What an awesome finish to the Masters!! Bubba Watson is truly a great champion and great for the game of golf.  There are so many things that golfers can learn from Bubba Watson and the 2012 Masters.

It was astonishing to see how many of Bubba’s fellow tour players were waiting on ten green to congratulate him after the winning putt fell.  You hardly ever see this in competitive sports. What you usually see is the losing tour players rushing to get off the tournament grounds. All of those tour players waiting around to congratulate Bubba proves what a great guy he is.

Secondly, it was a great lesson for all golfers to realize you are never out of a tournament or a match if you simply stay in the moment and keep fighting.  Bubba never gave up, and as a result he earned the win with a miracle shot from the trees.  Louis Oosthuizen was in great shape after getting a good bounce off his tee shot, but Bubba stayed focused on what he had to do and was able pulled off an amazing shot.  In golf, it is easy to focus on what your fellow player is doing and get distracted from your task at hand.  The key is to stay focused on your shot and what you need to do.

Thirdly, a lot of people have asked me why they need a coach/golf professional if Bubba does not have one.  I have always told my students if you have the time to practice and play as much as the tour players do, than you can swing any way you want because you will be able to repeat whatever swing you have.  For golfers that have “different” golf swings on tour there has been a pattern of streaky play.  The reason for this is that there golf swings depend so much on good timing and that is hard to bring day after day or week after week.  The average player that comes for lessons generally need lessons on the basic fundamentals of set-up, alignment, grip and then once they have that their general swing usually falls into place.  I am not a method teacher and I generally work on the fundamentals of the set-up and then work from their based on what the student can do physically.  Most students are amazed how a small tweak here or there can really improve their games.   As I always say the average player cannot compare themselves to the select few tour pros who choose not to have coaches.

Finally, we can all learn that Bubba was totally committed to the shot he was going to hit.  He believed he could hit the shot and then he totally trusted his swing and pulled it off.  You cannot play with doubt when you are trying to hit shots and this shot truly showed his belief in pulling it off. Once you decide what shot you want to play, you must stick with it and stay 100% committed.

Great Masters with a lot of great lessons for all golfers.  So keep playing the game and learn from the best.

I am always willing to help golfers learn and get the most out of their golf game.  If you are ever in the Charlottesville area please feel free to give me a call at 434-817-0500 or visit my website for more information at www.kandicomergolf.com

I can remember the days when I either loved my 3 iron or I hated my 3 iron. Actually it could change within a round of golf and from hole to hole. Matter of fact I never knew what shot was coming from the 3 iron I had in my bag during my playing professional days. I think back of all the anxious moments that  3 iron created for me during my competitive days and wonder what my career would have been like if there were hybrids back then.

I know I was very hesitant when the hybrids arrived on the golf scene because it was just not traditional. A lot of players questioned the fact  if  they added a hybrid to their bag, does that mean they are not a “player”? As an instructor I felt it was awesome for my players to add a hybrid to their bags because it was much easier for the mid to high handicap player to get the ball in the air with solid contact. The good players were not so willing to add the hybrid and this includes the tour players.

In today’s world of golf the hybrid is accepted for all levels of players including the tour players. Sometimes it takes a while to give up the traditional way (change is never easy) for the better way. It has always been known that hybrids are much easier to hit resulting in a higher, straighter ball flight, and a club that can be used in all playing conditions (high rough, fairway, hard pan, etc.).  The tour players have now accepted the hybrids and these numbers will surprise a lot of you, but the average number of hybrids in the bag for the PGA tour players is 1.7, the Senior Tour is 4.1 and the LPGA averages 3.2 hybrids in their bag. So if you do not have at least two hybrids in your bag it is time to re-evaluate your golf bags and the clubs in your bag.

I encourage all golfers to meet with their PGA or LPGA professional to make sure you have the set-up make-up that allows you to play your best golf. I encourage my average golfers to start their sets with a 5 or 6 iron and go through the sand wedge. That means they could add a 3 and 4 hybrid to their golf bag.  For ladies, I encourage them to start with a 7 iron through sand wedge and they would add a 4, 5 & 6 hybrid to their bags. This is a general guideline.  Again, I treat every player as an individual and it is not one size fits all, so schedule that appointment today with your golf professional so you start the year off with the right tools in your bag.

If you are in the Charlottesville area I would love to assist you with your club fitting needs. Feel free to contact me at Kandi Comer Golf at Glenmore by visiting my website at www.kandicomergolf.com for contact information.

Wow, what a great week in Orlando for the PGA Merchandise show.  I attended seminars all day the first day and it is always great to sit in a room with my fellow professionals and share ideas and thoughts on golf instruction.  I am always so grateful for the way golf professionals are always so willing to share their thoughts, philosophies, and knowledge so freely.  I am not sure I know of too many businesses that are willing to sit around and let their competitors know what they do to make them successful.  This is great for the golf business and I truly feel so many golf professionals want to do whatever they can to grow the game of golf.  So thank you to all my fellow professionals for being so open.

The second day I spent walking the floor with the approach to see what new technology I could bring to Kandi Comer Golf that would enhance the learning experience so it is more effective for my students.  As many of my students come to me in Charlottesville, Virginia because I do use the latest technology at my academy.  My goal is to make learning and improving your golf game the easiest and simplest way possible.  I feel most golfers are visual learners and effective use of video is a must.  I also use 3D technology with a program called K-vest and I love the feedback the students get from this program.  I have always felt K-vest was a great training aid for the golfer to make improvements quickly.  I was very excited with the addition of a program called K-trainer for my students to use once they have had a lesson.  The K-trainer will allow me to set up a practice plan for the student with drills and exercises based on what we worked on during the lesson.  The student would then come to the learning center where I would pull up their practice plan on the computer and they could practice for 30 minutes knowing that they are practicing correctly on what we discussed in the lesson.  As they complete each drill or exercise they will have it checked off on the program.  This will truly be the most effective technology to allow you to improve so you are not always working on the same issues lesson after lesson with your golf professional.

Then it was over to the equipment section and I was very impressed with the new Callaway Razr Fit driver.  Every golfer can now have a driver that fits them correctly.  This driver was the Golf Digest gold winner for 2012!  I also thought the Odyssey flip face putter had an interesting concept.  How many times have you played at a golf course with really fast greens and the next day you played on very slow greens? This putter has two faces with one being a soft face and the other side a firm face.  So the day the golfer plays the fast greens he might want to use the softer face and then switch to the firmer face for the slower greens.  However, it is very evident that the belly putter is the putter for the future.  Every manufacture has increased their lines of belly putters. In order to be effective with the belly putter, you need to make sure you are correctly fitted.  It is important that you have the correct length so you can set-up to the putter correctly in order to take full advantage of the belly putter.

With all this being said it was a great few days at the PGA show seeing the new equipment and learning and sharing ideas from other golf professionals.  I am excited for the 2012 season and I know this is going to be a very exciting year at Kandi Comer Golf with the use of effective technology and some great programs to allow golfers to improve and most of all to have fun playing this great game of golf.

If you have questions or if you would like more information please feel free to contact me by email at kandi@kandicomergolf.com or call my office at 434-817-0500.