Golf Tips

The Power Move That Keeps You From Digging Your Own Grave

2010-07-27T08:27:00.001+01:00

Per last weeks discussion on lower ball flight, I have once again included the impact photos below. After implementing last weeks impact position with your lead arm vs. shaft position, several of you discovered that your divots were too deep. Some of you were down far enough to find some lost treasures and the cracked bones of perished golf dreams. This week we will discuss a power move that allows you to get into the tour impact position and create shallow divots.

Separation- sep·a·ra·tion [sèppə ráysh'n]
(plural sep·a·ra·tions) n
keeping of things apart: the act or process of separating things

This weeks power move is created with SEPARATION of lower body and upper body movement. Congrats to Louis Oosthuizen on winning the British Open. You probably noticed that he hit a lot of low shots without taking deep divots. This is the result of the lower body sliding towards the target while the upper body is (separated) and tilted away from the target. This upper body tilt shallows the swing path and allows for clean contact and thin divots.

Your Partner In Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein
PGA Golf Guru

Lob Shot, Golf Fuerteventura Tips

2010-06-18T09:10:00.000+01:00

I was at Egypt Valley a few weeks ago to conduct a beat the pro for the West Michigan Dental Society (call me directly to learn how a beat the pro can raise an extra $800 for your non-profit). We were on the 12^thhole of the Valley course. The flag was up front on the narrow part of the green. Most golfers were either short left or short right, leaving themselves a shot from the deep rough to a flag only 10 to 20 feet from the edge of the green. The green is also pitched up about 8 feet so the players who were short right or left had to go quite a bit up hill as well. On top of that challenge, the rough was 3 inches deep in preparation for the national junior championship to be played in July. This made for some difficult shots. But to add to the difficulty...

It really surprised me how many of these players tried to hit Pitching wedges in this situation. After a while, I started asking a few of them why they were using pitching wedges. Some said that was all they had. Others thought the sand wedge was only for the sand and they didn't have a lob wedge (nor did they know what one is) and then a few had a lob wedge but didn't know what it was for.

We are talking dentists here. You know, the guys and gals that take Friday afternoon's off and have plenty of time to learn how to hit a lob wedge. I digress.

Hopefully you have a lob wedge already. If not, you need to get one. And they are currently on special offer at The Highlands Golf Club. Anywho... here is how to use it.

Depending on your risk tolerance, you may want to hit this shot like a normal pitch shot, just use your lob wedge and allow the club to create the loft. If you want to get on ESPN with the Phil Mickelson lob shot follow this (high insurance premium) shot type-

Please keep in mind that this is a high risk play and should only be used if there is no other option or if you have practiced like it was your job. Take your highest lofted club. Set the clubface to the ball slightly open and with added loft. (You artificially add loft by having your hands even with the ball or even slightly back of the ball vs. the common hands slightly ahead position) Play the ball slightly forward in relation to your bodies center. Make an aggressive swing that is slightly more vertical (earlier hand hinge will set the shaft more vertical) in the backswing. On the downswing you will need to create a path that swings a bit outside of the plane and then back inside and across the ball through impact. If you exagerate this swing path more than ½ inch you will create too much risk and end up shanking and topping the ball.

The aggressive swing utilizes all parts of the body. If you find that you are blading this shot over the green your hands are probably creating all the forward motion of the club head and it will be on its way up at impact. Your body should still turn through this shot and your weight should be into your lead leg before impact.

A correct pivot makes this shot much easier. If you have a tendency to reverse pivot your spine will tilt towards the target and make the lob shot very difficult. Even though your weight is moving left you should still have a spine direction away from the target to hit this shot high and soft.

Your Partner In Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein
PGA Golf Guru

Putt For Dough - Golf Fuerteventura

2010-06-10T08:33:00.002+01:00

Last week we talked about putting consistently from any distance. On Sunday, I played with 3 other golfers in the Annual Elks Officer's Golf Tournament. And sure enough, we were almost always on-line with our putts, but we were either coming up short or long. Regardless of whether it was a 20 footer or a 50 footer many of our putts looked like they would go in. Unfortunately our speed was off and they either rolled through the break or came up short. We had a whopping 29 putts as a result. And we didn't win any DOUGH.

So to improve your winnings, I designed a practice routine exclusively for your distance control. Watch it here:

Your Partner In Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein
PGA Golf Guru

How to be a sharp shooter on the golf course and the gun club.

2010-06-08T08:44:00.000+01:00

Golf has a lot of similarities to other swinging and throwing sports like baseball, football, hockey and tennis. But did you know; it is also similar to shooting an M1A1 Thompson Sub Machine Gun?

