My Golf Philosophy

"I want to create a learning environment that my clients can flourish and see definite results in their games. I like to have fun while I teach and share the passion I have for the game with my students. Knowing how complicated this game can be, I aim to create a teaching environment that golfers can learn and understand my information clearly and quickly. Finding the cause and effect of what the ball is doing is the most important in diagnosing how to make changes for each individual student. I strive to tailor the lesson to my students learning style and capabilities."

Monday, June 11, 2012

Posture - So very important!
My last job I was called the "posture princess" by my boss. This term of endearment came from my (usual) first comment about a swing pointed out to me on the range was, "Their posture is terrible!". Did you know how important posture is for golf? And in life? I believe posture is your foundation to your golf swing. Would you build a house without a strong foundation? Probably not, as it would eventually fall down. This is also true with your golf swing. Working on good posture will help you to reproduce shots and gain consistency. Hmmm, consistency you say Sarah? Yes, it's true! So let's talk about Good Posture. The golf swing works from the ground up, meaning we are swinging a club, not hitting a ball. Good lower body stability will in turn allow you to have better balance and help produce power in your swing.
Here are some pointers to help you improve your posture.
1. Feet should be about shoulder width apart. Any wider limits hip rotation, any narrower allows you to over rotate your hips. (this is for iron shots, for driver you will need to be slightly wider than shoulder width because the club is longer and being swung on a wider arc)
2. Then picturing a wall behind you, bow (like you are actually bowing like in karate) forward and touch your butt against the wall. Your chest should be over the ball. Now bend your knees slightly, weight should be more on the balls of your feet instead of on your heels. This would be an athletic set up, if someone were to come up to you and push you, you would not fall backwards. Some relatable positions: return of serve in tennis, downhill skiing, or on the line in football.
3. You can now check to see if you are in correct posture by letting your arms hang from your shoulders. Correct posture would be if your fingers are dangling over your toes. Arms are freely hanging from your shoulders. This is a very tension free set up.
4. Weight should be evenly distributed on your right and left foot.

Try these pointers next time you are on the range and see how close your posture is to being up to the standards of the "posture princess".
Have fun and happy golfing!

Monday, June 4, 2012

New Position

Hi!
I'm back blogging after a long break. Lots has happened. I have moved back to Rye, NY and accepted a new position as the Director of Instruction at Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, NY. I'm very excited to be back in Westchester, and thrilled to be named a director of instruction! I recently found my 5 year goals when unpacking my stuff in my new digs, and my number one goal was to be a head pro or director of instruction. So neat to have written down 5 goals 5 years ago and have accomplished 4 of them! I strongly encourage everyone to take some time to jot down some goals for yourself for the next year, 5 years, 10 years, etc. If you don't write them down, how can you accomplish them?

Please check back weekly for tips and thoughts on the golf swing and everything golf!
And I'm an finally tweeting!! @sarahstonegolf