Golf: Tips From The Pro
The Michigan PGA just held its first Teaching and Coaching Summit and had some terrific speakers. Jim Flick was the Keynote Speaker and at just a few months shy of 80 years old still has that spark that makes him one of the best teachers in the game. Also speaking at the Summit was Matt Frelich. Matt represents Trackman Golf (www.trackmangolf.com). Trackman is a radar based system that tracks ball flight and distance of golf shots. It is widely used on Tour and most all of the major equipment manufacturers us it to test clubs and club/shaft combinations. Many Tour players use it also and swear by it.
One of the things that Matt said during his presentation caught me by surprise and can help most of us score better. One of Matt's jobs with Trackman is to work with Tour Players and amateurs to analyze swings and shot patterns. We all know the importance of knowing how far you hit each club in your bag. One of the things Matt found while working with both amateurs and pros is that in the long irons the distances are quite close together. The difference between a 3 iron and 4 iron may be only 10 yards and many players have club sets in which 2 different clubs may give the player the same distance. Lets say your 3 iron is 190 yards and your 4 iron is 180 yards. At that distance is 10 yards that noticable? Lets face it, 180-190 yards is hardly considered the scoring zone. The scoring clubs are the short irons and wedges. What I found so surprising is that many players including some Tour Players when tested had an 18 yard or more differences within their wedges, and that even included players that are carrying 3 wedges now! Think about that in your own game, the difference between hitting a green with a makeable putt or going in the front bunker. That 18 yard gap (thats 54 feet!) is huge when you need to get one close and give yourself a chance to make a putt and save a round. Tour Players have learned to close that gap by removing a long iron and replacing it with a fourth wedge. I can remember not too long ago it was unusual to carry a third wedge. I think Phil Mickelson is now carrying 4 wedges at most PGA Tour events.
Go to the range with your own wedges and find out just what your yardages are. In fact it is a good idea to do this with all of your clubs at the beginning of each season. You are a year older and maybe a little less flexible and that 8 iron that went 140 last season is now down to 132. Find your scoring club yardages and fill in the gaps. Your handicap will thank you.
If you are a real club junkie and want to know what your yardages and ball flights are right down to 1 foot at 100 yards then check Trackman out. You may be able to test different club and shaft combinations to see just what works best for you. Trackman has 3 locations listed on their website in Michigan. Each location sets their own fees. You can find your scoring gaps on you own at the range however. As I said, fill in the "gaps" and your handicap will thank you.
Keep swinging.
Bob
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