A Great Day For the Irish

This past Monday marked a great day for the Irish: our most recognized golfer over the past 60 years was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame under the veteran’s category.

With 43 professional titles in his playing career, his pedigree reads a bit like our own “King,” Arnold Palmer. He is a hero in Ireland and is known by all as “Himself”—which is a common Irish phrase that shows affection to someone of greatness.

In 1966, I first saw Christy O’Connor play at the Gallaher Ulster Open, which was contested at my home club of Shandon Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

My first impression was his long, free flowing swing and incredible ball striking.

The seventh hole at Shandon Park is a par five with a fairway that curves sharply from left to right. O’Connor hit the most perfect draw off the tee and held the ball up on the slope on the left-hand side of the fairway. I was amazed to watch his next play; he pulled out his driver and knocked it stiff from a downhill lie. It was the greatest eagle I ever witnessed.

“Wristy Christy,” as he was known by his peers, had the greatest pair of hands and wrists in the British Isles. Lee Trevino had a wonderful quote, where he said, “O’Connor had a swing that flowed like fine wine.”

I read an article written by Tom Keogh on Christy O’Connor. At the end of the article, he relayed the story of Christy and his wife.

But the good days were not too far away for Christy and Mary Collins the girl from Tuam, County Galway he married and who has walked the fairways with him ever since they tied the knot on October 12, 1954.

“We have no money,” said Mary as they walked down the aisle. “Don’t worry,” Christy whispered, “I’ll win it, and you can mind it.”

—Gerald McCullagh

Golf as Far as the Eyes Can See

Gerald and I traveled last week to Pinehurst, North Carolina, at the invitation of our very good friend Dr. Doug Knudson. This was our second visit to this marvelous golf destination, and it left us with the sense of returning home.

Pinehurst is a special place for golfers because it’s both a town and resort dedicated to the golf lifestyle. It is bursting with history, and everywhere you look there is golf as far as the eye can see.

During our previous visit, we sampled courses both on and off the resort—but this time, it was all about Pinehurst. We had times to play courses Nos. 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8 during our four-day stay.

While everyone raves about No. 2, which has hosted countless championships, and No. 7 for its design and premium country club feel—the true gem we discovered was the often overlooked No. 1.

On the card it looks to be a short par–70 course, but the reality was this baby plays long and hard. Gerald and I both loved the traditional feel of this course; it was pure, undiluted golf.

The fall is a perfect time to visit this incredible resort. The fall colors are perfectly showcased amid towering southern pines and gentle rolling hills. The sense of peace that pervades your soul as you stroll down the fairway leaves you wondering if you accidentally wandered into heaven.

—Dee Forsberg

Mind, Body, and Swing

I am a voracious reader of golf books, for it provides me with a variety of resources to communicate with my students. One book that I find myself opening up frequently is Golf Mind Golf Body Golf Swing by PGA professional Michael Hebron.

I would like to share some of his thoughts on the golf swing.

• Golf cannot be taught, it can only be learned.

• By definition, speed has no direction. Speed can kill the swing.

• The most significant motive force causing movement is the pull of gravity.

• The body is basically a system of moveable segments (bones) or links, where big links move smaller links.

• The skeletal muscle system that moves bones receives its directions from the brain.

• All movements of the body are caused by forces external to the body.

• Muscles produce their maximum power at one-third of their maximum velocity.

• The eyes do not see; the mouth does not taste; the ears do not hear; everything happens in the brain first.

• The body moves for one of three reasons: 1. reflexes 2. anticipation 3. or when the mind’s eye has visualization for the body to copy.

• Momentum, by definition, is a constant rate of motion and is the most important force in the golf swing.

• When the inside portion of a system moves a few inches, the outside portion moves several feet.

• Where the clubface and the ball make contact (impact), where the ball leaves the face (separation), are two different stages of a sound swing.

• The clubface needs to be square to the line of flight only at the point of separation. Trying to have a square face at impact causes a bent left wrist.

