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US Open Local Qualifying

This year I decided to try to qualify for the US Open at Oak Tree National in Edmond, OK. It is a course that I have played previously several times so I felt comfortable with going there. On Monday, May 12th, there were 3 spots available to move onto sectional out of 80 players. I shot 77 (+6) with 70 being the number it took to qualify. I started my round off a little with some loose tee balls that put me in a tough spot to come back from. I pressed on my last 9 holes to make something happen but unfortunately came up short. There were some positives as my short game kept me in the round giving me an outside chance of having a good back 9 to qualify. I am staying in Dallas for a couple days to work on the game with some friends. I've been working hard on solving my tee ball problems and feel confident I am heading in the right direction. My next event will be coming up soon in Garland, TX on the Adams Tour at Firewheel golf club May 20th-23rd. I hope to see anyone that has time to come watch!

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Arc Putting

The old school group of golfers were always told to rock the shoulders. This achieved a straight back straight through club path with the putter head. It was affective from inside 15 feet. Now many players are switching to a putting stroke that swings on an arc. Slightly in on the way back and slightly in on the way through. I have found this works best for me. The speed on my putts has never been better.

In order to achieve a consistent arc, the putter shaft must be aligned with your forearms. There are certain grips that promote a better stroke but the one you’ve been using will work. Your shoulders need to rotate around rather than up and town. It should feel like you are rotating around your spine. This is a more natural way to swing the putter. We swing our irons and driver on an arc too, correct? So why would putting be any different. This is an affective feel to promote a small arching stroke.

I have provided an example of my stroke, and how I use a small arc to make more putts.

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Punch Shot The fall, winter, spring, and summer all bring winds to Kansas, unfortunately. For golfers, wind doesn't have to be your worst enemy, if you properly know how to control the golf ball In the wind. In this video, I have an example of how to hit a knock down shot. Before ever hitting the shot, calculating how hard the win is most important. If the wind is blowing a little, you may only need to take 1 extra club to hit your shot. If the wind is blowing 30 mph, that may require an extra 3 clubs. When you have selected which club you are going to use, the first step is to change your ball position. When hitting a shot into the wind or a "knock-down" the ball needs to be played back in your stance or closer towards your right foot. The next step is to abbreviate the follow through, as you'll see in the video, I don't complete my swing. I cut it off short. This is another technique which helps to keep the ball on a lower flight, keeping from being affected by the wind. The biggest key of all, especially for amateurs, is to SWING EASY. It's a natural reaction to swing hard in the wind, so remind yourself to swing easy when it's breezy!

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Golf Snacks advice, I wanted to share a couple of my favorite snacks I eat on the course. Hopefully these snacks can help you maintain the energy you need to play your best. 

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I did brave the weather today to get outside to have a little fun with some trick shots. Hitting the same shot over and over and over again can drive a man a little crazy, so it's important to have fun along the way. Here's one of my favorite tricks, a Tiger-ish shot if you want to say.

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Winter Weather!

As the cold has approached Wichita, golfers have been forced off of the course and onto their couches. Luckily for Wichita State golfers, we have an indoor facility behind the range at Braeburn Golf Club on campus. It allows us to practice when there's rain, snow or just down right cold outside. It has 4 hitting bays and several heaters to keep us warm when the doors are open. Nothing beats having grass under your feet, but sometimes, the artificial stuff will have to do.

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Alignment Sticks For years people used their golf clubs to help them align their bodies while practicing but in the last 10 years, it's been all about alignment sticks. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use alignment sticks. Typically while practicing, I have a stick laid in between my feet and the ball aimed at the target. Instead of putting a stick at your feet, this helps your eyes to better adjust to the intended target. My second favorite use it having the alignment stick stuck into the ground 6-7 yards on the line of our target. It is a great drill for learning to shape the golf ball on our shots. Try starting the ball left of the stick and have the ball move right towards the target. And vise versa starting it right of the stick. Those are only a few drills I use with alignment sticks. For more drills and tips go to: http://www.toursticks.com/drills/

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This is one of my favorite putting drills. I take 5 golf balls and 5 tees. Then I try to evenly distribute them around the hole, about 4 feet from the cup.

This drill is great for working on your short putts. Unlike putting 20 balls into the hole from the same spot, this drill keeps you moving and gives you a different putt each time.

For the higher handicap player, I would recommend starting at 3 feet from the hole. This will help build your confidence before moving back to the 4 footers.

I like to make 20 putts in a row before moving on to something else, but I would recommend starting out at 10 in a row. Building confidence is a major part of this drill, so you want to keep it simple and not too demanding.

After making so many in a row, this will tremendously help your confidence and your performance on the short putts out on the course.

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Practicing alone and need your swing recorded? Fear no more! This is a product I have been longing to have. I was able to test out the product from a friend last week. The Cam Caddy attaches to any alignment stick and any smart phone fits in the Cam Caddy. I am constantly having to send video of my swing to my coach back in Houston. I’ve always had to have a friend practicing with me to hold my phone to take the video. This allows me to send a video to my coach without any help needed. I can do it all by my myself. This product costs $30 and it is worth every penny. For more information on the Cam Caddy, visit: http://www.cradlz.com

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I have had the privelage to wear Back 9 golf apparel for a couple of months now. Their shirts, hats, and head covers are a great addition to any golfer’s wardrobe. The anti-microbial and moisture wicking fabric in their shirts are a great combination for those days in the summer heat. Their hats sport an original logo on the front and back of their caps Their versatile head covers are all made here in the United States. For the avid sports fan, golfers can order head covers in a variety of school logos to support their favorite team. Check out their complete website on the following link. http://back9usa.com/

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In this video, I simplify the art of how to hit a bunker shot. I hope the tips I provide will help you all in your next trip to the links. If there are questions, please feel free to blog to the video post. Enjoy

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Punched Greens An unfortunate thing happens a couple times a year when courses have to puncture holes in their greens to allow the roots to receive the nutrients they need. And it so happens this week, is the week. It puts a damper on the golfing mood when this happens. The short-game will be on hiatus for another week or so until these puppies can heal up!

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Stranded on the path this week at Crestview! They are putting in some work on the course to prepare for the fall and sometimes that calls for an extensive amount of water on the course. I tried keeping my ball as close to the cart path as possible but sometimes that just didn't happen. So I managed to be a rebel from time to time and leave the cart path, but don't tell anyone! Shhhh!

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Wisdom tooth

I had a wisdom tooth pulled last Friday and I'm finally on the homestretch to be healed. What a horrible week, barely being able to eat. I can't imagine what it feels like to have all four of them taken out. But the worst part out of having it pulled was not being able to play golf! Taking breaks from the game is fine, but I like to do it on my own time, and not because of an injury or surgery. I've been able to get back on the course the last two days and man does it feel good to be back!

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Here is me performing the drill. If you've nicked the tees or completely removed them, then your stroke was entering on a poor path.

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Here's a GREAT DRILL to see how your impact zone is on your putting stroke. You simply take 2 tees, line up your putter at the hole and place the two tees slighty wider than the width of your putter. For golfers that do not like the fancy contraption swing aids, this is a very natural feeling drill. I will post a video of me performing the drill! For more putting and swing drills, you can simply search the web to find ones that will suit your game, like this one does mine!

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I bought the new Tiger Woods shoes this weekend and I must say, wow! I have never tried on any of his new shoes until now. I didn't think they would be very comfortable, but I was pleasantly surprised. I will be making more purchases in the very near future. To check out his collection go to: http://m.nike.com/us/en_us/pd/tw-14-golf-shoe/pid-745950/pgid-809839