Day 1 of Golf School

It was a long, hot, but fun day here in the greater Phoenix area. Steve and I spent the morning and afternoon at golf school with our great instructor Ubie Gentile. It typically takes a few weeks for intense lessons like this to settle in and impact my game in a positive way. For now I'm just a jumble of different swing thoughts.

Here are a few of the things I need to work on for my own references:

• My setup with my irons and fairway woods needs to be more balanced. Currently I have too much right-tilt, which is appropriate off the tee.
• I need to lower my hands in all of my full swing shots. Let them hang down naturally to find their proper position.
• My grip was a bit too neutral - need to be a bit weaker.
• With my height and flexibility, I need to be careful not to over-swing. Ubie recommends about a 75-80% effort on my swings to get more under control and maintain repeatable ball flight.
• Perhaps my biggest challenge right now is a lower body that is too busy. Work on keeping it still, particularly my knees.
• Maintain a strong finish.

Today we played 18 holes at Las Sendas after our lessons, 9 of them with Ubie. Playing the course with the pro is always the highlight, since I appreciate hearing about course management, shot selection, and dealing with the variable conditions on the course. Tomorrow we'll play 9 at Last Sendas and as many holes as we can stand at the Arizona Golf Resort.