Golf Therapy with Tony Lawson - PGA Teaching Professional in Las Vegas

Issue: #31     August, 2013
Contact Information Tony Lawson PGA Teaching Professional tonylawson@pga.com (702) 521-6606	Dear Lou   Well, its time for the "Last Shot at Glory" as the 95th PGA Championship gets under way this week. This is one of the major championships that PGA Club Professionals like myself can qualify and compete in. I told my wife I was thinking about trying to qualify a few months back and she suggested I call NASA. I asked her what she meant and she told me that I had a better chance of becoming an astronaut. What a gal!   This year the Championship will be held on the East Course of the famed Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. The layout will play to a par-70 and stretch out to 7,163 yards.  The club was founded in 1901 but moved it's original location to acquire more acreage in 1924 in a land swap deal with the University of Rochester. Famed architect Donald Ross designed the original 36-holes and arborists came in and planted over 75,000 trees. As these trees grew over the last 90 years they created unmatched beauty and became a treacherous detriment to any golfers scorecard. A magnificent tudor style clubhouse was built and some subtle changes have been made through the years by architects Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Tom Fazio. The East Course is considered to be in the top 15 in the country and has hosted a Ryder Cup, 3 U.S. Opens, 1 Senior U.S. Open, 3 PGA Championships, 1 Senior PGA Championship and 2 U.S. Amateurs. Not bad for a small club in upstate New York. If Phil charges like he did at the Open and Tiger plays like he did last week at Firestone, this may turn out to be the best major of the year. I guess we'll have to see what happens and who hoists the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday. Enjoy the tournament and stay cool! Until Next Time, Fairways & Greens... Tony tonylawson@pga.com (702) 521-6606     Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, New York
THE LESSON TEE  This week you'll see a fair share of players having to hit low shots out from under the trees at Oak Hill. Here are a few tips on hitting that low shot if you find yourself in a similar situation. THE LOW SHOT: Choke down on a less lofted club and move the ball back in your stance a few inches. Square your shoulders and keep most of your weight on your front side. The swing itself is a three-quarter motion keeping your weight forward. Make sure you make a good shoulder turn or you'll find yourself slapping at the ball. To keep it low create a flowing motion as any hitting or chopping motion will send the ball up into the air. Swing smoothly and finish with your hands, elbows and club head below your shoulders.  Practice this shot with different clubs to get a sense of how much roll you can expect when the ball lands.       Hosel Fades...... "GOLF TRIVIA FOR GOLF NUTS"   1. Over a 125,000 balls are hit into the famous 17th hole at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass every year.   2. The longest drive ever hit is 515 yards. The longest putt ever holed is 375 feet.   3. Phil Mickelson is actually right handed but learned to play left handed by mirroring his father's swing.   4. The chances of the average golfer making two hole-in-one's in a round of golf is 1 in 67 million.   5. Tiger Woods carded his first hole in one when he was only 8 years old.   6. Balls travel further on hot days. A golfer with a swing speed of 100 mph will increase their distance 8-10 yards for every increase in air temperature of 25 degrees Fahrenheit.   7. The longest course in the world is the par-77 International Golf Club in Massachusetts and measures 8,325 yards.   8. The highest golf course in the world is Tactu Golf Club in Morococha, Peru which sits at 14,335 feet above sea level at its lowest point.   9. The longest golf hole in the world is the 7th hole (par 7) of the Sano Course at the Satsuki Golf Club in Japan. It measures 909 yards.   10. The largest bunker in the world is Hell's Half acre on the 585-yard 7th hole of the Pine Valley Course in New Jersey.   11. The largest putting green is that of the 695-yard 5th hole, a par 6 at the International Golf Club in Massachusetts, with an area in excess of 28,000 square feet.   12. The average swing speed of a lady golfer is 62 mph; 96 mph for the average LPGA professional; 84 mph for the average male golfer; 108 mph for the average PGA Tour player; 130mph for Tiger Woods and 148-152 mph for a national long drive champion.   13. There is an average of 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.   14. The first golf balls were made of thin leather stuffed with feathers. The tighter the feathers were packed the longer the ball flew and they were used until 1848.   15. The youngest golfer to card a hole-in-one was 5 year old Coby Orr from Littleton, Colorado.   16. 22.8% of golfers are women.   17. Golf was banned in Scotland from 1457-1502 to ensure citizens wouldn't waste time while preparing for the English invasion.   18. The term birdie comes from an American named Abe Smith. While playing in 1899, he played what he described as a "bird of a shot" which became "birdie" over time.   19. The word golf does not mean "Gentleman Only, Ladies Forbidden". It comes from the Dutch word "kolf" or "kolve"  meaning "club". The Scottish dialect changed this to "golve," "gowl" or "gouf". By the sixteenth century, this had evolved into the word we know today.   20. Note - 80% of all golfers will never achieve a handicap of 18 or less.