Leisure World News

B30 February March • Golf • www.lwca.com Golf Leisure World Leisure World Golf Staff Scott Van Engelen Golf Professional Shane Romesburg Head Golf Pro HERON LAKES EXECUTIVE COURSE 480-832-0000 x400 • 18 HOLE • PAR 62 • YARDAGE 4,124 Golf Shop Hours: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Shotgun Starts: Thursday-Tuesday 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesdays 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. COYOTE RUN CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE 480-832-0000 x300 • 18 HOLE • PAR 73 • YARDAGE 6,174 Golf Shop Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 7 days a week Shotgun Starts: 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Better Golf: Practice Your Short Game! By Shane Romesburg I have been working at the Leisure World Coyote Run Golf Course facility for almost 21 years now. And whether I think back to day one or to last week, one thing remains the same: Golfers love to swing their driver! Our driving range is located directly across the street from the golf shop. When I observe people on the driving range, nine out of 10 are the same. They get their bucket of balls, grab their driver and start trying to make the ball go farther than it did yesterday. Although this may be fun, you are not improving your golf scores. The Stats The average golfer shoots 98.3 for 18 holes of golf. Of these 98.3 shots, a maximum of 14 will be hit with your driver, and an average of 39.3 will be with your putter. Regardless of your skill level, if a golfer hits two well struck shots on a normal length Par 4, they will be somewhere within 100 yards to the green. From here, it would be nice to think that you would hit the green and 2-putt for a bogey 5, or maybe even make the putt for a par 4. Then why do so many end up with a 6 or worse? Three- putt? Poor approach shot? The answer is yes to both. But the frequency that they occur can be addressed by focusing your practice sessions on short game and leaving the driver in the bag. Short Game Focus I would like to see 90% of your practice time dedicated to short game, with 50% putting and 40% spent on shots from 100 yards and closer. When practicing putting, concentrate on the speed of the greens. We all misread the breaks in greens, but good distance control will still leave makeable second putts around the hole. Inconsistency in your distance control will leave longer second putts and result in more 3 putts, which are wasted strokes. Count how many times you 3 or 4-putt next time you play. Did it keep you from breaking 90 or even 80 for the first time? From 100 yards and in, you should be trying to get the ball close to the cup — not just trying to hit the green. Your goal in practice should be to determine how far your scoring clubs fly (normal, smooth golf swing, not the best shot you ever hit, etc.). It does not matter if your playing partner’s sand wedge goes 100 and it takes an 8-iron for you. What does matter is that the club goes the same distance all the time. As you get closer to the greens (within 40 yards), less than a full swing may be needed. This can be practiced by hitting the same club to different yardages on your practice range, to get the feel of how far the ball flies with a half swing or three-quarter-swing. If you hit the ball closer to the hole, you will be left with shorter, more makeable putts, which will lead to lower scores. Hitting the ball 10-15 yards farther off the tee is not going to change this fact. Be smart, practice your short game for improved golf results! -Shane Romesburg is Head Golf Pro at Leisure World. HOT TIPS Golf balls do not last forever. They can get scuffed, damaged, split, cracked or otherwise disfigured — and all of that can happen in the normal course of play. Fortunately, under the Rules of Golf, golfers can change golf balls at various points during a round. Under normal conditions — meaning the ball was not damaged beyond reasonable use or it didn’t wind up in a penalty area or was lost — a golfer can change golf balls in between holes. Once a hole is completed, a golfer can swap out that golf ball for a new one before the start of the next hole. However, a golfer is expected to play a hole with a single ball. This way, a golfer cannot have a driving ball, an approach ball, a putting ball, etc. Replacement Guide The Rules of Golf allow a player to replace a golf ball in the following circumstances: 1. If it cannot be recovered or played. 2. When a ball is in a penalty area, lost or out of bounds or unplayable. 3. If the original ball has become unfit for play during play of that hole. When a golfer substitutes a golf ball, either in between holes or otherwise, they can replace that ball with any golf ball they have in their bag. It does not have to be the same manufacturer or even the same model of golf ball. One Ball Rule However, there is the idea of the One Ball Rule, which is often used in competitions as a local condition of competition. A tournament organizer can require a golfer to use the same golf ball — manufacturer and model — throughout a stipulated tournament round. Failure to adhere to the One Ball Rule can mean a two- stroke penalty for each hole where the condition was violated, with a maximum of four penalty strokes. Keep these important rules in mind the next time you are out on the golf course! When to Change Golf Balls in Play TEE TIME