As your host, I invite you to discuss this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Thanks for watching Mel’s 2 Minute Miracles – Weight Shift.
There are many golfers who struggle with shifting the weight correctly from the back foot at the top of the backswing to the front foot on the follow-through.
Here are two simple drills that will help.
Swing a club without balls and make a conscious effort to finish the swing like you see the pros do on TV every weekend. Hold that pose for a few seconds and then do it again. Each day swing the club for about five to ten minutes. As you get more comfortable with this finish, start swinging a little harder until you are singing at the same speed as your golf course swing, holding that perfect finish every time.
Take a golf ball in your rear hand. Put your lead arm behind your back and toss the ball underhand as far as you can. Because we rew up as kids throwing a ball, this will be a nice fluid motion with your rear arm now extended towards the taret.
As your host, I invite you to discuss this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Today’s subject is posture.
I see hundreds of different postures, not only amongst amateurs but also among the pros. Not so much now, as the gyms and fitness coaches have put most PGA professionals in great shape. But not so many of the older amateur golfers who were businessmen and now have become golf enthusiasts and are looking for ideas (and miracles) to improve their golf game.
Because we all have different physiques, arm lengths, and leg lengths, there had to be a better way of always getting into the correct posture for each golfer – and there is!
Mike Adams:
Mike is one of the leading teachers in the US and is in the Teachers Hall of Fame because of his work with biomechanics. This is his way of getting the correct posture for each individual golfer.
Bend forward with slightly bent knees and place your palms flat on your thighs.
Put the index finger of each hand on the top of the kneecap.
Now, relax your arms (keeping the posture) and let them hang loosely. They should hang at 90 degrees to your shoulders.
Place your hands together without moving the arms forward or back. (no matter how weird it may feel in the beginning)
Place a club in your hands (again without moving the arms towards or away from your body)
This is the correct posture for you. Practice this at home until it starts feeling comfortable.
Another factor that can influence posture is Club length.
Make sure you go to a certified clubfitter and check that your club length and lie angles are correct for you in your new posture.
10 years after an incredible act of sportsmanship.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
On Thursday, while home in Orlando, Florida, celebrating his son’s 16th birthday, PGA TOUR veteran Brian Davis received an unexpected call from his longtime caddie, Steve Hulka.
While Hulka certainly didn’t want to interrupt Oliver’s big day, his call’s primary purpose was to wish Brian a happy 10th anniversary.
Not only did the Englishman need no refresher as to what anniversary Hulka was referring to, but he also wasted no time engaging in the celebratory conversation of the 2010 RBC Heritage.
The anniversary, though, was not the mark of a victory. In fact, it stands to represent one of the most storied losses in PGA TOUR history.
But then again, if ever a victory could emerge from the smoldering ashes of a brutally disappointing loss, it was April 18, 2010, the final round that year at Harbour Town Golf Links.
Most remember how the story unfolded. In search of his first career PGA TOUR title in his then-169th start, Davis followed a bogey-free 5-under 66 in the third round with a 3-under 68 on Sunday. A birdie on the 72nd hole moved Davis to 13-under 271, forcing a playoff with Jim Furyk.
Back at the par-4 18th for the first hole of sudden death, Davis pulled his approach shot left of the green, pin high, into a hazard.
“To this day, for whatever reason, the thing that stands out more than anything was when Slugger (White, PGA TOUR Tournament Director and Rules Official) came over to look at my situation,” Davis said. “Before he walked away, Slugger looked at me and said, ‘Brian, it is a hazard, so just be careful.’ ”
Had Davis’ club touched the reeds in the hazard with his swing, there would have been no problem – provided the reed was intact and not considered “loose.” But, as fate would have it, the reed Davis did make contact with was not attached.
10 years after an incredible act of sportsmanship!
Brian-Davis-RBC-Heritage.
The result? Davis called a two-stroke penalty on himself. As a result, instead of his first TOUR win, the fourth of his five career runner-up finishes in 370 starts.
Had Davis, the only one to know what happened, not reported the infraction, there’s no telling how his life may have been forever changed.
Davis, though, immediately called White back over.
“At the time, I had no idea what was happening or what was going to happen afterward,” Davis recalled. “I saw a reed move as a result of my swing and got Slugger back over so I could explain what I had seen happen.”
“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” said White. “Brian Davis is aces in my book. I was probably only 30 feet away and didn’t see it. But he did. And calling it on himself was incredible.”
“When I did it, I didn’t even think about it,” Davis said. “And I never could’ve imagined what was going to be the fallout with all the TV interviews, radio interviews, magazine and newspaper interviews … and even all the letters I received.”
Did it open his eyes? Not really. Davis was confident in doing what he believed to be simply the right thing.
