Golf Therapy Article #23

Dear,    Hope this finds you on a beach with a cool breeze and tropical drink in hand.  The British Open was all it was cracked up to be except the weather conditions were a lot better than expected. Seeing Ernie at 42 years old win another major after a long drought was great, even if it was to some degree at the expense of Adam Scott. Scott  is a great player and I have no doubt he will pick up a few majors along the way if he can put that four hole brain fart behind him.   Now we come to last major of the year and one that is close to my heart. My annual dues help pay for the PGA Championship, yet because of this ailment I have called LOFT (lack of friggin talent), I won't be participating in it again this year. I will be on the couch with the rest of you hoping some of my fellow club professionals make the cut.   This year, the 94th edition of the PGA Championship will be contested on the Ocean Course at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. Some of you may remember this Pete Dye gem when the Ryder Cup was played there in 1991. This links style course is quite spectacular as it has more seaside holes than any other course in the Northern Hemisphere. This par 72 will play at 7,676 yards and can be stretched out from the tips to a mind numbing 7,937 yards. That would give even Bubba indigestion. It should be a test of endurance with the humidity and if the wind decides to blow, watch out.   Enjoy the tournament and stay cool!      THE OCEAN COURSE AT KIAWAH ISLAND  Until next time... Fairways and Greens, Tony tonylawson@pga.com (702) 521-6606

From the Lesson Tee "POINT THE SHOULDER TOWARD THE BALL" The shoulder turn occurs on a tilted plane, so the left shoulder should move down as well as around on the backswing. If you set your posture correctly, the tilt in your spine angle should give you the sensation of your shoulder turning toward and behind the ball at the top of your backswing. This will put you in the right position and allow you to hit the ball squarely and forcefully. Many golfers, especially those who have played baseball, tennis or hockey, tend to turn the shoulders to much on a level plane. This will cause your swing to become to flat and can cause you to either work under the ball or in most cases come over the top in an effort to square the club face. In many cases it can also cause the body to lift on the backswing. This lifting or vertical motion reduces your ability to rotate the body correctly and causes a significant loss in power. I would suggest getting in front of a mirror and check your posture and the tilt of your spine.  This visual will no doubt help you get in a more athletic position when addressing the ball and get you in a position where your shoulder is working towards the ball.        "Hosel Fades" I DID ALL OF THAT? After a particularly poor round of golf, a popular club member skipped the clubhouse for a cocktail and decided to head home. As he was walking to the parking lot a policeman approached him and asked him, "Did you tee off on the sixteenth hole about an hour ago?" "Yes," the golfer responded. "Did you happen to slice your ball over the trees out onto the highway?" "Yes, actually I did. How did you know?" "Well," said the policeman very seriously. "It turns out your ball struck the windshield of a car, which in turn caused the driver to lose control and caused a five car pile up. The traffic delay caused a fire truck to get jammed up and in turn didn't make it to a fire. The Law Offices of Skip, Jump and Swindle burned to the ground." "So what do you intend to do about this situation?", the policeman asked. The golfer thought it over carefully and responded..... "I think I'll close my stance a little bit, strengthen my grip a hair and try to stay behind the ball a little longer."

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