NEW: Putting Boot Camp w/ AimPoint Express

PUTTING BOOT CAMP

Now with AimPoint Express!!

Are you sick and tired of being a bad or simply average putter? If so, the Putting Boot Camp is designed for you to start making more putts than ever before. This 3 sessions in 4 weeks package is designed to utilize the latest technology and techniques available to quickly improve your putting.

Session #1 - Sam Putt Lab Stroke and Putter Evaluation (45 minutes)

Session #2 - Sam Putt Lab Training and Drills (90 minutes)

Sessions #3 - Green Reading w/ AimPoint Express (90 minutes)

All sessions must be used within 4 weeks of your first session.

Cost is $475 and includes all sessions.

Schedule you first session by clicking the link below and selecting "Putter Fitting/Evaluation with Sam Putt Lab".

AimPoint Founder Mark Sweeney to Join July 7th AimPoint Express Clinics!

Don’t Miss This Opportunity to Learn One of Golf’s Top Green Reading Methods Alongside Its Founder!

AimPoint founder, Mark Sweeney, will be joining me on the University of Kentucky’s practice green at the University Club of Kentucky on July 7th for two AimPoint Express Clinics. Sign up today so you can learn the green reading method that the world’s top players are using!

Space is very limited so be sure to sign up for one of the clinics using the links below. Each clinic will last around 2 hours and is limited to the first 10 registrants. The cost is $200 per person.

Register Below!!

Text questions to Tyrus York at 859-274-6558

Tuesday's Tip: Windy Conditions

Last weekend the Transylvania Women’s Golf team, which I am the head coach, travelled to Franklin, IN to play in our last event of the 2021-22 season. The team closed out the season with a big win, and needless to say, left me very proud of the season they had.

If you were to go to the scores however, you’d see that they were high. In some cases very high. What you won’t see on the scoreboard (found on Golfstat) are what the weather conditions were like for both days of the two day event.

It was warm, which was nice. But it was also super windy. In fact during the final round there were several wind gusts over 30 mph. To put that in perspective, that is getting close to the level where a PGA Tour event would suspend play.

We did not suspend play, and instead had to fight through the tough conditions while fortunately coming out on top.

So what are some general tips for playing in the wind? Below you will find some ideas that hopefully you’ve heard before, and maybe one or two that you haven’t.

How to Succeed in the Wind

• “When it’s breezy swing it easy.” The rest goes without saying. Trying to force your swing in windy conditions can result in poor contact, and even worse, extra backspin that can dramatically effect the overall distance of your shot when facing a head wind.

• Know that wind will not effect your ball as much as you might think with cross winds. On well struck golf shots, a cross wind may only move the line of your shot slightly. Now, if you draw a ball with the direction of the wind it will curve a lot. So try not to do that. Otherwise hitting a normal, straight shot with a cross wind won’t need dramatic aim adjustments.

• Hitting into or down wind? Know how to adjust club selection. Most of you know that you need more club into the wind. Obviously the severity of the wind will determine how much, but just know that hitting into the wind will require more of a club adjustment than down wind. For example, with the winds we had over the weekend, most of the time a head wind needed +2 clubs while down wind only needed -1.

• Know how wind affects short game. Primarily the wind will be most noticeable on distance control. A downwind chip, pitch, or putt will roll out farther than normal. And vice versa when into the wind. The biggest thing is keeping your body stable during the swing so that the wind does not affect your balance. This is especially true for putting.

Lastly, be mentally strong. Remember that the wind is effecting everyone on the course, not just you. So if you can manage your emotions better than your competitors, you will have a very good chance to beat them when the conditions get tough!

---

I’ll be honest, the product below is related to what I just wrote, but it’s a nifty tool to see your swing path when you practice. I recommend.

Tuesday's Tip: Read It, Roll It, and Hole It!

When it comes to golf instruction, it is easy to fall into the trap of taking on too much information. The true value of a well qualified instructor is that they can help you, the player, sort through all pertinent information so that you can quickly get to work on what matters most in your golf game.

Putting is no different in that something that seems so simple in technique can actually paralyze the mind with too much information. That is why I try to adopt the message you see in the title of this post…

Read It, Roll It, and Hole It!

