October 2015
About Me
The season is slowing down. I am preparing for the Florida Winter Golf Schools and a great Christmas vacation. The holiday is going to be spent with my entire family at my mom’s house in Italy. I am particularly excited about the experience Katarina, Justin, and my nephew, Mason, are in for. Until then I still have a busy fall schedule with a few tournaments, junior golf, and coaching teams.
The season is slowing down. I am preparing for the Florida Winter Golf Schools and a great Christmas vacation. The holiday is going to be spent with my entire family at my mom’s house in Italy. I am particularly excited about the experience Katarina, Justin, and my nephew, Mason, are in for. Until then I still have a busy fall schedule with a few tournaments, junior golf, and coaching teams.
Florida Schools
The Florida schools are scheduled for the first two weeks of February (Session 1: 2/4/16-2/7/16, Session2: 2/11/16-2/14/16). This year we will have a focus on scoring. Not only will you get a technical evaluation and plan to improve your skills, but you will also get a plan to improve your scoring. An important part of your plan will include ways to measure your improvement once you get home. For a scoring example, on the course we will talk about strategies to limit blow up holes and unforced errors. We will measure proximity to the hole on your short shots. It is no secret the closer you get the ball to the hole, the better chance you have to make the putt.
Since we only have 2 available weeks this year, the spots are filling quickly. Generally we stay together in a large home with a pool near the golf courses. We have a morning instructional session on the range lasting from 9-11 a.m., we have lunch, and then play 18 holes in the afternoon. After golf we coordinate dinner either at the house or at a nearby restaurant. Most folks arrive on Wednesday afternoon usually in time to golf and then meet at the house for dinner.
The cost is $1200. It includes 4 full days of instruction both on and off the course with PGA Professionals, 4 nights of lodging, local transportation, Wednesday night dinner, snacks and drinks at the house, reduced green fees ($25-$45 including cart), and the comfort of knowing someone is taking care of everything. It is a great bargain for $300 per day. If you are interested contact me at [email protected] or 240-687-7315.
Paint Branch Girls and Boys Golf Club
The Boys and Girls Golf Club is busy with events and training. Since I last sent a newsletter we have three new White hat members. Suli, Arjun and Ethan all passed the requirements for White hat membership. We are adding a White hat only practice on Thursdays at 6pm. So immediately following the regular training White hats can stay for more skill specific training. It is great to watch these kids progress in all facets of life. Arjun and his Dad won the Parent/Junior event a few weeks ago with a score of 32. Great playing!
Jason won the Club Championship with an 18 hole score of 77. He defended his title by a close margin of 3 shots with Arjun and E both on his heels. We had a couple of other milestones: Suli beat his career best the first 9 holes with a score of 49 and then shattered it the second 9 holes with a 45. Ethan was happy to keep his score out of the 90’s with an 89. Everyone played well and quickly, including the younger members Sarah, Samuel and Samantha at 6 and 7 years old.
The rest of the season’s schedule has 2 more matches with UMD 10/18, 2pm at UMD and 11/1, 2pm at PB. Starting December 1st we will change the training schedule to Tuesday 5pm and Saturday 11am and go to $99 per month until April 1 2016.
Custom Coaching
Chris’s custom coaching teams have been unbelievable. Steve on the Nicklaus team made a hole in one on #9 at PB (par 4) during our evaluation round. His handicap has dropped 2 shots in 2 months. Tippy met her guarantee in just 2 months shooting 98 at UMD in the ladies club championship. I guaranteed she would break 100 in 3 months. It is safe to say everyone is improving faster than I thought possible. It is results based coaching that requires practice, homework, and commitment. It is the best way to improve your scores. If you are interested in Chris’s custom coaching send me a note. [email protected]
Bunker Play
I get asked what I do in the bunker, as I get good results. I would like to share my bunker play with you and then provide a tip to become a better player.
My bunker shots: I think about rhythm and tempo in the bunker. I cannot tell exactly where the club enters the sand; 1” behind the ball, or 3”s behind the ball. I am trying to release the club, sort of like a cast with a goal of getting the bottom of the club to splash into the sand. Sort of like a belly flop at the pool with the bottom of the club known as the bounce, if the leading edge goes into the sand first the club will dig and it is difficult to control the height of the launch. As you have heard me say many times before, your brain knows how hard to swing, let the club go as fast as your brain tells it to.
My bunker play tip: draw a thin shallow line in the sand and then, without a ball there, splash your wedge into the line. Take note of where your club hits the sand, try to change where the club enters the sand both in front of and behind the line. Once you are confident where your club is hitting the sand add balls to the line. Generally speaking, with greenside bunker shots, the club should enter the sand roughly 2”s behind and exit the sand 2”s in front of the line.
With fairway bunker shots, the club should enter the sand after the line, so the club should hit the ball and then the sand. This is very similar to full swing shots in the fairway.
Practice this and let me know if it helps your bunker play.
Chris Oleson
PGA Teaching Professional, UMD and Paint Branch GC