I certainly did not. At least not before last Monday when I shot off 320 rounds of ammunition with an M1A1 .45 Caliber Thompson Sub Machine Gun. Here are the similarities.

1. Balance- To get into a good position my shooting instructor had me lean towards the target. In golf the similarity is the back leg. As a right handed golfer your right leg is your back leg and it should lean towards the target as we discussed in week 8 and 9 of this champion success series.

2. Awareness of muscle control- As you shoot a Tommy Gun, the gun will rise and you will miss your target on the high side. It takes some awareness with your hand that holds the barrel to control the direction of the shot. You must allow your barrel hand to pull the gun down slightly to counter balance the rise. On the shooting range I was instructed to fire off some single shots to get a feel for the rise of the gun. Firing them off slowly allowed for more awareness and control. As I developed some skill, I was able to have improved control over the automatic fire. In golf, you need to develop similar awareness of club head control. That is why it is always good to warm up and train a new motion with shorter, slower swings before you move into full speed swings.

Video of the shooting at

http://seifpro.wordpress.com/2010/05/10/320-reasons/ along with a special offer for you to obtain up to 320 swings or 3 rounds of golf for FREE at The Highlands Golf Club. Simply by upgrading your golf improvement membership.

Your Partner In Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein
PGA Golf Guru

Gangsters and How To Hit From Hard Sand

2010-06-08T08:37:00.001+01:00

Last week we talked about hitting a standard green side bunker shot. This week I got caught up learning 320 reasons why you should not gamble with gangsters on the golf course. I'll be sharing more later this week, but for now, let's talk about how to hit out of hard sand around the greens. You won't want to miss this one. I cover the secret to avoiding the 50 yard bladed bunker shot.

Your Partner In Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein
PGA Golf Guru

Stick it from Greenside Sand - Golf TIps Fuerteventura

2010-06-07T16:29:00.002+01:00

A majority of golfers miss-interpret the idea of swinging "out to in" for a greenside bunker shot. Let's assume for a moment that you have astandard lie in average sand. Also assume that you have some 25 feet of green to work with. (average bunker shot is 40 feet, 15 feet to get out and 25 feet of green to work with. On the PGA Tour the flags are cut tighter to the edges of greens and they have to hit a lot of specialty bunker shots that only roll 10 feet.)

The average bunker shot you will encounter around West Michiganrequires nothing more than your normal swing (half to ¾ length). You do not need to swing outside to in, set up open or any of the things your golf magazines lead you to believe. In fact, the more you change your set-up, the more risk you add to the shot.

What about the club face? You will also read that the clubface that needs to be wide open. Hold on a second. Keep in mind, the more you open the club face, the higher degree of difficulty the shot becomes. Sure there are some specialty bunker shots that require different set ups and different swing fundamentals. But for this week, I want you to practice hitting bunker shots just like you would a ½ to ¾ length pitch shot. With exception of the impact point. Enter the sand about 2 inches behind the ball and go into the sand at a depth of about ½ inch. This will allow for enough sand between the club face and the ball to give you the right amount of carry and backspin.

You will find that going deeper into the sand will reduce your carry distance and decrease your back spin. Entering the sand at less than ½ inch of depth will create too much carry distance, but sometimes a lot of spin.

Keep things simple for all but the specialty bunker shots and you will find yourself with more pars and bogeys and less doubles and triples.

Your Partner In Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein
PGA Golf Guru
616-802-4969

Beat Fairway Bunkers

2010-06-07T16:22:00.001+01:00

At long last, we have completed our series on set-up fundamentals that encourage good impact. It is now time to move on to some specialty shots. This weeks topic will cover the dreaded fairway bunker shot. I'll proceed assuming that you are playing golf courses with well manicured bunkers and you will rarely get a bad lie. Those of you playing at Mike's Whack A' Mole Muni may want to play by Judge Smails rules from the fairway bunkers. If however you choose to "play it as it lies" or you get a rare bad lie on a normal golf course, then take a lofted club with very little bounce (Lob wedge or pitching wedge, not your sand wedge). A lofted club with little bounce will allow you to dig in deep and muscle the ball out of the bunker. Now back to a normal lie in the fairway bunker.

Your first step is to consider your options. Consider the potential risk/reward. Where are the water hazards, trees, additional bunkers that could cause you trouble. You may consider laying up rather than going for the green. And this is a wise option if you do not feel at least 90% confident you can pull off the shot. If you choose to lay up, pick your lay-up yardage carefully and commit to the shot.

