Hi. This is Jim Amquist, longtime Golf Smarter listener and teaching professional at
Sell Paula Golf Club in Sell Paula, Brazil. This is Golf Smarter number
nine fifty two. What do you have on at home? You said something
me a few minutes ago about a piece of advice that an instructor gave you
once that I thought was brilliant. Oh that's funny. So a long time
ago coaching of this, and I do playing lessons and I won't play.
And the guy told you, the old coach, he goes Eric. Whatever
you do when you go play, you can never impress anybody. All you
can do is hurt your reputation because everybody you play with expects you to shoot
great scores. They expect you at perfect shots, and if you don't hit
them, they're very disappointed. So all you do is hurt your reputation as
a player. And so it's one reasons I don't play because of that.
But the other is just injuries and stuff. And you know, like most
people don't know that, we have most coaches at zero time to practice right
place. So you're trying to run a business playing around at the historic Olympic
Clubs Championship lake Course with teaching professional Eric Shoulberg. This is Golf Smarter,
sharing stories, tips and insights from great golf minds to help you lower your
score and raise your golf IQ. There's your host, Fred Green. This
episode needs a little setup. After last week with Eric Scholberg, he informed
me he would be in San Francisco and asked me to join him at the
lake course of the Olympic Club. Host of five historic US opens the twenty
twenty eight PGA Championship and the twenty thirty two Ryder Cup. I've never played
the Championship late course before, so you can imagine my intimidation on the range.
The cold, hard winds blowing in from the Pacific were similar to my
experience Abandon Dunes. Joining us were Eric's friend Gareth, who I mistakenly called
Garth, and Eric's wife Julie. Eric and Julie rode in a cart while
Gareth and I brave the long, challenging walk. After we teach off on
number fourteen, I miked up both Eric and myself. Yet, since Eric
and I weren't always together, it recorded everything, whether we were talking to
you each other or someone else. So to keep the episode moving, I
focused on conversations around Eric's and my shots. Earlier, Eric gave me one
tip on how to hit a draw that was easy to understand and simple to
institute in my swing. Now, let's pick it up just after our t
shots on number fourteen and take it all the way through the end of the
round. We've been very lucky. It's a beautiful day here, beautiful day.
And I'd say not Scottsdale. Not Scottsdale, because we're about forty five
degrees cooler. I think it'll be hard to get me back. I think
it's thirty degrees cooler than Marin County. This is awesome. This is awesome.
Oh, it's been phenomenal. So, Frett, let me ask you
this question. Sure, how many? How many? How many draws?
How many draws off the tea? If you were hit in your life?
Oh? Few? How many? If you hit today? A couple more.
But the difference is the few that I've hit. Yeah, I never
knew that I was about to hit a draw. I never tried. It
was just it happened. So it happened because you're closing your club face now,
right, that's right. That's why I told you the magic move,
right, you taught me something pretty special. It's a magic move. And
just now my drive here on fourteen, Yeah, crushed it. Yeah,
I'm not in the bunker, which is a rarity so far. Well,
it's it's the reason I teach because it's like, you know, Fred,
Fred's a good You're a good player, thank you. You really are a
good player. But you you can and your bad shots they leak out right,
and I'm watching you hit it. I'm like, if Fred just knew
how to twist the grip and close it, I show you how to do
it. You're not even thinking about it, and you're hitting baby draws and
you you're gaining power. Yeah, that's why I coach, because it's like,
you have a nice things. We don't need to overhaul to get a
draw. Doing it good. It's beautiful, right, So that's what's wonderful
golf. So you're off the tea. Uh I wonder I've got one seventy
three to the cent am I shot scope watch here, been long all day,
haven't we? These greens were hard. They are hard. They they
land and they just explode off the back. I'm here, little little it's
a little above my feet. Someone playing on it, coming a little left.
Okay, if everybody could play golf and just just worry about hitting in
front of the ball, be a different game. It striped it, so
it's going right into the pen. Let's see the distance. Boom landing on
the front of the green. Oh, so it ends up about what do
you say, ten twelve? Yeah? Bet wautiful shot, thank you,
beautiful shot. All right, So I'm gonna go a couple more steps ahead
of him. Now he's just hitting irons off the tee but I'm hitting driver.
So right now, let's see. Let me take the scope out here,
playing one with the wind behind us, I think you got some in
and don't lay this this way. So it's going right to left, so
and it's above your feet and it's above my feet. So I want to
hit less than the one forty six because it'll roll off. If I make
that, it wouldn't hurting you a little bit. Yeah, so let's go
with a m. I'll go with a seven. Iron might be too long,
but I'd rather come up short on this. It looks like it's I'm
not sure what to do here. Yeah, whatever, you can hit solid.
