So we meet again!  

To begin, I'd like to thank everyone that has been following my blog and various social media platforms, as I extend my passion and experiences in the world of golf with you! Not only am I extremely grateful to have such a supportive group of friends and family, but I truly have the best students, and I look forward to every time we meet for a lesson!  

In my last blog post, I'm sure I rattled some of your brains with the "proper impact" instruction and "casting" and "flipping" fixes, and other such crazy golfguy lingo!  Teaching golf online is definitely a new adventure for me, but I enjoy sharing my knowledge with all of you.  

Click the link below to watch a funny golf instruction video, and you'll see crazy golf lingo taken to a new extreme!
http://bit.ly/1losrov

One aspect of this blog that I hope to achieve is not only a way for readers to learn about how the golf swing works (in my opinions), but also a chance to turn your minds off, leave the swing drills at the practice range, and just respect and appreciate golf for the beautiful game that it is. It is common for many avid golfers to spend countless hours hitting balls, working on specific swing techniques until their hands bleed.  Although we all know that "practice makes perfect," it is still important for us to take a step back, clear our heads, and look out into the open fairways - lined with tall trees and endless dreams!

In this weeks blog, I am going post some pictures of some of the most visually stunning golf courses from around the world, as well as some of my favorite golf courses I have played.  I invite you to comment on my blog and share some of your favorite golf courses or golf experiences that you've had!  

Augusta National - Augusta, GA
 
Pebble Beach Golf Links - Pebble Beach, CA

The Old Course at Saint Andrews Links - St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland

Cyprus Point Club - Pebble Beach, CA

Pine Valley Golf Club - Pine Valley, NJ


Now those are golfers' dream golf courses to play, but unfortunately for myself and many others, we may never get a chance to play these courses. So, here are a few public courses that I have played that I would highly recommend to any golfer:

Tobacco Road - Sanford, NC

Red Hawk Golf Club - East Tawas, MI

Arcadia Bluffs - Arcadia, MI

Tullymore - Stanwood, MI

Forest Dunes Golf Club - Roscommon, MI


The visual beauty of golf course architecture is something that I feel everyone can appreciate, and I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of my favorite golf courses! I hope that you get the chance to play some of these courses someday, and if you have already played any of them, tell me all about your experience in the comment section!

Til' next time,

TheGolfGuy 

In this weeks golf lesson, I will be talking about the proper way to impact the golf ball - an extremely important topic that many amateur golfers aren't aware of OR don't spend enough time practicing!  Throughout my time as an instructor, so many of my students have asked me, "How do you hit your irons so far?!"  As a joke, I always respond, "Swing faster!!!"  Although this is slightly true, being that the quicker you swing the club (the more club speed you generate), the further you are likely to hit the ball.  BUT, you could swing the club 200 mph, if you aren't impacting the ball properly, you will not get the distance that you have the potential to get!

To begin, I think it's important for you as a golfer to visually see what proper impact looks like.  Below is a swing sequence of pro golfer, Sergio Garcia. For this portion of the lesson, specifically look at the second and third pictures.



As you can see in the third sequence, Sergio's hands are slightly in front of the ball when he makes his impact, and his hips have already cleared through the shot and his belt buckle is now pointing towards his target. THIS IS PROPER IMPACT POSITION! By doing so, Sergio is able to build tension in his club, and when properly impacted, can hit a pure and long iron shot!

Many amateur golfers have a hard time of finding this position because a lot of times they are "casting" or "flipping" the club on their downswing.  "Casting" the club is a term that is used to refer to an early release in the downswing which can prevent a player from getting the hands in front of the ball for a proper impact.  Below is an example of a golfer "casting" his club in his downswing:



As you can see, this golfers hands are way behind the ball when he impacts.  There is hardly any tension built up at impact and more importantly, this golfer has actually INCREASED the loft of his club face, which as we know promotes a higher, shorter shot and improper impact.

HOW DO WE FIX IT THIS AND GET TO OUR DESIRED IMPACT POSITION?

First of all, when practicing impact, don't get discouraged!  This concept is one of the most difficult things for amateur golfers to achieve and takes a lot of patience and a ton of practice! Work hard, be open to change, and as I always tell my students, if something you're practicing feels "weird" or "uncomfortable," there's a good chance you're doing it right, because what you were used to doing before probably wasn't!

So, one of my favorite and simplest ways to try and teach someone to get to the proper impact position is to imagine that your hands are in a race with the club face! YOUR HANDS MUST BEAT THE CLUB FACE TO THE BALL!  As you can see if the second picture of Sergio Garcia, his hands are significantly beating the club face to the ball - Sergio wins the race :)  He has created "lag" in his downswing and his club face is well behind his hands.  

A great drill for you to practice to help get you into the proper impact position is to take the club back half way, point the club upwards towards the sky, stop and check yourself, and keep the club face behind your hands, continually turning your hips through the swing.  Below is a video I put together to show this drill:

Do this drill, focusing on keeping the club face behind your hands, and it will help you to get an idea of the feeling you'll want to have to create that club lag.  Feel free to do it slow a few times, then pick up the speed once you get the hang of it, eventually moving to a full swing.

BE PATIENT, WORK HARD, ENJOY THE STRUGGLE, AND HAVE FUN!

Check back in for my future blog posts/lessons!

Good Luck!

P.S. A big thanks to Ron Manter at Golf Etc. in Rochester, MI for helping me video tape the impact drill!  If you live near the Golf Etc. store, stop in and check out all of the awesome golf equipment and apparel they have! Here is a link to the Golf Etc. Website: http://

bit.ly/1aN3Lz5 

Welcome to The Golf Guy Blog!  I hope to share this blog with golf enthusiasts like myself, or anyone who has even the slightest bit of interest in the greatest game ever played!  For those of you who may not share the same enthusiasm for the game of golf as I do, I hope this blog will influence you to take part in this beautiful sport - whether it be relentlessly crafting your OWN golf swing, or simply admiring the beauty that lies within the game!

Within this blog you will find anything and everything golf - from unforgettable golf quotes and stories, pictures proving the awe-inspiring beauty of the game, along with updates about my experiences teaching and playing golf.  Remember: Although golf can present many unforeseen challenges - constantly testing your mind, patience, skill, and imperfections, it can also be the most humbling, rewarding, and beautiful experience of your life!


Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.- Arnold Palmer

One of the most fascinating things about golf is how it reflects the cycle of life. No matter what you shoot - the next day you have to go back to the first tee and begin all over again and make yourself into something. 
- Peter Jacobsen 

I've spent most of my life golfing - the rest I've just wasted.
- Unknown