For those of you going for the green- take one extra club. Grip slightly lower than normal on the grip (½ inch to an inch down is sufficient) Dig your feet in a small amount for some traction. Use your normal golf swing with the exception of a little less leg action (assuming you have a lot of leg action. If your legs are normally passive in the golf swing you can use your normal golf swing). Place another five to ten percent of your weight on the lead side of your body at set-up. This will help you catch the ball first. Commit to the shot. That is all there is to it. Your ball will fly a little shorter than normal without the extra leg action and also with the lower grip. By taking one extra club you are balancing out the loss of distance. Although not an easy shot, if you implement these strategies you should be able to avoid a big number. And that is why you landed on planet Scott. To be more consistent...Right?

Your Partner In Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein
PGA Golf Guru

More Golf Impact, Part Two

2010-02-12T07:57:00.003Z

There are a lot of good golfers who get into a position on the backswing that would cause their downswing to look like an excavation company. But they make a comeback (compensation) to reposition themselves for a shallow angle of approach. This "shallow" angle of approach term comes up a lot. It is defined as the gradual descending angle of the swing path through the impact zone. And it is one of the most important aspects of the golf swing.

We discussed in a previous tip that the approach must be descending beyond the point of impact. But how far beyond? Most high speed video of professional golfers shows the club head reaching the bottom point approximately an inch to two inches past the "target side" of the golf ball. Think about that for a moment. A full inch or two in front of the "target side". Not at the back of the ball, not at the middle of the ball. And not on the front side of the ball but a full one to two inches beyond the front of the ball. Incredible!

Take another look at this video at the 1:35 second mark to see how the club descends past the ball.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbKyakBdMO0

The bottom point is important but just as important is the fact that the golfer in this video is reaching the bottom point with a shallow angle of approach. No excavation taxes levied.

So how does one reach the lowest point of their swing a full one to two inches beyond the ball? And how do they do it without creating a steep angle of approach? That is the secret in golf that is rarely taught by other golf instructors. Most don't want to teach it. Most know that it is simply easier to teach you alignment, or posture. Most have a tournament to run or staff to manage and they simply don't have time to get into all the important impact stuff. But not here. Here you will learn the deepest darkest secrets of the professional golfer. Impact secrets that is.

Next week we will talk about how the body movement creates a steep or shallow angle of approach.

Golf Impact Continued

2010-02-03T07:24:00.001Z

Last week we introduced a video of PGA Tour Player John Sendon. Let's go back to that video for a moment and study the section from 1:35 to 1:39. Click Here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbKyakBdMO0

Some of you are familiar with the term "angle of approach", or "arc of the swing" or "hit down on the ball", but few have ever really understood what it means to do this correctly. "hitting down on the ball" is very dangerous terminology. Most people who try to hit down on the ball do so with their upper body and create steep & inconsistent divots. The ideal angle of approach is to "hit down on the ball", but the downward strike is a very shallow strike. Let me explain further.

As you study the video you can probably make a rough estimate that the club is approximately 3 inches above the ground in the frame right before impact and approximately 2 inches off the ground in the frame after impact. With the impact zone right in the middle we can make an educated guess that the club was descending past the point of impact with the ball. However, with close observation you can see that the club descended gradually. It did not drop five or six inches through the impact zone. Now that we know the club must be descending at a gradual rate, next week we will discuss where the bottom point should be and how to achieve a "shallow" angle of approach.

Your Partner In Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein

What Really Matters in Golf

2010-01-27T07:15:00.003Z

Now that you have your major definite purpose and your ten most important golf goals written down on a piece of paper we can get to work. If you missed any of the steps in weeks 1 through 3, reply to this e-mail and I will resend them. They are vital to your success this year.

2010: The Year of impact. It is time to get tough about the golf information you obtain this year. Throw out the Dr. Phil stress balls. We won't be sitting around the campfire telling feel good golf stories about what we could have done. We're actually going to do it. We are going to ruthlessly scrutinize any golf advice we get from our buddies. We will not implement any golf advice without knowing why we should implement it. We will only implement golf advice that contributes to better impact. That's all that matters. Impact, Impact, Impact.

The next 48 weeks will cover practical "how-to" stuff about alignment, posture, lie angle, wrist leverage, hip control, spine direction and much more. But most importantly it will all be provided based on it's ability to promote better impact. It's ability for you to smash the ball an extra 10 yards. It's ability for you to sling your ball around a tree. It's ability for you to hit it low or high. It's ability for you to get the ball in the hole in less strokes than you currently are.

For those of you that are new to the Golf Improvement Membership, you could say that you have joined an elite group of Renegade Golfers. Outsiders may ridicule you. They may say, "That's strange, what do you need a golf coach for?" I see it differently. I see GENIUS in the strangeness. And it is that genius that inspires me to get out of bed everyday and improve the golf games of our members.

