Golf Tips - The Student's First Game

John Norsworthy: Okay Ramey first hole first tee. Ramey: Yeah. John Norsworthy: Well to just help you what I am doing is I am letting you play off the blue pegs, off you go. You play from the forward tee today, to path line. Little practice swing without touching the ground remember. Very good, okay Ruth your turn. Red tee for you, maybe you want to tee up right in the middle there. Ruth: Here. John Norsworthy: That's a good height, fine that's where the 3-Wood, alright little practice swing without touching the ground, no damaging the tees. Lovely, okay way you go! Well, that's not too bad, it's a little bit high and you have just miss that bunker down there. That wasn't bad too Ruth for the first shot, was it? Okay, pretty good, pleased. Ruth: Yeah. John Norsworthy: You are likely down on the course? Ruth: I'll love it. John Norsworthy: It's different to the practice ground, isn't it? Well, now let's get back to the seriousness of it all. You missed this bunker, right? So that was a bit of good luck. You have got a little river running in front of you and this river runs all the way through Valbonne and you see where that lady is going to, another green it's about 200 and something yards from here. So what I want you to do is this. You have got here in one, don't take any big risk, we'll leave that to a little bit later. I want you to take 6-iron, and just play your shot over the river, then you can attack the green with the next shot. So we are going to for little bit of security here. Do a practice swing first, right. Line up plumb center for the Fairway, just one little practice swing to get it all into perspective. That's nice. Okay so middle of the Fairway Ruth, and just place safely over the river if you can. Don't worry about hitting it a long way. Now I think you are aiming too much for the right. This is something that will happen on the golf course you'll find -- no, no come around this way, at little more. Lovely you'll find it little more difficult then on the driving range. which you'll get use to and the way you go. Well you made it, great it -- Ruth: I got that. John Norsworthy: It just caught the far edge of the bunker, the far edge of the rough but she is over yeah good well done, superb. Okay Ramey, your turn. Now you young man, you had a rather super drive. I didn't except that for a first shot. Balls are lying nicely. Same thing as Ruth, because I don't want you to take any big risk here. Male Speaker: At first without ball. John Norsworthy: Yeah, one without the ball. Aim for the middle of the green, keep away from that river, if you can. Fine, off you go Ramey, nice and relax, don't worry about being on the course. Good alignment, superb I am proud of you, right over the river, great shot. How much Ruth do you think you have got left there, how much distance? Ruth: About a 150 meters. John Norsworthy: Little exaggeration on your putt, not really. This will be more difficult on the course, because you don't have the panels which 50 meters, 150 and so on. Now you have got about a 100 meters I should say, what club would you like to take? What club would you decide? Ruth: My 9-iron. John Norsworthy: Okay that wouldn't be too bad, not a bad decision at all, but there is a little bit of breeze blowing there. Now I think that where this nice big green that you have got there you'd safe if you are taking a 7, yeah go across and then take your 7. Well let's take a little bit more club than we need okay. I see you found you ball Ramey, little bit behind the tree. Ramey: It is difficult. John Norsworthy: No, no that will be okay. But you wait now, Ruth is going to play her shot first, remember it's always the farthest from the hole first. And the way you go, fine, okay. Can you feel that wind? Ruth: Yeah. John Norsworthy: Alright, you see that's enough to take maybe one or one-and-a-half clubs of the original choice. Okay, Ruth, Ruth I am proud of you. Alright it just kicked off the green. Now it's coming, coming back, you see that, that's called local knowledge when you catch the bump and it's runs back, lovely. You are not really behind the tree, but you then keep it up too high. Okay what club do you - have you got? Ramey: Iron-9 John Norsworthy: Iron-9. I don't think so because look if you take your 9-iron, your wrist going up and touching that okay. So I think you should do the same as Ruth. we'll take a 7-iron and we'll choke up on it little bit. While Remey is collecting the club to show you, views at home that it's obvious that he can't use a lofty club here because if he does, he is going to get up into those trees. So, well, the choice of club is the right one the 9 or wedge we can't use it here. We are going to take a 7-iron, and just keep it down choking it up on the club just a little bit. As I told you the number 7-iron, choke down on it a little bit, we come down the shaft, so that will take off some distance, and then you play a nice half shot. Do you remember in our third lesson when we -- Male Speaker: Is this the right one? John Norsworthy: Yeah with third lesson when we were playing like that, that will be marvelous for here. Well, that was nearly, that's better, good okay you remembered it. Alright, good luck, off you go. Well it was a bit lower, it doesn't matter, you semi-topped it. The reason why you came up a little bit, but we don't do any teaching on the course, only strategy. Well when you've half-topped that last shot Ramey, you didn't get up to the green, and you didn't have enough strength. So now you got to make a nice little approach, and normally we would be using a pitching wedge or sand wedge here, but if you remember in our lessons I suggested that little 9-iron is probably more secure. So we are going to stick with that just for a moment. So you choke up on the shaft, go down on the shaft a little bit, that's it, do a practice swing perhaps if you like first, feet closer together, come on you remember now. Okay just a short shot. Alright fine, good, relax though, you are looking very worried about it. Good shot, I think it's a bit strong, but it's nicely played I am not going to chastise you. That's very good. Well done Ramey. Okay, fairly straight putt. That's pretty nice looking well done, well done, perfect line. You should be able to hole that. Just in the side, no oh! Hard luck, just finish that off, as it's so close you can finish that one off, okay, Not with the one hand young man, well you could you can but who knows you could miss it. Okay always take care even on the little ones. Okay Ruth and you can have the pin left in the hole. If it's hits there, there is no problem no penalty. Okay, nice little one, good shot. Hey! look at this great. Alright, take your putter. I'll leave that you, no help from me you can do that on your own. Good, 7 for you Ramey, 6 for you Ruth, not bad first hole. I can't promise it will stay like that, but we'll try. What I want you to do now is go so over right. No accompaniment from me. Normally this wouldn't happen, normally I would be with you a lot more, but I would like to see how you get on, I'll see you back of the clubhouse. Ramey: Okay. John Norsworthy: Bye.