Greetings again golf fans!  Today I will be talking about the core fundamentals that allow you to swing and produce proper ball flight results.  I have decided that today I will focus on the grip as this article will become too long if I cover alignment, stance and posture.  Plus, this will give you something to look forward to in future articles.  :) 

First is grip.  I always say grip is number one because it is your only connection to the golf club.  Similar if I had an electrician do some work and he doesn't hook up all the wires to a switch.....the result is a bad connection and the unit won't work.  Grip is similar, if you have a poor grip you can negatively affect ball flight and distance.  A grip that is too weak will produce shots always moving to the right.  A grip too strong will close the club and produce lower left shots.  So, it is important to start with the left hand and have the rubber grip run across the the top portion of your fingers but not in your palm.  Next, wrap the heel pad of your hand up and on the top of the grip with your left thumb slightly down the right center (right hand players) of the grip. 
Next let's put your right hand on the club.  I have all beginners lift the club up in front with the shaft pointing skyward.  You will now connect the right hand so that the rubber part of the grip runs throught the top part of the fingers and allows you to wrap your hand over your left thumb.  You want the lifeline of your right hand to be in line with your left thumb and completely covering it.  When you look at this you should see the letter "V" which forms from your right index finger and thumb.  The right index finger will also be in a hooked position and look similar to if you were holding a pistol and about to pull the trigger. 

I have included photos below as examples of the correct position along with a few from students that I have worked with to correct their poor grip.  For some reason some of the photos are rotated incorrectly and I am not a good enough blogger to figure this out so apologies for any photo that looks upside down, etc.

Now, you are ready to swing.  This grip will produce much straighter shots.

For more information about our lesson programs please visit our website at www.wildernessridgegolf.com



Correct final position



Too Strong with right hand

Too strong with right hand

Hope this tip helps! 

Chris Thomson, PGA
Director of Golf
Wilderness Ridge Golf Club
Lincoln, Nebraska

Proposed new rule 14-1b - Anchoring a club

Greetings golf fans!  Today we will focus on the controversial issue regarding a newly proposed rule change from the R&A and the USGA, the two governing bodies that oversee the game and rules of golf.  The proposed rule would fall under the rules as Rule 14-1b

The newly proposed change deals with the actual stroke a player would make and not the equipment or the length of the equipment.  Therefore, when a player who uses either a belly putter or a long putter they would no longer be permitted to "anchor" the putter against their body in any way.  The R&A and USGA are considering this an advantage to anchor a stroke and would consider it a breach of the rules.  So, in quick laymans terms if the rule is adopted by 2016 player will no longer be permitted to anchor any club against their body while making a stroke. 

As a PGA Professional we are charged with growing the game of golf and making it a fun and enjoyable sport for every player.  Generally when a player makes a change to a longer putter and begins to anchor it they have done so for a reason.......because the struggle with the conventional method!  A players overall enjoyment of the game significantly decreases if the scores they shoot are higher because they struggle on the greens to get the ball in the hole.  Rarely do I ever see a beginner start out with a longer length putter, they just don't do that.  However, I know many players that have struggled mightily for years with a conventional length (34" - 35") putter including myself and my own son.  After 20 years of multiple 3 putt rounds I decided to change to a belly length putter.  Almost immediately my putting improved as the anchor helped me stay more quiet with my hands and allowed me to use my shoulders more as I made my swing.  My son was the same; as he played competitive high school golf then collegiate he struggled with 3-5 three putt rounds on average.  In 2012 he reluctantly made the change to a longer belly putter and to his surprise his 3 putts virtually disappeared.  (occaisional ones but more from hitting it in the wrong spot)  My point is that players make a choice to switch to these clubs for a reason and their overall enjoyment of the game significantly improves.  Players will need to modify the way they hold the club once the rule is adopted and my hopes is that their enjoyment does not go down.

