Golf Tuition
These are our technical pages that we hope you enjoy. Apart from golf swing tips we will attempt to bring articles that are different and interesting regarding this simple game, a game which we tend to make more difficult!
Meet the pro
Our professional teaching staff are headed by our resident Swedish PGA professional Jorgen. Lessons for individuals and groups; single lessons or a series are available. Please contact us for details of these lessons before you come to visit. Give us an idea of your prowess or lack! Importantly let's know the areas of your game that you believe needs improving.
 Jorgen has many years teaching both in Sweden and Norway before coming to Thailand some 5 years ago. We wish him well as he strives for his tournament breakthrough in the local Thai professional circuit.
<< Jorgen, our resident golf professional.
You will gather as you read these few pages that we are interested to teach not just the conventional swing but also the variations that work so well for some, and we are not adverse to mix a little with the ideas. However, we do not like to ‘mess' with your swing too much as your body always dictates your tempo and swing habits. Everyone is different and sadly, I don't believe that you can impersonate someone like Ernie Els or Fred Couples or even our own Colin Montgomery. Swings are individual and we like to keep them that way and get the best from them. Let's keep it simple! Jorgen agrees with this and is a most sympathetic teacher. He speaks, Thai, Swedish, Norwegian and English.
The Old Teacher
I haven't got a picture I like! My name is Roger Smith and I started teaching golf years ago, about 25 years when I had to stop my first love, cricket. My experience in teaching cricket has helped my golf teaching considerably, now what has cricket with a moving ball got to do with golf, you might think, well it certainly helps you slice the ball! The most important area is the impact area and cricket, like golf, teaches you to stand still and look at the ball and swing/hit through the line. Your head is still and releases after impact, lift up before you hit and you are out or you top the thing. Balance is another excellent similarity, a good base from which to swing from, and both games can only be played if the player adheres to a few basic principles, grip, balance, stand still, head still and keeping it simple, because it is us who make the basic job of hitting a little white ball so difficult!
I speak English and Spanish, not a lot of good really, but I think golf swing problems are universal
I am not a professional golfer, I have studied golf swings and the mechanics of a swing for years, I am interested and enjoy helping the many pupils who have come to me and still, I am happy to say, come back for more. I have been told to put testimonials into the web site and so, with a bit of embarrassment I have:
Magnus
Me and my girlfriend had the pleasure of receiving lessons from Roger Smith during the summer of 2004.
Sadly we didn't' have time to play more than a few days, but in the four whole days we were with Roger, he taught us more than any of our local instructors have accomplished in a much longer time.
We are both beginners and in dire need of instructions. And as soon as after the first lesson, we started seeing considerable improvement in our swings. Roger asked us to warm up and hit a few balls with the swing we had been taught by our local instructor. Then he completely changed our technique to one that was more natural for the both of us. For me this meant adjusting to the tact that I am tall and have a bad back, something no other instructor ever has even thought of asking me about.
We also met with Roger's associate PGA instructor Jørgen at the Palm Hills course. Jørgen is a very nice fellow, despite his disadvantage of having been born in Sweden . The two instructors are a very good team, and Jørgen was careful not to give us any tips that did not go along with what Roger had already instructed us to do.
I would also like to comment on the social aspect of being a client with GTA Asia. Roger was always very accommodating to us, and flexible with finding arrangements to pick us up and dropping us off. There was constantly a very informal and good humoured tone in our conversations and the teaching. Roger is a very nice guy, and he's not opposed to showing you his favourite bar and have a pint or two with you. In fact, I think we got him in trouble with his mother one evening when one pint became a few…
When, not if, we return to the Hua Hin area to play more golf, we are definitely calling Roger again, it's well worth every baht.
Sincerely,
Magnus Eidem
Oslo , Norway
(“Farmer's swing” on the forums)
Our trip to Hua Hin was a fantastic and relaxing experience, both golfing as well as the rest of the holiday. This is mostly through the efforts of Roger. Not only did he help us to improve our golf; both golf mechanics on the driving range as well as game strategy on the golf course, he also organised the other aspects of our holiday, making it a hassle-free and enjoyable time for us. He organised us a nanny to take care of our 8-month old daughter, that allowed us to golf together on the course. He booked us tee time at 2 excellent golf courses at very good rates. He recommended and booked us a small but homely beachside resort with extraordinarily friendly staff. He managed all transfers from Bangkok Airport , as well as within Hua Hin. He recommended us excellent local restaurants away from the beaten tourist track, enabling us to enjoy Thai kitchen as the Thais love it. Roger helped us with our every wish, offering us a truely tailor-made holiday experience. This was much more than we ever expected. Thus, we could really relax, forget the world for some time and enjoy life at its best. Perfect! Thank you Roger!!!