Taken from one of the best putting books I’ve read in a long time, Hole It! by John Dunnigan, embracing the simple slogan above is a great way to cut through the clutter and focus on what will matter most in your putting. Dunnigan accurately points out that there are only three skills required to be a good putter:

1. Skill of controlling your speed

2. Skill of ability to hit your line

3. Skill to read a green

Here at the High Performance Golf Academy, we’ve embraced the importance of those three skills. Notice how the skill of a certain putting stroke, or even the ability to aim is not listed above. Now… will your ability to accomplish the first two skills effectively be easier if you’re aiming at your target? Probably. But at the end of the day you only need to be good at the three skills above.

As an instructor I have dedicated a lot of time and resources in finding all the ways to help my players improve their putting. With tools like Sam Putt Lab, and now AimPoint Express for green reading, I feel that I am truly equipped to help golfers of all skill levels be their best on the greens.

In addition to the AimPoint Express clinics I am offering (check them out by clicking here), I offer what I’m calling a Putting Boot Camp for those that are serious about investing in improving all three of the skills listed above. The best part is that we will use one of the sessions to learn AimPoint Express, which you will quickly see is an amazing way to efficiently read greens.

PUTTING BOOT CAMP

Now with AimPoint Express!!

Are you sick and tired of being a bad or simply average putter? If so, Putting Boot Camp is designed for you to start making more putts than ever before. This 3 sessions in 3 weeks package is designed to utilize the latest technology and techniques available to quickly improve your putting.

Session #1 - Sam Putt Lab Stroke and Putter Evaluation

Session #2 - Sam Putt Lab Training and Drills

Sessions #3 - Green Reading w/ AimPoint Express

All sessions are 45 minutes and must be used within 3 weeks of your first session.

Cost is $375 and includes all sessions.

Click Here to schedule your first session and let’s get to work on improving the three skills you need to be a great putter!

---

Check out John Dunnigan’s Hole It! below…

Tuesday's Tip: Takeaways from The Masters

I have a small confession to make… I don’t watch that much golf on television. That being said I do watch The Masters, and hopefully you were able to as well.

It’s not hard to gush over the incredible beauty and ambiance that Augusta National provides golf fans once a year. Nor is it hard to excitedly talk about the numerous story lines that emerge from the players in the field each year.

This year was no different. Tiger Woods made a triumphant return to competitive golf, the usual suspects were lurking around the leaderboard all week, and one of the hottest hands in golf kept it rolling with a convincing victory.

But as a golf instructor, I enjoy watching professional events, especially majors, to find little nuggets to share with my students to help them learn to play the game better. Below are a couple of those little nuggets:

Lesson Nuggets from Augusta

• There’s no such thing as perfect golf, especially in a 72 hole event. Scottie Scheffler was dominant in his victory. After round 2 he had all but completely separated himself to close the day with a 5 shot lead. As difficult as the course was playing for every one else, this was a major accomplishment.

  However, on the par five 13th hole, he shanked his second shot (yes I used the “s” word) nearly taking out a group of photographers. He then proceed to hit his next shot a few feet from the hole where he would make birdie, beginning the propulsion to his 5 shot lead.

  Too many times I’ve seen players hit the panic button when they shank a shot. One bad shot turns into several because they simply can’t get over it. When playing golf it is sometimes helpful to have the mind of a quarterback that just threw an interception. You have to forget about it! For someone like Scheffler the was easy. After all he has an unlimited supply of confidence to know that that last shot didn't matter. It’s the next one that matters most.

• Take it from Tiger, master your short game! One thing that stood out to me on Thursday and Friday was how Tiger Woods’ short game seemed a little off. The surprising part to me was that I figured he would have been able to practice that aspect of his game much longer than the rest given the nature of his injury and his recovery.

  Of course that is speculation, but I believe it exposed another aspect of short game practice that goes unnoticed by many. It’s one thing to spend hours and hours working on every aspect you can from short game, and that is necessary in order to improve. But the thing you have to remember is that as important as mastering your technique is, you must also practice executing short game shots in a competitive environment.

  I’m not going to condone gambling, but one way to do this is to be constantly challenging your friends to chipping and pitching contests and try putting something on the line. This will help you tap into a different part of your golf brain that allows you to perform better under pressure. Short game mastery requires a lot of hours and even more competitive hours on the course or challenging your golf buddies.

