Tag: guru

Guru’s Keys To Breaking 80:”How To Join This Elite Club”

April 17, 2010

The Bullet Proof Vest For Golf

Every golfer has goals. Mostly of breaking one of three scoring barriers: breaking 100, breaking 90 or breaking 80. The lower you get the more difficult this achievement becomes. According to NGT Research, there are over 60 million golfers in the world today and less than half of them will never break 100.  33% will break 90.  However, only 5% will ever break 80.  That’s 3 million people out of 60 million golfers. So this makes breaking 80 an elite club for sure. If you have done it once in your life, congratulations. For those of you who follow the guru’s blog already know my formula for breaking 100 and breaking 90. Recently, one of my twitter friends posed the question,”What are your keys to breaking 80?” So after some thought and a bit of research, Here are my keys to success. Building from my list of breaking 90…………..

1. Drive the ball in play and average 230 yards. I am assuming that you are shooting in the low 80’s from the back tees at this point.

2. Most Important: You must average 8 greens in regulation. Assuming you make at least 2 of 8 birdie putts and don’t three putt. This leaves 10 greens that you have to chip, pitch and hit bunker shots.

3. Get it up and down an average of 40 percent of the time. This leaves us a few shots to play with

4. Limit three putts and average 32 putts per round. 2nd most important stat.

Get in the habit of keeping your vital statistics of your rounds of golf. FIR, GIR, Putts/round and up and down pct. If you are looking for a website to keep stats and track your progress, I suggest ShotbyShot.com.  This will give you starting point and show you how close you are to reaching this barrier that most golfers can’t cross. Of course, this is just my opinion and there are many factors that go into a golf game that help make up the level of player but this is a great place to start. Here are a couple of ideas that just might get you over the hump if you are trying to turn 81 into 79.

1. Use the 80/20 rule. If you do find trouble, don’t be Phil Mickelson and try to hit the career shot. If you can’t pull it off at least 80 percent of the time, play it safe. Punch it out and make your bogey.

2. Aim for the middle of the green. Refer to my past post of the stop light theory. There are very few green lights out there, proceed with caution and hit more greens.

3. Work on your mental side. Focus on pre-shot routine and TARGET and quit playing golf swing. Ask yourself 2 questions before every shot……”Where’s my target?” and “How do I want to play this shot”…..Sure beats standing over it saying, “Just don’t hit it in the water”

Best of Luck with your golf and enjoy the journey. I will see you on the lesson tee.

Are you tweeting? Friend me up @twitter.com/onplanegolf and get use the @sign to join the conversation.

Guru……….. call 704.542.7635 to schedule a lesson or check out our website at danarader.com

A Day At The Masters with The Guru

April 5, 2010

It’s Official. The golf season officially starts this week as the years first major championship starts this week. I managed to make it down to what I feel is the most beautiful place on earth, Augusta National Golf Club. My day started at about 4:30 as I arrived at the gate just before 8 o’clock. I immediately hit the course with video camera in hand, hoping to get a shot at Mr. Woods and Fred Couples. I timed it just right as Woods and Couples were coming down the second. I camped out behind the long par 3 fourth hole. Tiger approached the tee to a welcoming applause and proceeded to slice it in the front bunker and I captured it on camera. He appeared pretty relaxed and was very engaging with the crowd that seemed to accept him back to the game. I am sure he was thinking about his press conference that would take place a few hours later so I didn’t read much into the loose shots that I saw Tiger hit. It looked as though he was just glad to back out on the course and in his comfort zone. The golf course looked very good even though the azaleas were not quite in bloom. I am sure the Masters staff are going to work there magic and get them to pop by Thursday for the television coverage. It is great to see the best players and how they prepare for a tournament and there is a lot to be learned if you pay attention. Hitting shots to different parts of the greens and hitting chips and rolling putts to every possible pin position. I spent a lot of time at the newly constructed practice tee and short game area (which is phenomenal to say the least). This is where you can really see how the guys put the work in and work with their coaches. As I watched the players hitting balls, working on their short games and putting, here are some simple things that I observed and are great reminders for all of us trying to improve our games.

1. Ross Fisher rolling putts while his coach lined him up from behind.

2. Rory Mcilroy rolling putt after putt using a chalk line for alignment

3. Every player had dowel rods or clubs on the ground for alignment (including Els, Quiros, Schwartzel and Singh), taking nothing for granted………do you?

4. Vijay Singh using a variety of objects including an umbrella placed just outside the target line to keep him from swinging too much from the inside.

