A Tale of Two Sides

Seven Bridges Golf Club was built in 1991, actually it was carved out of an existing 36 hole facility which became part golf course, part housing development. Located west of State Route 53, and north of Hobson Road, the golf course has two different and distinct flavors. The front nine is a calming parkland style course. Plenty of trees and subtle topography frame almost every hole on the front. Water comes into play on three holes 4-5 and 6. My favorite hole on this side is #7.

What a great hole #7 Tee Box

At 469 yards from the Gold tees, this is an awesome par 4. A slight dogleg right, the giant stands of oaks on the right off the tee force you to play it to it’s true length (unless you can really motor the ball and carry the tops of the oaks…um yes I did!). You will be left to a long iron shot to a three club green. It slopes from back to front and has a ridge to navigate at the back half. It reminds me a lot of hole #6 on Cantigny’s Woodside (which is one of my all-time favorite holes) and it makes you earn your score. Finishing up on the front is an interesting par 5. Measured at 579 yards from the Golds, this is a true risk reward par 5. If you’ve bombed your drive (it’s slightly downhill) you have a chance to go for it in two…but danger lurks. Water is guarding the front portion of the green in the form of the Dupage River Tributary.  It’s not too wide, but it sure can make you think about going for it!

The back nine is totally different from the front. The first three holes known as the Bermuda Triangle are challenging, actually it makes sense that they re-routed the nines back to their original design. These holes are guarded by unrelenting water…water and more water. Hole 10 is basically a par 5 surrounded by water…the whole thing…so you better be on target and take your time. Playing at 505 yards, it’s my opinion that you play this hole as a 200 yard par 3 for your first and second shots. Hole #12 is a wicked par 5. The a water retention pond plays along the left side of the hole, and the green is tucked away in a corner. The river crosses the front portion on your approach and the fairway is split off to the left…again it makes you think on every shot. Did I mention that water is the theme on this nine? The most difficult hole on the course is #16 Maelstrom.

Hole #16 called Maelstrom

Playing a tight 441 from the golds, this hole requires a well placed tee shot…there is no bail out…unless you are like me and knock it into the water on the right, then hit your next shot to 12 feet and sink a curling putt for par. The elevated green sits above the water, and is beautiful and terrifying at the same time. The round ends on a demanding par 4. At 447 yards it plays slightly less since it’s downhill, but the water comes back to play on your approach. A well placed second will leave you on a green with some twists and turns.

Overall

After I finished I was reminded why I thought the course was a tough nut to crack. The back side will either surrender some strokes or add them on. I had a strange back nine in that I had 4 penalty strokes yet still shot 39. The front nine is challenging, yet calm, while the back nine is more of a wild ride…always on the edge of your seat nine. And this time around I found it much more enjoyable. Maybe it was because I was playing by myself and finished in 2 ½ hours. Or maybe it was that the course was in superb condition. I was loving the greens. They were fast and true and would hold a shot. The fairways were well watered and not too hard, yet cut short enough that you could spin shorter shots with ease. I was very impressed with the grounds crew, every time I came to where they were working (and believe me you need to have a top notch grounds crew to keep a course like this in pristine shape) they would stop…and let me play without having to listen to mowers or trimmers. That is a sign of a great facility…when you put the guest first only good things will happen.

The Pro Shop is fully stocked with all the necessities. The clubhouse offers a wide array of dining options, and the outside bar (The Dock..go figure) is a great place to cool down with some adult beverages and reflect on the day of golf. Carts come with GPS and you really should ride, the front is walkable, but the back nine would be a haul…especially on a hot day. Plus you get the advantage of seeing the “Pro” tips while using the GPS system.

The Dock outside Bar

If there is one negative…and it only grinds my teeth a little…it has to be the cost. Now Premium golf courses require a premium rate, but I feel that given the current economic conditions, price is king. Weekend Rates of $107 will price most people out of playing. Will you want to add it to your heavy rotation? Maybe, but unless you have a fat wallet,  a couple of rounds at Seven Bridges Golf Club will set you back some dough. I think that you should give it a shot for a special occasion or a well deserved treat, and the bring a 4-some during the weekday and get 20% off (about $54 per player with cart which is a very attractive rate). An attentive and well trained staff and a well conditioned course will ease some of the monetary burden…if not the killer drinks at the “Dock”.

