A Nice Old-fashioned Golf Lesson

We are leaving this Thursday (hopefully) for Ireland and Scotland. Playing the European Club near Dublin and the Jubilee Course and Old Course, among others. In spite of a lot of practice and playing my ball striking of late has been less than stellar, which was a bit worrisome considering where I am going to play.

Sunday I had a session with the Ronny Bridges, the pro at my home course. Ronny is a no-nonsense guy from west Texas with a good eye and no video camera. Just hit some balls on the range and see where they go. It took all of two swings for him to spot the problem: swinging too much around and finishing too low. This was never a problem until I went to Golftec and was told I didn't open my hips enough at impact. In an effort to do that I started spinning into the ball. Maybe I over-cooked it but I suspect more that it was their by-the-numbers methodology, something I never really believed in.

Ronny got me to post up a little better, hold my wrist angle more into impact, and finish a little higher. The difference was amazing. Nice mid-high straight shots with every club in the bag. Accurate and long. The best part was that it felt more natural to me and is (basically) just a small correction. The hips open but are not forced to do so. That was killing me, especially with a bad back. It all came easily and after 30 balls I pretty much had it down.

Now, I'm not knocking Golftec (ok, maybe a little) or technology, but this was one of the best lessons I've had and it produced immediate positive results. Just a simple range session. All it took was a good eye and $40. Can't beat that.