ASK STEVE: Results from Training Aid Poll and Steve’s Take

March 8, 2010

Steve Atherton (@AthertonPGA)— GolfTEC VP of Research and Development and PGA Master Professional in Instruction — responds to the poll on training aids.

We certainly received the expected result from the training aids poll. I figured a lot of you would try training aids here and there. The results showed that 79% of you either try every training aid you can get your hands on, or try most of them and use a few. 21% of you said there’s no room for training aids in your bag.

Here is my take on training aids: there are some really good ones and there are some really bad ones. I believe there are three key elements that almost all of the “great” training aids have in common:

  1. Simple – they have to be very easy to use — typically the more moving parts or more complex the design the worse they are. If it requires batteries, installing it on a club with epoxy, special lighting to be able to see it, or a remote control it’s probably not worth your time.
  2. Portable – you should be able to take it with you in your golf bag, set it up quickly, and use it almost anywhere. A great example is the No 3-Putt Cup Reducers that you can drop into any golf hole to make it smaller. Great to improve focus and precision in putting, small, light and can be set up in 3 seconds.
  3. Intuitive – Eyeline Golf, one of our great vendors, comes up with more intuitive training aids than anyone. Their training aids for putting require almost no instruction, yet they promote functional improvement in many ways. They have a great new product coming out soon called the Ball of Steel. It’s a golf ball that weighs 5 times more than a regular ball. You hit it around for 5 minutes, and all of a sudden you don’t decelerate anymore, and you hit the ball solidly every time. No instructions needed to improve your putting!

I am happy to offer advice on some of the more popular training aids out there if you have questions, but I really feel if you keep those three things in mind when analyzing a training aid you’ll find more good ones than bad ones!

Question for Steve? Leave it below.

If you would like to check out a few training aids and receive one-on-one guidance on how to use them, call or stop by your nearest GolfTEC Improvement Center and talk to a Coach.

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Poll: Golf Training Aids – Believer or Skeptic?

February 9, 2010

New poll this week. We want to know what you think about golf training aids.

As part of our ASK STEVE feature, Steve Atherton will offer his take on training aids and respond to the poll results.

Have a better explanation of your view? Question for Steve? Leave them in the comments below the poll.

Find a GolfTEC Improvement Center near you.

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ASK STEVE: Poll Results are In and They’re Interesting

January 26, 2010

Steve Atherton (@AthertonPGA)— GolfTEC VP of Research and Development and PGA Master Professional in Instruction — responds to the last poll on 2010 improvement.

There were some interesting results from our poll on which part of your game needs the most work in 2010. Exactly 2/3 of you felt that your driver or your irons need to be the focal point of your improvement for 2010. I believe most golfers feel like they need work on their swing more than any other part of their game. Even though we’ve all heard the old golf axiom, “drive for show, putt for dough” – I feel that those of you who voted woods or irons may be more in tune with your game than you think!

On a tour player level, there is no doubt that the short game separates really good players from great players. However, most of you out there probably have enough duffs, shanks, tee shots in the woods, and penalty strokes, that having Tiger Woods’ short game would allow you to get up and down for 6! Where’s the fun in that?

I do believe that the average golfer would enjoy playing more if they hit better shots and reduced mis-hits and penalty strokes. In addition, the National Golf Foundation has proven that the number one reason why people play more golf is the quality of their ball-striking and hitting good shots!

One thing I would strongly suggest is that you begin tracking your game closely so that you can accurately determine which part of your game truly needs work. If you were to track fairways hit, greens in regulation, putts per round, up and down percentage, and penalty strokes per round for a few rounds, you would easily be able to identify your problem areas and prioritize your practice time! Ask your GolfTEC Coach about our Performance Chart, which allows you to compare your stats to those needed to reach your target score!

What do you think about the poll results? Any questions or comments? Leave them below.

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ASK STEVE: How the USGA Groove Rules Change will Affect Steve Atherton

December 10, 2009

Steve Atherton — GolfTEC VP of Research and Development and PGA Master Professional in Instruction — responds to last week’s poll on the groove rules change.