This will require you to change the mindset you have had in the past. Hence the importance of the steps I sent you in the first 3 weeks. You will need to eliminate thoughts like "I always double bogey this hole", and "Fred out-drives me by 20 yards, I'll never beat him" You will need to hold strong against the sneering comments behind your back. The whispers and comments of envy as your friends try to keep you at their level.

It will also require TOUGHNESS when things don't go your way. When your friends laugh at you and say, "Let's see what Mrs. golf lesson can do today", and "All those golf lessons and you still can't beat us". Let's face it, some of you have friends that will always beat you no matter what you do. Phil Mickelson has a full time golf coach and he will always be runner up to Tiger Woods. Some golfers are better regardless of what you do. That is of no concern to you. Your concern is ruthless, relentless improvement. Using a sharp knife to cut through anything that does not contribute to a better game for you. Anything that does not contribute to better impact.

This week I leave you with a video of John Sendon, PGA Tour Player. Skip ahead in the video and only watch the 4 second section of the video from 1:35 to 1:39. Notice the height of the club one foot before impact vs. 1 foot after impact. It is lower after impact than before impact. That is an important point for next weeks discussion. Study the impact zone and next week we will discuss this matter in more depth. Click Here :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbKyakBdMO0

Scott Seifferlein
PGA Golf Guru

Magic of Golf Self Direction Continued

2010-01-21T07:45:00.002Z

We continue our short series on Goal Setting for your Golf Game. So get out a stop watch and a pen and paper. Implement each step before you read the next step.
Step #6- What part of your golf game gives you the greatest feeling of importance and self esteem. What are your peak experiences. You have 30 seconds. Write fast.

Step #7- What one great golf experience would you dare to dream if you knew you could not fail. If you were absolutely guaranteed success. What would it be. You have 60 seconds. If you want easy questions go somewhere else.

The Final & Most Important Step- Write down the 10 things you want to accomplish with your golf game in the next 12 months. Write them down in present tense as if they are already accomplished. I have, I did, etc. Write quickly. A billionaire is waiting at The Highlands to cover all the expense of your goals. If you do not write all ten, you get nothing. If you write vague goals you get nothing. Write clear, concise, specific goals. You have 3 mintues. Write fast.
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From everything you have done the last 2 weeks decide at this moment Your Major Definate Golf Purpose:

The exercise you have just done puts you in the top 3% of all Americans. Less than 3 percent of Americans have participated in this exercise during their entire lives!! Your critical job is to be crystal clear about what you have just written down. What you have done right now is like stepping on the accelerator.

Print this out and make several copies. Place one copy inside your car where you will see it every time you drive. Place another copy in your golf locker at your home club. Place another copy where you will see it before you go to bed at night and another copy where you will see it when you get up in the morning. (if you are a sleep walker). Place another copy in your office at work. See you on the Birdie Train.

Your Partner In Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein

Fuerteventura Golf Tips, Improve your Golf

2010-01-14T07:43:00.002Z

We continue our short series on Goal Setting for your Golf Game. This week you will be required to take some action. So get out a stop watch and a pen and paper. Implement each step before you read the next step.

STOP! Do not read any further without having your pen, paper and stopwatch ready to go.

Step #1- Write 5 most important values in the world to you. You have 60 seconds. No wrong answers. Start now.

Successful golfers know what they stand for and they never compromise their values. Your values will be exposed in your actions, especially when under pressure.

Step #2- List your 3 most important golf goals right now. You have 30 seconds. Write fast.

Step #3- How would you change your golf life if you won $1million cash today and you could only pick up the money if you could answer the question? You have to write 5 things in one minute or you don't get the money. Do NOT write what you would do with the money but how you would change your golf life. You have 60 seconds. Go now!

Step #4- What would you do with the game of golf if you were given 6 months to live. Your doctor has given you the perfect bill of health for 180 days but on day #180 you will drop dead. Write five things. You have 60 seconds. Write quickly.

Step #5- What have you always wanted to do in golf but were afraid to attempt: Write the first thing that comes to mind. 10 seconds. Write it down now.

Congratulations. You have taken a giant leap towards defining your Major Definite Purpose. Next week we will go on a journey of peak experiences, dared dreams, and the most important exercise of the year. You won't want to miss it! Be sure to save this weeks answers.

Magic of Golf Self Direction

2010-01-06T07:12:00.002Z

This is the first in a short series about goal setting for your golf game.

Goals. Do you know about them? Most people say, "sure I know about goals, I have goals." But do they really know about goals? Do they write them down? Do they live them everyday? Do they touch, smell, hear, see and taste their goals? You only know about goals to the extent at which you DO them.

