the rough or from the fairway. The shot will run out, so you need some green to work with. Use a lob wedge to 6 iron, depending on how much roll or distance is desired.

Set-Up• Narrow stance• Ball in center • Weight 75% on front foot• Hands forward• Shoulders nearly level

Stroke• Hinge the club with minimal swing of the arms• Weight stays on FRONT foot• Drag the club head through impact with the turn of the body• Keep the hands dead quiet

The loft of the club determines trajectory and distance is controlled by the body turn.

The Lofted Pitch is the way to go for “taking it upstairs” over a bunker, or if the lie in the rough rules out a hinge and hold. This option is also the same technique in the bunker. The keys are as follows:

Set-Up• Stance shoulder width• Ball 2/3 towards front• Weight 75% on front• Hands even with ball• Spine slight tilt away from target

Stroke• Long back swing and shorter follow through.• Full turn of the body and full hinge of hands on backswing,• Fully release the hands and club head through the ball.• The back shoulder works under the shot not around.• Must keep the clubface pointing towards sky on the follow through (see picture).

This action gets the club head “passing by” the hands in a scooping action through impact. This gives you plenty of loft on the club and engages the bounce in the bunker, so the club does

not dig in. Also, since the club is releasing there is plenty of speed to cut through the heavy rough and pop the ball out.

The final technique is the Chop. This shot is exactly what it sounds like. It is used when the lie is so bad in the rough that the first two techniques won’t work. If the grass is very thick, or the ball is sitting on the ground with no grass under it, this is the shot to choose.

Set Up• Narrow stance• Ball outside your back foot• Weight 80% on front foot• Hands forward• Shoulders nearly level

Stroke• Hinge the club with small swing of the arms and shoulders only• Weight stays on FRONT foot• Bring the club down in a chopping fashion• Keep the body quiet• The club should stick into the ground where the ball was and not follow through• The club will strike the ball before the ground, popping it out of the rough

If you have played the ball back far enough in your stance, the club will strike the ball before the ground, popping it out of the bad lie. Practice with your lofted sand wedge to develop a feel for distance. Remember, this type of lie means you need to focus on getting the ball somewhere on the green, so don’t stress about getting it tight to the pin.

The best scramblers in the world rely on this type of system. Develop a few simple weapons that you can rely on and never mix them. Assess the situation, choose a weapon, and execute with confidence.

Short Game Weapons for Attacking the PinDavid Gagnon, PGA

GlenArbor TCQ Summer 2012

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