Yeah. If I can hit a solid seven or eight eight, then
nail it yet with the eight iron here and nail it. One thing I
say all the time is never try sean. Of course you don't practice right,
absolutely right. But I saw it on TV. Oh yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah. Sometimes we've got to have fun and do it though,
right, yep. Fun. Wait a minute, this is golf fun.
Uh Oh? Did not hit that well? And it's head right for
the bunker? Hit it thin and it didn't any then we would have had
to cover the long bunker shot, which yeah, I would have been terrified
of doing. So, Fred, if you well, let me ask you
a question. Okay, you when you play with Yeah, well, I
find you have you in person, so I'm taking over here. What would
you say if you when you see amateur golfers, if you say the number
one problem they have is what if you break down one thing? What do
they not do? Correct? Well, I'm an amateur golfer, so and
I've never want to uh although I'm working at the first T I'm not a
teacher. What do I see them doing? They don't hit in front of
the ball, behind the ball and so and then they go I lifted my
head. So what percent of practice do you think is focused on that?
When you go see coaches and other stuff. It's not. Everything should be
focused on here who you are, brand new golfer to whatever, on striking
the ball in front, and so if everybody just focused on that, the
whole game would be different. Yeah. Maybe had a job though, But
that's why I guarantee when you come see me that you're gonna get better,
because what do we do. We focus on hitting the ball first, which
become a good ball striker. That's fun. Okay, So I'm just sure
to the I'm green side bunker. The bunker's actually in front of the green.
You got this shot, and I've been hitting these pretty well today.
It's running away from you from first tons of pressure because I'm recording now.
If they don't do nice and easy, don't don't grip the ball. See
that's the other thing is don't grip it so hard, which really helps.
Okay, nice bounce once it hits on the green, but a bounce left
of the pin. It was headed right for the pin to the bounce,
mat goat went to the left on in three, which is basically what I've
been doing all days. My driving has been really good. I've been in
the fairway a lot, but I come up short. These are long holes.
I'm not used to playing holes this long. This is uphill. See
if I can roll it down here, easy to put even one. Eric's
putting out going downhill. Came up short, about eight feet short, and
he's picking it up. Yeah, thank you, appreciate it all right,
tell me about twenty two feet away uphill left right, probably about three inches
outside the cup. Watch him knock this in. He is deadly with this
putter. Just turn. Oh great, very good. Okay, two,
but just a way picking it up. Okay, we're going to a par
three here, Jeff just two four, give myself two. Fut Garth has
had back nine. He's even or one another no on the back nine.
He's hard everything. Garrison probably a scratch. He's a guy like if if
he could practice, like he's one of his students, like he'd be a
plus two or three. Oh sure, yeah, just doesn't have time.
Okay, so let's get one of those people have to earn a living still.
Work is just an excuse to pay for golf. Right, Okay,
I got one twenty nine playing one thirty four with a wind. This is
like home though of Ireland for him. Yeah, yeah, this wind is
okay, and the wind is cutting right to left hard, hard, So
I'm gonna go ahead with the eight iron. Fred's got one hundred and twenty
five here, big wind against him. It's funny because this pen's kind of
surrounded. It's not even moving, but you can feel it and you look
up with the trees is moving. So tell you guys, don't just look
at the pen. Doesn't tell you enough. Okay, Wow, I don't
know if you can hear that wind, but it is and right in my
face. Hope, I don't come to short with this because it's a huge
bunker right in front of that green drawing a little bit and it's in a
huge bunker on the left side. So it did draw, but it didn't
get enough. The wind held it back and I'm the big bunker. I
was working with a guy the other day from Scotland. He's on the west
side. He said, it's so very windy. He was he was hard
to He had his low point like twelve inches ahead. Everything was so down
he couldn't get like his landing angles are so low. He just couldn't get
height, and I'm just trying to get this guy to release it, and
he's like, oh yeah, yeah. They could, Like if they just
see someone hit a ball, they could probably guess where they grew up based
on their Oh yeah you can't. Yeah forgot what Yeah a decent player.
In a second, it's so it's so in you. Oh wait, that
wind really thirty where the person grew up just on how they strike the ball.
Yeah, because of the lower ball place in your pa Oh okay,
sure conditions are higher. More targe more more. All right, Eric,
talk to me. What are you doing? So I got about one hundred
and thirty win massively against me, So I'm gonna take twenty four. Oh
it was one twenty four there, Yeah, okay, so I'm actually one
twenty. I'm gonna hit this low and I'm hitting like a punch shot,
so it's gonna be three quarter. You'll see this stay pretty low. I
wasn't key with this club. It's probably gonna draw a bit into it.
