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“Gate” Your Way to Better Impact!!
By Scotty Hofer
Which is more important in your putting stroke – face or path? Controlling the face at impact is about 5 times more important! Approximately 83% of a face error is transmitted to the golf ball, whereas about 17% of a path error causes direction problems. So, focus on improving your face control at impact to start your golf ball on your intended line by practicing with a gate. Look at the pictures below to see the gate being set up. Pick a straight putt of about 6 feet. Place a tee just outside the toe of your putterhead (maybe an eighth of an inch or so) and then place another tee the same distance from the heel forming a gate that is centered on the line of the putt. Place a golf ball just in front of the gate and put your putterhead between the tees. Practice making putts paying close attention to returning your putterhead squarely back to the ball without hitting the tees. You will also be working on the path of your putterhead but the main focus is the face.
The “gate drill” will help with your impact, but other elements of your stroke mechanics that will influence impact are setup, path and speed. Get serious about improving your putting and attend a “4 Putting Elements” clinic to improve in all these areas. The next clinic begins on May 10 at 5:30 pm (5 one hour sessions on consecutive Fridays). To help you read greens better and find the correct AimPoint, attend one of our upcoming AimPoint Green Reading clinics on April 27, May 4 or May 11.

“Gate” Your Way to Better Impact!! By Scotty Hofer Which is more important in your putting stroke – face or path? Controlling the face at impact is about 5 times more important! Approximately 83% of a face error is transmitted to the golf ball, whereas about 17% of a path error causes direction problems. So, focus on improving your face control at impact to start your golf ball on your intended line by practicing with a gate. Look at the pictures below to see the gate being set up. Pick a straight putt of about 6 feet. Place a tee just outside the toe of your putterhead (maybe an eighth of an inch or so) and then place another tee the same distance from the heel forming a gate that is centered on the line of the putt. Place a golf ball just in front of the gate and put your putterhead between the tees. Practice making putts paying close attention to returning your putterhead squarely back to the ball without hitting the tees. You will also be working on the path of your putterhead but the main focus is the face. The “gate drill” will help with your impact, but other elements of your stroke mechanics that will influence impact are setup, path and speed. Get serious about improving your putting and attend a “4 Putting Elements” clinic to improve in all these areas. The next clinic begins on May 10 at 5:30 pm (5 one hour sessions on consecutive Fridays). To help you read greens better and find the correct AimPoint, attend one of our upcoming AimPoint Green Reading clinics on April 27, May 4 or May 11.

PURPOSE OF THE BACKSWING
By Mark Crabtree

When I worked for "The Golf Doctor", John Jacobs, he would ask students, "What is the backswing for?" His answer: "To help deliver the clubhead into the back of the golfball with the correct impact factors. Those factors are the face square, the path slightly from the inside and at a relatively level angle of approach". Even with all of the new fangled equipment, these principles still hold true. If you take a lesson, you might hear the terms Flat or Steep. You might hear "across the line" or "laid off". Simply put, Flat is a backswing under your shoulder, and Steep means your arms are too much up and down. Let's say the shaft of your club is in lined up with you ear, that's steep. Now before we go any father, there are many great players that play both ways. Trevino (Flat), Nicklaus (Steep). There is no PERFECT form. If you take a lesson with me, I will work with what you have. For the best visuals to see what might work for you, purchase John Jacobs "Faults and Cures" or "Practical Golf". I DO NOT teach any certain method but I will teach you the word G.A.S.P. It means GRIP, AIM, STANCE, POSTURE. I will help you understand your backswing and how your are adapting to it.

Happy Golfing,
Mark

Metagolf Learning Center - Denver Colorado Golf Instruction Metagolf Learning Center - Denver Colorado Golf Instruction

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DECISIVE PUTTING
by Stan Sayers

Commitment is an "act", a "state of being", engaging oneself. Desire - to wish or long for; to want.
Does this describe your putting? Do you stand over a putt thinking that...without a doubt...this putt is going in the hole! If this is you, then Congratulations and welcome to the few. For many, they say they want the putt to go in but, truly they are neither committed or have the desire required to make a good putt. How does one get to the point of being confident about making putts when many don't go in?

Anyone can become a good putter. Through work and skill training you can become a great putter! A large motion is not required it is small and compact. Not everyone can play the Tour or become a Major champion. Everyone has a performance potential they can reach.
1) You MUST be confident in your fundamentals. You're grip, posture, stance, aim and stroke must be repeatable without a doubt.
2) Your Green Reading, speed control and ability to start the ball on the intended line are skills that require training to perform under stress and competition.

Previously the green reading process took years to be proficient but now with AimPoint that process, with practice and commitment, it is cut into months. Why is this so important? Without the ability to read a green properly you can never fully commit to a putt creating doubt in your stroke, the putter, the universe or whatever else you would like to blame it on. Green reading is the WHY to speed and direction. It's just physics and gravity. Why guess when you can determine the right read with a proven process.

When you've put the work in to be able to "Trust" in your fundamentals and the skills you've acquired, you're now ready to Commit to every putt you make. Obviously all putts will not go in the hole. You're Commitment however will change every future putt you find yourself over. You will make putts that you previously may not have made. Distance control will become a part of your commitment no longer a guess or a hope.

