Photo by John Hardy
Our Director of Golf at the Westlake Golf and Country Club has been a professional since 1991 and a PGA member, A-1, since 1998. With many honors and excellent playing ability, including a feature article in an issue of Garden State Golf News, he was also voted New Jersey PGA Assistant Golf Professional of the Year in 2000, and our go-to guy for advice on all golf related subjects.
GRIPS: Recently, Kevin provided valuable information to all our members on why golf grips should be changed each year, or every 100 rounds of golf, including practice time. When the grips are new, the golf grip can be held lightly in the hands that enables one to freely swing the club. Also, for the senior golfer with less hand flexibility, a thicker grip size is better. Wrong grip size can increase hooks or slices, because the hands do not work properly. For example, if the grip is too small then the release is to quick resulting in a hook.
Deciding On What Golf Balls to Use: When deciding on the right golf ball to use, Kevin advises that rather being obsessed with distance, control around the green is more important. A PRO V & PROV-1X is a good choice for any golfer, but can be expensive. An alternative for higher handicap golfers looking to reduce spin but not sacrifice too much control by the greens is a Titleist NXT Tour or Titleist DT Tru Soft. Both feel more comfortable on contact because they have a lower compression and also have less impact on your wallet.
Good rule of thumb that golfers should consider:
Compression = Feel
Cover on Ball = Spin
Prov-1X > Compression = Harder Feel/Cover = More Spin
Dt True Soft < Compression = Softer Feel/Cover = Less Spin
Kevin’s Quick Tip for a Better Game: Go through a pre-shot routine by visualizing the shot you want to make. Don’t let the “bad golf gnomes” get into your head! Also, strength is usually not the issue when looking for answers to losing distance, loss of flexibility is the problem due to shorter swings.
We hope these simple changes will improve your game and make the game of golf more enjoyable and