5. Kevin Na and Matt Kutchar making slow motion rehearsal swings in between every shot. Something that I preach in every lesson

I took plenty of video that I will edit and share if I find appropriate in the near future. Many of the players looked sharp but I was particularly impressed with one young player. Charl Schwartzel.

For those of you that are in a Masters pool, I will make him my dark horse pick of the week. See you next time and enjoy watching the Masters. Oh, and lastly……Alvero Quiros is as long as advertised…..Wow he is long.

What a great day at The Masters,

Guru

Are You Shooting at Every Flag?

March 13, 2010

I haven’t posted much on the mental side but this is something that I teach in my playing lessons every time. Most amateurs have no business even looking at a flag that isn’t in the center of the green. If there were no flags in the greens, what would you shoot? Most of you would play better. Here are my three factors that will help you decide on how to pick smarter targets.

1. How are you swinging? Do you have you A, B or C swing? Always have a pulse on your momentum. This will help you stick to your game plan. If you are playing well or playing poorly, stick to the plan.

2.  What club are you hitting? I suggest you rate your clubs. 1=favorite 2=medium 3=I loath this one

3.  Where is the flag located? I use the stop light system. Red Light: A tucked pin that you should never shoot at unless you are playing a captains choice. Yellow Light: An exposed pin that is close to the front or back of the green. You must be careful with your club selection because you could leave it short or knock it over the green. Green Light: A pin that is in the middle of the green and you can fire at all day

When making decisions on your approach shots, the ideal situation is when you have your A swing, A #1 club and A green light pin. This is what we call The Go Zone. If you are struggling with your swing, hitting 2 and 3 rated clubs and getting red and yellow pins………..Play it Safe. Hit more greens and shoot lower scores. Stay tuned for the next installment of The Jeff Passage Project….coming soon

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

Stricker Wins NTO as Mickelson Struggles

February 8, 2010

Steve Stricker takes a six shot lead into the Northern Trust Open, shoots 70 and hangs onto a 2 shot victory over Luke Donald. This moves him into the 2nd place in the world rankings and is currently the best player in the world that is actually playing golf. I have heard that Tiger is out of sex rehab and is making his début at the World Match Play but can anyone confirm this? I don’t know?  Phil Mickelson continues to be a little rusty as he shoots 73 in the last round and finishes 45th. Phil currently has Butch on speed dial as well he should. Will this be the year that Stricker wins his first major? He is full of confidence and with this positive attitude and his steady game, I would not be surprised if he won several more tournaments and even a major. What major would his game be suited for? Masters, U.S. Open maybe? As simple as his golf swing appears, he really held it together coming down the stretch with a wonderful short game and rolling the ball beautifully. So what can we learn from Steve Strickers technique?

Here is my analysis of why his swing works:  1) A simple one-piece takeaway with a very late wrist hinge. His shoulders and torso must rotate properly to set the club at the top. Great shoulder turn and perfect spine angle tilted slightly away from the target. But this is only the half of it.

2) An excellent transition as his body unwinds in the proper sequence in the forward swing. Lower body starts as the upper resists and hands remain passive. This is his key to success. If Strick had a passive body rotation or the upper body was too fast, the club head would surely pass the handle too soon and he would lose power. So mental note: One piece takeaway with limited wrist hinge must be coupled with a strong body rotation in the forward swing (his main power source).

Strickers Pitching and Putting:

Steve incorporates his one piece move in his pitch shots as well. He  controls his distance with the length of his swing on both sides (symmetrical) with passive hands. The Key Move: He leads with his lower body and allows the arms and hands to follow suit. Without this key move, he would break down at impact. Again, you must have a good body pivot to be an effective pitcher of the golf ball but especially if you have none or limited wrist hinge.

Putting: Strick is a straight line putter. This is not my preference but it works for him because he does too things: 1. sets up with his wrists arched and the heel of the putter off the ground. This sets the shaft more vertical to the ground which is critical for this type of style. 2. rocks his shoulders a little steeper than most players on tour which creates a straight line path.

So the number one thing we can learn from Mr. Stricker is to match your style to what your body will allow. Be consistent from full swing to short game to putting. But the most important thing is to be Confident and To Own It. See you next time and don’t forget to breathe, preferably in your backswing like Steve Stricker or when you hold the trophy over your head. Oh and don’t forget to thank your instructor in your victory speech.

