Hello everyone! Thanks for stopping by again and I hope you are all enjoying the many insights from the PGA Show in Orlando! I’ve had a busy last few weeks battling a cold recently, having to move into a new place in Orlando because of security issues at my original location, and of course a some tournaments and lots of practice time! For those of you who have been following my website, you will be up to date on what’s been going on.
To give you a quick synopsis, I started off the season making some really key changes in my swing which have shown very positive results, but early on I was seriously struggling with the putter and the short wedge shots. The grass in Florida is very different than at home and it has taken some getting used to. I read an article by Greg Norman saying how with Florida rough, you often have to resort to ‘blasting’ your shots around the greens rather than trying to traditionally chip or pitch them. I have to say that in many situations it is very good advice. With my putting, I had been having difficulty making a consistent stroke and was becoming too mechanical. I am glad to say though that I’ve managed over the last week to turn my short game completely around and bring back my strong putting of old. I made a change in my putting stroke and in my blade alignment which has resulted in very solid results being strong under pressure. I have kept my putts per round easily under 30 since the change. My swing feels very good and will take a little more work to smooth out the kinks. I had a bit of a pulling issue in my last competitive round which I quickly corrected on the range after my round. That is really just a matter of relaxing and swinging freely without letting my mind get in the way.
Traditionally I am one to eliminate the left side when playing golf. What I mean by that is being right handed that I play my shots and manage my game a certain way that if I miss a shot, it will always be to the right, or to the ‘pro’ side of the pin in the case of approach shots where I will have a lot more green to work with should I have to chip or pitch onto the green to save par. I would recommend to most players out there to do the same.
Simply put, make the game as simple as you can, play to your strengths, and try as much as possible to always put the percentages on your side! If anyone would like more advice regarding course management or any part of your game, don’t hesitate to send me an email with your thoughts and questions and I will answer them in a future post! Visit my website for this year’s tournament details.. I will post a tournament review at the end of the month!
Follow CPGA Professional Gary Bos as he chases his dream of playing on the PGA Tour. Check out regular updates on SirShanksAlot.com and Gary’s own website. Gary is the Playing Professional at the Grand Niagara Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario.