Bunker Shots

Two Steps To Better Bunker Shots

Step 1- Ace Your Entry Point with this video- Entry Point

Step 2- Master The Bounce with this video- Bounce

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Have you ever pulled a “Golf Mariah”?

If you play the game, you undoubtedly have.  

After last night’s New Years Eve performance a “Golf Mariah” is a new word to define showing up at the first tee unprepared.

We’ve all done it. In golf and in life. I remember showing up to Christmas Eve program in 2^nd grade without knowing my lines. A few years ago I struggled through an unprepared business presentation. And there are countless times I showed up to the golf course in a hurry and not ready to play.

It happens. But we want to avoid pulling a Golf Mariah whenever we can.

Here are 6 steps to avoid pulling a Golf Mariah in 2017…

1. Drink water. A lot of water. I’ve played my best tournaments drinking nearly a half gallon in the 3 hours prior to tee off.
2. Keep your chest and head high. It’s hard to do. Most of you are hunched over your computer all day prior to rushing across town for league play. Make sure you keep your chest and head held up as frequently as possible the last few hours prior to playing golf. The improved posture helps you swing faster and hit the ball straighter.
3. Long deep breaths. This goes hand in hand with keeping your chest and head high. Breathing not only keeps you alive, it also decreases stress and keeps you calm and prepared for your best golf.
4. Review positive images. Think back to the time you hit the longest and straightest drive of your life. Remember the pure 7 iron you hit to the back left flag. Reminding yourself of these great golf shots prior to play increases the odds you’ll repeat them.
5. Buy time. You cannot make time, you cannot manage time. But you can buy it. Pay an assistant $5 to make your last delivery, finish up your reports or run your suits to the dry cleaners. Take the extra 10 minutes you bought yourself and use it to prepare for a great round of golf.
6. Wear your favorite golf shirt. Or your favorite shoes. Put on something that gives you confidence. Maybe it is placing all your change in your left pocket. Whatever gives you the slight mental edge of believing in yourself and believing your round of golf is going to be great. Do whatever it takes.

Make 2017 Your Best Golf Year Ever!

Scott Seifferlein
GrandRapidsGolfLesson.com
616.802.4969

The $18,000 Bet… What Would You Score?

“I bet you can’t shoot under par in a 4-ball scramble”

That’s the random out of the blue challenge I received today. It came from an individual I’ve never met. He publicly bet me $18,000 I couldn’t break par. On one of Florida’s toughest golf courses. From the tips. Playing a 4-ball scramble.

It’s an easy win for me. I’ll explain below.

I accepted the bet and offered to double it to $36,000… if he could verify funds.

Of course, the dude could not back his mouth up with funds.

Which is fine. I felt bad for him. I was hustling him.  He’s clueless when it comes to the effects of having 4 chances on every shot.

But it got me thinking. What would you score?

How does a 4-ball scramble impact your score?

It’s not an overly complex formula to calculate.

First, you can take a look at any scrambles you’ve participated in. I’ve participated in many and typically score between -10 and -18, and that’s with a team of three other golfers who score higher.

But you’ve also got to factor in the golf course. This dude picked a place called Old Corkscrew. It’s ranked as one of Florida’s ten toughest golf courses. The scorecard shows 7,393 yards  and a rating/slope of 76.6/151. But allegedly there is a “secret” back tee at 7,800+ yards with a rating close to 80.

So what does that mean?

Stick with me here.

The course rating is basically the number that when added to your handicap you will match or beat that number 25% of your rounds. Example: If you are a 20 handicap and the course rating is 70, you would be able to score 90 or better approximately 25% of the time, while 75% of your scores would match or be higher than 90.

This means that as a +1 handicap (1 better than zero), playing a course with a rating of 80, I would score 79 or better 25% of the time. Breaking the par 72 at Old Corkscrew from the “secret” back tees would be virtually impossible for a +1 handicap golfer. Additionally, since my scoring average at my home club is 2 strokes higher than the course rating, we can assume a +1 handicap would average 82 from these tees.

Fortunately I’m in luck. The dude bet me I couldn’t break par playing a 4-ball scramble. That means that I get to hit each shot 4 times and choose the very best one!

So the question becomes, could a +1 handicap golfer, playing their own 4 ball scramble, score 11 shots better than average and successfully play under par from the tips at Old Corkscrew?

Let’s see how this plays out.

First we’ll look at a regular two man scramble I play in where I have a 13 handicap playing partner. We use about 80% of my shots and our scores range from 55 to 68 on a course where I average 69 on my own ball. Looking back over the last 18 rounds our average score is 61.88.

*In full disclosure the format in this event allows for mulligans which we convert about 40% of the time. Thus I’m adding two strokes to the average to be more realistic. So we’ll take 63.88 as our case study and round it up to 64 for good measure.

As you can see, in a two person scramble where the other person is an average of 13 strokes higher, we still beat my average score by 5 strokes a round. Once you factor in my own ability and the advantage of hitting the same shot 4 times in a row, one could assume the scoring average would be at least 12 shots better.

But let’s also take a statistical approach. A typical +1 golfer hits the fairway about 45% of the time, hits the green in regulation about 50% of the time, averages 2 penalty shots per round and averages 30 putts per round. On a course like Old Corkscrew these statistics would not be as successful. The +1 would be closer to 25% for fairways, 30% for greens, 3 penalty shots and 32 putts.

Now how does that work in a 4 ball scramble?

Take the 25% fairway stat. Over the course of 4 shots you are going to hit the fairway at least once on every single hole. But remember. Golf is not a consistent game. A +1 may occasionally miss the fairway 7 times in a row!  So, even in a scramble, the +1 golfer is likely to miss a few fairways. We’ll say that well over 90% of the time a +1 would hit 14 of 18 fairways on this extremely difficult golf course playing a 4-ball scramble.

On to the greens in regulation statistic. Very similar to the fairway statistic. At least 1 of every 4 swings for a +1 golfer is going to hit the green. Therefore in a 4-ball scramble a +1 golfer is likely to hit 15 or more greens in regulation well over 90% of the time.

It comes down to putting. We all know how difficult putting is. And the greens at Old Corkscrew are legendary for their difficulty. However we also know how easy it is to make the putt on the 2^nd try. How many of you have said “best 2^nd putter ever!” after you miss an easy putt and try it again. Now imagine having 4 chances at it! Yep! This is exactly why so many 4 person scramble teams come in at 18 under par; even when they have two higher handicap golfers on the team. Putting is infinitely easier!

Rarely do you find a 4-ball scramble score with more than 24 putts. But for arguments sake, and since the greens at Old Corkscrew are extremely difficult, let’s just say the +1 golfer only has 6 one putts for a total of 30 putts.

14 fairways, 15 greens in regulation and 30 putts.

Penalty Strokes? You want to talk about penalty strokes? With 4 chances on every shot a +1 golfer would only receive a penalty every 1,000+ holes, even on a course as difficult as the one I have been challenged to play.

The above statistics result in a score of 3 under par 69.

And I’ve been very conservative to make the score and statistics high. I firmly believe a +1 golfer would score closer to 62 to 66 playing a 4-ball scramble on even the most difficult golf course in the world.

It’s a no brainer bet on my part. And it would have been fun! Unfortunately for me and fortunately for the random social media dude, he doesn’t have the funds to back up his big mouth.

So now that you’ve seen how to calculate the numbers if you played a 4-ball scramble, what would your score be?

When spring arrives, get back on the course and try it for real. Let me know how close your guess is to your real score!

P.S. At least I invoiced him $997 for the gambling lesson.

 

Best Christmas Gifts You Probably Missed

BEST CHRISTMAS GIFTS

YOU PROBABLY MISSED

There may still be time!

Click Christmas-Gift-Guide for the GrandRapidsGolfLesson.com Christmas Golf Catalog

Christmas-Gift-Guide

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Golf Update

Custom coaching programs are sold out for the season. Therefore, I have started a waiting list for this year and the 2017 season in addition to contracting with several additional golf instructors to help fulfill the demand.

Lastly I have moved central operations to Scott Lake Golf & Practice Center and added one additional program with me personally on Wednesday evening. Info and how to sign up is below.

Wednesday Night Coaching Program

This program is limited to the first 6 registrations for each of the 3 sessions.