Has a shoulder problem, so he really can't swing big clubs. So I
make sure I get my handle through first and get the body rotating. He
has a short back swing. Like John wrong, and that's gonna ride the
win. Too much left probably and a bounce, oh no, bounce left
of the green and went. It was a perfect distance, just a little
left, yeah, too much close face yep? Oh is that what it
was? Yeah? It's got another bunker shot, another bunker shot. Let's
see if I can do better this time. Put some good juju on the
last one, though. We'll see here. Got a nice little probably fifteen
twelve feet above them. Short sighted it, leaning forward, face open,
See how he does? Oh? I did it? Oh? So he
is, uh five six feet away? Beautiful shot, Fred, nice beautiful
cue. I'm just using my sixty. I'm sure sight too. I just
got to PLoP on the green. So I'm going I'm looking like three inches
ahead of it, and I think I can hit it a little too yeah,
little too much landed beyond the flag. But you know, when you're
in these kind of wins, and this is really my fourth round in probably
seven or eight years i'm playing golf. I just don't have time and I
have injuries for me, and for most of this way, just get on
the green. But you know what I mean, you're trying to avoid double
bogies, and you never know puts will start following. We don't need to
get cute. Good contract about five way short. Here you go. Now
Eric's got about thirty. It's coming up way short. Just pick it up.
I'm done. You don't play a lot of golf, right Eric,
No, I should say my fourth round and probably seven or eight years being
out. Here's a treat though today. Yeah, I'm loving it playing with
you, dude. So yeah, it's a funny thing, both short sided
and all that win. Though it's hard with bogie, it's okay. Now,
if you guys are trying to get your scores down, what kills you
the most double bogies. There's a great MIT study that was done. So
you take greens in regulation, double it minus ninety five. That's your score
and they're pretty right on all the time. Say it again. So let's
say you hit ten greens in regulation, that would be times two twenty minus
that from ninety five. You should be abound seventy five shooter. So most
people are six or eight. You take six times two is twelve minus ninety
five? What is that? Yeah, So basically it boils down. If
you want to get better, increase your greens in regulation. You said something
a few minutes ago about a piece of advice that instructor gave you once that
I thought was brilliant. What do you have on that whole? Boy?
Okay about playing golf with students, Oh, I just oh, it's funny.
So a long time ago coaching of this, and I do playing lessons
and I won't play any The guy told you, the old coach, he
goes, Eric, whatever you do when you go play, you can never
impress anybody. All you can do is hurt your reputation because everybody you play
with expects you to shoot great scores. They expect you at perfect shots,
and if you don't hit them, they're very disappointed. So all you do
is hurt your reputation as a player. And so it's it's one of the
reasons I don't play because of that. But the other is just injuries and
stuff. And you know, like most people don't know that, we have
no most coaches at zero time to practice right and places you're trying to run
a business. So Guard is playing from the blue tea's I'm playing from the
whites, and Eric and his wife are playing I don't even know what color.
It is whatever color up front. But here here's kind of funny thing.
So guys, I'm out here with the torn rotator cuff playing golf.
So I'm playing the same tea as my wife, just hitting irons. I
have you out here and have fun, right, and you're doing a heck
of a job. Thanks, But it's just I see most people playing too
far back like three woods every second shot, have fun. Dead bunker is
kind of in my range. Beautiful draw around the corner. Okay, so
you're saying I need to hit my draw right now. Yeah, you started
the bunker and draw drawn demand, So started at the bunker and let it
come around. Yeah, start with the club face open. Well, when
Fret says open, that's for him open. That's standard. Oh really they
used to close it. Wow. You see Fred's new shot here. If
people call this like voodoo magic, But all I did was show Fred how
to close his club face, which you know some show sixty five percent golfers
can't do and others have it near ninety. So that's why he flies,
folks. Yeah, face is open, twist the grip. You have full
control of that face. Okay, let's see what happens. Here, twist
it, twist this ship out? Hey, hey, hey watching? Oh
that's right, this is a kid should family show? It is? I
can't ruin my reputation on here at Canley Show. What do you think this
is? Manolo? On Instagram? Here goes Fred aiming up perfect, look
at that thing, plays a little draw in there, started a little right,
but he's drawing it. Yep, beauty, fairway towards the bunk.