After everything settled that Sunday night 10 years ago, Davis was asked to come to the media center for a press conference. But, unfortunately, it coincided with the trophy presentation taking place on the 18th green with Furyk.
“I was happy to oblige going to the media center, but I was also totally deflated,” Davis recalled. “Most people don’t truly understand what losing a PGA TOUR event takes out of a person. So, I was quite numb the whole time trying to process the loss while they are firing questions at me about the ruling and decision I made.”
When Furyk spoke to the media in his winner’s press conference, he addressed the situation straight away – and cited his admiration for Davis. “To be there and be in the battle and have an opportunity to win the golf tournament and then have to call a penalty on yourself has got to be extremely disappointing,” he said that night. “I admire him for what he did. It’s a testament to our game and the people that play on the TOUR.”
Davis understood the media’s curiosity but said it was difficult being in there, breaking down what was, in fact, a loss.
“I’ll always remember that when I left the golf course later that night, I didn’t have a single text message on my phone,” Davis said this week. “There were no voicemails, no nothing. So I figured all my friends and family were scared to reach out to me because they thought I was going to be all ticked off for having lost in a playoff because of a ruling I called on myself.”
After he crossed a bridge off Hilton Head Island, Davis’s phone began to blow up. Until that point, it had no signal.
“My agent just kept calling and calling and calling until I finally picked up,” Davis said. “He told me, ‘Look, I don’t know if you have been paying attention, but this thing has completely blown up, and I have already booked you for interviews tomorrow from 9 a.m. straight until 5 p.m.’”
Having spent the bulk of the time on the phone with family and friends, Davis recalls South Carolina’s drive back home to Orlando going rather quickly. However, the impact extended much longer than just that night. Everybody was touched by his incredible act of sportsmanship.
“I got lots of letters of support from family and friends and people I didn’t even know,” Davis said. “But the one which really stands out was a letter I got from a teacher somewhere in Texas. She explained that she had used what I did for a project in her class about doing the right thing. She even had every kid in her class write me a letter. That’s when it really hit home. I was just, like, wow.”
Once the attention died down a few weeks later, Davis could take stock of what it all truly entailed.
“I was back to looking at my position on lists, and I was looking at upcoming tournaments that I didn’t know if I was qualified for,” Davis said. “Those were all still things I had to consider. But, if I had won, none of that would’ve had to cross my mind. I would have also been able to get excited about taking my family to places like Kapalua.”
He spends his days with his two sons and daughter. While he says his kids are old enough to now understand what they were vaguely remembering seeing a decade ago, Davis prefers them to have a well-rounded picture of all dad has done.
“We don’t want to be remembered in our careers for penalties we call on ourselves,” he said. “I want to be remembered for things like winning the Spanish Open like I did [in 2000 on the European Tour]. That’s the kind of thing I want to remember and be remembered for.”
The PGA TOUR’s collective character is that its members don’t tend to dwell upon game strategy, not always translating into the W. Instead, they focus on ways to improve the next time that tee goes into the ground.
Because of the standout event at the 2010 RBC Heritage, Davis just didn’t feel like he had that time to shift gears for several weeks. However, four starts later, Davis claimed his fifth and most recent runner-up finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club.
“All the Hilton Head stuff was a long time ago, and I just don’t think about it much these days,” he admitted. “But even away from the golf course, the subject does still come up. So, that still makes me think about it, but I don’t analyze and process it anymore like I used to.”
Yet, it still resonates.
10 years after an incredible act of sportsmanship!
“What Brian did 10 years ago says so much for his character,” White said. “What a wonderful, wonderful guy. His integrity is next to none. It’s just that good.”
“When you’re on the PGA TOUR, you are on the main stage,” Davis said. “We are self-governed out here, so I think that anytime we can exemplify that and it comes out good, well, then it’s a good thing — no matter who ends up holding the trophy that week.”
Mizuno ST-Z and ST-X Drivers with Mizuno’s Product Lead Chris Voshall!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
It’s the time of the year for the 2021 Mizuno Driver launch – I cannot wait!
Every year around the PGA Show in Orlando, Mizuno launches their new Driver Line- This year, because of the Covid 19 pandemic, there will be no show, and we will have to slobber vicariously or virtually ( whichever one suits you!) No matter – I cannot wait to try these new “Big Sticks” as Mizuno drivers have gotten better and better over the last 3 years. Traditionally, they have lagged behind in technology and manufacturing in the iron line, but no longer. – Look at these beauties!
According to Chris Voshall, product lead at Mizuno, USA, Chris gives us the low-down on these latest models. You’re welcome!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Worn-out groves on your irons are a telltale sign to look for with your irons.
When is it time?
It would be quite expensive to buy new clubs every time new (and “better”) equipment hits the market. You’d also only see marginal gains from your equipment year-over-year, so it may not be the best use of your money. On the flip side, however, if you let years and decades pass without upgrading equipment, you’re undoubtedly missing out on improved technology that could help your scores.
