My Last Blog Post

My Last Blog Post

To My Four Loyal Readers:

As you may or may not know, my last day at Hart Ranch GC is this Friday, May 17th. I’ve decided to make a transition in life and will be moving on to chase a dream or two. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave such an awesome place. I just wanted to say how much I’ve appreciated my time at Hart Ranch, and especially all of you. It was an amazing 3+ years, and I’ll never forget nor regret the time I spent at Hart.

Here are a few final parting thoughts for you.

Best Swing Tip

Learn to swing THROUGH the ball, not AT it. This is the trickiest part of golf but learning to SWING rather than HIT will instantly make you better, no matter the flaws you have. Hit the ball with your practice swing (much easier said than done) and you’ll be well on your way.

Best Swing Drill

There are a ton of wacky drills out there, and depending on your flaws they’re all viable. If you’re ever off track, go to the range and hit 30-40 shots with your feet together. When you do, don’t just swing your arms, try to rotate your body also (but be sure to keep your balance). Once you’re making consistently good contact you’re on your way to getting your swing back.

Best Short Game Tip

Soft hands. These are touch shots. Don’t grip it tight. Also, practice a lot (see below).

Best Putting Tip

Putt. A lot. A lot more than you do now. Practice almost all of your putting from 6 feet and in and 20 feet and out. Challenge yourself to practice your short game more than your full swing for a month and watch your scores plummet. Also easier said than done.

Best Mental Game Tip

It’s easy, especially after taking a lesson or watching golf tips on YouTube for 3 straight hours to get bogged down in mechanics. That stuff is for the driving range. If you’re on the course and constantly thinking about when to hinge your wrists, or where your lead elbow is, or how to rotate your hips you’re probably not going to play well.

Next time you play, try shifting your focus. When you’re over the ball, look at the target and keep that image in your mind as you swing. Try thinking of the ball flying with the ProTracer like you see on TV. Relax your jaw or concentrate on keeping the same grip pressure all the way into the follow-through. Hum your favorite song. There are a ton of little tricks you can use to get out of your own way. We play golf ladies and gents, not golf swing.

Incorrect Major Predictions

PGA Championship – Rory McIlroy

U.S. Open – Tommy Fleetwood

The Open – Xander Schauffele

FedEx Cup – DJ

Hopefully I’ll see y’all around Hart again soon. It has been an absolute pleasure being your Assistant Pro. Fairways and greens everyone, and as always, Happy Golfing!

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HRGC Masters Preview 2019

Masters Preview 2019

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the best golf week of the year. We have the most iconic, beautiful course in the world, full of tradition and pageantry and the worst sandwiches known to man (ever have a Pimento Cheese sandwich? Terrible). The Masters abounds with awesome stories (like this one) and incredible performances (like this one and this one). Let’s take a gander at what to expect this week!

The Course

Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, GA

Par 72, 7,435 Yards

Scoring Average: +0.9/Round

Projected Cut: +2

Key Holes: #2, #11, #15, #17

Projected Winning Score (Totally Dependent on Weather): -10

This place needs no introduction. In its 83^rd rendition, the tournament has overgone some changes through the years, but remains the pristine venue it always has been. Augusta’s skin is perfect. You ain’t going to find pock marks or blemishes on this course, and high-def TV has really enhanced the viewing experience for all of us.

At Augusta, the player that plays the best that week wins. At some events you get the super-streaky red-hot putter, or the bomber that can simply overpower a track, but it isn’t so at Augusta. The undulations on the greens (and the entire track for that matter) will make certain 5-footers more like 20-footers, and if a player misses they could have a 10-footer coming back. It’s simply the best golf tournament in the world.

The Field

The Masters, for all its glory, has the weakest field of all the majors. 87 golfers will peg it this week, with the top 50 and ties moving on and anyone within 10 shots of the lead making the cut. There are 10-15 geriatric former winners and a few amateurs we can pretty much cross off the list, so around 75% of the “good” players are going to make the cut. That is a much higher number than your typical tour event, which means you’ll want to take some chances if you’re playing DFS Golf.

Key Stats (In No Particular Order)

Driving Distance

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee

Par 5 Scoring

Bogey Avoidance

Masters Experience

That last one may be the most important. There have been a few first-timers that have finished well (see Spieth, Jordan and Finau, Tony), but in general you’ll want to look at golfers that have played here before. There’s just so much to the course, greens and the pressure The Masters brings that taking shots on first-timers is probably unwise (now watch one win).