How much? That's great, beautiful, good shot? Thank you. It's
fun to play it, isn't it? The fun thing is now you have
that pleasure at your cut? Yes, I do that I have Yeah,
you got both? You call it a cut? Thank you. If I
can get this draw to work, then I do have a draw and a
cut. But you know, it's really remarkable how little I had to do,
you know, with just little inside from Eric be able to draw the
ball. And I just gotta remember to do it. But I plan on
practicing this swing a lot. It is windy and I am walking walking this
whole course. Okay, so I'm gonna try to draw this around here.
Which club you hit? I'm into two iron, two iron, and I'm
gonna try to draw this around the corner. So I threw set through setup,
my face closed, and I sweat to the right and I will draw
it doing that. It's sorry not to And there goes the draw. There
comes perfect draw. Folks. Once you understand the d plane, you understand
cluck, base and path, you can hit any shot you want. What
do they say about the two iron? What's the classic line about a two
iron? Oh, don't tell me, God, this is it. When
I grew up playing, I grew up playing one and two iron, they
were butter blades, butter knives. These things are not like that, but
I love it. Yeah, if it starts, if the lightning starts,
go ahead and take you two hours, because god, it can't even hit
a two iron, right, you see me crushing. I love these things,
this thing. Now, I would say this, I'm not. I'm
another distance I used to but as fun back in the day with those ones
and two as that were blades like that. Tell me why you were in
San Francisco. What's going on? Oh? It came out here for a
coaches camp, so probably like eight coaches got together. Hu Mar came in
from Europe, has some people from Scotland here to the Olympic Club. At
the Olympic Club. Yeah, so we spent a couple of days over in
the teaching center and what's cool is we just talked about processes, like how
other coaches like what do they do from the start, Like what's their processes?
You know, not so much about what drills you do or whatever that
It's like, okay, I see this, this is how I start my
lesson. This is what I do. So it's always funny, fun to
get the different take because you're always in your own world. But see,
okay, this guy, this is how he starts is this is what his
processes. You gotta have a process as a coach, Like where do I
go boom boom boom boom boom boom and then cause an effect? If I
tell somebody to to do this, what is that going to change? And
it always better be around impact, Like I don't change takeaway to look pretty.
It better affect impact in some way. If not, don't do it.
Let's see Fred, he's got a long shot here. He's just trying
to get it up there. But yeah, I'd love to get it within
about one hundred and thirty forty yards. It's okay, long par five's three
or three wood? Pulled out my three wood, and I'm gonna try to
see if I can get some draw out of this because that would really be
nice. Plus the wind is going to help me a little bit. I
don't know. Fred will put this on it, folks, don't look.
Fred's pretty impressive. He won't take any credit on the show. He's got
impressive game. Yeah that's okay, you're up there. You moved it along,
No, I hit it straight? Yeah, well well you did a
little behind it yeah. Falling backwards? Yeah, oh that's right. I
did fall backwards, didn't I? Yep. Interesting, And here's here's a
good question. Why do we fall backwards to help close the club? Dase?
But you know how to close it now like this, twisting the handle
so you don't have to fall back anymore. Right, we fall back to
ourself more time. This is not a flat golf course. You know.
That's the kind of thing that you don't really get the sense when you're watching
TV of how much undulation that you have on golf course. I think the
Gusta Nationalists perfect example of that. So we're two fifty out. So Fred
just toldly on two fifty This is two fifty right there. I'm just grabbing
my four iron here. Okay, it's way back there. If you know,
if I didn't have a bachel, I would be hitting probably five and
going for it. Okay, And how far do you hit this foreign?
Four for me should probably carry two ten. I'm downhill a little bit though,
so I probably won't get that, So probably four two hundred carry about
if I get it started, uh like I want If I hit left low,
I won't get that. So we'll see. I just got to get
this thing running, lean left, going downhill, hands ahead. So that's
the batch. Shot left and running. That could be trouble. Yep,
that could be trouble. Is not a draw, buddy, it's a lot
more than a draw. That that's a hook. That was a hook.
Okay. I'm in the middle of the fairway now though. That's the good
news. But I'm probably pretty far out. And there are three bunkers protecting
the screen with the flag right in between going left to right, the number
one number two bunkers. But if you get it on the green, you
have been a tendency to just if you hit the green, they just roll
off. You gotta come up a little bit short flirting. So I'm at
one seventy three to the center. You guys are in a prime real estate.
Yeah, except there's up front and it's got a false front there with
the two bunkers. If you can make it, if you can get some
great height on this fly at one seventy five, no height, no five
height. Definitely you're just gonna run it. Are you gonna get something running
and trying to run it up the creasor yeah? Yeah, but I'll probably
come up short because if I take my hybrid it I'll go along. Yeah.
