What is more important in the golf swing - Style or Function

In college, I competed as a gymnast.  Our score depended on executing movements with style and grace.  As a gymnast, if my toes weren't pointed or my legs came apart while executing a manuever, it would be a deduction that would effect my final score.  When it comes to golf, the only score that counts is the total number of strokes.  So what we should focus on is moving the golf ball towards the hole as efficiently as possible.
 When A.J. Bonar was the director of golf at SDGA (now known as Golf Academy of Americas), he emphasized the need for us to help golfers understand how the golf club should move in the golf swing and the toe of the club rotating around the shaft.   In the attached video, Martin Hall has a great visual demonstration of this.  If you haven't seen Martin Hall on Tuesday nights on the Golf Channel, I highly recommend that you watch him.

Mom, Dad and my friend Cameron - Setting life and golf in perspective.

There's a lot of parallels in golf and life.  A lot of golfers lose their enthusiasm when things start going bad and it just isn't any fun.  Sounds kind of like life in general, doesn't it.  Let me share a few stories that help me keep life in perspective.  I learned them from Mom, Dad & my friend Cameron (pictured on the left).
On September 9, 2001, Mom & Dad came out from L.A. to visit me in Indiana.  Two days later, we experienced the terrorist attack on The World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  We were out for dinner at the Olive Garden that evening and only two other tables were occupied.  As we were talking, my Dad said two simple words, "They win."  What he meant was that the terrorists broke our spirit and our feeling of being invulnerable.  This came from two people (my parents) who after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, despite the fact they were born on American soil, as teenagers were told that they were not worthy of being American citizens because of their Japanese ancestry and sent to "relocation" camps.  In addition, my mom has been through Cancer twice and my dad has gone through the numerous surgeries for heart conditions.  I've not been through anything so traumatic in my life.  That evening, I learned a simple lesson.  Greatness comes from doing the basic tasks in life like waking up and going to work every day to the best that we've got to give.

A few years back, I had the opportunity to meet an amazing young person, Cameron Howard.  Cameron is afflicted with a condition called Progeria.  Progeria is a disease that causes the body to age at a highly accelerated rate, and most people with Progeria seldom live past 13 years of age.  If you've read my first blog post, one of my basic "rules" of golf is "golf is a game for a lifetime".  Maybe I should change the phrase to "life is a game for a lifetime!"  From Cameron's example, I've learned a lot.  He has a great attitude and a huge smile.  He approaches life with great enthusiasm and his parents, Jason & Stephanie, share that enthusiasm and make the most of every day. 
It's that example of the attitude of the Howard family that has given me the inspiration to approach life with a great enthusiasm and treat each person I meet if more important than myself.    For myself and anyone who's ever met Cameron, he's a bright shining light to those of us who've lived a full life and makes me appreciate the life I've lived and have yet to live.
So although all I may be is a golf pro in Benton Harbor, MI, I hope I can affect someone else's life along the way by sharing some of the lessons I've learned and living each day to the fullest possible.  Thanks Mom, Dad & Cameron.

To learn more about Cameron Howard, visit http://www.iamcam.org/.  In August we will have our annual charity day at Lake Michigan Hills to bring awareness to Progeria Research.

Golf Instruction Video Series #6 - The Pivot

Wayne "Gooch" Yamaguchi, Head Golf Professional Lake Michigan Hills in Benton Harbor, MI talks about the pivot, the "workhorse" of the golf swing.  Here I will show you a drill to practice to develop the "coil" the body creates.  The motion is actually very simple.

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How to pick a golf ball

One of the most common questions we get here at Lake Michigan Hills in the golf shop is “What ball should I play”. 

First, determine what is your top priority?  Is it  performance around the greens, distance, value, or looks & style.

For most golfers, performance around the greens should be your first consideration.  With a high spin ball, it will make a huge difference in the short game and putting.  The drawback is the high cost of a performance ball.  Examples are Titleist Pro V1, Nike Tour, Bridgestone B330 series or Srixon Z Star.

If adding distance is a consideration, there are the mid priced balls, which also have a mid-spin rate which gives the best of both worlds.   Examples are Titleist NXT, Nike Vapor Speed, Bridgestone E Series, Top-Flite Gamer or Srixon Tri Speed Tour.

For the golfer who loses a lot of balls, value can be important.  There are also some performance characteristics to these balls, however limited.   Examples are Nike Power Distance, Titleist DT,

And finally, looks are important.  The colored golf ball is back.   The best thing about the colored ball is they stand out brightly and are easy to find when the light is poor outside.  In addition, most people play a white ball so yours will be the easiest to spot, and maybe no one will hit your ball by accident.

Taking the swing to the practice tee

A great way to work on a change in your swing is to practice swing through a tee in the ground without a ball.  As Harvey Penick said to try to clip the top of the tee off.  When you go to the practice tee (driving range) place a tee under the ball and visualize clipping the top of the tee off while swinging through the ball.  Another effect this will have is giving you a greater margin of error while you are learning a new motion and you will gain confidence in your ability to make great golf shots. 


In fact, if you are a beginner, you can even use a tee out on the golf course.  This will make the round more fun.  I had my Mommy work on this and golf became a lot of fun for her.  She went a little overboard and hit her driver all the way down the fairway until she was close enough to hit a wedge, but nonetheless, she was having lots of fun.