Why are we talking about goals? Well, for one, my bride and I just finished writing out our goals for 2010 using the Brian Tracy system. You can even see a few of them at

www.seifpro.wordpress.com. And I thought that now would be as good a time as any to get you thinking, no not just thinking, but "doing" your 2010 GOLF goals.

When talking to golfers I find that nearly 100% of them are afraid of change, and I've gotta figure the other 1% or so are just liars. Why are we so afraid of change? Because most change is uncontrollable. By choice. But when you have specific goals using the steps we will cover over the next 3 weeks you will gain CONTROL of change. And that is when change will be for the good. That type of change will be embraced not feared.

First let's look at the Three Elements of Goal Setting

1. Acres of Diamonds- A lecture by Russell H. Conwell in the early 1900's. Feel free to e-mail me for the full 31 page copy. The basic idea is to look under your feet. Right where you are at this very moment. Everything you will ever need to achieve your goals is right here. No need to go off to some golf school in Arizona or Miami. No need to go out and seek the next greatest NASA Plutonium Driver.

2. Area of Excellence- Everyone has an area of their golf game in which they can excel far better than the others. Find your area and cultivate it. Polish it. Go to work at it. Put your whole heart into it.

3. Major Definite Purpose- Become absolutely crystal clear about what you want to accomplish. Focus on that purpose and only that purpose until it is accomplished. Do everything that is consistent with your purpose. Definitions of MDP- Must be clear, specific, objective, measurable and tangible. Must be achievable but requires stretch. Must be in harmony with what else you are doing. Cannot have multiple MDP or MDP that conflicts with your other goals/activities/lifestyle.

Next week we will talk about your most important values, most important golf goals, how you would change your golf game if... and more.

Week #2 and Week #3 of the Champion Success Strategies will be the most important weeks of the year. Be sure to look for them!

Your Partner In Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein
PGA Golf Guru

Practice your Golf Swing

2009-12-09T08:09:00.003Z

What?? Practice swings you say? What difference does that make?

Well here is what the average golfer does. The average golfer will tee up his ball and then step back and take a full 100% simulation swing of what he thinks he wants to do.

You'll even hear a 'swish' to the club going thru the air. If he hits the ground too hard, he'll take another, if not, he'll think he's ready.

Contrast that with the greatest players in the world. They'll take some swings to find a rhythm and move their body. They might even rehearse a mechanical move.....but, that's it. Then they step up to the ball and use their 100% swing.

One of the best examples of this is Tiger Woods. He takes about 3-5 swings that are about 3/4 back and thru and swung in slow motion. He's preparing his body. This concept has even found it's way into baseball.

Hideki Matsui has the most curious habit at the plate. He never takes a practice swing once he steps into the batter's box. He saves all those meaty cuts for when he needs them. Hideki knows that practice swings suck up energy, also if you swing hard enough on a practice swing, you could hurt yourself.

Your Partner In Golf Success,Scott Seifferlein

Golf Fuerteventura Tips : KNOWLEDGE WHEN PROPERLY APPLIED?

2009-12-02T07:28:00.002Z

As you read this golf tip, please keep in mind that it may not apply to your unique needs. Always consult with your local PGA professional (that would be Scott Seifferlein if you are new to how this works:) before attempting to apply any golf tip you have read from a newspaper, magazine, book, internet, your 20 handicap brother-in-law, etc.

You've probably heard this statement many, many times - "Knowledge when properly applied.." That statement leads to the conclusion that when knowledge is applied to something it changes the status of that particular thing, but what is knowledge and why does it have the power to create change?

Get ready to learn what knowledge truly means! Let's begin by breaking down the word.

Know-L-Edge

Know- You must know your golf game, which means you must know the tendencies of your distance, the ball flight, launch angle, spin rate, impact position and how you react under different conditions. You must also know how to practice, when to practice, how to get the most out of your practice, deal with rejection. Most importantly, you must know in your heart that you can and will achieve your golf dreams.

L-Listen: You must listen to those that have walked in your shoes. For example, a hockey coach that leads an NHL team usually has many records under his belt and has proven himself as a Champion in the game of hockey. You wouldn't see an Olympic gymnast coaching an NHL team. The same is true for your golf game. Why would you take direction from someone that has NEVER done what you want to do? There are many so-called coaches out there attempting to coach people yet they have NEVER done what they are attempting to teach. You must listen and learn from those that have been where you are at now and have gone all the way to the top!

Edge- You must have the edge and live on the edge to truly succeed with your golf game. That means you are willing to dedicate yourself to your golf and become the best that you can be. This includes filling your mind with motivational, birdie making strategies on a daily basis to constantly be one step ahead of your playing partners. You must also attend golf improvement member events, clinics/seminars and golf schools hosted by those that are highly successful at playing and teaching golf. This will give you the competitive "edge" that you need to be more successful than others.