God Bless,

Guru

Time To Get Your Groove On

February 6, 2010

With all the talk this weekend about” Groovegate” and some professional golfers getting called cheaters, I thought I would weigh in on this new groove situation. Do you understand the rule?What is this loophole that Ping is involved in? What does all this mean for the recreational golfer. I will attempt to answer all of these questions as I see it and help to simplify it for all of you players out there in Guru Nation. First off, The new grooves essentially cut down on the amount of spin that a player can create out of the rough. This will put a premium on straighter driving rather than the old “Bomb and Gouge.” The new condition of Competition concerning grooves applies to play on the professional tours and a small selection of other elite tournaments in 2010. For the vast majority of the golf played around the globe, the grooves in your current clubs are authorized by the ruling bodies until at least 2024. So unless you are reading this and are playing a professional tour, you can relax for a bit longer.

THE LOOP HOLE– As you probably already know, The Ping Eye 2 wedges before 1990, are considered legal because of the box groove law suit won be Karsten in 89′. This is what some of the pros have in their bags (namely Mickelson) because they are considered legal for the time being. I think that Mr. Karsten should just go ahead and write the letter allowing the USGA to make these illegal as well, just my opinion (and apparently Johnny Miller as well). Make it equal across the board and lets see who is the best. It was nice to see that Scott Macarron did apologize to Phil about calling him a cheater for using this wedge. He is not using it this week however. It will be interesting to see if and how this changes the game. One thing is for sure, we will see the pros working on there short  game and their driving. Here is a picture of the difference in the old and the new grooves to give you a better understanding of what we are dealing with. See you on the lesson tee and oh, don’t forget to breathe.

God Bless,

Guru

 

A Time to Reflect and a Time to Look Ahead

December 30, 2009

As we come to the end of another year, I think it is beneficial to do two things. 1)reflect on the past year (what you did well and what mistakes can we learn from) 2. Set goals and look ahead to 2010 (what do you want to accomplish and more importantly do different and improve on). I enjoy looking at my goals that I had set to see which ones I accomplished and which ones that I didn’t and may want to carry over to next year. I encourage you all to do these things as well. Break them down into different categories (golf, spiritual, career, fitness etc.). I am not going to bore you with all my goals and aspirations but I will share with you a few things that I think might spark some interest in your growth as a golfer and as a person. One of the traits that we live by at the Dana Rader Golf School is being a continuous learner in all aspects of life. I work with a group of go getters that will not let you rest on your success and that keeps me on my toes when it comes to growth as a teacher/coach and as an individual which I like. We all enjoy sharing our knowledge gained from the books we read in our book club sessions or on our own and our best practice trips from other golf schools or facilities. I am a veracious reader and always have 3 to 4 books going at one time. If someone recommends a book I usually find a way to get it and read it. I often get the question from students or people that I meet. “What are you reading?” or “what are your favorite golf books”.  I would guess that I have read hundreds of golf books and you might be surprised that I do read about other things that I find interesting and might help me in life or my career.  So I made a list of the books that I read in 2009 (the ones that I could remember) and also a short list of my favorite golf books that I would recommend having in your library. Although I do think it is difficult to learn everything about golf from a book, it is a great place to start.  One of my idols, Mr. Jim Rohn said,”There is no coincidence why there is always a library in houses of $250,000 or more.” So here is some food for thought or bread for the head. I encourage you all to take some time to write down your goals for the upcoming year and reflect (good or bad) on the past year.  I hope you enjoy my list and would love to hear about some books that inspired you in your life.

Guru’s 2009 Book List :

1.The Power of Nice by Kaplan, Koval

2.Your 15th Club The Inner Secret to Golf by Rotella

3. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

4. The Power of Who by Bob Beudine

5. Take your performance to the next level, 50/50, secrets I learned from running 50 marathons in 50 days  by Dean Karnazes

6.Going  The Extra Mile by Pam Reed

7. Mind Over Golf by Dick Coop

8. Instinct Putting by Alpenfels

9. The Seven Principles of Golf  by Darrin Gee

10. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

11. Influencer- the power to change anything by Patterson

12. The impact Zone by Bobby Clampett

13. 25 ways to win with people by John Maxwell

14. Breaking the Slump by Jimmy Roberts

15. What happy people know by Dan Baker

Some of my favorite golf books:

1. Rock Solid Golf by Dana Rader

2. Swing Secrets and Lies by Mike Hebron

3. Perfectly Balanced Golf by Chuck Cook

4. Ben Hogan’s 5 lessons

5. the 30 second golf swing by T.J. Tomassi

6. Golf My Way by Jack Nicklaus

7 Flick on Golf by Jim Flick

8. On learning Golf by Percy Boomer

9. The Golfing Machine by Homer Kelly

10.Golfs Sacred Journey- seven days at  the links of utopia by David L. Cook

 

What I am currently reading:

Homer Kelleys Golfing Machine, the curious quest that solved golf by Scott Gummer

Sole Purpose- shoes of hope from the feet of a samariatan by Manny Ohonme.

