If you’re a player who struggles to effectively get out of the sand, listen up.
If you’re a player who struggles to effectively get out of the sand, listen up.
In this week’s episode of Instruction with Steve Scott, Steve offers a drill to help you consistently hit behind the ball in a bunker, which is key if you’re going to consistently get your ball out of the sand and control how far it goes.
Scott, the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and occasional broadcast analyst, has taken his thorough knowledge of the game and broken it down into digestible lessons from which anyone can benefit in Golfweek’s series, “Instruction with Steve Scott.”
Check out these step-by-step instructions and tips in the video above and share your before and after videos and photos with us on Twitter with #GolfweekInstruction.
Click here to watch previous episodes of “Instruction with Steve Scott” including Gator-clamp putting, iron play, flop shots and how to hit a power draw.
In this week’s episode of Instruction with Steve Scott, Steve explains how you can hit a power draw to maximize your distance off the tee.
Do you want to know how to work the ball from right to left?
In this week’s episode of Instruction with Steve Scott, Steve explains how you can hit a power draw to maximize your distance off the tee.
Scott, the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and occasional broadcast analyst, has taken his thorough knowledge of the game and broken it down into digestible lessons from which anyone can benefit in Golfweek’s series, “Instruction with Steve Scott.”
Check out these step-by-step instructions and tips in the video above and share your before and after videos and photos with us on Twitter with #GolfweekInstruction.
Golfweek’s director of instruction Steve Scott explains how to take your iron play to the next level.
If you want iron play that’s off the charts, your low point is where it starts.
In this week’s episode of Instruction with Steve Scott, Steve explains how you can improve your iron play with one simple drill.
Scott, the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and occasional broadcast analyst, has taken his thorough knowledge of the game and broken it down into digestible lessons from which anyone can benefit in Golfweek’s series, “Instruction with Steve Scott.”
Check out these step-by-step instructions and tips in the video above and share your before and after videos and photos with us on Twitter with #GolfweekInstruction.
Golfweek’s director of instruction Steve Scott explains how to get it up tight with your wedge.
Saving strokes around the green is as easy as honing in on your short wedge shots. What’s the secret to success? Working from 9 to 3.
In this week’s episode, Golfweek’s director of instruction Steve Scott explains how easy it is to get good with your wedges once you dial in one short distance.
Scott, the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and occasional broadcast analyst, has taken his thorough knowledge of the game and broken it down into digestible lessons from which anyone can benefit in Golfweek’s series, “Instruction with Steve Scott.”
Check out these step-by-step instructions and tips in the video above and share your before and after videos and photos with us on Twitter with #GolfweekInstruction.
Constructing an artificial turf putting green at your house is a lot easier than you might think, but it’s a commitment.
If someone asks if you would like an artificial practice green mailed to your house as you are stuck at home for weeks on end during a global pandemic, say yes.
That’s what I did in mid-April after a representative from SYNLawn emailed and asked if I wanted to try one of the company’s artificial greens. The company has designed, manufactured and installed artificial grass surfaces for years. In February, SYNLawn updated a 280,000-square-foot practice area at Carl’s Golfland in Plymouth, Michigan, and it has made synthetic turf areas for much smaller facilities and sells practice putting greens for home use.
While basic, portable putting mats are available, the Dave Pelz GreenMaker Putting Green System is among the Cadillacs of indoor greens. Options range in size from a manageable 6 feet by 12 feet ($1,199) to a mammoth 12 feet by 18 feet ($3,499), and all of them are much easier to assemble than might be expected.
A 6 foot by 12 foot Dave Pelz GreenMaker putting green (David Dusek/Golfweek)
After accepting an invitation to try a Dave Pelz GreenMaker, two packages arrived at my home a few days later. One was a box that contained heavy foam squares that interlock and form the foundation of the green. The other was a big roll that looked like a carpet.
After connecting the foam pieces like a giant Lego set in my basement, then fastening them using dozens of plastic bolts that look like AAA batteries, I opened the roll and saw the artificial grass. The turf laid on top of the foam foundation, with the holes matching up with the cutout hole locations. After about 24 hours, the previously rolled turf flattened under its own weight, then I dropped in the cups and added the flags.
Presto, my practice green was ready for use.
Setting up a SYNLawn Dave Pelz GreenMaker takes one person less than 20 minutes. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The largest greens have four holes, but my compact model had two. According to SYNLawn, the green rolled to a Stimpmeteter measurement of 10, which is slower than PGA Tour standards and more typical for upscale public courses.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started forcing people around the United States to stay home, putter training aids have exploded in popularity. Even as courses in more states have reopened, golf lovers may have a hard time practicing safely, so anything that can help people improve their skills and have fun at home is going to be popular.
Several things separate the Dave Pelz GreenMaker from some other training aids or mats.
