Putting Tips From GCA Coach David Ogrin

In this Wednesday Waggle we’re going to get some putting advice from our good friend, PGA Tour winner and Golf Channel Academy coach, David Ogrin.

Perhaps you’ve seen one of his segments on The Golf Channel. We’re fortunate to have him full time here in San Antonio at The Golf Channel Academy at San Pedro. One of his recent posts caught my eye and I’d like to share it with you.

Today, I have Ogie’s permission to use one of his recent Facebook posts talking about putting. This is addressed to instructors, however, parents and their junior golfers have some excellent takeaways here. Without further ado, in David Ogrin’s words:

“On this putting thing, here would be my preferred way to teach it.

1. Give them your game theory. HIGH SIDE CORRECT SPEED IS NEVER A THREE PUTT. MAXIMUM BREAK, MINIMUM SPEED.

2. Teach them the mechanics. THUMBS ON FLAT OF PUTTER. STRAIGHT BACK, STRAIGHT THROUGH. YOU ARE PERFECTLY DESIGNED BY INSTINCT TO DO THIS.

3. Teach them how to read greens. UPHILL OR DOWNHILL? DOES HILL TIP LEFT OR RIGHT? WHAT SIDE OF HOLE DO YOU AIM?

4. Play for $1 per hole, 9 hole matches until they beat you. PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, PUTT

5. If a student can beat me putting, and I know exactly where I stand on the golf ladder, that student has a chance. THREE FEET 100%, EIGHT FEET 50%, 33 FEET TWO PUTTS

Thanks again Coach Ogrin for the excellent advice!

Dad and Mom, print this out. Hit it with a highlighter. This is valuable information on the basics of putting. To win any golf tournament, the player must make putts and they must make more putts than everyone else.

This is a huge key for winning golf tournaments. Please grasp the inherent value here.

See you on #1 tee ready to make some putts… Sam

Junior Golf: 3-Foot Putts

In this Wednesday Waggle we will look at something that occurs in every round of golf and sometimes they show up in numbers. To have any chance of winning a golf tournament your daughter must conquer these. (Dufner photo golfdigest.com)

What am I talking about, 3-foot putts of course! There’s a reason these are called knee-knockers or testers. This is a perfect in-between length where any player could casually walk up and take a swipe at the ball and likely miss. It is not a 6-inch tap-in and it’s not a 10-footer either. Watch how seriously every pro approaches these short putts. They go through their deliberate routine just as if it was a 30-footer.

Having a repeatable putting routine is critical and is an absolute necessity. The pros know the numbers and guess what, the winners of most pro events, both men and women, will be pretty much 100% makes on putts of 3-feet and less. Yep, that’s 1 of the stats that’s key to winning at any level of golf. (Doug Sanders photo utube.com)

Here’s how important it is to make these little putts. In 1970 Doug Sanders missed a 30-inch putt on the 72nd hole at St Andrews to win the British Open. He then lost an 18-hole playoff to Jack Nicklaus the next day. What happened in Sander’s own words, “I didn’t get set. I was thinking about which side (of the stands containing the British Royalty) to bow to. I saw my good friend Ben Hogan swat a bug away from his face, but later he told me he was trying to get me to walk away and reset.” Doug lost his focus, casually took the short putt for granted and missed. He said it likely cost him $200 million dollars plus the winning of a major and that was in 1970!

Let’s look at the other side of 3-foot putts from last Sunday. Jimmy Walker had the same situation as Doug Sanders did in 1970, a 3-foot putt to win a major. And Jimmy went through his putting routine and stroked his ball into the middle of the cup. He stayed in the moment and got his 1st major.

Your daughter can get close to 100% makes on 3-footers, too. When S3 has been practicing on our favorite Dave Pelz putting aide, he makes just about everything. It’s quite clear, when he makes putts, he has practiced properly and when he misses those same putts, he has not, simple. Find a practice routine for short putts that keeps your daughter’s attention and get after it. It will pay off!

See you on #1 tee ready to make some putts… Sam

Junior Golf: 2016 is Your Year!

Enjoy the New Year this way… Prioritize your time, make your Plan, and Practice your skills.

Without a plan, the people will perish – Success comes to those who plan for it – the only things standing between your golfer and success are his priorities, his plans, and his practice.

Are you ready for great golf in 2016?

Sit down today, take out a calendar go to April 1, 2016, and write down his 3-month goal (Note, this is his goal, not yours. Ownership is everything when considering the success or failure of a project).

Then work backwards from there and write in the skills he needs to perfect in order to be on target for the said goal and the dates he needs to have them improved by. An example is, my 3-month April 1st goal is an improved short game. I need to chip better by February 15. I need to putt better by March 31st.

Now factor in what he must do each week to make his improvement attainable. “I commit to 30-45 minutes of skills-practice a minimum of three days each week.” This practice is in addition to his regular driving range time. The emphasis here is on his commitment, with your encouragement!

Be sure to customize the weekly practice according to the age and goal of your golfer. Remember… FUN is key to your golfer loving the game but practice will ensure perfecting it!

Have fun and enjoy the time spent with your golfer… these are memories worth making!