Here's what I do know......I currently don't use a belly putter anymore as I had found another putter model that I wanted to try.  (Most golfers collect putters, drivers and wedges!  My basement is full of them)  My conventional stroke significantly improved because I learned to use my shoulders as the way to make my stroke instead of using more of my hands.  For those that are currently using a belly or longer putter, now is the time to start experimenting with new grips, stances, etc to find what will work for you. 

There has been talk of bifurcation between the tour and amatuer players (this would be two seperate rules for each) but I would doubt that you will see this happen as tour players wouldn't want an asterics next tour their name for winning an event. 

I have included a slide that shows the timeline for the rule change as well as some acceptable and unacceptable methods of holding the putter. For more information about this rule change you can visit the United States Golf Association website at www.usga.org and read the articles and view all the photos of acceptable/unacceptable methods.

Thanks for reading our blog, if you have any comments regarding this rules issue I would love to hear them and can be contacted by email at cthomson@wildernessridgegolf.com

Tomorrows topic - The importance of proper GRIP-AIM-STANCE & POSTURE

Wilderness Ridge Player Development

Greetings golf fans!  Today's post is about a PGA player develpment program that we run at WR for adults that are interested in learning golf.  The program is called "Get Golf Ready" and is geared for new players or lapsed players to the game.  The program consists of 5 group lessons for only $99.  Classes cover putting, chipping, pitching, full swing and an on course experience. 

In 2012 we offered classes from the middle of April through the middle of August each evening amounting to about 125 new or lapsed golfers that were ready to start or get back into the game.  Through the course of the program we had about 30% of participants being male and 70% female.  Many formed their own group and just had a blast. 

Please see some of the photo's below for Get Golf Ready and visit our website at www.wildernessridgegolf.com and click on the Player Development Link for more information about the program for 2013 dates and times.

If you are interested or know someone that may be interested in the lesson program please pass on our information to them. 

Tomorrows topic........disucssing the new proposed USGA & R&A ruling regarding anchoring the belly or long putter. 

Greetings golfers!  This will be the start of a new daily blog from our PGA Professionals at Wilderness Ridge. 
Most recently, I just returned from the annual PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit and PGA Merchandise Show held in Orlando, FL.  The Teaching & Coaching Summit is an annual educational program offered to PGA Members who want to continue to learn about the golf swing, psycology, biomechanics, etc.  It's kind of a Pro's teaching Pro's or experts teaching Pro's setting that helps us all become better teachers. This year we had over 600 PGA Professionals from around the country attend and listen to great speakers such as Michael Breed (Golf Channels - Golf Fix), Coach Bobby Bowden, Ian Poulter and many others.  This year, I had the incredible opportunity to speak as part of a discussion panel for a PGA growth of the game program that we offer at Wilderness Ridge called "Get Golf Ready" for beginner and lapsed players so they can learn about the basics of the swing and game and get out to playing and practicing.  Wilderness Ridge's program ended up in the top 10 nationally of all the 3,700 clubs that offered the program, thus my invitation to speak about the program and offer my thoughts on how to initiate and run a successful Get Golf Ready Program.  (More on that program at a later time!)

In regards to the annual Merchandise Show, the week kicked off with an enourmous demo day at the Orange County Golf Course on Wednesday.  This is a great way to showcase off the new products to pros that are ultimately going to be fitting and selling the equipment.  Thursday - Saturday is the actual merchandise show with vendors as far as you can see!  Companies are there to showcase equipment, new balls, teaching aids, gifts, hats, shoes, apparel and much much more.  I have attached a few pic's for viewing and also encourage you to visit www.pga.com if you are interested in receiving the e-newsletter that comes out each Thursday. There is no obligation for anything, this newsletter will keep you up to speed on all sorts of trends in the golf industry.  Just follow through the home link to get your own account. 

All in all a great week in Orlando with some terrific networking, stellar education and of course being the first to view some of the latest and greatest golf products!