Played a quick 9 tonight after work - the weather was gorgeous and the course was wonderfully empty and quiet.

I started badly as usual, making double bogey on #1, a long and straight par 5. Then I went bogey, bogey on the next two and I was actually feeling pretty good after hitting some really solid shots. On the 4th at Tashua Knolls, a par 4 dogleg left hole with bunkers all around the green I found myself in the sand.

No kidding, I thought back to episode 38 and opened my club face wayyyy up to the point where I thought Coach Dave would say, OK, that’s far enough. I took a deep breath and a full swing. The ball floated high up and over the lip and gently landed on the fringe and rolled to about 10 feet! I made bogey and continued my round.

On the 9th hole, I teed off with a god awful duck hook that actually ended up on the far side of #1, about 50 yards left. I spotted the 150 yard marker and pulled out a 3 hybrid as I eyed a big bunker sitting right in front of the green.

I hit a terrific 2nd shot that looked great but ended up in the bunker. I was nervous and excited to give my new sand skills a whirl and again, opened my club face wayyyy open, then turned it just a tad further, hearing Dave in my head saying “more, more, more."

Once again, a took a full swing and once again, the ball lofted up and out of the bunker, landing 20 feet from the hole and rolled down towards the pin, stopping about about 12 feet, pin high.

Wouldn’t you know it, son of a gun, I made par with a firm putt and was totally shocked. That’s what Golf is Hard TV is all about!

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Go forth and sign the petition and show your Congressional Leaders that Golf is important to you and you have been impacted positively by the game we love.

I had a chance to read “Better Recreational Golf: Improve Your Game in the Time You Have” after the author (Bob Jones!) emailed me and sent me a copy of this terrific book (how’s that for full disclosure?!).

While I very much appreciated what Mr. Jones tried to accomplish with his book, I think video would have helped very much explain some of the concepts and drills in the book. That said, I did want to point out that even so, this book is aimed perfectly at that golfer who just doesn’t have enough time to practice but wants to continue to improve their game.

I absolutely loved the tempo and impact ball drills and very much appreciated the recreational golfer perspective. For example, giving up some yards with a smaller turn could actually help save your back, and keep you playing longer! Now that’s some good advice.

I was intrigued by the suggestion in the chapter on chipping that recreational golfers use a 5-iron from around the green, and consider it a lofted putter. That might be worth trying!

I also very much appreciated that the book repeatedly talks about getting lessons from a local pro - smart advice and an acknowledgment that a book alone isn’t going to solve all of our golfing problems.

My favorite part of the book though, has to be the game strategy chapter. Bob talks a lot about thinking shots through and making safe plays. He includes breakdowns of par 3, 4 and 5 holes, and how to think about when to go for a good score, and when to simply avoid a horrible hole.

All in all, I totally recommend this book, but be prepared for a bit of confusion in some of the more complex drill examples. They don’t translate that well to book format, though there are plenty of photos to try to offset that! Here’s another link to the buy the book!

Dave, Thanks sending your thoughts, we are excited to hear that your short game is getting better and you are enjoying it. Have fun out there!

Dave & Marc

Guys,

I’ve been fighting with a rubbish short game for years. Your chipping vids have transformed my short game, I now actually understand what I’m trying to achieve.Sessions on the short game practice area are now a joy!

Thanks!!!Dave, Scotland