Phil’s Tip of the Week – 4th April 2025
This week, Philip Baird offers valuable advice to help golfers escape from heavy rough. Following a period of wet weather, the rough has grown thicker, making it more challenging for golfers of all levels to advance the ball down the fairway.
When the ball is nestled down in the rough, the heel of the club tends to dig in first at impact, causing the clubface to close and resulting in the ball veering left or staying low to the ground.
In light of this, golfers are advised not to be overly ambitious with distance. Instead, they should opt for a club with a bit more loft, such as a 7 or 8 iron, to help lift the ball into the air and progress it down the fairway.
The four key tips to effectively play from heavy rough are as follows:
- Assess the Lie & Select an Appropriate Club – Choose a club with sufficient loft to lift the ball safely out of the heavy rough.
- Adjust Your Stance & Alignment – Position your stance and shoulders slightly open to the target, with the ball placed forward in your stance. Slightly open the clubface.
- Grip and Clubface Adjustment – Open the clubface slightly and grip the club firmer with your left hand (for right-handed golfers) to prevent the clubface from closing at impact.
- Execute a Normal Swing – Finally, make a standard swing and focus on striking through the ball.
Wishing you all the best on the course.
Please click link below to watch video:
Phil’s Tip of the Week – 28th March 2025
Making the right choice of shots around the green to minimise the risk
Philip Baird demonstrates the simple ‘bump n run’ but explains the importance of choosing the right club to get the ball running as soon as possible.
In this video, he recommends the golfer selects a 6 iron when just off the green where you only need to carry the ball a couple of metres.
As you move further away from the green, the loft of the chosen club must increase so you can carry the ball to the same landing spot.
Please click link below to watch video:
Creating a ‘purpose built’ practice station.
Philip Baird explains the importance of practicing ‘with a purpose’ and recommends building a ‘purpose built’ practice station with parallel lines, to assist the golfer how to take ‘dead aim’.
In addition, this initiative is a great vehicle to train the arms, shoulders & body to take the club away on the perfect path.
Please click below to watch video.
Phil’s Tip of the Week – 28th February 2025
This week’s Tip of the Week is on ‘Pitching’ and understanding how we consistently carry the ball various distances.
In the following video, I am encouraging a technique or system, where the ‘distance the arms swing determines how far the ball carries’, verses having one length backswing with ‘3 gears’ where you increase the acceleration of the club to carry the ball further, which is high risk.
Key things to remember with the Pitch Shot Set Up:
- Feet closer together with a slightly open stance
- Grip down the handle to gain more control of the club
- Position ball left of center or opposite left foot
- Engage 75% of your weight on your left foot, this encourages a descending blow
- Set the shaft angle slightly upright to encourage a steeper backswing
- Allow the arms to ‘swing’ the club back & fourth an equal distance, with a tempo that is constant
Good golfing,
Philip Baird
DIRECTOR OF GOLF
Phil’s Tip of the Week – 7th Feb 2025
The greens surrounds are currently experiencing some very healthy growth, often presenting quite a high fringe.
In the event your golf ball finishes up against the fringe of the green making it barely impossible to put ‘club on ball’, this week’s Tip of The Week offers two solutions to roll the ball to the hole.
Firstly, I highly recommend putting the ball with the leading edge of your sand iron, often referred to as ‘bellying’ the ball where we set up the leading edge of the sand iron to the middle or equator of the golf ball and apply a normal putting stroke. The only change to the technique, is to put a little more weight on your left foot (for those right-hand golfers) to encourage an ever so slightly downward or descending blow.
Secondly, you can putt the ball with the ‘toe’ of the putter as seen in the video which is also an effective way of playing this shot.
Please click on the link below for this week’s:
Tip of the Week – Trouble Shooting Around the Green.