  Coming back to Tiger, I don’t believe he was unprepared as it relates to his short game. Augusta National demands precision around the green and the more greens you miss, the more opportunities you are going to have to be less than precise.

If you find yourself changing the channel away from live golf coverage, especially during the majors, do yourself a favor and watch just a little longer. I’m constantly reminding my students that the best players in the world don’t hit it as great as you might think. They do hit it way better than anyone else, but my point is that they still miss fairways and greens. If nothing else, watching golf can add a little perspective to your own game.

---

Do yourself a favor and get out in the yard with a chipping net like the one below:

INTRODUCING: 3-Day Golf Schools at Keene Trace Golf Club

The High Performance Golf Academy would like to invite you to come and spend three days at Keene Trace Golf Club and let us help you understand exactly what your game needs in order to better enjoy your time out on the golf course. In our golf schools we only allow Eight students per school, which are led by academy owners and PGA professionals Larry Ward and Tyrus York! This allows you to receive the personal attention you need to become the golfer you know you are capable of becoming. Contact us today to learn about what we can do to help you become a better golfer!

2022 Schedule 

May 18-20

June 8-10

June 22-24

July 13-15

August 10-12

Your Golf School Includes:

• Over 18 hours of instruction coached entirely by Larry Ward & Tyrus York (9am – 3 pm each day)

• Full swing and short game instruction

• The use of cutting edge teaching technology from TrackMan, GASP, K-Vest, AimPoint Express, and Sam Putt Lab

• TPI Evaluation

• A personalized practice project for each student

• Daily video summaries via CoachNow

• High Performance Golf Academy gift package

• Lunch and non-alcoholic beverages each day

• Complimentary follow up via email

• DOES NOT INCLUDE ACCOMMODATIONS*

• $1,800 PER PERSON**

*Hotel accommodations can be booked separately with our special group rate at the Campbell House (6.6 miles away)

Cancellation Policy

 **If notice is given at least 21 days or more prior to the first day of the school we will receive a refund less a $50 service fee.  20 days - 15 days notice we will transfer your fee to another school. 14 days or less will result in a 100% loss of your $1,800 fee. 

Tuesday's Tip: AimPoint Facts and Fiction

Cutting through the clutter of information and disinformation on social media and the internet can be a full time endeavor. Whether it’s sports or politics, there seems to be an over abundance of people with differing opinions, and in some cases differing “facts”.

This week I want to cut through the clutter of information surrounding AimPoint, specifically AimPoint Express.

The motivation to tackle this topic right now comes from a particularly strange couple weeks for Aimpoint. It began with Keegan Bradley going through a green reading process that looked like AimPoint, only to miss his putt badly. This led to a crowd of online hecklers that poked fun of the fact he used what they thought was AimPoint and it didn’t work. (The truth is… although it appeared he was attempting to use AimPoint, what he did is NOT what is taught, aside from the fact that his speed control was off which would render any read he made likely useless).

Then, just as things started to quiet down, a kid (literally a kid less than 13 years old) was spotted using AimPoint at Augusta National during the Drive, Chip, and Putt Finals. The kid used the green reading process (way more accurately than Keegan Bradley did), which took an incredible 15 seconds to complete! Can you believe that?!? Someone taking 15 seconds to read a putt, especially a really important putt! Who does that??

Yes… that is sarcasm because we see on a weekly basis players on the PGA Tour using their fully allotted 40 seconds (sometimes longer) to read putts using methods not called AimPoint, if they even have a method at all. But because someone uses AimPoint, instead of using their eyes, it’s considered a bad look and bad for the game?

So what is AimPoint? AimPoint is a green reading technology (or system, technique, method, whatever you want to call it) developed by Mark Sweeney. It began as a very technical system that involved using a book to look up your correct read.

Believe it or not, about 12 years ago, Larry Ward and I participated in one of the first AimPoint clinics in the state of Kentucky. However, we both agreed that AimPoint in it’s current state was simply not usable for many of our clients.