It's a good mess here, Yeah right, I think So we're gonna
get Fred on video here. Oh oh pressure, he's shooting this now.
Fred doesn't use a coach because he's got nine and fifty one on a show.
But if I was his coach, I would get his low point,
more forward, beautiful shot. This this thing may be perfect between them and
it's bounced up on the green, bounce up and over like great shot.
That was great. That was great. I love that was beautiful. That's
fifth fifth buff worthy. That was beautiful. Beautiful you are yeah again,
I'm playing with new irons. He's the tailor made qi five iron or something
with my last irons that I just know I was allergic to it. Some
days work, some days it didn't. But I'll take a long two putt
from there, you bet I'll take a long two putt. I was one
seventy out and with wind hurting me, and I still went over the go.
Okay, that was like nuts. That was so good. I loved
it. But am I gonna start thinking, Oh, I can hit this
five iron one eighty all the time. Now, that's not where I'm gonna
go. Eric's gonna try to go find the ball that he did hard left.
Okay, Wow, I'm in trouble here. I'm borrowing one of gear
six iron a six irons. When he found the ball, I gotta keep
this so low. I'm just off the back edge of the green. I
really got to punch this thing out. I can putt from there. I'm
sure that's left. Hey, Eric, this guy he's riding between trees.
He's got to keep it low and he's got those bunkers. See how he
plays through the trees and it stops right in between the two bunkers leading up
to the green. Nice shot, playing it smart. I'm good, Yeah,
I'm gonna put this even though I'm on the fringe and i'm far,
you know what, I'm gonna bring my pitching wage with me, So I
had to punch out here in front. Let's see if I get up and
down. Nice shot, dude, Thank you smart right every once in a
while. Let's see if I get up and down. I gotta click this
nicely. Put some spin on it, which means, make sure I get
this club down in front of it. Get some good dynamic loft spin it,
because I can do like that clip hard boom, Look that spin.
Okay, nice, I'll take it. It's fun when you can spin him
and and you can run him to when you understand dynamic loft attack angle and
spin loft downhill two inches off the back of the green, looks like it's
gonna go right to the left. They feel good. I say that.
Okay, let's see what happens. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't go
in the opposite direction that I read it. Oh that was really The distance
was really good, but I did not read that well at all. No
good speed again though, as Yeah, my speed was real good, but
I did not read the green at all. The red has been a speed
king all over putting today. Though, Well, here's your happy face I
gave. Oh, I gave him the smiley face. I meant to get
in the USC one. What do you say? Left to right? Where
are you starting it? So? I'm gonna start it probably about three inches
outside the hole? Okay, no, probably I'm going to start it right
over with this mark right there you go. Okay, he's got a shot
line. Looks really good with this new putter, real good short. Yeah
you started on your line though, didn't you? I did? Yeah,
I did, but I just didn't hit it hard. Not an easy putt,
no, so but what your chances from ten feet for the pros?
Forty? That's all you know, folks. That was It's how hard puttiness?
Where the best and world can only make forty percent from ten feet and
they start the ball where they want? What does that tell you? Green
readings? Very hard? I was there in three right, yeah, you
part you know you went three? Four? Oh becaumes that putt? Yeah?
Shoot yeah, three and then three yeah. So the greens other bogey,
Well it's your first three putt? Oh yeah, no one, yes,
I have had another one today, but that wasn't the three part because
that was often green. Oh you were okay officially yeah, so and with
the range you were because when you look at the tour or the pros,
don't three put till about thirty two feet. I was over. I was
close to sixty feet fifty seven. Yeah, and yeah, so trankically a
two putt, but still so you know, folks, thirty two that was
I'll see what you'll see there go to two point oh one at that point.
Oh, this is gorgeous. Oh it's so beautiful this whole. You
know, we're very lucky that the sky cleared up, the skies just fog.
You wouldn't expect us, No, no, no, absolutely, so
we got a treat. Gareth hit like the middle of the fairway, it's
probably on the right edge or off what did we're mid June in this round?
Great shot this course, Like what I say, well, this is
really called for more of a draw all these whole seats to be going downhill.
Yeah, but I mean get away with if you have one or the
other. Yeah, better to have a drawer on the faith, I would
say. So, it's just so many of these landings are downhill. Garth
parted. Huh yeah at Bogue hit another part five two in a row?
Wow in a row? Yeah, this is par five and then a part
four. That's strange. Two par fives in a row. Oh, run
seventeen huh wow, it's kind of sad. I don't want to be done.