Tze Shin & Martin
Email supplied |
Tips of the month
Tips for Swing:
These articles are for the conventional swingers and will be changed periodically.
Whatever articles we print here we will attempt to keep them simple and in a language you can understand.
Tips for Increasing Distance:
After going to the section on equipment and looking at your club and ball characteristics, the next thing to do is work on your flexibility. The fitness section can give you great advice on how to do this.
The key to distance is in the resistance you can generate between your hips and shoulders. Larger shoulder to smaller hip turn will generate more distance. A simple way to start this is by making sure your left arm (right arm for lefties) stays straight on the way back. If your arm breaks you lose the coil effect. Only go back as far as you can with keeping the arm straight and work on your flexibility to get a bigger shoulder turn.
Casting the club from the top can reduce distance among other things. Make sure you come slowly from the top and keep your wrist angle as long as possible, so you generate your speed at the bottom of the swing. Many people who take the club back really slow and then whip it down from the top lose all their momentum before they get to the ball. Taking it back long is more important than slow. The irony of the golf swing is that you will hit it farther the slower you think you are swinging. |
Golf Tip: Do not take your boss for a game. Slow golfers are ahead of us Joe decides to take his boss Phil to play 9 holes on their lunch. While both men are playing excellent they are often held up by two women in front of them moving at a very slow pace. Joe offers to talk to the women and see if they can speed it up a bit. He gets about half of the way there stops and jogs back.
His boss asks what the problem is. "Well one of those women is my wife and the other my mistress," complained Joe. Phil just shook his head at Joe and started toward the women determined to finish his round of golf. Preparing to ask the ladies to speed up their game, he too stopped short and turned around.
Joe asked "what's wrong?" It's a small, small world Joe, and you're fired" |
Tips for Chipping:
Chipping is not as complicated as so many make it. For most people the challenge is making sure that they catch the ball clean without hitting the ground first. Too many people flip their wrists trying to get the ball off the ground only to "chunk it".
The biggest key to chipping effectively is to keep your hands ahead of the club head, and keep them "firm" (do not break your wrists). You want to hit down on the back of the ball "popping" it forward. Putting the ball back in your stance can help ensure that you hit the ball first.
If you need to get the ball in the air to clear some hazard, use the loft of the club by hitting it the same way and letting the loft of the club get the ball in the air. The more you try to lift the ball with your hands the more likely you are to blade it.
Judge the distance of your chips by the length of your backswing and the club you use. Remember to keep your weight slightly more on your front foot to help ensure a downward swing.
Tips for Short Putts:
On short putts you need to make sure you do not take a lot of time to think about it. I suggest you look at the line, step up to the ball and hit it as soon as you are settled. Tension is the reason for most putts inside four feet to be missed, and tension is caused by standing over the ball too long.
I would also encourage you to stand with your feet quite close together (if it is not too windy), and keep your elbows tucked to your body. This will help you keep your swing on line.
Tips for Long Putts:
The key on the long putts is always speed. You are rarely going to make a put of ten feet or more (even the pros make a low percentage of these), so you want to make sure that you are close to the hole for the next one. Speed is even more important than line on the longer putts especially if they break considerably.
People don't practice long putts enough. A good way to do this is to practice before your round on the practice green. Stand at one end and putt balls to the farthest fringe, the goal being to get it as close to the fringe line as possible. By hitting to the fringe instead of a target you focus only on the speed. It doesn't hurt to practice your shorter putts like this as well. You then leave the green to your round without the possible frustration of missing several putts on the practice green before your round.
| Do This To Your Golf Grip When Your Hands Are Hot And Sweaty
A good tip for when you play in the tropics; - If your hands in hot weather get sweaty and you find it hard to grip the club so your golf grip doesn't slip when you swing then here's a simple solution.
Every hole or two simply get some sand from the bunkers and rub it on your hands and on your grips. This will help to absorb the sweat and it will do it much better than a towel will to keep a firm golf grip. Doing this will last longer too.
So do this the next time you're playing in hot, humid conditions. Because there's nothing worse than going to play a golf shot and having your hands feel as though they are going to slip on the golf grip, is there? |
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