Great putters have the ability to Commit to making a putt regardless of the result. Their personal belief system is that no matter the result they will hit a great putt. The following is a great story from "Putting Out of Your Mind" by Bob Rotella...

Jack Nicklaus was speaking at an event at which he said “I have never three-putted, or missed from inside five feet, on the final hole of a tournament.” For those of you who are not golfers, he was saying
that when the pressure was at its greatest, on the final hole of a 72-hole tournament, he had never missed a putt he should have made (if you are a professional golfer, you shouldn’t miss from inside five feet, and you shouldn’t take more than two putts on any hole).
At question time a guy in the audience took Jack to task. He said that he was watching a recent tournament and that Jack Nicklaus missed a three-foot putt on the last hole.
Jack replied “Sir, you’re wrong. I have never three-putted, or missed from inside five feet, on the final hole of a tournament.” The audience member offered to send him a video tape. “No need to send me anything sir. I was there. I have never three-putted, or missed from inside five feet on the final green of a tournament.”
After the talk was over the audience member came up to Dr Rotella and asked “What’s wrong with Nicklaus? Why can’t he just admit it?”
Rotella asked the man if he played golf (he did) and what his handicap was (16 ... an average weekend golfer) and whether if he missed a short putt on the last hole of a tournament he would remember it and admit it (of course).
Rotella then said to the man “So let me get this straight, you’re a sixteen handicapper, and Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golfer ever, and you want Jack to think like you?” The man had no answer.
A great putter will hit a putt that doesn't go in but KNOW they hit a great putt. Jack was quietly saying while he may not have made the putt he didn't miss it. He hit it exactly the way he wanted.

A great friend of mine, Mike Bender ( #4 ranked Teacher by Golf Digest), and I were playing one day and I asked him the reason he thought he was such a great putter. Let me give you a little history...Mike was a great putter when he played on Tour. A few years later he developed the yips and switched to left handed. Trust me, he is still a great putter. His reply..."One word, DESIRE! The best way I can describe it is that I've always had a desire to make putts!" This desire drove his ability to Commit to every putt.

Make a decision. Desire to hole the putt. Commit to the putt and make it!

If you want to become a great putter then let us help you walk on the green with the confidence of knowing you’ll commit to hitting a great putt! Contact us about AimPoint Green Reading and Putting instruction.
303-799-0870

"Team" Approach to Help Your Golf Game this Season
by Jason Preeo

Most golfers we see at MetaGolf tend to take one-on-one lessons, practice by themselves, and then go out and play in a group. I would encourage many of you to take a look at getting some of your instruction and doing some of your practice in that group dynamic as well. There are definitely times when one-on-one attention is needed and warranted, but if you supplement that time with additional group learning opportunities to increase your general knowledge; say on learning some specific short games shots, learning more about all of the different elements involved in putting, or strengthening your mental game skills, it will make you a more prepared and knowledgeable golfer. By practicing with a friend or in a group of similar minded golfers, it allows you to have your practice mates help with feedback on things such as alignment, ball position, posture, and possibly simple motions in the swing you might be working on. Additionally, it allows for some competitive practice like putting games, closest to the pin contests, etc. that help in transitioning your game from the range to the course.

At MetaGolf we are trying to offer some very informative group instruction programs to help this development along and have incorporated these elements into our competitive juniors program and a challenge to the Colorado Golf Club membership. I would encourage each of you to not only have your own goals for the season, but also to find a group of three or four friends and set some "team" goals. Now, in addition to your own motivation, you'll have your friends to encourage and motivate you, you'll have more drive to succeed in order to help your team reach their goals, and you'll have some practice mates that will serve to make your time on the practice tee much more efficient and productive!

"We are really excited about our new competitive juniors program and all the time I'll be able to spend helping the students reach their goals. The program is a great mix of individual instruction and group time to challenge them and help them grow." -Jason Preeo

For more information about our new competitive juniors program, please click the link below.

http://metagolf.uschedule.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=F6Ef3QyfxtE%3d&tabid=5684

Scotty Hofer, at talks about distance control for putting on our page! http://t.co/j3EVpeAMPI

Improve Your Distance Control for Putting:
Develop Consistent "Capture Speed"
Scotty Hofer

Distance control is the most important factor for good putting. To have the best chance of holing putts on a consistent basis, one should strive to have the ball arrive at the hole at a speed that if it misses the hole it only goes by 6 to 12 inches. To develop this ultimate "capture speed", I suggest that you borrow a couple of things from the grandfather clock. The pendulum on a grandfather clock goes back and forth the same amount and keeps a perfect rhythm. So, for all putts, try to have the backstroke and forward stroke be about the same length and make the stroke with your perfect rhythm. Most people will be somewhere between 72 and 80 beats per minute. Practicing with a metronome can help you dial in your perfect rhythm. Get a 1 - 2 count in your head and have the putter reach the end of the backstroke on a beat and strike the ball on the second beat. The length and pace of your backstroke produces the distance you need for each putt. As putts get longer, the length and pace of the backstroke must increase to produce the desired "capture speed".

Our Mark Crabtree gives his two cents on http://t.co/srBdi6UE02