golf lesson

HEAD DOWN • LEFT ARM STRAIGHT • YOU’RE KIDDING ME, RIGHT?

Dan Hernandez, PGA, , , , , Leave a comment

(First in a series about playing golf)

YEAH….HERE’S HOW YA’ PLAY GOLF…

head down, left arm straight, right elbow in , weight shift, make shoulder turn, V’s point here, weight on the inside of your feet, slow backswing, stay on plane, just like railroad tracks, square over the ball, fire the right side, clear the hips, belt buckle at target, make a divot, keep head still, keep eye on the ball, one-piece takeaway, don’t use the hands, swing in a barrel, follow through, grip like you’re holding a baby bird (one of my personal favorites), don’t swing too upright, don’t swing too flat, low backswing, accelerate through the ball, swing to right field, don’t chop at it, pause at the top, swing across your chest (unless boobs in the way – (ooopp-sie, I’m fired – and kicked out of the PGA )), hit down on the ball, stay connected, don’t swing too fast, don’t jerk the club back, shoulders should be square, and on and on forever…!!!

Until you drop dead on the 6th hole because this is how you think it’s supposed to go?!?!

How much more of this crap are you supposed to be able to process! Is it really possible that anyone thinks that “THE LIST” is what matters most about playing golf???

YES!! OF COURSE IT’S POSSIBLE! I MEAN REALLY??!!! – ISN’T THIS HOW MOST PLAYERS THINK GOLF IS PLAYED?
Don’t most players think that if they could MASTER “the golf swing” all would be right with the world?

If you just take a minute, use your head, and simply imagine the word GOLF – you will realize how large the game is. How amazing the game is, and how wonderfully simple the game can be.

If you REALLY BELIEVE that “mastering the golf swing” is the answer to all your golfing troubles, you should just stop playing. You should stop because you have the wrong idea about how the game goes. You’ll never be satisfied and you’ll never SURRENDER to the mystery of the game.

Something to think about…

HEAD DOWN • LEFT ARM STRAIGHT • YOU’RE KIDDING ME, RIGHT?

Golf Tips Revised

Dan Hernandez, PGA, , , , , , Leave a comment

Pretty sure I’ve done this before but just in case here are some really general tips about playing golf:

  • SETTING UP
    Lower hands are better than higher hands
    Narrower stance is better than too far apart
    Slightly closed to the target line is better than open (square to the path)
    Favoring the right side is better than favoring the left
    Right elbow down and in is better than right arm straight
    Ball more forward for longer clubs (hit on slight upswing)
    Head up is better than head down (it’s OK, you’ll still be able to see the ball)
  • IN SWING
    Let your hands and arms strike the ball from BEHIND your center line
    Allow backswing to finish BEFORE starting towards the ball
    Fire right side into back of ball (Ballard)
    Swinging any club behind you is better than lifting it straight up (radial)
    You can only REALLY keep your head still if it’s BEHIND YOUR CENTER THE WHOLE TIME
  • SHORT GAME
    Chips go low and run out (7-8-9 iron)
    Pitches go high and stop (pw-sw-60-etc.) Using these everywhere around the green is a dumb idea.
    Higher hands work better than lower hands
    Weaker grip works better than stronger grip
    Try PW or 9 iron out of sand – you’ll be surprised
    The closer you get the harder the game gets – be calm around the greens
  • PUTTING
    Open to the line stance means you can see better
    Try slicing your putts onto your line – you’ll be surprised (Vardon)
    Be tall on long putts
    Be short on short putts
    Look all around you for gravity’s effect. Course designer is trying to make you just look at the green! It’s a trick!
    Pushing the ball with the right arm is easier than pulling with the left wrist (just sayin’)
  • MENTAL
    Find high targets off the tee and swing there. Looking at the fairway (ground) will make you swing down.
    Deep, slow breathing actually works (brain needs oxygen)
    Feel club in you fingers for better “shot sense”
    If you suck on the front and not on the back, or vice-versa, divide 18 by 3. Now you have 6 hole increments and no front or back!
    If you’re having a hard time – just think about time. As in  “…in twenty minutes this isn’t going to be happening like this.”
    To relax, make fists as tight as possible for as long as possible – then let go.  You’ll be surprised
  • STAYING FULED
    Eat small bits all day
    Drink small bits all day
    No burgers or dogs at “the turn”

HAVE FUN WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

Golf Tips Revised

Jack & Tiger

Dan Hernandez, PGA, , , , , , , Leave a comment

In case ya’ll didn’t know….

The reason Jack continues to say that Tiger “will figure it out” is because JACK KNOWS that saying “TW CAN’T DO IT” simply means that TW WILL.

I’m no Jack, I’m not famous – nor do I want to be – I’m not on Golf Channel. I’m not known as a coach with any influence. I don’t sell grips or training aids and I don’t do articles for magazines. I don’t share much about my time on TOUR with players who have won out there. That’s because I’ve never hit a shot in a PGA TOUR event.

What I am is a dude that’s been teaching for over thirty years – in the weirdest of ways – and I say to you TW……YOU SIMPLY CAN NOT DO IT ANYMORE…..

  • PLAYERS WIN BECAUSE THEY WANT IT! 
  • PLAYERS WIN BECAUSE THEY LOVE BEING CHAMPIONS!
  • PLAYERS WIN BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT “BRINGING IT” IS WHAT MATTERS!
  • I JUST DON’T KNOW IF YOU WANT IT ANYMORE…

When players EXTRICATE THEMSELVES from the DARK ABYSS it’s because of who THEY ARE and NOT how well OR HOW POORLY they may have been coached.

YOU NEED TO FIGURE THIS OUT ALL BY YOURSELF…..JUST LIKE A BIG BOY!

I FOR ONE, THE UNKNOW CAT THAT I AM, JUST AREN’T CONVINCED THAT YOU CAN DO THIS ANYMORE…

I FOR ONE, WISH YOU COULD……AND WOULD.

Jack & Tiger

Dan Hernandez Golfing Tips & Ideas

Dan Hernandez, PGA, , , , , Leave a comment

Golf is really hard sometimes huh? We have it then not so much. What the heck happens? Even after teaching and coaching golf since Lincoln was president, I’m comfortable saying I don’t know for sure. No one really does. That’s because it could be about a zillion things. I’m also not going to list a bunch of things having to do with why it gets hard – you probably know most of them anyway.

What I can do though is remind you that golf is in front of you and not on the ground. Golf shots mostly go up in the air so that’s where you should be looking. Nicklaus popularized the idea of “visualizing” a shot and I think he was mostly right.

Look, hitting a golf ball towards a target is a hand-eye thing. It’s not really visualizing, it’s a biological system that uses your senses to accomplish a task: kinda’ like when you play catch or ride a bike. You’re brain already has a great IDEA of what’s supposed to happen and you “just do it.” This is where the term “get out of your own way” came from.

When things go south I think the best idea is to stop looking at the ground and start looking in front of you because that’s where you want the ball to go! You’ll feel more free, make a better swing, and save a few shots along the way.

Dan Hernandez Golfing Tips & Ideas