• Sound swings move from wide to narrow as the face stays square to the arc of the swing. The club head is outside the handle in the backswing and inside the handle in the downswing.

• The most important alignment in golf is a flat left wrist, bent right wrist and elbow at and through impact.

• Sound swings deliver a slightly open clubface to the inside corner of the ball; not a square face to the back of the ball.

Mike Hebron is a great believer in the geometry and physics of the golf swing. His concept of the swing is golf, which equals geometrically orientated linear force.

—Gerald McCullagh

What Will Be

The days are growing shorter, the ball is getting harder to find, and the weather is just plain cold! Sure signs that our days of playing golf this season are numbered.

While many diehards will head for the golf domes and commercial simulators for some off-season practice, most will simply forget their game until next spring. Don’t let the winter rob you of your golf game—build your own practice studio where you will be most likely to use it . . . your own home.

If you choose a few tools wisely, you can step out onto that tee next year with a better game than you have right now.

There are many sources online for golf training aids and most carry the same brands. To be fair, the big three are Golf Around the World, The Golf Training Aid Store, and D.W. Quail Golf.

To understand the basic flight of the ball, there is no better hitting mat than The Golfers Footprint. I used it for teaching until Gerald “lent” it to a student of his and has yet to replace it for me (hint, hint, McCullagh).

To compliment full-swing practice, you’ll need a club that you can swing in your space. If space is an issue, cut down an old club to 24 inches, and you can swing away without fear. If you would like more bang for your buck, get a Swing Fan—it promotes a sound swing and is great exercise.

Mirrors are very helpful, and these portable mirrors can easily be taken to the driving range in the spring.

Improve your putting and you will drop your handicap by at least 5 strokes. A terrific putting mat is The Accellerator 3, which putts true to speed of any quality course. It also features great lines for alignment and length of stroke for your short putts.

A fun putting aid is the Pin Balls, and they can be used anywhere. To make the fused golf balls roll straight you must strike the “balls” squarely. A task that is both fun and challenging!

So, there you go! For the price of a few large baskets of balls, you can create your own “golf cave” and be prepared for what will be another winter in Minnesota!

—Dee Forsberg

Taking Stock

Are your clubs helping you play better golf or holding you back?

Now that our golf season is drawing to an end, I encourage you to take stock of what is in your golf bag. Many golf shops are closing out their inventory, and this is a terrific time to take advantage of good deals that will pay off next spring.

A few careful additions can help shave a few strokes off your game and get you closer to your handicap goals.

• With putters, look for alignment aids on the club head that suit your eye. Mallet-style heads usually match the size of a cup, while putters with circles or notches make it easy to center the clubface behind the golf ball. Weight is important as well for improving feel on the greens. Heavy putters are great for slow greens, while a lighter putter suits the fast greens of a premium golf club.

• Wedges are vital to scoring well on the golf course. They are available in numerous lofts that range from 52 to 64 degrees. High-lofted wedges (lob) help add height to your shots for more “bite,” while low-lofted wedges help with those 75– to 100–yard shots into the green. At the very least, be sure to incorporate a standard wedge—which is 55 degrees—for versatility.

• Hybrids are meant to replace the difficult long irons. If you struggle to hit your 3–iron consistently, then a hybrid will surely benefit your game.

• High-lofted metal woods lost their popularity from the previous decade with the hybrid revolution; however, they are still terrific alternatives to the long irons. The addition of a 7– or 9–metal wood will benefit slower swing speeds (myself included) and are very reliable for improving the flight of the ball.

• Take a look at the loft of your driver and match it to your ball flight—not the height of your shot. If your ball flight is right to left, and you drive it fairly long, then you can play a lower-lofted driver. However, if you lack swing speed, or tend to hit the ball left to right (slice), then you need to look at driver lofts of a minimum of 10 degrees.

Happy Shopping!

—Dee Forsberg