Let me know of  some of your goals and I hope it includes the help from the GURU and the Dana Rader Golf School.

Happy New Year  and God Bless,

Guru

Golf and Running and Our Brain on Doubt (the athletes drug)

December 13, 2009

There are so many similarities between running and golf. This morning I  ran the Thunder Road half marathon  in Charlotte. Just like a round of golf, every race or long run is always different. Some days your swing feels so smooth and you can’t miss a shot or your body feels great and your legs seem to glide with ease. Other days you can’t find the club face and your legs feel like two ton weights that don’t want to move. Today was a pretty good day in the fact that I ran my fastest time in the half although I hadn’t trained to the fullest due to an injury that I had.  I had very low expectations, which is why I probably ran so well. How many times have you had a terrible range session or warmup before the round, expecting to play poorly, only to go out and shoot a career low.  We have all done it. The opposite tends to happen more often. You are striping it on the range only to get out on the course and can’t find your swing. Which leads me to what I think is the missing link, “The Brain.” In both running and in golf our minds get in the way of what our body already knows how to do.  When I was running this morning, I was constantly assessing how my legs and my body felt as my brain was trying to sabotage it all by telling me to  slow down or walk…..which I am happy to say that I did not give in to this easy way out. Just like in a golf round, many of us want to give up when we are playing poorly instead of gutting it out and getting the most of a bad round. Pam Reed is an elite ultramarathoner. In her book “The Extra Mile”, she states that you can always run twice as far as you think you can, you just have to believe it in your mind. Don’t let your mind keep you from achieving your golfing goals by getting in the way of a good round or better yet a good golf swing. Trust your training as you would a marathoner training for a race. I am the last person that you would ever thought would be become an avid runner much less a long distance athlete. Although I was a better than average athlete, I was never a fast runner and I am definitely not built like your typical runner (tall and thin). The true measure of a man or player is not just talent (because talent alone will make you lazy), but the size of your Heart, Passion, Faith, Drive and Persistence. These things show up when the going gets tough, in the middle of a big match when its easy to give up or running a long race when your brain is telling your body that you can’t run a step farther, but somehow you do.  There is one more similarity in Golf and Running (then I will stop I promise) and that is the way of instruction or training. Everyone thinks that ther training program is the best or the only way.Here is my advice to you. Are you ready, pay attention.  Every one is different……….So when you find the program or teacher that works for you, STICK TO IT AND TRUST IT.  The drill or tip that works for your buddy, may not work for you.  I hope this makes some sense and would love to hear about you overcoming odds or great triumphs in whatever realm that you choose. I look forward to hearing from you and please……..Never Give up, no matter what your brain says.

See you on the lesson tee,

God Bless……..GURU

What We Can Learn From Ricky’s Swing

December 11, 2009

Periodically I will post a tour players swing that i think will allow us to learn something that will help my viewers and also give you a better idea of how I break down and look at a golf swing.  I have commented several times at how I am impressed with Ricky Fowlers overall game and his swing is a classic example of a player that knows his swing and is comfortable with it. It hs a few unusual things that many would call swing flaws but I call them individual trademarks that all great players have.  Examples would be: Trevinos open stance, shut club face and figure eight move through the ball, Furyks dramatic vertical left arm at the top and reroute to find the slot and Nicklaus’ flying right elbow and leg drive. I could go on and on but let’s get to the analysis of Ricky’s driver swing.

The first thing that you notice is that Ricky is not a very big guy, he weighs a mere 135 pounds which dispels the myth that you have to be big to hit the ball long. 

First things first: His setup and posture match beautifully to his very flat arm plane. Tip #1 – If you are a one planer (low arms swinger, you better be bent over at address to ensure a consistent trough to your swing circle. If not you will hit thin shots.) Ricky’s spine angle is approximately 90 degrees to the angle of the golf shaft at address.

