Golf Instruction

Golf lessons are available for individuals and groups. The following rates apply: 

For further information, please call Bill Gillenwater at the course, 540-854-9890. You may also e-mail him. 

Golf Tips from the Pro

Aim and Align Properly

No matter how good your swing mechanics, you cannot hit the ball to the target unless you are correctly positioned as you address the ball. For a straight shot, I set up with the club to look squarely at my target and my upper body parallel to the ball to the target line. Properly aligned, I give myself every chance to swing the clubhead into and through the ball. While the ball is traveling, momentarily, direct the club along the target line with its face looking squarely down that line.

That's the basic objective on every golf shot you hit through the air, and achieving it always starts with the set-up. Aim and align wrongly and you will create a need for swing compensations to hit the ball to the target. Very few golfers can make such compensations repetitively. 

Around the Green

All professionals play shots differently around the green, using a variety of clubs or a range of shots. The one thing that they all do is select an exact spot to land the ball on - before they even think about taking a club out of the bag. When you play a chip shot you should know where to land the ball and where it will finish, while keeping the technique nice and simple.

This is the best approach to follow for chip shots. Start by visualizing the shot, taking into account what the ball will do. Focus on a precise landing spot, preferably on the green to ensure an even bounce. Then, select the club that best performs that shot (loft and length). Hitting the spot consistently equates to lower scores.

Preventing the 'bob'

Handicap golfers often bob their heads up and down during the golf swing. This is extremely fatal to the golf swing, since it moves the swing plane. It is also hard for the player to detect that this is occuring. A self solution is to practice swinging without lifting your heels. Another solution would be to have another person place the butt-end of the handle of a club on the forehead of the one swinging the club. The person would be a club length away, on the opposite address side of the ball. The observer could see the movement of the club with their head, if it were moving at all.