Mind the Putting Green While Practicing
This photo is from the 2012 Masters.What do you see in this picture? Do you see Lee Westwood just practicing his “Gate Drill” with his coach Pete Cowen? Let me tell you what I see. I see a perfect example of a consumate professional taking care of some hallowed ground. Augusta National is a treasured iconic club, known worldwide as one of the most prestigious golf courses on the planet. Do you treat your facility as your hallowed ground? If you do and others don’t, feel free to speak up and let them know.
One of my pet peeves as a coach is seeing golfers’ unnecessarily damage the practice area while practicing. I’m constantly on the putting green or walking by the putting green reminding students or members to stand on a towel if they’re block practicing one putt for a long period of time. It aesthetically damages the turf and as Andrew Lombardo, Golf Course Superintendent at Wyndance Golf Club explains…
“Proper etiquette on any green while playing is to avoid stepping on your playing partners line. The practice green should not be any different. Even though your partner isn’t there so to speak, I would prefer that golfers’ adopt the method pictured (above) to allow the next golfer to enjoy the same surface. Soft spikes aren’t that soft when standing in one location for long periods of time and will cause damage seen for a few days after. It’s easy to pin point the exact location because of the two precisely discoloured foot prints that appear on the green. The towel provides a cushion and reduces friction between your shoe and the green surface. A green will withstand some light abrasion from foot traffic but repetitive ware patterns will cause damage.” – Andrew Lombardo, Golf Course Superintendent, Wyndance Golf Club
If you take the time to follow this method while practicing and pay it forward to other golfers’ it will lead to a healthier golf course and practice area for all. Share your knowledge. Enjoy the game.
Regards,
Jason Helman, PGA of Canada
PGA of Canada Teacher of the Year
PGA of Ontario Teacher of the year
Top 5 Teacher in Canada – Golf Digest Magazine
jasonhelmangolf@gmail.com
Pre-Shot Routine “DRIVE & PUTT” Acronym’s
Here is a quick overview on a few of my thoughts on developing a pre-shot routine. If you’ve ever had first tee jitters this is sure to help, if you’ve ever been nervous over putts this is sure to help. Check out the following video for more info. I tried to keep this more energetic for you. Enjoy.
For the full experience, contact me for your next “coaching session.” e-mail: jhelman@clublink.ca or 905-925-0129
Regards,
Jason Helman, Canadian PGA
2010 Ontario & Canadian PGA Teacher of the Year
Drain-O Putting Training Aid Product Review
DRAIN-O PUTTING TRAINING AID
Check out this training aid. It’s a fantastic product that really helps in developing skill and mechanics for swinging the putter on a proper arc. It has three different style settings of arcs, full arc, mid arc and more of a straight back and straight through arc (really only good for very short putts, I would say 6 feet or less). So, it’s easy to find what feels comfortable and creates an entire different feel if you haven’t been working on specific mechanics in your stroke. This product will help you groove a correct putting stroke and help you repeat it. If you want to be more consistent you have to balance your mechanics, feel and imagination to be a great putter. You’ll notice in the video that I place the guide inside the rail so that the path cannot deviate and if it does the guide will scrape along the rail. It’s important to try and keep it quiet. This training aid will help you get where you want to go in a hurry and that’s making more putts. Check it out.
For the full experience, contact me for your next “coaching session.” e-mail: jhelman@clublink.ca or 905-925-0129
Regards,
Jason Helman, Canadian PGA
2010 Ontario & Canadian PGA Teacher of the Year
Compression Board….Training Aid Product Review
Please Note: I’m very selective when it comes to training aids and utilizing them with students as some do not provide effective or informative feedback. THIS IS A GREAT PRODUCT.
The Compression Board gives instant results and quality feedback to students for every level. It’s simple and easy to use. To break it down the concept is to avoid hitting the board as you approach the golf ball at whatever level you’re attempting. What the board is trying to promote is the proper angle of attack toward the golf ball as you transition down from the top of your swing. If you bottom your swing out too early in an effort to lift the ball in the air, your shaft will tend to lean backwards and you will strike the board with the club head prior to making contact with the ball. This, without the board would result in a fat shot. If you continue and try moving your hands and arms forwards more in an effort to lean the shaft forwards or get your hands more towards your (lead leg) at impact as you approach the ball you will start to avoid striking the board and begin to compress the ball more effectively thus hitting more shots solid, further and on the proper trajectory. It’s important to begin at Level 6 and see how you progress through each level. It’s an effective and informative product to help develop your skill and a re-current pattern.
You can also use it for putting in getting set up properly. It has target lines on it that can help with getting the blade square to your target at address, the length of your backstroke as well as setting the board up to visually give you an idea of how much break to play. Check this product out at:
www.compressionboard.com
Regards,
Jason Helman
Ontario & Canadian PGA Teacher of the Year
AimPoint Green Reading Clinic in Toronto… June 26th
AimPoint predictive putt technology powers a live graphical insertion of optimal putt overlays into golf broadcasts that has been seen on the Golf Channel since 2007, powering over 1500 insertions into live golf coverage. It is the first operationally feasible solution to the putt prediction problem and provides a groundbreaking illustration of putting. AimPoint adds drama to golf broadcasts and provides an unparalleled opportunity for the viewer to understand green-reading, putting difficulty, and approach shot strategies.
AimPoint Technology has been thoroughly tested and approved by the PGA TOUR for use in its golf broadcasts.
If you really and truly want to become a better golfer/player you need to learn how to understand how to read greens, aside from people asking me how to get backspin with their wedges the next most popular question is: “How do I read the greens?” The main problem with golfers is that they fail to understand that putting is not the best part of their game. Countless students have told me that putting is the best part of their game when in fact if we go with 33 putts or less on average you still need lots of work and this is about the average of the best players at the club level. The best players in the world have a 27 to 29 putt per round average. However, their low putting rounds are way lower when they’re hot, Brian Gay leads the tour this year with a low round total of 20 putts at the Bob Hope Classic firing a round of 62 and hitting 12 greens in regulation and there are a couple of others at 21 putts per round, this is unbelievable putting. If you want to get that good there’s lots of disciplines to learn but the most important one that will help you from not having to guess as much is learning how to read greens by using a system. So, have a look at the information below, this will help you lower your score just as much or more than working on your stroke will. This will be a pre-registered clinic as the Instructor from AimPoint will be coming from the United States to conduct the clinic.
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Sign up now this clinic will fill up fast. We have people from Vancouver to Ottawa signing up.
Regards,
Jason Helman
Ontario & Canadian PGA Teacher of the Year
Putting – most people think they’re a good putter
If you’re serious about lowering your golf handicap and doing so quickly, work harder on your short game. It consists of 60% of your game. If you want to reduce 5 strokes immediately 3 to 6 hours a week just spent on putting should do it. Speed is the most important part of your putting game, worry less about your line.
To all of those people who show up at the range and work on your driver for a bucket…ask yourself this question. How Many Holes on a golf course? How many are Par 3’s? Normally, 4 to 5 holes on a regulation course. So, let’s say 5 for the sake of it. How Many holes do you have left if we take 5 away? That’s right, only 13, this means you have 13 chances at hitting your driver which equals 13% of your game if you shoot a 100, so why are you working so hard on that driver again? Let me know how your game improves after working on your putting for a few weeks.
Play Well!
Jason Helman Golf 