If you live by these keys, then knowledge when applied to your golf game will create action and rock your future! Make today the day that you truly understand the word knowledge.

Your Partner In Golf Success,
Scott Seifferlein
PGA Golf Guru

No Magician Has a Greater Power Than Yours

2009-11-25T06:44:00.003Z

When you get your wake-up call at some Disney hotels, you hear something like: "It's 7:00 A.M., have a magical day in the Magic Kingdom."

No need to rely on Disney or anybody else to give you a magical day. You can create them for yourself at will, in your GOLF GAME or your own personal life - although, truth be told, in the imaginary Magic Kingdom or your own, the very best of days only has some magical moments or hours, some mundane ones and usually, some not so good ones.

Several years ago, in professional golf, I had my own magical day. After implementing a new putting system for distance control in July of 2000, I entered the West Michigan Chapter Championship in September that same year. It all came together with 28, 26 and 27 putts over the three rounds of the tournament. Never before had I putted so well for three consecutive rounds.

Also in that same tournament I won the only skin with a chip-in eagle for $900 cash, plus the $3,000 for winning the tournament and the assistants tournament with-in the real tournament.

You just don't get too many like this one in an entire golfing career. However, being in the golf business, if you get away from your club for a tournament you have to work double to catch up and I was just too darned tired to join any post tournament celebrations.

Is any day ever entirely magical?

Well, anyway, I guess my point is: you make your own magic.
Just as performance coach Lee Milteer says "there are no victims, only volunteers", I'd tell you there are no really greener pastures in the distance; certainly not greener than you might make those you own already.

There are no real wizards or magicians endowed with magic greater than yours; certainly not greater than the powers you possess you could strengthen and exploit.

As your golf instructor my service to you is not to give you magical powers but to show you where your hidden talents lie. To get the most out of your golf game. To motivate you to train throughout the winter. To feel good about your victories. To learn from your losses. To beat your competitors without apologies. To make continual improvement 52 weeks out of the year. That is what I am here to provide you, right here, in this Champion Success Strategies e-mail. 52 weeks a year.

If you missed them in this months newsletter here are the winter training strategies:

Lead Hand Control: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX6g5BUmI5s

Perfect Pitch Tip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epsXXvvwol4

How To Add 15 Yards in 5 Minutes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msl4mMzp-us

Your Partner In Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein
PGA Golf Guru

Golf Ideal Posture & How To Maintain It

2009-11-17T13:51:00.004Z

Golfers ARE Obsessed with Distance - And They Should Be

2009-11-11T08:59:00.000Z

As you read this golf tip, please keep in mind that it may not apply to your unique needs. Always consult with your local PGA professional (that would be Scott Seifferlein if you are new to how this works:) before attempting to apply any golf tip you have read from a newspaper, magazine, book, internet, your 20 handicap brother-in-law, etc.

I was reading a comment on a blog the other day where some guy said, "I'd much rather have a 150 yard shot straight for the green from the fairway than that 100 yard shot out of the rough." What do you think about this dude's course management style of thinking?
I think most days I'll bet on the guy that has 100 yards from the rough.
That being said you have to be strong enough and you have to know how the club works when cutting through the rough. And you have to know when it is the right play to be aggressive and risk going in the rough. Obviously when O.B. stakes are near by it is safer to play for the fairway.
But let's assume for a moment that you are strong enough to get through the rough, which shouldn't take much on most of the courses you play, and there is not any severe penalty like water or Mr. Havacamp's yard O.B. penalty for missing the fairway. Why do you think you would have more success from the rough at 100 yards than the fairway at 150 yards?

Let's look at some statistics rather than a theory. The statistics provided here include all shots from the distance ranges regardless of whether they were in the fairway or rough. You could however make an educated guess that the shots in the greater yardage range are on longer holes (which generally have wider fairways) so in all likelyhood PGA Tour players are more likely to be in the rough when playing from a shorter yardage. This year on the PGA Tour Robert Allenby hit the green 84.76% of the time from 100 to 125 yards. He hit the green 69.11% of the time from 150 to 175 yards. His average distance from the flag when hitting from 100 to 125 yards was 18'9". His average distance from the flag when hitting from 150 yards to 175 yards 26' 3". His putting average in the 18 foot range was15% and when putting from 26 feet his percentage less than 10%. So you can now clearly see that Robert Allenby is better off from 100 yards than 150 yards. But what does that mean to you?