Click Here for the Latest Rates and Specials

The Art of the Lag

The lag putt is one skill that all golfers need to focus on. The ability to get a putt close enough to the hole is a trait all great putters have. Watch the Masters this week and pay attention to how close the leaders get their long putts. The greens at Augusta will be firm and fast, and lag putting will more than likely determine the winner. When greens are soft, Tour Pros can dial it in on the flag. They are basically shooting darts to the pin, when green conditions firm up, they are left with longer putts (and according to Dave Pelz they make less than 50% of their putts over 6 feet and a little over 10% of putts of 24 feet). The tools you need to improve your lag putting are simple. Judge the speed, and find a target. To judge the speed you need to understand what direction the ball will travel. Is it going uphill or downhill? When will break come into play? To achieve your goal of lag putting, you must decide where you have the greatest chance of success for the…next putt or your target. The idea of a target is another way of removing the thought of the “hole” from your visual context. By putting towards a target, you can focus on making a stroke without the pressure of hole-itus…

What to work on

When you are faced with a long putt what do you think about? Are you trying to make it? Are you fearful of three-putting? Can you even see the hole?

I tend to think of long putts as those over 24′ which is approximately 3 flag lengths. Putts inside of this distance are ones that I feel confident in making some of the time. Putts outside this distance are ones not holed often. Add these techniques to your putting tool box (Shot IQ) and watch your scores plummet!

• Walk off the distance of your putt
• View the putt from the side, notice the way the ball will behave around the hole
• Pick the best spot for your next putt
• Find your comfort zone on short putts

Walking off the distance: this will give your mind a specific distance. The more numerical information you can give your “brain” the better. If you guess at the distance, so will your “brain”.

View the putt from the side: by getting a better “lay” of the land, you can visually see how the putt will act upon reaching the hole. Factors like uphill or downhill will move the “target” area of your lag, as will right to left or left to right breaks. It is always better to have an uphill putt, and one that breaks (if any) from right to left for a right handed golfer.

Pick the best spot: this is subjective, and relies on your ability. But the closer you can get to the hole, the more likely you will hole the next putt. If you practice making short putts from 2′ and can achieve a 80% success rate, your target area is within a 2′ circle. If your 80% rate is 3′ then your target area expands. Think of the rings on a dart board. Lagging should be a set of measurable objectives that are attainable.

Find your short putt comfort zone: The key is finding what distance you can make a high percentage of putts from. These are the “no-brainers” the putts you have super confidence making. Find your distance by starting out at 2′ from the hole and putt 10 balls. If you can make more than 8 of 10, move back to 3′ and putt again. Find out where your ability falls below 60%. This is the outer edge of your comfort zone. To be a better lag putter, zero in on placing your first putts inside this comfort zone, and adjust your target accordingly.

Lag putting is a non-glamorous skill, but if you take some time and work on getting these types of putts closer, you will find that you have less three putts. And that means your handicap will surely lower!

The set up will be for a typical Right handed golfer with regular flex shafts and a focus on forgiveness. I had a $300 budget to work with…this is what I found.

The Process

I started at all the online discount sites…I thought about buying new (older models) but after a few tries, I couldn’t get a set that I felt covered the gambit at a fair price.  I tried pre-owned manufacturer sites as well and again no luck.  I then went to Ebay. I chose Ebay because it is the largest auction site around, and I have an account, so I can see completed transactions. I used only completed sales, and they had to be of actual clubs, not photo’s of stock items…I wanted to see what I was buying. I also only used from sellers that had 100+ positive ratings. Those guys that sell a great club at a crazy price with two feedbacks, um no thank-you!

The bag I developed needed to have:

• Driver
• Fairway wood
• Hybrid
• Irons 4-PW
• Wedges in 56 and 60 degrees
• Putter

I wanted to make sure the clubs were an improvement in technology, both in clubface materials and shaft development. I also wanted to add a hybrid and ditch the longer irons.