Who it is for:

Golfers who play for fun and business, score between 90 and 110 and want to add 30 yards to their tee shots, gain control of their irons and for once and for all have the short game of their dreams.

What:

GrandRapidsGolfLesson.com with PGA Golf Guru Scott Seifferlein’s Epic Wednesday Night Team training guarantees results and makes golf freakin’ fun again.

How much fun? “They were all laughing when some idiot hit driver on the lay-up hole… until it landed 5 feet from the hole for eagle!” It’s fun when you are BOMBING the ball. Just ask Chuck…

The tee shot that couldn’t be hit

When:

May 11^th and 18^th – How to hit it freakin’ far, Pitch Shots That Stop on a dime and an on-course* training session.

June 1^st, 8^th, 15 ^th, 22^nd and 29^th – Hooks and Slices, Wedge Play, Iron Play and two on-course* training sessions.

July 13^th, 20^th, 27 ^th and Aug 3 ^rd – Long Distance Putting, Short Distance Putting and two on-course* training sessions.

All times 7PM to 8PM

*On-course sessions are 7PM to 9PM

Investment: May $147, June $347, July/Aug $297

Whole Enchilada (that means all three months) for only $647

How to begin the fun: Call or text 616.802.4969

— Your Partner In Business Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein
Author, Speaker & PGA Golf Guru
Founder Business Golf Mastermind
Phone: 616.802.4969
GrandRapidsGolfLesson.com

A $95,668 Per Event Business Golf Utopia

Introducing:

West Michigan’s Premier Business Golf
Custom Event & Coaching Program

For: High End Bankers, CEO’s, Attorneys, CPA’s, Insurance Professionals, Commercial Realtors, Sales Professionals, Business Owners, Financial Professionals, Residential Realtors, Consultants, and those who operate in a scenario of trust and expert advisor status where clients are worth a minimum $10,000 in annual net profit.

Creating Authoritative Positioning

 

Your custom program is designed to launch your success as the authoritative figure of your high end professional service, significantly enhance relationships with the very best clients and enjoy the great game of golf. The program systematically assists and positions you to acquire higher end clientele. The first year target new client benefit is $30,000+ profit above and beyond your current model for re-investment into 3 years of Country Club membership plus an average of 30 rounds of business golf guest fees each year. The 2^nd year and beyond target benefit is to continue duplicating the system for an extra $300,000+ profit per year in new client life time value above and beyond your current model.

Included in your program: 

• 3 client events ($15,000 value) including done-4-you phone call invite campaign.
• Three Business Golf Catalyst Experience rounds of golf with Scott and your top client/prospect ($6,000 value)
• Lead generation and sales funnel system that has increased our clients results by up to 400% ($15,000 value)

 

The Investment:

I say investment because enrolling in your custom program is a wise investment in your future. How much would it be worth to you to have the leverage of private club membership, an average of 30 guest rounds a year, play golf whenever you want, private club membership at your disposal and develop high end business relationships because you found the results you are seeking?

The bigger question is how much time and money will you LOSE if you do not make a commitment and invest in yourself today?

Here are just some of the benefits of enrolling…

• Special introductory rate. I am offering this case study low rate and it may never be repeated.
• Join now and lock in your client event rate to repeat the program annually for the next 4 years, Iguarantee your rate will not go up for four years, however I will increase the rate for others, double to triple as the demand fills up.
• This program is valued at $36,000 and you get it at a fraction of that
• You become the first of your profession in the area to stand out as the “High End Private Club Golf Event” service provider hanging out with the PGA Golf Guru.

 

This is a very exclusive program for a select few where you get the rare chance to not only play better golf through one to one private coaching, but also host your clients/prospects at our prestigious private country club setting. Then there are also the connections, the networking, the new joint ventures and the breakthrough ideas for years to come that you gain through the events and your private club membership.

 

There is No Better Time to Take Action Than Now!

 

#1. I am strictly limited to only 10 people a year in which I can custom design events like yours. AND ONLY ONE PER NICHE INDUSTRY!

#2. To quote Napoleon Hill; “Most ideas are stillborn, and need the breath of life injected into them through definite plans of immediate action. If you wait your ideas may never be more than that, a stillborn idea.