The average tour player has about 15 yards difference per short iron. So we could assume that if Robert is playing a sand wedge from 100 yards, he probably hits a gap wedge 115, a pitching wedge 130, a 9 iron 145, and an 8 iron 160. So when going from a SW to an 8 iron he definitely has a bigger challenge but maybe not a huge difference. Now let's take your Joe Schmow statistics. The average amateur has about 10 yards difference per short iron. So we could assume that if you are playing a Pitching wedge from 100 yards, you probably hit a 9 iron from 110, 8 from 120, 7 from 130, 6 from 140 and 5 from 150. Now the picture becomes more clear doesn't it? So I ask you again would you rather have a Pitching wedge into the green or a 5 iron into the green?
Time to hit the gym and bulk up your tee shots for next year. I'll see you at the 100 yard marker.
Your Partner In Golf Success,

by Scott Seifferlein PGA Golf Guru

Golf Tips : Your Alignment

2009-11-06T08:14:00.001Z

As you read this golf tip, please keep in mind that it may not apply to your unique needs. Always consult with your local PGA professional before attempting to apply any golf tip you have read from a newspaper, magazine, book, internet, etc.

Most right-handed golfers aim too far to the right (left handed golfers too far left) This causes the club-head to move outside the correct plane and then across the ball in the downswing to compensate for the poor alignment. The result is a loss of club-head speed. To check your alignment, place a shaft along your toes or the back of your heels. Stand ten feet behind the ball and look to see where the shaft is lined up. It should be aligned to the left (right for left handed players) of and parallel to your target. The shoulders should also follow this line when set-up to the ball.

Written by Scott Seifferlein, PGA Golf Guru

Golf Tips: Stop trying to swing the club to parallel.

2009-11-05T08:05:00.001Z

Every week we see the greatest golfers in the world all swinging the club shaft in the general vicinity of parallel to the ground at the top of the backswing. Some go slightly past parallel and some slightly short of parallel. In general it is fair to say that most professional golfers swing the club shaft back to a point that is very close to parallel.

Another generalization is that most club professionals can walk down their driving range and watch many of their amateur students swinging the club shaft to a point at or past parallel to the ground at the top of the backswing. Let us as golfers make it a goal to stop trying to swing the club shaft to parallel if we are not flexible enough to do so. As a general rule, (if you are flexible enough) you should max out your upper body turn at around 80 degrees of rotation. Visit www.k-vest.com to find an instructor that can measure this.

The arms and hinge should stop a nearly indiscernible split second after the upper body turn is complete. If you cannot turn far enough to get the club shaft to parallel, do not try to get it their by adding unnecessary wrist hinge or arm bend. Work towards setting your lead wrist (left for right handed golfers) early in the backswing. If you can have it fully hinged by the time your lead arm gets to parallel with the ground in the backswing, your chances of over swinging the backswing with you arms and hands will decrease!The result will be a more repeatable swing that is not so dependent on perfect timing. The percentage of solid shots will increase and the range of mis-directed shots will decrease.

Written by Scott Seifferlein, PGA Golf Guru

Golf Fuerteventura Tips: Learn To Chip With The Water Bottle Trick

2009-11-03T13:11:00.002Z

If you're an inconsistent ball striker, it probably carries over into your short game, which is frustrating because with such a short swing it should be easy to make solid contact. If you do have trouble with chips, it's more than likely because you try to lift the ball into the air and end up blading it across the green or laying the sod over it. Solid chips are the result of hitting down into the back of the ball, not trying to lift it up. Here's a drill that will produce the kind of chips you dream about—no, not the kettle cooked ones with barbeque flavoring . You'll need to hit the snack aisle for those.

The Drill
Balance a club on the top of a water bottle as shown below (it's easier than it looks), and place your ball 12 inches behind the middle of the grip.

Make your chip stroke without knocking the shaft off the bottle. You'll need to descend into the ball and keep your clubhead low to the ground post-impact. If you try to scoop the ball or allow the club to pass your hands, you'll send the club and the bottle flying. If you practice this only a few times your chipping will improve dramatically.

Sincerely,Dan The Golf Man

Golf Fuerteventura Tips: Using Pool Cues To Improve Your Driving

2009-11-03T13:03:00.003Z

This story is for you if...
• Your driver impact feels either very dead or like you've just made contact with a bowling ball
• You find contact marks out on the toe and heel sections of your driver's clubface
• You slice

THE PROBLEM
You can't make contact on the center of the clubface with your driver, and that's costing you distance and accuracy.

HOW YOU KNOW IT'S HAPPENING
When you hit it off the heel, it'll feel like you just hit a brick and the ball will shoot dead left. If you hit it off the toe, you'll feel a soft impact, like you whacked an old apple.