So, when is the right time to switch to new equipment?
Even outdated equipment will affect your distance and accuracy!
The absolute best way to know for sure is to consult with a professional fitting expert to evaluate your current setup. I can’t recommend this enough. Still, I understand that many golfers won’t go through the complete process for varying reasons, which is why, for this article, I’ve enlisted the help of David McKee, the production manager at GOLF.com’s sister company True Spec Golf. He’s a longtime expert in the field of club building and fitting. Together, we’ve compiled 5 telltale signs that it’s time for an equipment upgrade.
Note: Some performance issues can be fixed by changing out shafts for something that fits better or using lead tape to shift CG (center of gravity). This article is for clubs that are beyond simple fixes.
1) Too much spin
Whether it’s with your driver or irons, having too much spin on your golf ball during flight can have negative effects. Launching the ball high can be helpful, but too much spin will make the ball balloon in the air, losing distance and control in the wind.
For those reasons, most new golf equipment technology is designed to increase height but lower spin. So, if you’re playing with a driver from the mid-2010s or earlier, or irons from last decade, it’s likely that you’re costing yourself distance and control.
If under relatively dry course conditions, your drives hit the fairway and stop quickly without rolling out, your ball is probably spinning too much. Also, if your irons seem to float too much in the air and you’re constantly coming up short of your expected distances, too much spin could be the culprit. In these cases, newer low-spin technologies could be beneficial.
2) Not enough height
Do your drives barely get off the ground, with more of a line-drive flight than a towering moon shot? Are your irons hitting the greens and bounding over the back?
If this is the case, you’re giving up distance and distance control. Penetrating ball flights can be helpful in super windy conditions, but hitting the ball too low can be detrimental in the long run. Every year, new technologies hit the market that help golfers hit the ball higher. If you’re a golfer who hits the ball too low and you’re playing with older golf equipment, new equipment can likely be a game-changer. By launching the ball higher into the air, you could gain distance off the tee and control with your irons.
You can’t go wrong with A protein-based diet for Golf Fitness is the subject of today’s Fitness Friday. A Golf Video Blog with Mel Sole, Director of Instruction and Master Professional at the Mel Sole Golf School, located at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
On Fridays, we present tips to help your game and curate articles from well-known fitness instructors in the golfing industry. Nutrition and fitness go hand in glove, so don’t try and get your body in shape without a healthy diet as well. Rob Labritz for PGA.com gives you some correct steps to go about this!
“Pay attention to what you put in your body.” Surely you’ve heard that from your doctor countless times. Well, now you’re going to hear it from PGA Professional Rob Labritz.
Emphasis on a protein-based diet for Golf Fitness.
In this week’s installment of our “Become a complete golfer” series, Labritz is putting a major emphasis on nutrition. “Make smart choices,” he said. “You can’t go wrong with a protein-based diet. However, it must also include fruits and vegetables without a lot of sugary carbohydrates. You do need some carbohydrates for brain function, but you don’t need the kinds that are slathered in sugar.”
Over the course of this series, Labritz has stressed the importance of keeping everything “in balance.” It isn’t just your mind and your swing. It extends to what you’re eating, too. For instance, Labritz said, if you’re the kind of person who thinks fueling up on the course means a hot dog and a soft drink at the turn, you may want to reevaluate — particularly if you’re serious about improving all aspects of your game. “Basically, you’re messing yourself up pretty bad if you opt for a hot dog and Coke,” he said. “You’ll probably have a sugar high for 45 minutes and then a crash. When your body does that, your mind does the same thing. So it’s hard to stay balanced.”
Labritz is a self-described “strict eater” when it comes to life in general and believes a protein-based diet is something everyone should buy into and make a part of their lifestyle. So how do you apply nutrition to the course? Like everything else, it has to do with preparation.
The Goal.
The goal on the course is to keep your energy high and your focus throughout. You don’t want to be full out there, but you certainly don’t want to be starving either. Labritz recommends eating a good meal 3-4 hours before your tee time. If it’s an early morning tee time and you don’t have time to get that solid meal in, here’s what Labritz suggests.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Nothing is more exciting for a golfer than to walk to the first tee with a new set of clubs! It’s like starting all over again – the slate is wiped clean. The old clubs with their bad mojo are a thing of the past! Hope springs eternal! Well, here is your chance to get a look at all the new irons in 2019 before you buy. Brought to you by PGA.com. No drooling, please!
The best new irons for the 2019 golf season include new technologies, better materials, and advanced performance to help you feel more confident, dial in your needs, and lower your scores! In the Market for some new Irons? To save money, use the equipment Value Guide on PGA.com to get money back for your old irons to help purchase new ones!