Well, the responses to our poll regarding the USGA groove rules change came as no surprise. (Learn more about the rule change) Over 75% of you said that you aren’t planning on making any changes until you need to buy new equipment, or you don’t plan on making any changes at all.

In all honesty, the new rules have affected my equipment choices the same way they have the majority of you. I am playing a set of Mizuno MP-60 irons and Cleveland CG12 Zip Groove wedges, and I have no plan to switch to clubs that conform to the new groove rules anytime soon. In a few years I will be ready for a new set, and the clubs I choose at that time will conform to the new rules.

One of our readers commented that they, “don’t believe the grooves are going to make a noticeable difference to the average player (myself included) which is why I am not going to worry about the rule change until I buy new clubs.” I completely agree with his thoughts. I believe that the average golfer will see absolutely zero difference in performance between current clubs and the clubs with the new grooves. The new rules are really designed to limit a Tour player’s ability to spin and stop the golf ball from the rough, so there’s little reason to jump into a new set if your current set still fits your needs.

The new grooves will create an increased demand on Tour pros to hit the fairway from the tee and discourage the “bomb-and-gouge” mentality. I think that’s a good thing for golf. You should be rewarded for hitting the ball in the fairway, and the clubs on Tour right now allow the players to stop the ball too quickly from the rough.

As long as you don’t have aspirations of playing on Tour in the near future, I think I’d refrain from quickly switching over to the conforming grooves unless you’re already in the market for some new sticks!

That’s it for the USGA groove rules change. What’s next? That depends on you. If you have any golf-related questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll try to answer them next week.

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ASK STEVE: Bounce and How It Affects Your Wedge Game

November 23, 2009

The first post from Steve Atherton – GolfTEC VP of Research and Development and PGA Master Professional – in response to last week’s poll. (Follow Steve on Twitter: @AthertonPGA)

Well, we had a good response to last week’s poll on bounce and how it affects your wedge game. 82% of you hit the nail right on the head. Bounce mostly affects how cleanly you strike the ball from varying lies.

That’s the short answer, but you may still have questions about bounce. To give you a better understanding of bounce and how it affects your game, I’ve provided a brief explanation below.

What is bounce?

Bounce is defined as the angle (in degrees) between the leading edge of the club and the part of the sole that rests on the ground. The more bounce, the higher the leading edge of the club will sit off the ground. The most common bounce measurements for wedges would be in the neighborhood of 4-14 degrees. So that’s what bounce is, but there’s a more important question…

What type of bounce should you be playing for your wedges?

Unfortunately there is no cut-and-dried answer to this question, as some of the answer lies in what you feel most comfortable with, and that can be different for everyone. However, here are some basics to start from:

Play more bounce if:

1. You play in soft, fluffy sand or lush, thick fairways

2. You attack the ball with a sharp, downward-angle of approach

Play less bounce if:

1. You play in hard, firm sand or tight, dry fairways

2. You sweep the ball at impact

Keep in mind that you don’t have to match up the bounce in your lob, sand, gap and pitching wedge. It’s very common to have different bounce with each of those wedges. Just use the above suggestions and work from there. If your course has dry, firm fairways but soft sand, you might play a gap and pitching wedge that have little bounce, a SW with more bounce, and a lob wedge with little bounce. Also consider the type of shots you most commonly play around the greens at your course. If you typically have lots of shots to tight pins from tight lies, less bounce will help. If you have more shots from thick rough around the greens with the ball sitting up off the ground, more bounce would be the way to go.

Fiddle around with different wedge lofts AND bounce combinations until you find a set of wedges that gives you the confidence you need!

What’s your question for me?

So those are a few of my thoughts on bounce. Next up: YOUR questions. That’s right, I want to hear from you. In the comments section below, ask me any question you might have about your golf game. I’ll then choose one and personally answer it in a later post. Now, I know you may be hesitant to ask a question in the comments section. But seriously, just give it a try.

I’m looking forward to answering your questions and helping you play better golf.

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