 

So Here’s What to Do Now…

 

For invest in full savings choose the option of $12,997 or choose the monthly installment option of $2,147 to be run on the first of the month February through August.

*Ask about our $25,000 and up Platimum VIP upgrade options including…

• All inclusive Pebble Beach Business Golf Experience for you and your best clients
• Business Golf day trips to the most sought after Michigan Golf Clubs
• On-site child care
• Additional golf activities for spouses and children
• And much more. You name it, you’ll get it.

Call 616.802.4969 to enroll

Your Partner In Business Golf Success,

Scott Seifferlein

PS: Sign-up now, because you may just lose the opportunity to get the results you are seeking for good. I am limited to accepting only 10 business professionals! AND ONLY ONE PER INDUSTRY NICHE

PPS: Lock in your best ever rate for 4 years. This special introductory rate will not last forever!

Call 616.802.4969 to enroll

Epic $300K Super Bowl Package

Epic $300K Super Bowl Package Includes Helicopter Ride to Napa, Golf With Jerry Rice,       PGA Golf Coach and Private Celeb After Parties

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For Business Professionals Who Play Golf For 6 and 7-Figure Incomes

Use this campaign for Thanksgiving this year and have your private club membership paid for 10 times over!

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38 Most Requested Golf Tips

All tips are written from the perspective of a right handed player. Lead side vs. trail side. Lead = left side for right handed players  Trail = right side for right handed players.

1. Match your sternum to the slope of the hill for uneven lies. I love this tip because all your practice on the flat range does not prepare you for the course. Setting your sternum to allow you to swing with the slope helps you hit the ball solid.

2. Over-speed training- Here is a great video on over-speed training. Do this all winter and watch your ball fly another 20 yards! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfQTVOAgU60

3. Stance alignment- Aim your stance after you aim the club head. Most mis-alignment comes from aiming your feet at the target first and then aiming the clubface 2nd. Aim your stance parallel to the target instead of at the target.

4. Shoulder alignment- Square your shoulders parallel to the target for straighter golf shots. Most golfers aim their shoulders too far left.

5. Forearm alignment- Align the top of your forearms parallel to the target. Most misalignment comes from the lead forearm set closer to your body than the trail forearm.

6. Head tilt alignment w/ sternum- Due to many golfers being told to keep their eye on the ball their head position is often out of alignment and tilted towards the target in relation to the sternum. Set your head position in line with your sternum for a more powerful swing.

7. Posture tilt- Create forward bend towards the ball at the pelvis. Create enough bend to be balanced in an athletic on the balls of your feet.

8. Knee flex- Minimize knee flex on standard golf shots. A majority of the bend should be at the pelvis.

9. Pressure shift backswing- The start of the backswing should shift weight into the inside of the right heel and ball of the foot. If you slide instead of pressure shift the weight will go to the center or outside of your right foot and you will lose balance and athleticism in the swing.

10. Pressure shift forward swing- Before the club reaches its furthest point in the backswing the pressure on the inside of the right foot should begin to shift to the outside of the left foot. This initiates the forward swing.

11. Arm/hand path- It could be argued that arm/hand path is even more important than club path. The arm and hand path should not move to much right or left in the backswing and even more importantly the hand/arm path should not be too much left or right in the downswing.

12. Grip for max speed- Position the grip in the fingers of the left hand and wrap the middle of the palm over the grip. The heel pad of the left hand should not touch the grip.

13. Grip for soft shots- Opposite the standard grip for speed, this grip is positioned in the palm and the heel pad of the left hand will have contact with the grip.

14. Hitting out of rough- Observe the lie. You can likely sweep it more than you realize. Most mistakes out of the rough occur from thinking you need to hit down on the ball and going in too deep.

15. Putting speed control- Never, never, never forcefully accelerate the putter. All that advice you received about putting when you were growing up was wrong. Good putters roll putts, they do not hit putts.

16. Putting direction- Position your eyes directly over the ball to best see the line. Place a tee in the ground and putt 3 footers. Try to hit the tee dead center. 5 minutes of this practice makes the hole look 3 times bigger!

17. Green reading- Use your feet! That’s right, Aimpoint green reading systems are far more reliable than your eyes. Learn more about Aimpoint at your next coaching session.

