NO PICTURES

By: Jeffrey Palmer
Palmer Golf Institute at Lora Bay
www.palmergolf.ca

"There are no pictures on the score card." This is what my dad used to say to me after I had hit a couple of awful golf shots and then magically rolled in a long putt to save my par. I continually use the phrase, "no pictures,' when describing the extraction of a good score from particularly hideous circumstances. Your swing, too, is bound to be ugly early in the season but if you work on the right things your score will look better than that rusty old pass you've been making at it.

If you remember Seve Ballesteros, then you know that he could get it up and down for par from the Collingwood landfill if he had too. He did this through no small amount of determination, but also by practicing his short game incessantly. Seve's win at the 1979 British Open even included a birdie made by playing his second shot from a parking lot. Seve is the model hero for ‘no pictures' and I encourage my students to practice their short game and think creatively early in the season. This will help foster good feel around the greens as well as a focus on scoring that will turn your possible high scoring round into one that is acceptable.

I recommend working on the bump and run shot to lower scores. Many novice and intermediate players make the mistake of chipping and pitching with more lofted clubs such as the sand wedge and lob wedge, which is a low percentage shot leading to - more often than not - a skulled or fat shot. The strategy for the short game should be to keep the ball low to the ground and then rolling towards the target as soon as possible, especially under pressure. Players should ask them themselves first if they can putt the ball (even if just off the green in the fairway). This is a great way to get the ball close from closely mown areas and reduce the risk of the ‘chili dipped' wedge. If a player is in a situation where they cannot putt, then a chip would be the next best option.

Taking a mid iron such as a seven or eight iron and playing it back in the stance with the shaft leaning towards the target is the appropriate set up for a chip. A player can then make a putting stroke at the ball to get it on the green and immediately rolling towards the cup. Pitching the ball should be the last option around the green. This can be done by playing the ball in middle of the stance and taking a more lofted club such as a pitching wedge or sand wedge to fly the ball a little further. Players should avoid breaking their wrists during the shot as this will not help in maintaining the angle of the club face which is so crucial to good pitching.

Remember: the guy in the bar won't know how you shot your round of the year because there are no pictures on the scorecard. Work on your short game to make your scores prettier than your game.
 
 

 

06/09

 

 

Jeff Palmer CPGA, AAB

Jeff Palmer, Director of Golf at the Raven at Lora Bay, is an 18 year veteran in the golf industry and has learned from the games finest instructor's.

Jeff graduated from the San Diego Golf Academy in 1991 and turned professional the same year. He attended the PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit in 1992 and 1994 where he learned from such world renowned instructors as Jim Maclean, Butch Harmon, Jim Flick and Bob Toski.

Mr. Palmer has served as the Director of Golf and then the General Manager at the Shanghai Links Golf and Country Club from 1998-2003 and also as the Director of Golf at the Big Island Country Club in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii from 2003-2006.
Palmer's teaching philosophy hinges on the development of sound fundamentals as well as empirical, statistical data capture to identify opportunities for improvement.

In 2008 Jeff formed the Palmer Golf Institute at Lora Bay to help his clients achieve their goals through higher learning and success planning. The PGI offers second to none one on one and group coaching for novice, intermediate and advanced players. The PGI also places a strong emphasis on junior golf offering weekly classes and summer learning camps for young developing golfers.

Jeff Palmer was voted the Instructor of the Year in 2002 by the Shanghai Area Golf Course Operators Group in the People's Republic of China.

 
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