I'm gonna just hit mine. No normal shot here because then joined the
sam Suisco Olympic Club tree. Just two more to go. I guess all
things good things come do. Man. I guess it's called the lake course
because of lake we're said out there, But have we had any water on
this course at all? I haven't seen any? Yeah. The lake is
lake, we're said out there, we haven't seen called the lake course.
And the other one is which done? Yeah? Which did you see it
when you played it? No? I guess you can from me one spot
barely, but it's not like really into it, right, Yeah, the
terminology don't really fit. These are something else. So man, whoa I
had some worm burner. That's okay, you're moving it far five? Yeah?
Yeah, I fell back on it too, right, Yeah, you
know this is why do we fall back? Because this if I fall back,
I have more time to close the face like this. This is how
pros closed faces with their left hand. Yeah, they motorcycle move. Like
see how my face closes. Yeah. Yeah, So you're cam in too
open. You try to wait and click like that instead of like I showed
you the trick to do here, it's a motorcycle move. So instead you're
twisting the handle, you're saving all the power and twisting the face, which
allows you to close the club face, which is a proper way. You're
just doing it a different way by staying back, trying falling back. That's
another way, but this is the right way. So basically what he's saying
is I need a lot of work. Like when you fully understand the handle
right, your whole life, the whole game changes. Oh wow, okay,
It's just that's how much control we have of everything. Like I told
you, like the face, we have so much control of in the handle.
A long way to go here, and I did not hit that.
Well, that's right here. Let him go first, right here to eight.
I'll just take the three wood one friend fading, whoa, whoa,
Hang on, y'all, you're in another fairway. I think the walk is
getting to me. Man, what was over going uphill? Now it's so
pretty. Yeah, fascinating. It's a great course. It's amazing. The
condition is remark you see that one hanging down upside down one on the other
hole, like it'd be like it took one of these trees like tipped it
over and it is upside down. That's so wild looking. It's like the
thing went one point. There were four grounds keepers on one fairway, twenty
two up the fairway and I hit a ball left a divid so I took
out the sand bottle here and I sprinkled, and guy came up and goes
turn take my job. I'm a hit of four or something. All right,
Eric, what's your we got approach here? What are you doing?
Well, I'm just gonna get it out there because we got two thirty uphill,
so it's really probably two forty five, just in another four iron,
trying to get it up there somewhere near it. With my shoulder, I
can't hit any woods, so this ball's wave below my feet. I'm gonna
make sure I stay on my front side and just get good contact, which
I may have gone a little too far leup, but kicked out nicely.
Thatun's right, Bunce right, Okay, I think I'll be Okay, yeah,
you will be. I gotta fight my ball, turn it over a
little bit too much, but okay, all right, that's a tough shot.
In it your feet. What did you hit back there? Fred?
You striped it three wood five wood, three wood killed. It didn't go
in the direction I was hoping, didn't end in the direction I was hoping.
Okay, Yeah, I did find the flat spot on this hole.
What'll break? And in the rough? It only like eighteen inches into the
rough. My shot scope says eight to the flag. Playing one fifteen with
that? When I'm gonna play it like one twenty five. Okay, I'll
pull it my nine. It's a fun one. Okay. Eric's gonna take
your shot. He's downhill. Lie looks like he's on the green from here.
I can't really see it anymore. Get in. Oh my god,
I thought they go in. Oh my godness, I thought I went in.
It was gonna go in it, shot Bred? Oh it did?
Am I on the grain in regulation? Nice chance at a birdy here?
Eric? Am I putting? No, you're about this far off? Okay,
so about arm's length? A good shot? Yeah? Happy with it?
Beautiful you know a lot of nice shots. Say this is a score
course where you're gonna look at it, and the score isn't gonna look like
as good as you hit it, you know what I mean? Yeah,
yeah, because you had a lot of good shots where you walk it.
I mean, it's just plus I don't know the course and we don't know
how it's playing with these new greens. It's hard hard, I mean hard
hard greens that are hitting hard, and yeah we're just barely over. It's
a beautiful shot, though I can't putt from there. No, So I'm
gonna take this into that putting motion, which is it Tony Mansoni instruction?