Here is my ranking of importance in relation to the bag make-up

1. Irons-the set should be ultra forgiving, with perimeter weighting, and lightweight shafts, preferably graphite
2. Putter-The putter should have multiple directional lines. I also wanted something with feel
3. Driver-This needs to have a 460cc head, and an upgraded shaft. I focused on getting the ball airborne to maximize distance. It also needs to be forgiving, with a large sweet spot
4. Wedges-I’m trying to find something forged. Forged wedges have more feel, and give better feedback on our short shots. I’m sticking with a 56° and 60°  make-up. It’s a functional way to go. I’d like to have even more wedges, as the average golfer needs more help in the shorter shots
5. Hybrid-It needs to get the ball out of the rough and into play. It should feel strong, yet easy to maneuver.
6. Fairway Wood-Basically I’m thinking something that can be used as a secondary driving wood. A good hybrid should make the fairway wood a “lesser” option

What I found and built for $300

One of the downsides to buying on-line is that you have to spend money on shipping. Of my $300 budget, about 27% was shipping fees, but due to the low prices of some of the items I feel this is a wash. I also am leery of condition, so I needed to see a photo of the actual club. I searched Ebay and went through pages of completed sales. This is the outcome of the $300 Golf Bag Makeover.

Irons

Score! $129.99 + 15.95 shipping which was fair. These irons rock, and accounted for about 59% of the total budget prior to shipping costs.  The most important aspect of the $300 Golf Bag Makeover is the irons. The set is the Cobra FS  series and totals 8 clubs (4-GW).  The best part is that it includes a Gap Wedge! The clubs are Aldila graphite shafted Regular Flex. The condition looked about right for a set that is about 4 years old and used. The clubs have over-sized faces, and are perimeter weighted. These are quality irons and I’m glad I found a name brand, with a good reputation.

Putter

Second on my importance list was a putter. I wanted a good solid putter with plenty of scoring lines for ease of aim. I found a Odyssey DF990 in 35″ for $22.00. Odyssey is part of Callaway golf. The putter was about 10% of the budget. Again a great value for a quality product. I really liked that I could find a putter with an insert. The Odyssey Stromatic insert really started the rage of exotic materials used in face design. It didn’t come with the headcover, but since it’s already used…no biggie.

Driver

This was a tough decision. I mean we all love to grip it and rip it. Most people tend to spend massive amounts of cash on a club that gets used less than 15 times during a round…Imagine..you spend more per shot on this club than any other. So I needed to find a club that could get the ball airborne, and was easy to hit. I settled on the Wilson Spine Driver at $32.00. The main reason was for the shaft. It comes with a Proforce V2 graphite shaft. I feel that the V2 is better than most stock shafts, and if we need to, we can always re-shaft a different driver and save a couple of bucks. The Wilson Spine is not the greatest looking head, but it is 460cc has 10.5° loft and has a high MOI, letting the club get the ball up and going. I also got free shipping, which sealed the deal.

Wedges

Both wedges are Mizuno MP T Black Nickel, 56° and 60° of loft. I chose these wedges because Mizuno makes the best forged clubs, superior in feel. The fact that I spent less than$10 per club was silly (again without shipping charges). The 60° ($5.55 + 9.95 shipping) looks rough on the bottom, but this isn’t a beauty contest, and the fact that it’s a Mizuno and matches the 56°overcomes this flaw. My only wish was that the 56 ° had more than 10° of bounce. The 12° bounce model would have been better out of the sand.

Hybrid

This is the second best steal of the $300 Golf Bag Makeover. I mean this is a seriously fantastic club. It was sold for $11.00. The Mizuno CLK Fli-Hi has great feel, clean lines and gobs of performance. This club has some loft at 24° making it a great recovery club. It will also do a fine job as a “chipper” around the greens. It comes with a head cover, bonus! The shipping costs of $13.50 were higher than the selling price…unbelievable.

Fairway Club

Ok…every bag has its ugly sister, well this is it. I didn’t want to spend much money and it shows. It was sold for $10.49 and shipping was another $9.95. The fairway club chosen is the Adams Tight Lies. Now when this club came out it made Adams Golf. I think everyone bought a Tight Lies, basically because it worked. The thetrapezoidal-shaped club head and low profile gets the ball airborne. I spent under $21 with shipping. That is why it made it into the $300 Golf Bag Makeover…period.

Conclusion

Well I did it…I made a fairly nice bag for under $300 including shipping. All told the total was $289.82, which leaves me enough money to buy a sleeve of balls. What I find amazing is that there are great deals available for quality clubs if you look hard enough. With winter covering most of the country and the stinky economy, there are real chances to improve the clubs in your golf bag,  without breaking the bank.

So how did I do? What do you think of the $300 Golf Bag Makeover?

It’s that time of year, chocolate, flowers, jewelery, cards oh my! These are a few ideas, something special for that Golfer in your life.