Takeaway: His clubhead stay outside his hands as his arms swing across his body. Notice how his left arm is slightly lower than his shoulder plane at the top. (Very much like Mr. Hogan)

Swing flaw #1 : At the top of his swing, the club is pointing to the left of the target (often called laid off). Many teachers would change this but I wouldn’t and this is why.  The golf swing is a balancing act.  You have steep moves and shallow moves. The laid off position is a steep move that counterbalance his flat arm plane which is a shallow move. I hope this makes sense. If the club was on-line at the top or across the line, it would cause his swing to get too shallow or swing too much to the right.

His downswing: This is where he gets his power. Ricky gets incredible separation between his hips and shoulders which is a great power move. Stop the video half way down and notice how open his hips are as his shoulders are perfectly square to the target line. The laid off position that I talked about allows the club to stay in front of him on the way down and square the face at the bottom. Huge key: Notice how his spine angle is exactly the same at impact as it started at address. This allows the impact position to be very consistent. Copy this move if possible

Copy this finish: His finish is free and is result of the incredible sequencing that makes it look so easy. He is a great driver of the ball because he has the ability and confidence to let go. There is no hang on in this swing almost as he was “hitting balls into the OCEAN” – a great driving image.

So I think this swing is very functional and will stand the test of time. Coupled with his brilliant short game and putting stroke and I think you will see young Mr. Fowler have a great rookie season on the P.G.A Tour. Only time will tell.

Let me know if this is helpful and I will do more of this in the future including videos of me demonstrating the moves that I have discussed.

Until next time,

Guru

Q School wins and Losses

December 9, 2009

As a young man, I mean younger man….I always dreamed of playing the PGA Tour. Playing golf on television and against the best in the world. I often get the question from students that don’t know me, “Did you ever play the tour”. Even though I was an accomplished junior and college player and have currently 4 major victories on my resume  which include (Wva. chapter assistants championship, The Kannapolis Pro-Lady, The North Augusta Pro-Am), I was not even close to being good enough to play with these guys. Most people don’t realize how good these guys really are. So I have found my niche, teaching the game. The innate ability to communicate the game to the masses, students of all levels and even guys that play at the highest level, rely on my for advice and that feels pretty good.  On a previous post I called Q School the hardest golf tournament in the world and this year didn’t disappoint. There were new faces like Troy Merit (the winner) and wiley vets like JP Hayes  and Jay Williamson, and Jeff Maggert that made it through. The interesting part is always the ones that are on the bubble coming down the stretch. The magic number this year was 9 under for 6 rounds. For the good players out there, this doesn’t seem so daunting. You could probalby do this on a weekly basis but the pressure is unlike any golf tournament you will ever play in.  So here is my highlights that were of interest, the good and the bad.

1. The biggest last hole disappointments: James Hahn is on the number playing the 18th only needing a par.  He hits it 60 feet and 4 putts for double bogey. He was actually talking to himself out loud walking up to the green, this tells you how hard it is to control your emotions in this enviroment.

2.  Tour veteran and recent champions tour winner, Tom Pernice Jr. drives it in the water on the last to make double and miss by 1.

3.  Best reaction goes to Brad Delahoussaye. During his interview he tears up saying” I have been trying for so long”, talking to his fiance on the phone. He had to change his honeymoon plans to Hawaii, I think she will get over it.

4. Some notables that didn’t make it were: David Duval, Tim Herron, Jesper Parnevik, Paul Stankowski and Ken Duke.

5. Best Charlotte player, via Zimbabwe, is Brendon De Jonge which finished a solid 4th place and should get into plenty of west coast tournaments.

6.  Lastly, the best after round interview goes to Joe Ogilvie. Ogilvie talked about how Shakespeare would never write this book and how he couldn’t understand why more people wouldn’t watch this tournament because it is the greatest in the world. He made an apprentice reference that was very funny…..if anyone can find this video please post as I feel he has a very good future in tv. This guy is very funny and obviously a great player.

Young phenom, Ricky Fowler who is slowly becoming one of my favorite players to watch, made it look easy and made it through. It helps when you have plenty of sponsors exemptions waiting for you if you don’t make it. I just can’t get used to the dutch boy painter hat and the long hair but I know the kids are digging it. His short game and putting is just ridiculous and is world-class. Check out his putting setup and stroke as its exactly like what I teach.

Next weeks Guru TV will be on putting: The arc stroke vs. Straight line putting………..so stay tuned

Don’t forget to breathe when you are nervous and I will see you on the lesson tee

Guru