June Newsletter 2009

The membership drive so far has been a huge success. As of today, April 28th, we welcome 68 new patrons, many also with their families. Along with our new members comes a much welcomed increase of play. I thought this would be a good time to talk a little about "Pace of Play" and some suggestions that will make everyone's round as enjoyable as possibleJune 2009 Newsletter Greetings. Welcome to the beginning of the hot days of summer, which officially begins June 21st. A few things before we get into the gist of the newsletter. For those of you that get our newsletter, you may have noticed that I have incorporated a picture of one of our members, Mr. Frank Jordan. On May 12th, Frank, who is 86 years young, had another Hole-In-One. This time on our hole number 12 while playing with the early morning 'Toss-Up' crowd. Frank is a regular member of this group and very often shoots his age or better. Oh and by the way, this was his 6th career Hole-In-One. Also on June 6th, young Mr. Jordan Byrd had his first ace on hole #16 and Shirley Weaver also had a Hole-In-One. Way to go guys!!! Speaking of the early morning 'Toss-Up' group. For those of you that don't have a regular group to play with, come join them at 8:30am, Monday thru Friday. I know they would love to have you. You don't have to be a great golfer, just someone that wants to have some fun. Also on another note. There is a great opportunity for kids this summer while they are out of school. Anyone school age (grades 6-12) can play Monday thru Thursday from 12:00 till closing for a $3.00 Green Fee. This is basically how I learned to play golf. In the summer months my father would drop me off at Goldsboro Municipal and I would play and practice all day. Many times by myself and often with others. By the beginning of that next summer, I had already broken 80. There just is no better way to improve than by practicing. One last note before I get into the lesson part. As everyone knows by now, not only am I the PGA Head Professional but I am also the PGA Teaching Professional here at Goldsboro Municipal Golf Course. Many times in my lessons I am asked by juniors, men and women, that they want to play more but can't find anyone to play with. If you are one of these individuals and are looking for a game, please notify me here at the course or call and I will try to arrange something. This month I want to talk with you about the dreaded 'Reverse Pivot'. Ever wonder why some, or all, of your shots are either hit thin or chunky (fat)? One of the main reasons for this is a reverse pivot. In simplistic terms, it is the inability to properly transfer weight during the swing. Just like baseball, golf involves a similar throwing motion in where the weight at the top of the backswing is located on the inside of the trailing leg. The downswing is initiated by a transfer of weight from the inside of the trail foot to the eventual outside of the lead foot in the follow-through. Throw a baseball and pay particular attention to your foot action. What happens in the reverse pivot is that at the top of the backswing, weight is improperly transferred too the outside of the trail foot, making it impossible for your swing center, or bottoming of the club, to reach the correct position at impact. There are two good drills to help alleviate this dreaded condition. The first is to go to your local hardware store and purchase an 'old timey' doorstop (the kind that is made out of rubber and shaped like a wedge). Place this under the outside of your trail, or back foot, and hit balls feeling the weight at the top of your swing as being on the inside of your trail leg. The second drill is the 'Gary Player Walk-Through' drill. While hitting balls, at the moment of impact and shortly thereafter, feel the sensation of the weight of the clubhead pull you forward as you take a step down the target line. Work on this and I think you will start to see your thin and chunky shots disappear.