Golf

Developing Good Habits When we first started to play the game, we had no habits; good or bad. We just instinctively swung trying to make some kind of decent contact with the ball. As Ben Hogan once said, "There is nothing natural about the golf swing." In other words, in the beginning all of our instinctive moves are wrong! So, we: Watched other players Read a few magazines or books Started to watch some golf on TV or on YouTube Maybe even took some lessons We hoped that with the proper...

By Tim Dietrich The great Ben Hogan said that the biggest fault in the average golfer is that they don’t start down with their lower body from the top of the swing. Why is the transition so hard? Well first of all it occurs at the moment when the golf club is most vulnerable to be knocked off plane. When the club changes direction from the backswing to the forward swing for one instant the club is still and therefore unstable. If we hit from the top using our hands and shoulders, inevitably we...

By Tim Dietrich, PGA The short answer is: Yes! I have heard a story that I often repeat (and believe is true), about Albert Einstein taking a golf lesson. It goes like this. Albert Einstein was taking his first golf lesson and about 15 minutes into the lesson the instructor noticed that Dr. Einstein was no longer putting all his energies into trying to do what the instructor was saying. Noticing this, the instructor asked him if there was something wrong. Einstein replied by bending over and...

By Tim Dietrich “Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come close to having a perfect golf swing.” – Ben Hogan. I don’t think it is quite as black and white as Ben would have you believe, but he makes a pretty good argument for taking golf lessons. Let me give you my take on the “instinct versus acquired skill” argument. While many golf-specific skills and fundamentals have to be learned and mastered before one can play...

By Tim Dietrich This is the time of year when people make promises to themselves about the upcoming year. (Fitness clubs sign up the most new members at the beginning of January, and you can guess why!) Now, how about golfers? We make promises, too. Well, I thought I would offer my five most valuable or useful resolutions. So here I go: 1. On the first tee of every round you play this year, promise yourself two things: 1) I will try my best throughout the whole round, and 2) I will enjoy...

Many golfers seek golf’s holy grail through the mastery of swing mechanics. They practice diligently and work hard to acquire golf’s elusive, repeatable swing. To them, golf is simple: Hit the ball far and straight off the tee; go find your ball and hit it again until the hole gets in the way. All of golf’s problems and challenges can be solved through better ball striking. These golfers tend to take lessons, read golf books and magazines, study YouTube videos, and watch lots of golf on tv. A...

Many things in life become a bit more challenging after we turn 60 and golf is no exception. Here are a few thoughts that will hopefully allow you to keep golf’s wonderful allure alive well into your 60’s, 70’s, and beyond. Accept the changes and adjust Yep, our body is weaker and stiffer, so we are going to lose distance. No problem – take more club. Leave your ego behind. This means choosing the correct set of tees. If a hole was designed for a 7-iron approach shot and you have to hit a 3...

Thousands of golfers travel to play Kapalua and Hawaii every year to enjoy top-notch courses, amazing weather, and spectacular views. One of the most important aspects of playing golf at Kapalua and most courses in Hawaii are adjusting to the greens. Most courses on the islands are constructed with different greens than what you are used to playing at home. What type of grass do you ask? At Kapalua, our greens are made up with Bermuda grass. What makes Bermuda grass so different? You will hear...