The fairways are wide and the rough isn’t very penalizing, which is why bombers have had a lot of success. Players do need to miss on the right side of holes to hit greens, however, and many approaches are going to be better if they’re fired to 20+ feet from the hole rather than right at it (another experience plus). This place is going to test every facet of everyone’s game, so targeting great all-around players is a must (duh).

Prediction

While the field overall may be weak, we have the best of the best teeing it up. Realistically I see 25 – 30 golfers who have a chance to win, and 10 with a REALLY good chance to win. First, I’ll be fading Jordan Spieth this week. He has an unbelievable record at Augusta, but he’s been awful this year. Every time he puts himself into contention there’s a triple bogey lurking around the corner, and Augusta is one of the easiest courses in the world to make a big number. I just can’t do it.

I’ll be heavy on all the big names at the top, including DJ, JT, Rory, Rose, Tiger, Rickie, and Rahm (among others), but if I had to pick one guy to win it would be Tommy Fleetwood. Everything sets up well for him here, and he’s been known to perform on the biggest stages. A breakthrough win is coming at some point, so why not now? Here’s another stat: there are six golfers in the field that have gained at least 13 strokes tee-to-green in their last two events. Fleetwood is one of them. The best part? The last FOUR Masters winners have met that criteria. Let’s go Tommy!

DFS

Losing Million $ DK Lineup (Balanced)

Tommy Fleetwood

Tony Finau

Hideki Matsuyama

Francesco Molinari

Henrik Stenson

Rafa Cabrera-Bello

Losing Million $ DK Lineup (Studs-and-Duds)

Justin Thomas

Brooks Koepka

Jason Day

Emiliano Grillo

Thorbjorn Oleson (Thunder Bear)

Gary Woodland

Have a great Masters week everyone! Hopefully this snow melts quickly and we’re outside again shortly. If you haven’t submitted a pick for our Masters Contest yet be sure to do so by tonight. Good luck and happy golfing!

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Golf Course Update – 4/3

Course Update April 3rd

Well, there’s an unfortunately familiar sight…snow on the ground. Luckily, it’s about the heaviest, wettest snow possible, and it will be gone quickly. It does mean the course will be soggy for the next day or two, but with the warm temps coming up this weekend we should be playing (at least 1-13) again shortly.

If you’re a regular at Hart, you know it takes awhile for 14-16 to clear off. Right now there are still drifts on 15 and a large chunk of ice on 16, making it impossible for carts to go down the path. We’re as ready as you are to get all 18 open and get rolling on the season, so stay tuned to your email and Facebook for updates. Remember, we have The Spring Shamble coming up on Saturday, April 13th (weather permitting), so be sure to sign up soon.

Let’s go Mother Nature, we’re ready for outdoor golf!

 

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What’s in a Ball?

What’s in a Ball?

(Or that which we call a ball by any other name would fly as sweet)

When you wander into golf shop you’ll undoubtedly find a vast array of (increasingly colorful) golf balls. If you’ve ever wondered why a certain dozen costs $20 while another costs $50, or if a certain ball could help your game, this post is for you. Read on!

Construction

Golf balls have layers, and the more they have, the more expensive they generally are. Here’s a quick rundown:

One-Piece: Your typical limited-distance driving-range ball. They are inexpensive but don’t fly as far as a normal ball due to extremely low compression (more on that later).

Two-Piece: These are lower-priced golf balls good for beginners or those that don’t like hitting a dozen $5 golf balls into the water. They have a little firmer feel (for the most part) and will maximize distance for slower swing speeds. Two-piecers also help keep the ball straight.

Three-Piece: The rubber core is surrounded by enhanced liquid rubber to help impart more spin. This helps control the ball around the green.

Four-Piece: This is a combo that adds distance while keeping feel and spin. These are more expensive but will be the best all-around ball for mid to low-handicappers.

Dimples

If you haven’t noticed, golf balls have dimples (anywhere from 250-500 depending on the ball). Dimples help the ball fly. Dimples vary in shape, size and number depending on the ball’s characteristics. If you have some dimple-less golf balls in your bag, don’t use them. They won’t go far.