So what two four six seven to the edge of the green, ninth to
the ten nine steps of twenty seven feet right in between the two sprinkle hends
tcchen double hit, double hard. Right, you're okay? That's legal that
I mean, like they don't penalyze you to that anymore? Right? Eighty
was that? Eighty two? TC? Chat? Was it? I'm not
the person to ask. Okay, it seems like can make a bird all
right. Well I'm putting for the part which one thing, but I still
have some work to do. Let me just go Yeah, nope, I
just couldn't let my eye see that much part the whole. Yeah, okay,
this looks like he's gonna go left or right. No, that's the
line. Beautiful layout. I mean they built this and they got the length
to build a monster with it. Do you think like Ryder Cup people all
up in there. I went to a President's Cup at Harding Park. It's
Tiger play. Oh really? Like when was that ten finish? Colin Won
went there? Didn't? Yeah? Yeah he did like eighteen Okay, well
they go they'll go back there. It was during COVID, so maybe twenty
okay. And you know, I mean he was very familiar with the chorus
because he played at cal at Berkeley. Yeah, do you have my club?
I do? Thank you? Garth Park. That is his eight secutive
car in the back nine a boogie and Eric had a car and we're going
to number eight. Wow, we're just finishing the whole. I mean to
take a photo the brisk Why how come it's not driver talk through that one?
Because I think it's uh two sixty can run Night of Fairway like into
a bunker on the right guy there? That thing yeah, up going up
on the uphill. Yeah, that's only two sixty. Yeah, so I
think it's kind of like a two thirty shot and then like a hundred yard
up the hill. Are you strategizing over here? Well, you said it's
two sixty that bunker and okay, so he's gonna go short of us the
three would or seven instead of trying to that's the thing that you hear people
now that like you're hearing about just vomit and go for it. Yeah,
you gotta be so smart about it, yeah, of course, Yeah,
like we we know that if you're the risk, it would mitigate risk and
try to figure out what what kind of problems you can have if you don't
hit it with Yeah. What I think is amazing stat though, is the
three wood is only one percent less left and right than the driver in Arcos
millions of shots. Wow, So when people if you go the three wood
just to say okay, I'm going to get in the fairway, Yeah,
it's only one percent difference as far as how much dispersion is that's it?
And you lose twe yards? Yeah, yeah, so it's a negative and
he what are you gonna play it here? Driver? Which what are you
gonna do. What's the ball gonna do. That's why I'm I'm just gonna
hit my normal shot. Baby cut. Yeah, and I'm going to aim
for the left side of the fairway where that bunker is, but just to
the right of it. So just in the fairway, leak it in.
Yep, perfect, Okay. Here we are on eighteen one, last opportunity
to get a decent drive here, and it's going for that bunker's hanging kick
kick a little right. Oh oh, bounced. I think it stayed short
of the bunker. I headed for the left of it, which is where
the trees are. I couldn't follow it, but I didn't reach it.
I didn't get it far enough to reach the trees. That ball get right
or stay left? Did I end up in the bunker? Got shore?
Hopefully it bounced right into the fairway. Yeah, I'm in the bunker,
right in the center of it. In a long walk. There's something to
be said about how cooped we are. Yeah. Yeah, I'm definitely tiring
out here. Tough finishing hole. I'm seeing one, two, three,
four or five six bunkers. If you go, oh, it just stays
up on the bank. It's like an amphitheater behind in downhill, and probably
the green is running downhill too, right, Oh boy, Eric had no
idea. That's how Eric went right over the trees. That's okay. I'm
good with that. I'm ready. I mean, I said, I don't
want it to end, so I just need to get out of that bunker.
I can't. I mean physically, I don't want to try to get
to the green from where I am because I don't have the confidence to hit
good distance on a fairway bunker, and there's so much trouble up there.
I just need to get out of it. Ah, boy, I'm due,
just nice easy swing. That's the third bunker on the back nine,
two or three on the front nine. How far is that? I'm one
hundred and eleven yards away up hill. It's a tough shot. You got
to clear those bunkers. Yeah, lots of trouble. Small little green surrounded
by bunkers. Don't be a hero jerk, Just get it out. Never
follow a bad shot with a stupid shot. Eric, you're going for go,
go, go go go stopped. Oh and it's not going on.
I can't. I think it's really short though. All right, did exactly
what I want to do, which is just get out of the bunker.
Get it certainly, that's fine. Now I'm going straight up hill. The
flag is in the front, so I have room to play with seventy five
playing eighty five some of go'll playing ninety a growing wind uphill. I like
it, go go go? Oh nice? Did it? Good shot,
buddy, Thank you, good shot, he says. Stand in my face
twice in this hole walking up the final hill, and I am tired.
Shot right, thank you? Pretty Oh my legs are done. Oh yeah,
I got about twelve feet. It's a small green considering what you were
dealing with, but there's a huge amphitheater all the way around it. Our
puts are down hill right, yeah, my, I definitely am on that
range. It looks like, oh oh, pick it up. Yeah,
dude, this has been an incredible day. I really appreciate the invitation.
