-John Hudson, a 25-year-old professional, achieved a near miracle when he holed two consecutive holes-in-one at the 11th and 12th holes (195 yards and 311 yards respectively) in the 1971 Martini Tournament at Norwich, England.

- It is hard to believe but in 1457 golf was outlawed in Scotland. The Parliament of the day felt that the time spent playing golf would be better spent in archery practice to help defend Scotland from the English.

Here are some thoughts:

1. Own a putter that you like! There are thousands of different designs. So spoil yourself, buy a good one. I strongly believe if you like your putter, it will like you!

2. Set up with a 50/50 distribution of weight with your legs, and secure your eyes over the ball if you can; the best angle no doubt! 

3. Create a pendulum motion with your arms. Try to eliminate most if not all wrist movement. Think of swinging the club much like the weight of a grandfather clock. I like to think the back swing is much the same length as the follow through.

4. Keep your head, legs and body very quiet. The less moving parts the better.

5. Try to learn and study the concepts of break, alignment, and weight. It’s all about practice.

6. Ask yourself why Tiger Woods has that big black line on his golf ball? It may be the greatest putting tip of all.

7. Make sure you set the putter head first before you secure the feet. 

Anyhow, wishing you and your putting the best of luck. 

If you would like me to expand on any of these thoughts ideas please do not hesitate to ask.

Cheers,

Scott 

HANDICAP SYSTEM NOW AVAILABLE!

1. Revisit your swing fundamentals- This is something that all golfers should be doing at ALL times really, but it’s easy to let things slip a little bit halfway through the season. 

- Grip- It is inevitable that our grips will want to slide to a ‘weaker’ position, especially with our top hands. When you bring your top hand on the club (Left Hand for righties) it is crucial that the club is placed in the fingers, and the hand wraps around the club enough so the thumb is just right of center, and you see at least TWO KNUCKLES on that hand. From there the bottom hand will fit in a lot better.

- Stance- Watch for your stance getting too narrow. Be sure to make sure your stance is at least shoulder with apart, say for a Pitching Wedge, and getting wider proportional to the club you’re using. 

- Posture- With a lot of rounds under our belts to this point in the season, its not uncommon for our postures to suffer. That is, at address in a proper setup, the spine should be at a 45 degree tilt and relatively straight from the tailbone right up to the bottom of the neck. Watch yourself in the mirror at home to make sure your golf posture is excellent!

2. By golly, work on your short game! Island View has a fine short game area where you can work on your putting, chipping, pitching, and sand play. If in the event your swing isn’t quite right, a good short game will make up for a lot of those swing shortcomings.

If you follow these basic tips, you will be able to take a deep breath, regroup, and play some solid golf from now until the wet stuff comes back! 

The one thing that separates the winners from the losers, is, winners take action.

-Anthony Robbins

If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have the capacity at the beginning.

-Mahatma Ghandi

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

-Nelson Mandela

Man is a being with free will; therefore, each man is potentially good or evil, and it's up to him and only him (through his reasoning mind) to decide which he wants to be.

-Ayn Rand

Lessons and practice really work. How can I be so sure? Because I’m a living and breathing example of Island View’s Golf Academy’s results. When I first started General Managing this facility, I was not an avid golfer. I played every once and awhile with breaking 100 being quite a feat. I liked the game but it hadn’t got a hold of me yet.

Scott, Andrew, Hyo and myself have been working together for about 2 years now. Being around these 3 golf enthusiasts and listening to them talk about golf non-stop will either drive you crazy or inspire you to learn more about the game. Thankfully it inspired me to learn more about the game!

So over the last year and a half I took some lessons from Scotty, then some lessons from Andrew and had Hyo look at my swing. I listen to their every word about grip, stance, posture, alignments and the swing. I trusted their knowledge of the game and was constantly applying it and consciously reminding myself of their teachings, even when it didn’t feel right or was uncomfortable.

The results have been amazing! As I said, when I began lessons breaking 100 was a thrill. As I practiced, played and was taught my scores gradually lowered with breaking into the 80’s turning into a big deal. Then recently, I shot a 2 over par 72 at Uplands! 

Thanks to Scott, Andrew and Hyo, the game is a lot more fun and I’m puting some great rounds together. I’m even starting to give them a run for their money! 

If your serious about improving your golf scores and making the game more enjoyable; take a few lessons, consciously remind yourself to apply the instructors teachings, and your scores will improve!

How was your preparation playing golf in the rain? Did you have all the equipment that you need?

These are things that you might need to carry in order to play better in the rain:

1. Weather glove – you have to have the weather glove. Unlike normal leather glove, the weather glove will keep your hands on the grip and make it less slippery. 

2. Umbrella – the most basic item you need to carry with you all the time just in case it rains.

3. Towel – cleaning the clubface after hitting ball is very important. That way the mud won’t get stuck in the groove of the clubface. 

By having the correct equipment for the rain you will play better and have much more fun.