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A Brief Message      May 24 /06

• Congratulations to Tim Herron for his recent win at the Bank of America Colonial.
  
• My last newsletter was the sixth in a new series called "9 Holes with a Golf Expert." My continued playing recommendations for low scores, on average.. View the previous newsletter here.
  
• In this newsletter, my last in the series of playing 9 holes with yours truly. Read below for my playing tips during these final holes.
• An excellent golf book that I've promoted on my site for over a year is "Swing Machine Golf." Click here to take a peak. It's a beautiful book to have.
  
  

  View the left hand side of this page for some other great golf gift ideas. Get some great golf books from amazon.com. View my recommended golf science books.

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  Featured Products
  
  
  Visiball Golf Ball Finders
  (as seen on the Golf Channel)
  

  

  What tempo do you swing the club with? Research has shown that all the best players, past and present, swing with one of three tempos. Unlock yours and start striking the ball better TODAY!

  Check out my latest calculator. It calculates your handicap index. You can use it whenever you like ensure you're using the right index. Click here. Why pay? This one is free.
  

9 Holes with a Golf Expert -- Part 5: Last Three Holes

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Click here to order Dave's Pelz's Short Game Bible, OR get it at your local bookstore. BUT, whatever you do, GET IT !! Your game will love you for it.

Hole 9
     
    We left last time with me being one over par after 8 holes, even though I did not have my ball striking A game. I attributed my good scoring to feeling in control of my game by making wise shot making descisions and not taking risks.

Hole #9 is a 385 yard, dogleg right, PAR 4 from the regular men's tees. Most of the doglegs on this course are to the left, favouring a draw for a right handed swinger. So, the 9th hole can favour a fade or slice player except that the right hand side is guarded by a large bunker. If I hit the ball a little left off the tee and hit it too far, I can go through the fairway into the trees. Club selection is very important off the tee. If the wind is with me, I'll usually hit a 2-iron. If hit well, it'll go far enough to get down to the bottom of a depression in the fairway.

The wind today is into my face so a 2-iron will leave me a long 2nd shot. I tend to pull or pull draw my 2-wood when not swinging well. My Driver, on the other hand, will tend to be straighter. I find that I can hardly put a draw on the ball with my Driver (a Ping TSI) due to the large club face. I choke up on the grip about and inch or two for more control aiming at the center of the fairway. If I do fade the ball a bit, it will carry far enough to clear the bunker.

I think I've mentioned before that the most crucial part of the swing is at the top of the backswing. Most of us tend to be far too quick here when not swinging well. When I'm concerned about my ball striking, I'll tend to consciously try to be slower in this region of the swing, trying to have a slight pause at the top of the backswing. Unfortunately, I didn't think of this on this occasion and because I was a little anxious given that last hole and wanting a good score, I got a little quick and came over the top, and pulled my tee shot into the trees on the left.

I find my ball and have a clear swing. Unfortunately, I don't have a direct line to the green. I'd have to hook the ball to get it on the green. The pin is on the right front portion of the green. If I miss the shot to the left (likely if I don't pull off the hook), I'll have a next to impossible up and down. The smart shot is to chip the ball out of the trees to a position where I have a flat lie. Then, I'll have a chance of saving par, but, know that I'll likely make a bogie. I've pulled off the hook shot before but know that the odds are more against me today because my ball striking is not that good. Finishing 2 over par would not be that bad. I could still have a decent back nine and break 75 which is what I'm always happy with if not hitting the ball well.

I chip the ball out using a 5-iron so that the ball goes low enough to hit into an uphill slope and end up at about the 80 yard range. On such a shot, I focus on just making a half swing, playing the ball back futher in my stance than normal to insure not hitting the shot fat. I also focus on the ball a little more to avoid "looking up" and topping the shot. I even will practice hitting half 5-irons on the range.

I hit the shot a little thin, and end up 90 yards from the green but with a flat lie. The green has two tiers; the transition between the two occurs midway. Since the pin is on the front of this 40 yard long green, I'm only about 80 yards from the pin, my favourite distance with the wedge. I hit my 50 degree wedge 70 yards when I choke down fully on the grip. If I move my hands up on the grip one inch (so there is an inch of grip showing below my right hand), I hit the wedge 80 yards with a full swing. I'm playing a Titleist Pro V1, which maximizes the spin I can get on the ball. There is a bunker guarding the front, left of the green. So, I aim about 5 yards to the left of the pin and hit a solid shot. I end up with a 25 foot putt, short and left of the hole.

I use my plumb bob technique and determine that the putt will break about 4 inches to the right.My focus on such a a putt is purely speed. Once I've read the putt, I must commit to the line and just try to make a smooth, solid stroke. I take two practice strokes to get a feel for the distance. I put a good stroke on the ball and hit the ball solidly. The ball starts out on the correct line but falls 6 inches short. My read was right on.

Have you ever noticed how when you're putting well, you hit the ball very solidly time after time. It's the same as ball striking with the long game. If I'm not putting the ball solidly, I try to focus more on keeping still over the ball and not looking up to see where the ball has gone until I've noticed the ball has disappeared. Most mishit putts or a result of trying to "take a peek" too early. I'll also focus on a slow transition between the back stroke and forward stroke, just like I do with the full swing

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this series. Feel free to go back and re-read the entire series from beginning to end. I think I've included a lot of great tips. Here are the links for your convenience:

9 Holes with a Golf Expert -- Part 1: Pre-Round & Opening Hole  

9 Holes with a Golf Expert -- Part 2: First 3 Holes

9 Holes with a Golf Expert -- Part 3: Statistical Significance of First 3 Holes

9 Holes with a Golf Expert -- Part 4:The Next 4 Holes

9 Holes with a Golf Expert -- Part 5:The 17th at the PLAYER'S Championship -- Shot Patterns

9 Holes with a Golf Expert -- Part 6: Last Three Holes

9 Holes with a Golf Expert -- Part 7: Wrap up the NINE

  In my next newsletter, I'll share with you how you can use the rules of golf to lower your score. Most golfers don't know even the most basic rules well and often short change themselves.

What tempo do you swing the club with? Research has shown that all the best players, past and present, swing with one of three tempos. Unlock yours and start striking the ball better TODAY!

"Tour Tempo has improved every club in my bag from driver thru wedges," says Tripp Isenhour, the current leading money winner on the Nationwide Tour.  Tripp has won two of the first five events in 2006.

Click HERE to nlock your ideal TEMPO!

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Now, go get that book . Go to your local bookstore and get it OR click here, Click here to order Dave's Book, to order it from amazon; your game will thank you for it.

I'd appreciate any comments you have. Email them to me at probablegolf@yahoo.ca

Take a look below the suggestion box for some more ideas on how you can improve your game.

Ken Tannar