If you must go overboard…

• Clicgear push cart. This is one easy and simple way to get that exercise your significant other promised to do on their 2010 Resolution List.  Voted Best New Product at the 2007 PGA Merchandise Show. Can be found at most local Golf Pro Shops and Retailers.  Find dealers and more info at Clicgear.
• Callaway Diablo Driver.  Love the name, and the game. This is one driver that will smack the devil out of the ball! Callaway Golf offers a wide range of game enhancing equipment.
• Cleveland Golf CG15 Black Pearl Wedges. Cleveland is the leader in wedge technology and they make a solid club. These are at the top of my list to add to my bag this year.  Conforms to the USGA rule on grooves, so you don’t have to worry.
• Scotty Cameron Putters. This might be the ultimate “I love you” gift you could give a golfer….enough said.

Something a little more “reasonable”…

• Gift card to any local golf course for a round of golf.  This is great because your “honey” can use it when the weather finally breaks.  Get it for two players (hint..hint) and choose the walking option, it saves money, and it promotes fitness.
• Golf Lessons.  Almost all golf courses have teaching professionals and I recommend finding out where your “valentine” practices or plays. This will save you the time searching for someone. Check our Instruction page for PGA Professionals that I recommend, not because they are friends, but because they know the game and how to teach it.
• A “free pass” day. Let your spouse know that they have one “freebie” day to go play golf.  You could make a nice card, and put it in writing!
• Hat Clip Ball Marker.  Most of use use coins for ball marks.  Sometimes we forget, so why not get something that clips onto a hat and stays there.  Most retailers will have a section by the hats that include the magnetic ball marker and clip.  Small but cool gift. Maybe you could get a hat to go with it…

These are just some ideas that any golfer would love to get this Valentines Day. Or you can become a fan of Dogleg Right Golf on Facebook and possibly win a $50.00 Callaway Gift Card.

I make it a habit to check the following:

1. Grips.  Are they worn?  Which ones?  Usually the diver and wedges are the most worn.  The driver is due to the grip it and rip it mentality.  A common grip issue causes the “user” —that means you—to grip the club too tight, then during the back-swing the hands come off the grip, resulting a re-grip on the downswing, which causes friction–and wear on the grip. Also check to see if you have a ware mark where your thumb rests on the grip (this is a sign of the re-grip). The wedges are next due to the number of times that club is used.  The more you use a certain club during a swing, the more that grip gets worn!

Replace any grips that have visual signs of being worn.  Also check to see if the grips are slick, worn grips get slick! If you currently have tour wraps or 1/2 or full cords, there is a little trick I use to get a couple more months of use. Get a sheet of fine grit sandpaper.  Lightly twist the sandpaper around the grip.

If you need to replace more than 3 grips, get them all done, its worth the $4-$8 per grip.

2. Next I want you to check the shafts.  Look for any defects.  Dent’s, nicks, Rust?!…Graphite shafts will start to show wear by the protective finish fading or flaking.  If your woods are graphite (almost all are nowdays) look about 5 inches below the hosel.  This is where contact is being made with the iron clubheads.  If your headcovers do not have a protective sock, then you are more likely to have some damage to the shaft from clubs rubbing against the shaft.

NOTE if you have graphite shafts for your irons, and you hit a lot of balls on driving range mats, you need to pay special attention to the area immediately above the hosel. The walls of the hosel (which are metal) grind with the epoxy to form a cutting like motion at that point.  Most clubs that I have repaired that were graphite shafted irons had clean breaks due to constant “ball banging” on the “favorite” club.

Check the clubheads.  Look for loose heads, the club should not twist with moderate twisting of the head and the shaft. Anything that feels loose should be taken to a club repair technician.  Take time to clean out the groves as well.

3. Clean out the bag. Take out everything.  Old scorecards, tees, trash, coins or markers.  Most bags have wadded up gloves…pitch them.  If they are wadded up, they are more than likely to have lost their soft subtle feeling.  Count the number of divot repair tools….YOU SHOULD have 3 to 4 in your bag.

Make sure that you add a little carry pouch.  This should hold your markers, and divot repair tools.  I also have a little bag with athletic tape and band-aids.  Krazy glue is a nice touch…never know when you might need it.

Get rid of all those “JAR BALLS”.  If the balls in your bag are older than 2 years, place them in your shag bag, or save them for the range.  Balls with major scuffs, will not fly true; and are not recommended for play (later posts will tell you why).