The roll. Putt after putt, the ball rolled smoothly and straight over the artificial grass. While the putting surface is elevated about 8 inches above the floor, it genuinely felt like I was on a real practice green.
The clean look. Many putting mats are covered with markings, lines and other training aids to help improve your alignment, ball position and address. Sure, you can use mirrors and other devices on the Dave Pelz GreenMaker, but you also have the option to practice without those things.
The size. While it was not hard to assemble the Dave Pelz GreenMaker, building it is the start of a commitment. It requires space and could dominate a room in your home. It certainly is not something that you would want to build and disassemble every day or even every week. Setting it up on a deck and enjoying it for an outdoor season, then taking it apart and rebuilding it in a basement before cold weather arrives would be fine, but there’s no getting around the need for space.
The price. For most golfers, this is a serious, long-term investment. It’s one thing to buy a $75 training aid and stop using it after a few months, but spending more than $1,000 means you are making a commitment to use the Dave Pelz GreenMaker not only when you are staying home during the pandemic but for years to come.
Megha Ganne, a four-time Drive, Chip and Putt National Finalist, is becoming a major player in women’s junior and amateur golf.
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Katie Rudolph remembers the first time she saw her prized pupil, Megha Ganne of Holmdel, New Jersey, swing a golf club at a driving range at age 8.
“She was striping 7-irons,” recalls Rudolph, a First Tee coach and chief operating officer of The First Tee of Metropolitan New York. “I stopped dead in my tracks and said, ‘Who is this kid?’ Everything was perfect in her swing.”
Ever since, Rudolph has been the only instructor for Ganne. The 16-year-old has progressed to become a four-time Drive, Chip and Putt finalist, having lost a heartbreaker (in 19 holes) in the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur, shot a tournament-record 62 at the Girls Junior PGA Championship, scored an invitation to the 2020 Augusta National Women’s Amateur (since postponed) and received a sponsor’s exemption into the ShopRite LPGA Classic scheduled for late May.
From Weequahic Park Golf Club, home base for First Tee Newark, Ganne hits balls out of an indoor studio into snowbanks during the winter. Up until a couple of years ago, she viewed growing up in the Northeast as a disadvantage.
“I used it as an excuse for why I wasn’t as good as I wanted to be,” she said.
And now? She realizes she’s continued to make steady progress all year long.
“I think the difference is I don’t see my results while I’m making a swing change in real-time because I hit into a net,” she said. “When you hit a bad shot, you’re less inclined to go back to what was working. Since you don’t see the results, you trust it more than if you did.”
And just as Rudolph fondly remembers her first time seeing Ganne swing a club, Ganne hasn’t forgotten her first experience at First Tee with Rudolph.
“You told me we were playing for $1 million,” Ganne reminded Rudolph. “That continued and now Katie owes me $34 million.”
Rudolph sheepishly grinned and replied, “I have every intention of paying you back. Just as soon as I win the lottery.”
Cowen told The Daily Telegraph that the virus had sapped him of much of his strength.
“You really don’t want this,” Cowen told the paper back on March 22. “I’m feeling horrendous and wouldn’t wish this on anyone; no matter how young and fit they may be.
” … it felt like my whole body was shutting down and I said to my wife I think I’ve only got 10 percent body strength left to fight this.”
But a message on the Pete Cowen Golf Academy social media accounts on Tuesday indicated that the famed teacher was vastly improved.
As many of you will be aware, in recent weeks unfortunately Peter Cowen has been extremely ill battling against the COVID-19 coronavirus.
I am delighted to announce that Pete is most definitely recovering and… https://t.co/0KcTmXb3cN
— petecowengolfacademy (@petecowengolf) April 7, 2020
The note, which came from academy manager Nick Huby went on to say:
“I’m delighted to announce that Pete is most definitely recovering and improving day by day slowly building his strength back up.
I am confident Pete will be able to get right back to the business of improving people’s golf very soon.
Peter and his family would like to thank everyone for all the kind, supportive messages and well wishes they have received.”
Among those worried about Cowen’s well-being was Woodland, who said the following to Golfweek via text:
“My thoughts and prayers are with him and everyone during this time. My family and I are at home feeling great trying to entertain three kids under 3. We are healthy and have no symptoms.”
Lee Westwood of England with his coach Pete Cowen during a practice session at the Worksop Golf Club in England.
According to an earlier article in Golfweek, Cowen coached Lee Westwood to World No. 1 in October 2010, ending the 281-week reign of Tiger Woods, and rebuilt Henrik Stenson’s swing, which led to victory at the 2016 British Open. Cowen attended the Honda Classic last month, where rookie sensation Viktor Hovland asked for help on his short game, as well as the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he spent time with Koepka, and the Players Championship in March, where he worked with Woodland before the event was canceled.