HOW TO FIX YOUR HEEL AND TOE HITS
Lay four dowels (or pool cues or even string) on the ground as shown. The spaces between the dowels should be slightly wider than your clubhead. Address an imaginary ball in the middle lane. If you tend to hit it off the toe, take practice swings making sure your clubhead travels through the far lane after impact. If you hit it off the heel (or tend to shank your irons), your downswing path should go through the near lane. After 10 practice swings, tee up a ball and swing away. Now that you're slotted correctly, you'll hit it square and the same distance every time.

P.S. I'm still working on a special deal for all of our blog readers on a really really hot golf product on the market. I tried it and it actually even improved my game. I want to get you guys a bunch of bonus materials and a better price so bear with me. I should have details in a day or so.

Sincerely,Dan The Golf Man

Golf Canary Islands Tips: Help I'm Stuck In The Sand And I Can't Get Out

2009-11-03T12:55:00.003Z

When you're in a greenside bunker the club should never touch the ball. You want your wedge to toss the sand beneath and behind the ball onto the green. The ball will float out on the whoosh of sand. You must convince yourself that the ball is an afterthought on these shots. To practice this, stand in the flat of a practice bunker and place two tees opposite your left instep. You don't need a ball. Hinge your wrists quickly on the backswing to create an upright path, then swing down and let your sand wedge hit about two inches behind the tees. Make a full follow-through, finishing with your hands at shoulder height. You'll see that the tees have flown up and toward the hole along with the sand you sprayed.

Repeat the drill five times, and see how high and far you can make the tees fly. Then drop a ball down and repeat that swing. With a little practice, escaping bunkers will become an afterthought. The half-buried lieUsing the traditional bunker escape from a fried-egg lie would require you to throw massive amounts of sand at the green. Instead, play the ball off your right instep, toe your wedge in and swing down so the club slams into the sand right behind the ball. This punch shot should dislodge the ball and get it out of the bunker. Expect it to run without any spin, but at least it's out.
P.S. My Friend The Swing Guru wants to thank everyone who took advantage of his Simple Swing Golf System offer from the other day. Since he personally makes sure that EVERYONE using the system improves their game he is limiting the amount of new students who can sign up for the system. He told me 5 more people from the golf tips newsletter can sign up, but I talked him into giving us 10 more slots. I highly suggest you take this opportunity to sign up. Once all of the slots are taken no more will be available at any price, let alone the special offer he gave us. Check out the Simple Swing Golf System today! It has a complete money back guarantee.
Sincerely,Dan The Golf Man

Golf Tip: How to Stop Slices & Hooks

2009-11-03T12:26:00.003Z

This story is for you if...
• You're making controlled, balanced swings but the ball is curving hard to the left or right.
• You've tried every drill imaginable and still can't hit the ball straight.

The Problem
You follow up a severe slice on one tee with a vicious hook on the next.

Why It's Happening
You're taking the club back off plane, and aren't making the necessary compensations on the way back down.

THE SOLUTION
You can search for downswing compensations to help you hit the ball straight, but why not just fix your backswing? It takes 20 seconds.
Lay your driver across your shoulders with the grip end to your left. Take your stance and make your regular backswing turn. Now, you may have seen this drill before, but hardly anyone does it correctly. Most golfers think that you should make your backswing turn so that the shaft points at the ball (photo, top right). That's way too steep, and one of the reasons why you slice. Swinging the club too flat with the shaft pointing way beyond the ball (photo, bottom right) is equally bad (and a potential source of your hook).
The correct way to perform this drill is to turn your shoulders and maintain your posture so that the shaft points at a spot just a foot on the other side of the ball. That's a perfect on-plane position. Combine a nice, smooth backswing with this exact shoulder turn and you'll be in perfect position at the top.

Sincerely,Dan The Golf Man

Golf Tips:Your swing is too up-and-down

2009-11-03T11:41:00.003Z

The Problem
Your swing is too up-and-down, which causes either a fat shot or a wild slice.

The Solution
A too-steep backswing creates two problems: 1) The resulting steep downswing will force you to stick the club in the ground before impact (fat), and 2) When you take the club back too high, your forearms tend to rotate down, cupping your left wrist and opening the clubface (slice). To swing the club properly around your body, think about keeping your elbows level at the top.

The Drill
Here's a good way to learn how to keep your swing on plane. Take the club back and find your position at the top. Then, have a friend grab another club from your bag - something long like your driver or 3- wood - and try to balance it between your arms (see photo). If your elbows aren't level, the club won't be straight. Practice this until you can feel the correct position all the time.

By Dan The Golf Man

Golf Tips in Golf Fuerteventura

2009-10-30T08:04:00.004Z

We have just lunched this microblog about Golf Tips. We hope you enjoy it

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