Good day golfers! The season is upon us.
My name is Tyrone Hardy and I am a PGA Professional and the director of golf at Ballinger Lake Golf Course. My wife Carol and I reopened the course in September of 2005. I will be offering weekly golf tips for the summer. I look forward to helping everyone improve their game.
Today’s tip will help everyone get the season off to a healthy and happy start. Most of you are probably just starting to shake the dust off the clubs. The best way to get the season going is to start off slow and ease your way into playing shape.
The first thing to do is go to the range and practice. Spend most of your time hitting the wedges and short irons. This will help you build some rhythm and confidence.
If you can’t get to the range, spend some time on the putting green at your local golf course practicing your putting and chipping. The short game is where the money is made.
Try this putting drill. Place a ball at the edge of the green and the collar. Then place three balls approximately 45 feet away. Try to putt the balls so that they come to rest as near as possible to the edge of the collar near the original ball. This drill will help you get a feel for distance control on your putts.
If you would like to try the advanced version, instead of placing three balls at the same spot, vary the distance and putt only one ball from each spot. This will really help you learn how to adjust your stroke to putt the ball different distances.
Another important item to address for the start of the season is to develop a short stretching routine. Take 10 minutes before you play or practice to stretch. Concentrate on the back, obliques (“love handles”), hamstrings, shoulders and wrists. This will help prevent injury and will get your body ready for the golf swing on the first tee, not the fifth tee.
I hope these tips help get your season off to a great start.
Please e-mail any questions or specific swing issues to tyroneh@ballingerlakegolf.com. I will select one e-mail each week to answer.
Tyrone Hardy is a PGA Professional and co-owner of Hardy Golf, LLC. The Web site for Ballinger Lake Golf Course is www.ballingerlakegolf.com.
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