I am hoping most of you got to enjoy the finish of the Northern Trust Open last week.  I know the finish got me excited about the golf season.  If you missed it there was a three way playoff between Bill Haas, Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson.  To get into the playoff Keegan and Phil both made awesome putts on the last hole and the crowd was going nuts.  There were three things that stood out to me while watching the end of this tournament.

The first important thing I took from the finishing holes and the playoff was how important putting is to this great game of golf.  There were not only awesome putts made on #18 but on the second playoff hole Bill Haas made a bomb to win and Keegan missed a shorter putt to lose.

The second important thing was how important course management is to being successful at this game.  I thought Keegan and Phil both left it in bad places on the second hole of the playoff and I thought Bill would hit something short of the green into the fairway so he would have a straight forward shot to the pin.  I was wrong and Bill hit it into deeper trouble off the tee.  The only shot Bill had was to come out side ways to the middle of the green.  Despite what I thought was a bad choice off the tee, he made up for it with a great decision by hitting out to the middle of the green.  Bill was then rewarded with an awesome putt to win and Keegan missed his shorter putt.  Proof that course management does pay off.

The third important thing is to never give up from wherever you hit the ball.  If you make good choices and make some putts anything can happen.  Just ask Bill Haas.

As I sit here watching the final day of the US Open and the press conference with Rory, I realize what a wonderful, refreshing Champion we have. It is so rewarding to see a young player go through the tough back nine at the Master’s where he could have become very frustrated, given up, or crawled in hole, but instead he turned it into a learning experience and wow, did he learn a lot.

It is also fun to feel like we are seeing a real person. When he flashed his Dad a smile while he was walking down 18 sent goose bumps down my arms. This is the reason that I feel so many fans have connected with him this week. They feel like he is real and down to earth. Rory is who he is and does not pretend to be anyone else. He is an honest young (22yr) golfer that likes to have fun with his friends, respects his fellow players, and it was proven that his fellow players respect him by all the positive comments this week about him as a person and as a golfer.

Rory is willing to do for others.  Spending time in Haiti to help families and children proves that he is willing to give back to the less fortunate.  He made this trip because he wanted to and did not make a big deal out of it.  This is very special for a 22 year old young man to give his time to the people in Haiti. Rory spends plenty of time with his fans signing autographs and showing his
appreciation towards the fans.

It is nice to see a young player have so much fun while he is playing golf and to be able to show it in a major makes him even more special.  He competed right to the end despite having a large lead.  It was obvious he did not want to make bogey on 17 and that he really wanted to play well right to the end.  This is a sign of a true competitor.

I really hope that all the juniors watching this week learned a lot from Rory.  His patience, sportsmanship, sincerity and down to earth personality is what makes him the well like professional that he is today.  He is here to stay and we will continue to see his name on the top of leader boards for a long time.

Congrats to Rory and the future of golf is in good hands with Rory and the young and upcoming guys!

The rolling hills of Central Virginia can be challenging to golfers, as they do not allow for many flat lies.  Over the next several weeks, I will emphasize the importance of set-up and club selection in approaching uneven lies to help golfers develop confidence with these often intimidating shots.

“It’s all in the set-up…almost.”  Remember the set-up is key for any uneven lie. Your stance will feel different than with a flat lie, therefore you MUST adjust your set-up. By adjusting, you will have a better chance to hit the green and make that birdie. A smooth swing with a “gentle transition” from the top will take the fear out of making these challenging shots.  Remember these points for an Uphill Lie:

1.  Play the ball slightly forward in stance.
2.  Take a less lofted club (i.e. 6 or a 7 instead of an 8 iron), because the slope will naturally raise the trajectory (loft) of the shot.
3.  Slightly grip down on the club to shorten the club and gain more control.
4.  Align shoulders to the slope of the hill.
5.  Draw the front foot back and slightly open the front foot to level the hips. This stance will promote rotation and enhance                 balance throughout the  motion.
6.  Make a conscious effort to transfer the weight to the front foot through impact to compensate for the slope and gravity.

I encourage golfers to find a place to practice hitting from different lies so you can get comfortable with the set-up.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at Kandi Comer Golf located in Charlottesville, Virginia or email at kandi@kandicomergolf.com