Mizuno Hot Metal Irons are literally the “hottest” irons on the market right now. With their multi-metal technology, the ball literally screams off the clubface.
Mizuno Hot Metal irons are the longest irons I have ever played. Dennis Space. Pawleys Island, SC. A happy Mizuno Hot Metal user.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
This month we talk about The Best of USA’s Golfing Presidents.
Donald Trump, the 45th President of the USA, has played more golf in his first month in office than any other former President. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Well, I have always thought that people in positions of power and authority need the stress-relieving powers of a game of golf. But when is a lot too much. When does golf get in the way of running the country? I think in Donald Trump’s case, only time will tell. I think most Americans don’t care how much golf their President plays as long as he is making the correct decisions for the country’s good! Thanks to Swing by Swing, here is a list of 10 golfing Presidents of the modern era!
The president of the United States is one of the most stressful jobs in the history of America, so it’s no surprise quite a few Commanders-in-Chief took to the golf course to let off a little steam. In honor of President’s Day, we take a look back on 10 past U.S. presidents that found happiness with a golf club in their hands.
Dwight Eisenhower
Famously a member at Augusta National Golf Club where he used to have one of the most notorious trees in golf named after him (which unfortunately fell in 2014 due to a major ice storm), Ike played more than 800 rounds of golf while calling the White House home. Playing often with Arnold Palmer in the years following the conclusion of World War II, Eisenhower and the King brought the game to the masses. According “Ike’s Bluff”, a biography by Evan Thomas, “Ike loosened up in his White House bedroom every morning with an 8-iron, hit balls on the White House lawn every day at 5 p.m…the man was serious about his golf.”
George W. Bush
Bush 43 is a certified golf junkie. While not only a decent player in his own right, Bush enjoys watching the pros on television and is a frequent guest at the biennial Presidents Cup matches. Most famously, Bush is a quick player with rounds that surpass three hours being considered slow.
Richard Nixon
Nixon took up golf while serving as Vice President of the United States under Dwight Eisenhower. However, his plan to spend more time with his boss turned into a full-blown addiction, eventually leading friends to build a three-hole golf course at his home in California as a respite from the likes of Watergate and Vietnam.
Ronald Reagan
Reagan had been a golfer long before he entered the Presidency. As an actor and executive, he played the game often, and his natural athletic ability led him to be a pretty good player. Once in office, however, Reagan’s rounds were limited dramatically, save for his annual New Year’s Eve outings on a private California course. Famously, Reagan was playing a round at Augusta National when a gunman took two hostages in the club’s pro shop and demanded to talk to the Commander in Chief.
George H.W. Bush
Bush 41 was a golfer by blood, and that line ran throughout his family. In fact, his grandfather, George Herbert Walker, was a former President of the USGA. And the founder of the Walker Cup. Bush was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. He can be seen at multiple PGA Tour events each year.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Ready for a chuckle?
So many times, we feel embarrassed by the shots we hit or the way we played that day. But fear not, my friends, there are golfers out there who are much worse than you, I mean, much worse! So just check unforgettable golf bloopers to make your day!
You don’t realize until you watch bloopers like these that many golfers in the world are a lot worse than you! The thing that always amazes me is that there is a camera going for all of these. How many amazing bloopers have we missed because there was no camera!
What this entire compilation makes you realize is that there are a lot of bad golfers out there. So why aren’t golf schools doing a booming business?
We’ve all seen golf bloopers posted on the internet, but rarely do we find a bunch of them conveniently edited into a five-plus minute video posted on social media. Thankfully, the folks at Golf Is Life was looking out for us. They combined some of the most epic falls, spills, and club throws for our viewing pleasure.
A different way to chip – This might be the answer!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Hi, I’m Mel Sole, Director of Instruction and Master Professional at the Mel Sole Golf School at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club in Pawleys Island, SC. I have taught this method over the years to students who struggle with the conventional method. Using a less lofted club like a 6 or 7 iron, getting into a chipping stance with the ball behind the back foot’s toes is the way I do it.
Chipping always takes a little bit of practice to develop a feel.
But once you get that, the rest is easy! A different way to chip! This might be the answer!
Listen up as A.J. Avoli, one of Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers, explains a different way to chip with this innovative method. He likes to get the shaft a little bit more upright and hits the ball off the club’s toe. Maybe this gets the ball to roll a little bit better. It would certainly prevent the club from sticking in the ground! He is director of instruction at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
Over time, a simple method for getting the ball from off the green to the flagstick fell out of favor.
I rarely see anyone chip like the late Hall of Fame golfer Paul Runyan. That’s a shame, because this technique will make you more accurate around the greens, with a lot less practice. Once you master the setup and learn to make a rhythmic stroke—like putting—you’ll start getting up and down more often. Let me show you how to chip old school.