Apparently Mark Sweeney agreed because it wasn’t long after that when he created AimPoint Express. This is what you see people now doing (or in Keegan Bradely’s case attempting to do). The biggest noticeable difference is that the books used to read the green are gone. Instead there is an expedited process that involves using your feet to feel the tilt of the green and assign it a number. You then take the number you felt and use the corresponding number of fingers to determine your line.

One concern, and the one I’ve always found the most legitimate, was that in order to feel the tilt of the green that is affecting your putt, you have to get in the line of your own putt between the ball and the hole. In the early days this had to be done with a somewhat “code of ethics” by straddling your line and avoiding actually making contact with your intended line of play (which would be a penalty). But now the USGA has decided (albeit for other reasons) that intentionally touching your line on the putting green is no longer a penalty. Therefore opening the floodgates for people to walk in their own line in order to feel the tilt.

Another concern is that when walking in your own line you may interfere with the line of another player. This one is easy… just don’t do it. You can always make a slight adjustment to where you need to stand in order to avoid stepping in another player’s line.

The biggest misconception with AimPoint Express is that it negatively affects pace of play. As we mentioned earlier, good players that are trying to grind out a made putt during a round will take a lot of time to do so. The Tour gives them about 40 seconds. This is a long time. However, when used correctly from beginning to end, AimPoint Express should take no longer than 20 seconds. In most cases it will take less than 10. However, if you want to use it, you better learn how to use it properly by attending an AimPoint Express class taught by any of the several certified instructors across the country.

Or you can log in to Twitter and make fun of what you don’t understand, which seems to be the route of many people that I would normally consider trustworthy and knowledgable individuals. (sorry for the sarcasm again)

If you are interested in actually learning what AimPoint Express is and how to use it, click here to check out the multiple opportunities I am offering.

---

Looking for a great mat to work on putting indoors? We have the one below at the High Performance Golf Academy and it has been great!

Tuesday's Tip: Do You Know Cause and Effect?

Do you understand cause and effect? In other words, what are the primary causes that make a golf ball go where it goes?

It is always surprising to me how many players, some of them pretty good, don’t know something as simple as the ball flight laws. Although up for debate, the good old fashioned ball flight laws given to us several decades ago hold up in many aspects as far as most golfers should be concerned.

The purpose of this article isn’t to delve into the ball flight laws, or debate their accuracy, but instead to stress the importance of having a basic understanding of cause and effect.

For example, you hit a drive that begins flying down the middle of the fairway, only to have it start curving left, into a bunker or a hazard. Why did this happen? Assuming there is no wind, try using the following sequence of possible solutions (based on a right handed golfer) to come up with an educated guess:

Ask yourself the following…

1. What did the club do to the ball that made it fly that way?

   • Was contact in the center of the clubface?

   • Was the clubface open or closed?

   • Which direction was the club swinging? (right, left, or at the target)

2. What did you do to the club that made the following occur?

   • Contact was center

   • Club face was closed to the path*

   • Path swinging right of where the club face was pointing*

*You can determine this with a basic understanding of the ball flight laws

Using this sequence to address the issue, the first thing that occurs would be a closed face relative to the swing path. Simply check the possible reasons that you clubface may be closed. Here’s a hint… it was probably already closed before the swing began. In other words… check your grip and/or alignment.

This is just one of example of how you should approach correcting a miss on the golf course. I present it this way because too many times I have asked one of my players what happened and they jump straight to trying to change something about the golf swing.

It is true that there may be a swing related cause to your miss, but when you are in the middle of a round, especially a competitive round, you’ll want to avoid trying to make wholesale changes to your golf swing at all costs. 

Lastly, and this should go without saying… but working with a swing coach can help you better understand your swing and potential issues you could face. We can also help you find the quickest, and most sensible solution. 

Need to schedule a session? Click the link below.

 The book below isn’t exactly relevant to this post’s topic, but it is required reading as far as I’m concerned for all golfers.

Tuesday's Tip: Break Your Next Scoring Barrier with These Mental Tips

Yes I know it is Wednesday. Hopefully I’ll be back on track next week!

Breaking a scoring barrier can be an exciting time for any golfer. It can also be the source of unwanted anxiety as the end of your round approaches. These barriers typically come in bunches of 10 strokes at a time; breaking 100, 90, 80, 70, etc.

