Adventures in Golfing - Lesson 2

I had my second golf lesson yesterday. We started off by riding in our golf carts to the start of the first hole on Celebrity's golf course to learn how one actually starts a game. (Side story: Coach Jeanne has wanted everyone who has not driven a golf cart to have a chance, and drive with a passenger that has driven one before, so I haven't gotten to drive one yet! I first drove a golf cart on my Uncle's nursery property in Houston - I think I was maybe 11. It was the first thing I ever got to drive, and it was fun!) She showed us how the tee boxes work, how to read a scorecard for information on the holes, the yardages, etc. Then we drove back to the training facility for our lesson. We were missing one class member, and another class member didn't get the email, so we didn't go over our mental game quizzes this week - probably next week. We did some stretches using a golf club, then did a quick review of stance and our mini swing. Then we got to start working on building our power swing - full back swing, but stopping the follow-through just after hitting the ball (she calles this swing "some-none" because the back swing is above your hands, but you stop the follow-through below the hands, and the mini-swing "none-none" since you are not lifting the club above your hands). She had golf club shafts with a sliding tennis ball fitted on them. When you swing the "club" back, the tennis ball slides down toward the handle. When you swing and stop just past center, the tennis ball slides back down to the end and gives you the feeling of the weight of the golf ball being hit. This was an exercise to help us channel our energy into the ball. Then we did it for real, with an iron and real golf balls! That part was the most fun - actually starting to hit some balls, and with the "plumb line" technique she's showed us, they actually go pretty straight! Her goal is to have us hit the ball every time, and never miss. Coach Jeanne also stressed the importance of muscle memory and ending on good hits so your brain remembers the good ones. So we all ended our lesson when we felt we had hit several good balls in a a row, and have a few exercises to practice this week on our own. Up next week: the short game!

Happy Mother's Day to the moms!