Now that your bag and clubs are cleaned up, lets plan on making it a winning bag for 2010!

Gather all the information you need.  Set a goal and do it!

2010 is an open book.  Start the page.  The ending is up to you.

Golf is a game of both physical and mental ability.  During the off season, it is important to keep the mind in golf shape.

You can read a book, you can watch video’s or listen to some great pod-casts.  You can also strengthen your mental ability.

Visualization is a component, often overlooked, of every golfers game.  The ability to clearly see the shot, prior to even taking a swing is vital.  People often comment on my game.  Like “how do you play so fast” or “sorry I didn’t mean to talk during your swing” …I don’t take long on the tee, over a shot, or on the green.  Why?

Simple.  I’ve already determined my shot in about 30 seconds.  I don’t waste brain energy thinking too much.  That is what most golfers do…think too much!  Analysis through Paralysis.

During a round of golf I survey my shot, this is during the time I’m either riding to the ball, or walking to it.  I take my time to get the distance, the wind, the position of the flag.  I take a look at the lie of the ball….then my brain sees the shot while I’m reaching for the correct club. Will it be a high draw? Low “skipper” to the pin.  Do I want to be right or left of the pin? Seriously it takes me 30 seconds. Why?  Because I’ve hit thousands of balls, and know what my game can or can’t do.  I go with the odds.  Do I ever change my mind? Yes, but I don’t waste time.  I focus only on the outcome that I can visually see.

How do you build your visual ability?

Simple.  At the end of reading this sentence, I want you to look around your surroundings for 10 seconds, then close your eyes and see all the things in your “area” Get ready..GO!

Ok.  Your eyes are now reading this so you’ve opened them.  The goal of this is to do it one more time, but this time when you close your eyes…visually see everything around you.  Get a picture in your mind of what is close to you. What’s next to the keyboard.  Do you have pictures on the wall. Where is your mouse in relation to the rest of the stuff on the desk you are at.  Good…now close your eyes again and “see” what is there. I’ll wait……….

Did you see your set up? How many things did you notice.  Many people can only recall 4-5 things.  My task for you is to try it and name as many “things” as you can.  The more you can notice…the better your ability to visualize your surroundings.  This will greatly enhance your golfing mental condition!

This is a great drill to use while “indoors”.  I want you to take a small pillow or cloth and place it about 10 feet away. Next I want you to use a golf ball if you can, and with your eyes closed, I want you to walk the 10 feet and drop the ball (or any other object) on the target. In your minds eye I want you to visually walk that 10 feet and hit the target.

Did it work?  Did you hit the target?  I had one student that could walk 20 feet and place the ball within a foot of the target.  Needless to say he was a great putter, his visualization skills were very high!

PS write this in your journal.

I want you to think of the best round of 2009.  Where did you play it?  What was the day like?  What was the key shot that made it your best?  Who did you play with?  What time of day was it?  If you are like me, you can answer all these questions.  You can feel the weather, you can remember the smell of the course, you can maybe even remember what you wore that day…..Golf is funny in how it programs itself into your mind.  Everyone that reads this post has a desire or hunger to make golf a part of their fabric.  That is exactly why I’m writing this now!  I want to give you my ideas, observations and love of this game.  I also want you to become active in building your game.  So the first thing you will do is to go get a notebook (paper) and make that your golf journal.  This is where you will write down everything you learn…or forget.

Journals are great for golfers.  They give you a way to go back and see what worked, what didn’t and most of all it keeps a tab on your progress!

I’ll give you a couple minutes to get the journal………Great, now write down your Goal for 2010.  It has to be specific.  We need to have one major goal….this will be the guide to making our game 100% ours.  What did you write? My goal is to Win the 2010 Illinois State Amateur.  WHOA….that’s a big goal.

Think about it for a minute.  I said that I want to win the 2010 Illinois State Amateur.  The goal needs to be measurable as well as obtainable.  In my case, both of these are true.  I can measure my progress, and yep it is obtainable (I’ve played in 3 as well as 3 Illinois Opens) so there, I have a goal for 2010.  It’s written not only in a journal (mine is about 8 years old and loaded with stuff) but I’ve posted it online.  In this BLOG!  For everyone to read.  If I didn’t feel that I could do what I said, I would have been better off not writing it!

So write it down.  Let it sit for a day or two and then go back.  Think about what your goal is, and then come back to dlrgolf.com and build up your resume!