So when you’re on the cusp of breaking a new barrier, regardless of your overall skill level, what are some things you can do or think about to finish your round strong? In other words… not to blow it!

• Embrace the fact that you are playing good! If you are playing a good round of golf, chances are you’ve put in the work in order to do so. When you are playing good, enjoy the moment and stay positive no matter what until you’ve holed out on your last hole and the round is over.

• Be aware of negative self fulfilling prophesies. Avoid thinking that a bad shot or stretch of holes is just around the corner. Again… embrace that you are playing well and don’t give in to thinking that it will come apart at any moment.

• Perfection in golf does not exist. Technically, a perfect round of golf would be 18 birdies for 18 holes. Last I checked this has not yet been achieved by any professional golfer. Allow yourself to make mistakes and do not think that just because you make one, you’re going to miss out on breaking that new scoring barrier.

• Never want the round to end. The only thing that you should be thinking about when you are playing well is hoping you get as many chances as you can to keep posting good scores. If you’re just trying to hurry up and finish before you screw it up, chances are you will screw it up before you run out of holes to play (the negative self fulfilling prophesy).

Do you have an elusive scoring barrier? Put it in the comments below and let me help you break that barrier this year by working with me at the High Performance Golf Academy!

Also… if you like to read I highly recommend the following books for work on the mental game:

Tuesday's Tip: Ideas to Make Practice Effective

Many golfers approach the game with a variety of goals that can range from just wanting to make contact with the ball on a full swing to winning a professional major. The number of goals in between those two extremes can be virtually limitless.

So how do we design a practice that makes the best use of your time yet also gives you an opportunity to succeed at achieving your goals?

To answer this question I think we need to quickly review what a goal is, or more importantly what a goal should be. Any goal, regardless of where it falls on the spectrum of possibilities listed in the opening paragraph, must be S.M.A.R.T.

• Specific

• Measurable

• Achievable

• Relevant

• Time-Bound

I really don’t think we need to spend any time breaking down this acronym further, so just make sure that whatever goal you are setting yourself up for can be explained using the criteria above. For example, if you’ve never played and want to play on the PGA Tour, you better make sure it fits in the achievable portion of the acronym.

Once you have your S.M.A.R.T. goal defined, you then need to start planning. This is of course most easily done with the help of a qualified instructor that can help you identify weaknesses and set you up on a plan for improvement. Then it is time to get to work.

So now that you have your plan and you’ve got the time set aside to actually practice your golf game, what are some things you can be doing to make sure your practice is effective?

1. Plan ahead. Have a practice plan before heading to the course/practice facility. It doesn't have to be a long, written out plan. Just know ahead of time the areas of your game you need to work on and stick to the plan to work on those areas. Again… this is easier with the help of a qualified instructor.

2. Diversify. When most people think practice, they don’t think much past hitting golf balls of the driving range, working up a sweat, then calling it a day. Diversify your practice plan to include all parts of the game, include (especially) putting. Golf is the only sport where you practice in a completely different environment than you play. Make sure your practice sessions would include all parts of the game, just like a round of golf would.

3. Avoid pitfalls. Here are some tips to help you avoid common pitfalls when you practice:

   • Space out time in between shots on the range. In other words, never rake and hit! It takes over 4 hours to play most 18 hole rounds of golf. During that time you may hit 30-50 full swing shots. Why in the world would you try to hit a bucket of balls that contains 70-100 balls in less than an hour? This is not me saying to take 4 to 5 hours on a bucket balls, just make sure you are incorporating pre and post shot routines as well as varying your club selections and targets.

   • Practice like you would play. For example, do you use a line on your ball when you putt? Then you better be setting that line up for the overwhelming majority of the strokes you make on the practice green! Do you have a green reading method (like AimPoint)? Use it! Even on those 3-5 footers that can drive golfers mad when they miss them in practice.

   • Be aware of LaLa Land. Our human brains just simply aren’t wired very well to sustain a high level of focus and energy during a long practice session. In fact the average max attention span for adults is about 20 minutes. Whenever you catch your mind drifting to other thing, simply take a break and start working on another aspect of your game.

Do you need help identify your weakness and getting you plan to improve created so that you can start playing better golf? Then contact me today so that we can together help you put your plan to improve in action!