18. Downhill putts are slow- What? “But my scramble team members are always telling me it’s a fast putt.” Yes, they do, but it is backwards thinking. In order to gain better touch and better reads on downhill putts, you must think of them as slow putts. As in, you are going to roll the ball slow, therefore it breaks more.

19. Uphill putts are fast- Opposite of downhill putts, uphill putts must roll faster. Thinking of these putts as fast putts help you achieve better speed control and better direction.

20. Carry vs. roll- One of the major mistakes when it comes to chipping is playing the shot without a plan. A good plan includes where the ball lands (carry) and how far it goes from there (roll). Your gap wedge will likely roll 50% on most chips around the green. Use this as your baseline and add 10% roll for each club down until you get to 90% roll with a 7 iron.

21. Wedge distance control- Practice hitting your wedges in 5 yard increments from 30 yards to 100 yards. Keep the same tempo for every distance. Most wedge shot mistakes in this distance range occur because the tempo changes. Change the length of swing, not the tempo.

22. Pitch shots- Pitch shots are longer carry and less roll than chip shots. Most pitch shots roll between 10% and 50% of the total distance and are hit with a log wedge, sand wedge or gap wedge. Tempo and soft consistent grip pressure are the key to hitting these shots well.

23. Using bounce- Bounce is useful on all your short shots around the green. Bounce is what prevents your club from sticking in the ground and leaving the shot short. To use the bounce maintain good width to the swing. Keep your hands soft and passive. Hit the shot more with your body and arms moving at the same pace back and through.

24. Sand shot bounce- In soft sand you must enhance the bounce by setting up with a wide stance and excessive knee flex. Set the hands low so the heel of the club is lower than the toe of the club. Set the face slightly open and keep it open through the swing. Create good speed and make sure the club enters and exits the sand as quickly as possible.

25. Sand shot dig- In hard sand you must decrease the bounce by setting up with the face square to slightly closed. Position your hands slightly forward of the ball and attempt to create a steep approach on the forward swing.

26. Grip pressure- Consistent grip pressure and positioning of the hands are important. Most players who attempt light grip pressure create gaps and loose positioning. They re-grip on the forward swing and create inconsistent tempo. Consistent, tension free grip pressure is the way to go.

27. Where to tee off within the box- If you slice tee off on the right side of the tee box to give you maximum angle to aim left. If you hook do the opposite.

28. Grass direction- The direction the grass is growing around your ball on chips and pitches changes your distance by as much as 30 yards. Beware of the direction of the grass and make your swing longer or shorter to adjust for the effect of the grass.

29. Putting grip- Right palm facing target, left palm facing directly opposite. Position the grip in the palm of the left hand with thumbs down the flat part of the handle.

30. Chipping grip- Use your putting grip for softer chips. Use your standard grip when you want the ball to jump off the face.

31. Ball position related to upper body- Assuming your upper body is stacked properly on top of your lower and your alignment is correct, position your tee shots just inside your left armpit, position your long clubs an inch inside your tee shots and position your short clubs an inch inside of that. Hit all your short shots in the middle unless you want to lower or raise the standard trajectory.

32. 9/10 rule- When you believe you can pull a shot off safely 9 out of 10 times… Go for it! If there is more than 10% doubt, take a safer route!

33. Tee height- Tee the ball so that 1/3 to ½ of it is above the top line of the driver. Lower that relationship with a fairway metal and tee it as if it is on the ground with a perfect lie when using an iron.

34. Club path- Much trouble has occurred with the idea of an “inside” swing path. The club head should never travel significantly inside the hands. Keep the club head in front of the hands half way back and trace a nearly identical (but slightly shallower) path on the forward swing.

35. Intentional slice- Align the stance, shoulders, forearms and grip position left of the club face angle and swing the hand/arm path significantly left of the face angle.

36. Intentional hook- Do the exact opposite of a slice J

37. Hit it high- Tilt your sternum direction a few more degrees away from the target.

38. Hit it low- Tilt your sternum direction a few degrees towards the target.

Special Bonus Tip- How To Hit When Goose Sh!t is behind your ball. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sowANzp5MSU