Oh, thank you, brod I forget it. Yeah, we'll do it
again sometime. It would be nice. Oh, it may not be at
the Olympic Club the weekend of the US Open. Hey, if I come
back up this way, we gotta do a hardy Yeah, absolutely, I'd
love to. Yeah, I'll come up this way at some point. Okay,
so it's gonna break. It's fifteen feet downhill, left to right,
right there, I've got this turn turn, turn, turn drop man one
this in an inch, goodt and he finishes with another bogey. It's a
lot of good shots today. Golf smarter. All right, Eric, tell
us one more time. How to find you online? You can find me
on Oh this is the cool thing, Fred, I've just opened up start
a new community in school s k O L. I have so much free
stuff. I'm putting their online courses, how curious size, how to hit
the ball first, everything, it's all gonna be free. But look for
me e. JS Golf Academy is what it is. It is the coolest
app. Also go to egs golf dot com. Went to ah good Garth
boring Pars, boring pars nine consecutives. Thank you. That's fine, man,
And that was so much fun watching you play. What a place,
s k o L. And then look for JS Golf Academy and that's you're
to find so much cool stuff there. Just started up a couple of weeks
ago, so it's growing. But everybody's getting in free right now. So
now it's time to do it. Awesome, I'll send you. Also got
EJS golf dot com to find the address. My goal was hoping to break
ninety get it eighty seven, good way to go. Good for you,
forty forty three, forty four, good for you. Yes, it's like
you got a lot of good shots you want to write up or no,
I feel like this old man. He played eighteen. But I made it
and I'm gonna keep walking. There's a big walk there at the end.
Yes, I can do one more in a straight up at the end of
finish. Well. I hope you enjoyed that, and would really like to
know if you'd like me to do that with others as well, whether they're
teachers or manufacturers. Would really appreciate your feedback on if it was compelling,
entertaining, or even educational. It was a bold experiment, but I'd be
happy to try it again if you think it's worthwhile again. Eric is at
ejsgolf dot com and I've already signed up at school dot com slash EJS golf.
Just go to s k O O L school dot com and search for
EJS Golf Academy. Lots going on there, and for now it's all three.
I'll include some photos from our round, including that crazy tree he was
referring to. It stopped me in my tracks. I had to pull out
my phone and take a picture of that, and that'll all be found.
You can see those at our blog post at golfsmarter dot com. From today's
episode. And by the way, after the round, my shot Scope V
five watch said that I had walked more than thirteen thousand steps. Other courses
I've played with that watch are usually in the eight thousand step range, so
I wasn't kidding on how tough the walk was, and it wasn't level.
There was a lot of elevation change throughout the round. And lastly, I've
been working on that small swing change that Eric introduced me to and shot us
seventy nine this weekend in Indian Valley, a course that usually eats me up.
So I'm going to keep working on it as much as I can because
it doesn't feel that uncomfortable and it makes a lot of sense. I hate
to report that the response to our Portugal adventure has been dare I say,
underwhelming, so we've decided to move the deadline to register up to July first,
twenty twenty four. What is encouraging though, is that we've had a
lot of interest in playing the Robert Trent Jones Trail next spring, so I'll
keep you post it on when it's time to register. Right now, the
plan is to make the journey to Alabama the week following the Masters of twenty
twenty five, so mark your calendars and be ready when we announce registration is
open because space will be limited and you will want to sign up as quickly
as possible. For more information, please go to tmigolf dot com slash golf
Smarter. I need to make a big shout out of thanks to this week's
Golf Smarter Ambassador, Jim Almquist, teaching professional at Salpolo Golf Club in Salpolo,
Brazil. As he said, Jim's been a longtime listener. I mean
I really think he started listening in two thousand and six, and we even
met in person at the p Jay Merchandise show back in January twenty twenty three.
But despite all my requests, he's turned down every offer I've made to
feature him on the podcast, So getting him to intro an episode is a
huge win for me. Thank you, Jim. I'd like to get you
to be a Golf Smarter Ambassador and introduce a future episode two. When you
do, you'll have a choice of three gifts that once you get a free
taste, you'll be a user for a long time. All you need to
do to become a Golf Smarter Ambassador and get your free gift is write to
golf Smarter podcast at gmail dot com and I'll get back to you with some
simple instructions on what to do and what to say. And if you have
any questions, comments, suggestions, or feedback on going out and recording live
on the golf course, please write to golf Smarter Podcasts at gmail dot com
or just click on the Heyfred button when you visit Golfsmarter dot com.