Hilton Head Island Golf School Blog

Have you ever wondered how the Tour Pros are able to generate so much spin with their wedges, even from the most difficult lies?  The answer is grooves.  The grooves on their wedges are cleaner, deeper, and sharper than the rusty old wedge you have had in your bag for over five years!  The Tour Pros play with grooves that barely meet the legal limitations.  Some go as far as replacing their wedges monthly or before every tournament!

You may not have the cash to spend on a new wedge every month, but by simply cleaning the grooves before every shot and all of your clubs after every round, you will increase the lifespan of your wedges.  You will be pleasantly surprised how much more control you will have with your wedges. 

At The Island Golf School, we will help you develop the skills you need to get up and down from anywhere.  Sign up for our Short Game Golf School and receive quality instruction that will help you lower your scores.

Many of the poor shots we hit are a result of focusing too much on the golf ball and not enough on the target.  Golfers who are more target-oriented will spend most of their time visualizing the shot the want to hit and seeing the ball land near their target.  The resulting shots are usually closer to the shots they envisioned in their mind prior to standing over the ball.

A few keys to remember:

1. With the ball between you and the target, visualize the shot you would like to hit.  Imagine it flying through the air and landing next to your target.
2. Draw an imaginary line from the target to the golf ball to help with your alignment.  Poor alignment greatly limits your chances of hitting the shot you want.
3. After addressing the ball, look at your target a few times to maintain your sense of awareness to the target.  Those who focus only on the golf ball and then pull the trigger will not consistently see as good of results.

If you are not as target-oriented as you would like, visit The Island Golf School and work with one of our accomplished teaching professionals.  During our Full-Day Golf Schools, we will help you build a routine that will improve your awareness of the target.  You will be pleasantly surprised with how close you will start hitting the ball to your target.

No, I did not get that backwards.  I meant rip it and grip it.  Let me ask you a question?  When was the last time you regripped your clubs?  If your answer is longer than a year ago, it has been too long.

The grip is one of the most important pieces of equipment in your bag.  It is your direct connection to the golf club.  If the grip is tattered or smoothed down from years of use, it is very difficult to maintain control of the club without increasing your hand pressure.  As we all know, grip pressure that is too tight will create tension in the golf swing. 

Therefore, I recommend that you rip off those old grips and replace them with new grips that will offer you better control of the club when you swing.  To extend the life of your grips, scrub them with soapy water (dish detergent works best) after every round.  As a general rule of thumb, you should regrip your clubs at least once a year, perhaps at the beginning of each season.

Once you have regripped your clubs, take them out for a test drive at The Island Golf School.  Sign up for one of our Private Lessons or Full-Day Golf Schools and see what great instruction can do for your game!

If you are looking to develop your entire game in a short amount of time, a 2-Day Golf School is for you! 

At The Island Golf School, our 2-Day program consists of both full-swing (day 1) and short game (day 2) instruction.  Not only will you learn how to hit it better off the tee, you will learn how to score.  You will also receive video analysis, lunch, and 18 holes of golf (the first 9 with your professional) both days.  With a student to teacher ratio that never exceeds 4:1, you will receive plenty of personal attention and improve quickly.  What are you waiting for?  Sign up today!

Your mind has a powerful influence over your golf game.  Confidence will breed success.  Whereas any doubt will cripple your success as a golfer.  Therefore, stay positive!

Believe in yourself when you are playing on the course.  Before each shot you should picture the shot you want to hit in your mind and then commit to that shot.  If any doubt creeps into your mind, back away and start over.  If you cannot convince your mind that you can hit the shot, what chance does the rest of your body have?  When you are confident, there is a greater likelihood that you will hit the ball well.  When you don’t believe in yourself, there is almost no chance you will hit it well.

 The Island Golf School incorporates course management into every full-day golf school.  Our instructors provide valuable strategies to overcome the mental demons you might be battling.  Clear your mind and start playing better golf today!

From all of us at The Island Golf School, we would like to wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July!

Don’t forget that the holidays are a perfect opportunity to improve your golf game.  We offer a variety of golf school programs to accommodate the needs of any golfer.  We offer top-notch instruction at an affordable rate.  What more could you ask for?  Spend your next holiday with us and you will surely have something to celebrate.

Most people who watch golf on TV simply watch for the enjoyment of the game.  This is fine.  But if you are looking to improve your game, you might want to pay closer attention to what you are watching.

The tour professionals are the best in the business.  They have spent countless hours in an effort to perfect their swings so that they may compete on the highest level.  While most of us will never become tour professionals, there is nothing wrong in trying to aspire to their level of play. 

Therefore, you should pay close attention to the pros on TV, looking for the common elements in each player.  What universal traits are shared among all great players?  Observe how the pros make a good shoulder and hip turn in the backswing.  Notice how similar they all look at impact.  Watch how they finish full and in balance.  These are common elements to which golfers of every level should aspire to have.

At The Island Golf School, our experienced instructors will help you develop these common elements in your golf swing.  Sign up for one of our Multi-Day Golf Schools and begin playing better golf today!

Some golfers are streaky putters - some days they make everything and other days they can’t buy a putt.  It could be that they move their heads during the stroke because they are too anxious to see the ball go in the hole.  If you watch the best putters on the PGA Tour, notably Tiger Woods, you will see that their heads remain in a fixed position over the ball and do not look at the ball until well after they have completed their stroke.  This creates consistent ball contact with the center of the putter face, a sure way to increase the number of putts holed.  If you think that you peek at the ball too early, try this drill.

When on the putting green, place a quarter, heads side up, underneath your ball.  After you make the stroke, continue to focus on George Washington’s face.  Depending on the length of the putt, you should be able to count at least two seconds before you take your eyes off the quarter.  On shorter putts, you will most likely hear the ball go in the hole before you ever watch it roll in.  Practice this drill from various lengths for 15 minutes a day and you will start holing more putts.

At The Island Golf School, our instructors recognize the importance of having as good of a putting stroke as a full swing.  Therefore, if you feel like you are wasting valuable shots with the flat stick, we are here to help.  Sign up for one of our Full-Day or Multi-Day Golf Schools and we will transform you from a mediocre putter into a great putter.

The pin placements on most greens will vary from front to middle to back.  Based on the given location, you have two decisions to make:  (1) How far do I want to carry the ball? and (2) What type of trajectory does this shot require?  Now, you don’t have to be a tour player to change the flight of your golf ball.  Simply follow the advice of Ben Hogan.

Hogan recommended that the ball should come in with a high trajectory to a front pin, normal to a middle pin, and low to a back pin.  That being said, all you have to do is adjust your ball position to change your trajectory.

• Front pin - play the ball towards your front foot
• Middle pin - middle of your stance
• Back pin - back foot

If you want to start making more birdies, The Island Golf School is where you need to be.  Our instructors reinforce the importance of a proper setup (i.e., ball position) to encourage an effective golf swing.  Come join us for one of our full-day golf schools and start playing better golf today!

Phil Mickelson is known for his incredible short game, specifically his flop shot.  While the flop shot can be fun to hit, it is difficult to predict how the ball will react to the clubface.  Therefore, unless you know how to properly hit this shot, you should use the flop shot as a last resort.

When playing for a flop, your setup is the most important element.   A proper setup will allow the club to slide underneath the ball and come out high and soft.  Your setup should be similar to when you play a shot out of the bunker.  Remember these things:

1. Wide stance
2. Ball position off front foot
3. Open clubface
4. Aim left & Swing left
5. Clubface points to the sky

If you need help with your short game, The Island Golf School is where you need to be. Our instructors provide each student with the proper fundamentals and personalized game plan to help you get up and down from anywhere.  Sign up today!