See you on #1 Tee… Linda

Junior Golf: Bigger Gifts

In today’s Friday Flop Shot we will take a look at the bigger and more costly gifts that are available for your daughter. We have spent our previous posts looking more at stocking stuffers, items that are relatively inexpensive and fun and even useful. Now let’s examine some of the higher-end options out there. (photo offcoursegolf.com)

Buyer beware Mom and Dad! There are thousands of items priced from $29.95 up to $2,000.00 and many of them are fantastic and worth every penny. There are some however that are not worth 5 cents. Before you spend any money, ask your daughter’s swing coach or any PGA Professional for their opinion or check out online reviews. You can see golf legends and top golf coaches promoting a number of products. They all sound great and probably are helpful to many players. Your daughter does not need every one of these aides. Any 1 item would be the most useful.

Discuss with her what part of her game she thinks needs the most improvement. If she is not sure, I’d go for a putting aid. Putting along with chipping are the 2 places to save the most strokes. Buying 1 putting aid maintains her focus on a single aspect of improving her game. You can buy putting aids at most sporting goods stores or from the golf specialty stores, but if you want to kick it up a notch, go to Dave Pelz’s website. Dave is one of the legendary short game coaches and has a fantastic reputation. We have a 20-year old Pelz putting aid that is money! When S3 hits 30-50 putts per day with this aid, for a week or 2 before a tournament, he’ll make virtually every putt 7-feet or less. In fact, when he doesn’t putt well, he likely did not use it prior to the event. (photo dwquailgolf.com)

There are a plethora of swing trainers, swing analyzers, swing weights, nets to hit into in the back yard, etc. Keep it simple. Only buy something your daughter will use, hopefully with or without your oversight. I like the chipping net for the backyard. Again Dad and Mom chipping and putting are the quickest parts of your daughter’s game where she can save strokes.

Now if you want to spend big money like $1,000.00-2,000.00 you have a couple of places to do it. Buying new clubs can easily get you over $1,000.00. Rarely do we buy new clubs, but that’s why there is chocolate and vanilla. If you just must buy some new clubs you can start small, maybe get a new wedge or 2. You can buy top-quality name brand wedges for $129.00 or less nearly all year long. Or a new driver. You can easily spend up to $500.00-600.00 on the latest long bomber. Or new irons. Ah yes, 4-A wedge can run from $499.00-1299.00 depending on make and model. Go for it. There is something special about brand new!

Now the other big money option is book a few days at a golf resort. There are plenty in the US from The California desert to Florida, not to mention Hawaii or the Bahamas. Most of these places are great, not inexpensive but truly memory-making locales. And there is the amazing World Golf Hall of Fame in St Augustine, Florida. Linda and I have been there and played the 2 signature courses, The King and Bear and The Slammer and Squire, both different and fun. Contact PGA Experiences and ask what specials they have available.

So here are a few thoughts on helping you spend your money this Holiday Season. I’m afraid that our family is doing quite a fine job of spending money already. Thanks for your offer to help but our cash is flowing outward at a strong pace!

See you on #1 tee with something new in your bag… Sam

Junior Golf: Mark This Gift

In today’s Monday Mulligan we are taking a look at more fun gifts. This item is 1 that all golfers, including the pros use at least 20 times or more during an 18-hole round. And there are a bunch of styles from plain to fancy to bling and all varieties in between. (Photo jennleforge.com)

Your daughter will use her putter at least 20 times during each 18-hole round. Less than 20 putts is rare, even for the pros, and I think 26-27 putts is about average for the PGA Tour players. So what am I talking about here? It’s a ball marker. That thing you notice most when a player in your daughter’s group doesn’t have 1.

How many times have all of us seen a golfer ask somebody for a coin or mark their ball with a tee, which is awkward and ugly at best. College golfers have asked me more than once if I had a coin or ball marker, before they teed off, of course. On the tournament day checklist please put ball marker prominently on it and even twice if necessary. I mean come on.

Your daughter’s ball should only be sitting on the green when it is her turn to putt. While I’m not a rules expert, I don’t think there is a requirement to mark the ball on the green, unless perhaps it impedes another player’s ability to execute their next shot, but it is certainly 1 of the most common forms of etiquette. And if your daughter asks a another player to mark her ball I believe she is pretty much required to do so. Check the rules if you wish. The point is your daughter should not have to look at somebody else’s ball on the green when it is your daughter’s turn to putt, and vice versa. The 1st thing your daughter should do when she gets to the green is mark her ball, then repair her own ball mark plus 1 more.

Frankly I can’t stand to see a player leave their ball unmarked when it is someone else’s turn to putt. But enough of this, let’s go to the fun. There are a plethora of ball markers out there. Today’s photos will enlighten you a bit. Please put several quarters in a baggie and put it in her golf bag and leave it. And remind your daughter that it is there.

The most popular ball markers we have seen over the years are coins, the magnetic round markers that usually sit on a magnet clipped to the bill of your daughter’s cap and some really big commemorative medals or even poker chips. A tip: use something with 2 different sides and make 1 side the always use side. Turn it over to the other side only when she needs to move her mark. This serves as a reminder to move her mark back to its original position.

Please note that the sample we are showing here are only a tiny bit of the offerings for ball markers. School logos, names, golf course logos, butterflies, bling, animals, the variety is as big as human imagination. These essential items are very inexpensive so why not get a couple of different ones, because they are relatively easy to lose.

See you on #1 tee with a really cool ball marker… Sam