Compression

Here’s a good analogy: imagine wrapping a rubber band around your wrist once (low compression). Now imagine that you stretched the same band out and wrapped it around three times (high compression). This is the same way golf ball compression works.

Compression ranges from 40-100, and low-compression balls are softer and will help slower swing speeds and higher-handicappers achieve more distance. High-compression balls are harder and help faster swing speeds achieve distance while gaining better control. If a fast swinger hits a low-compression ball it will compress too much and won’t perform as well, and vice versa.

For example, a ProV1 has a lower compression than a ProV1X (as is the case with any “X” golf balls). The ProV1 vs ProV1X is an article in itself, as they’ve undergone significant changes in spin and other factors through the years. You can read more about the differences here.

Spin

There are three spin characteristics of golf balls:

Low-Spin: These are designed to decrease side spin and are good for golfers who are looking to increase distance and keep the ball straight.

Mid-Spin: These are a mixture of low and high-spin balls and are probably the best for the majority of golfers. They’ll give some spin around the green while still aiming to stay straight and maximize distance.

High-Spin: These spin the most in the air and will give the most feel and control around the green. These are good for those who carry the ball a long way but are looking for a better short game.

Does any of it Matter?

Only in the sense that it matters to you. If you’re just starting out, you’re going to lose a lot of golf balls. Stick to a (relatively) inexpensive two-piece ball that will help your distance and keep you in the fairway. For better players and those who’ve been playing awhile, I’d recommend finding a ball that stops somewhat quickly on the green, even if you sacrifice a couple yards off the tee. It’s more important that you put chips and pitches close than gain 3 yards.

The bottom line is you want to figure out what you’re willing to spend and play rounds with a few different golf balls. More expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better for your game, and you might be surprised by the results. Happy golfing!

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Golf Course/Driving Range Update 3/19

THE PLAYERS Championship Preview

THE PLAYERS Championship Preview

Over/Unders:

Times “The 5^th Major” is said during the national broadcast – 562 (75% said as they go to commercial breaks)

Times “The Strongest Field in Golf” is said during the national broadcast – 2,987,654

The Course:

TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Par 72 (4 Par 5s!!!), 7,189 Yards

Architect: Pete Dye

Scoring Average: +.01/Round

Projected Cut: +1

The big news is this tournament is now in March. While the course may play slightly easier due to the move, the wind tends to blow a different direction than it does in May, meaning course history may play a bit less of a factor than normal. The grass will be also be overseeded to prevent patchy conditions before the Bermuda grows in. Overall, TPC Sawgrass is an awesome test of golf, and all different types of PLAYERS (get it) have fared well here. There’s a ton of water on the finishing holes and everyone finishing late on Sunday will be tasked with hitting the iconic island green on #17.

The greens are also notoriously fast here, often reading 13+ on the Stimpmeter. They will be slightly slower this year due to the overseeding but are still grading out around 12.5 (anything over 12 is FAST). The wind is also going to blow in the teens all four days, so we’ll see plenty of splooshes on #17. Bottom line, it’s going to be a good watch.

The Field:

This tournament is pretentiously called THE PLAYERS, so THE PLAYERS should PLAY, right? I’ll say it one last time here, but this is the best field men’s professional golf gets all year. The other majors have a bunch of geriatric former winners and prepubescent amateurs you can cross off the list before the event begins, but the golfer with the worst odds at THE PLAYERS is Michael Kim, and he won the John Deere last year. So yeah, every great player is playing and the bottom tier actually has a shot (not really but more so than usual).

Prediction:

Like any strong-field event, there are probably 15-20 guys in real contention, and the rest will need a fantastic ballstriking/putting week to win. I’m going to roll with Justin Rose this week, mainly because I picked him in the PGA Tour Preview and I just drew him out of a hat. Really though he checks all the boxes you want here: awesome driver, ballstriker, scrambler (though that could be somewhat negated with the fast greens) and putter. What you want here is someone with an all-around game where if something fails he can make it up in other areas.

Losing DraftKings/FanDuel Lineup:

Justin Rose

Sergio Garcia

Xander Schauffele

Gary Woodland

Emiliano Grillo

Luke List

Good luck and happy golfing!

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The New GGR…with EXOS!