Golf Coach 101


Sonoma County, CA. ~ Nothing is worse for a golfer than missing a two-foot putt. Equally


dis-


turbing is the fine art of the chili-dip when trying to execute a


chip shot.


Most amateur golfers don’t spend nearly enough time working on that


lar aspect of their


particu- game.


You can’t wing it because the shot is like a bully. It will always be there


waiting for you, waiting to kick your tail.


are


shot, a


So when considering options on the chip or pitch there


few things to keep in mind. You don’t have to be super cute, just effective in your tech- nique. Trying to flop a sand wedge


forty yards to


a


from tight


pin is not al-


ways the best course of action. Learning how to use a 7 or


by James Fish • james524@gmail.com Short Game Solutions Are The Answer


8-iron for this same shot can pay dividends. Remember that the lie of the golf ball should always dictate one’s strategy. A very tight lie is very chal- lenging and getting a wedge underneath a golf ball is no slam dunk above the rim. But by using a less lofted club with a 25% swing to gently clip that ball off of that tight lie is a much easier proposition. We all have made the mis-


SAVE up to 10% - 50%


on select items throughout the store!


January 8th through the 31st


Santa Rosa • 2875 Santa Rosa Ave. • 525-0569 www.lazboy.com/santarosa


24 • January 2019 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC.


take of trying to hit the career shot only to fail miserably. By simply allowing oneself to be more creative in one’s shot or club selection , can make a huge difference. If there is am- ple real estate between a golfer and their target from 20 or 40 yards out, try giving yourself permission to not use one’s sand wedge or lob wedge. Try the shot that I just described with an 8-iron and see how much more likely you are to see your desired result. Golf is a game of percent-


ages and we always want to try to hit a higher percentage shot. They say that loft is one’s friend and it is true but some- times less loft can be a better ally. I recently played a round


Local songwriter and producer Cliff Goldmacher will work one-on-one with the selected songwriter to reshape the orig- inal song, record the track, and lead the remote recording ses- sion. Goldmacher is a multi-in-


strumentalist, chart-topping songwriter and tri-coastal pro- ducer whose credits include collaborations with Keb’ Mo, Lisa Loeb, Mickey Hart, Mindy


of golf at San Geronimo. I had a terrible lie for my third shot from about 45 yards out on the 5th hole a par-4. I took my 8-iron, set the ball a little back of center of my stance and took less than a half swing. I clipped the ball perfectly and watched as it rolled to within seven feet of the hole. A sand wedge for that shot most likely would have ended in disaster. Sometimes less is more. And sometimes more loft is less of a perfect strategy. So when ap- proaching various short game shots around the green, give yourself permission to be cre- ative and try something differ- ent. You might be pleasantly surprised at how good you can be with a less lofted club in your hand.


James Fish works as a golf teaching pro at the Foxtail Golf Club and can be reached via e-mail at: james524@gmail.com or


707-548-2664


Special: James Fish lesson Offer from Eagle Eye Coaching. Page 30


Sonoma Songwriters Compete ...continued from page 16


Smith, Ke$ha and more. Nash- ville musicians for the session will be drawn from Goldmach- er’s extensive network of great players including band mem- bers for Bonnie Raitt, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swiſt, and the Grand Ole Opry. Te deadline for submission


is Wednesday, January 9, 2019. For more details on how to submit, go to www.Creative- Sonoma.org/NextLevel/.


JOKES & Humor #7


After a particularly poor round, a golfer spotted a lake as he walked de- spondently up the 18th.


He looked at his caddie and said, “I’ve played so badly all day, I think I’m going to drown myself in that lake.”


The caddie, quick as a flash, replied, “I’m not sure you could keep your head down that long.” ~


A golfer sliced a ball into a field of chickens, striking one of the hens and killing it instantly. He was understandably upset, and sought out the farmer. “I’m sorry,” he said, “my terrible tee-shot hit one of your hens and killed it. Can I replace the hen?”


“I don’t know about that,” replied the farmer, mulling it over. “How many eggs a day do you lay?”


To find a man’s true character, play golf with him. ~ P. G. Wodehouse


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32