THE OLYMPIAN | • Published September 28, 2010

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Call it the Palouse Golf Trail. It’s not long, this trail, but it is unique in the world of university golf courses.

On the eastern end is the University of Idaho Golf Course in Moscow. the facility is well-named because it describes the course, which is what it is, and what it is, is pretty good.

On the other end, a mere eight miles west on Highway 270, is Palouse Ridge Golf Club at Washington State University, one of the top handful of courses in the state of Washington in its third year of operation.

Most golfers have heard of Palouse Ridge. fewer know about U of I. Tee times are plentiful in the summer, when most of the student body (nearly 12,000) leaves town.

Which is a two-edged sword for Doug Tyler, U of I director of golf, who would naturally like to book more rounds but understands the ability to get a tee time is a selling point.

“One of the great things about it is, it’s accessible, especially in summer,” Tyler said. “It’s like having your own private golf course.”

The course has held its own in the economic downturn, Tyler said. It’s affordable (which can’t truly be said of its counterpart at Palouse Ridge), with a top fee for the general public of $28, with lower rates for twilight and other off-peak times.

What hurt more than the economy this year was wet weather, which suppressed play well into the peak season.

“in June, we were basically underwater, which was unusual,” he said. “We’re really semi-arid here. if you can’t get out and play in may and June, there’s a certain momentum you lose.”

U of I is not overly long (6,602 yards from the back tees), but shotmakers get a decent challenge.

“you never really have the same swing twice,” Tyler said, “because it’s always a little bit different. you don’t need to be able to hit it a mile to produce a good score, but it requires some finesse.”

The toughest hole is no. 4, a 556-yard par-5 with not one, but two, water towers. the hole plays into the normal wind pattern (left to right), and it’s out-of-bounds all the way up the right, so if you have a little fade, it turns into a slice and see you later.

But for Tyler’s money, the wicked, 232-yard uphill par-3 at no. 17 is the game-changer. Like no. 4, it’s OB right. and if you’re too far left of the green, you encounter a sharp dropoff back down to the 16th fairway.

Again, if it’s windy, and it can be, you can blow yourself right out of a good score.

“It can really be a bruiser of a hole,” Tyler said. “there have been many, many tournaments where the guy was leading going into 17, and he was nowhere to be seen after that.”

Affordable, challenging and distinctively scenic. all that, and you can get on. U of I is a worthy choice, especially as the other half of a two-fer with Palouse Ridge.

The western half of the Palouse swing is a built environment, to be sure, but Palouse Ridge flows nearly seamlessly among the swells and hillocks of the singular topography the university made home.

For designer John Harbottle III, the biggest challenge in creating Palouse Ridge was also its biggest asset: the textures of the landscape, its undulations and elevation changes, the tapestry of colors, especially this time of year.

“It just made it easy to create a lot of different character within the holes,” said Harbottle, of Tacoma, best known in Western Washington as designer of the Olympic Course at Gold Mountain in Bremerton.

“Variety is the key to great architecture.”

Harbottle’s mandate from WSU was to craft a championship golf course that was good for the general public as well as students and staff at the university. his clients wanted a top golf-teaching facility, and they wanted a working classroom for the university’s turfgrass management program.

Finally, the university wanted a course capable of hosting a championship of the United States Golf Association. the USGA has not come calling yet, but Palouse Ridge will be home to the women’s Pacific-10 Conference championships in 2012 and the men’s in 2014.

The national golf press has noticed Palouse Ridge. Golf Digest named it the no. 2 new public course for 2009, and Golfweek ranked it no. 2 among new courses.

The most recent acknowledgment is Golfweek’s nod to Palouse Ridge as the no. 3 university course in the nation.

“That’s really fun from my standpoint,” Harbottle said, “to be thought of among courses like Yale (No. 1), Ohio State (No. 9), Stanford (No. 5).”

U of I’s Tyler said he did some research and found that a mere 2 percent of U.S. universities have their own golf courses.

Which raises the question: what would be the percentage of regions in the U.S. with two campus golf courses, separated by less than 10 miles over a state border, with this kind of quality? Pretty near zero.

Raves for Palouse Golf Trail – Chip shots – The Olympian – Olympia, Washington

every time i drive the ball off the tee, the ball fades HARD to the right.

you need to close the club face of your golf club and push your momentum forward instead of to the right. when the club face is too open, the ball spins to the right side, which causes the ball to drift dramatically.

In your backswing, make sure to bring your arms straight back instead of behind you like a baseball bat. when your hands are behind your body instead of in line, you overcompensate when you swing through, and it causes you to hit the ball from inside-out. this is what causes your slice.

Believe it or not, this was asked at least once before… Hope the information helps you.

It is because you use too much power, try to use 80% of your power, the ball will go dead straight to the fairway.

How do I fix a slice in my golf swing?

(Handout)

HAWAII – Princeville, Makai, Puakea, Poipu Bay Kauai Lagoons… they are golf courses to crow about.

In fact, they

Sunday, 26 September 2010

A mix-up at our club last weekend led to many high handicappers walking around with satisfied smirks. Sadly, they were to be cruelly wiped from their faces.

The occasion was our annual tribute to Dr Frank Stableford, founder of the great points system which is played and enjoyed by golfers throughout the world. Dr Frank first experimented with the system at our club, The Glamorganshire, in 1898.

He offered a special prize for the best score in a competition played off scratch with one point for a bogey, two for a par, three for a birdie and so on, just like the modern version.

Each player then added a third of his handicap, to a maximum of 15, to the total (they used to have handicaps ranging up to 60 in those days; how I wish I’d been there).

We don’t know how well the system went down with his fellow members but it wasn’t heard of again for more than 30 years. he had probably been a bit pre-occupied as an army surgeon in the Boer War and the First World War.

A very good golfer, Dr Frank won the championship at Royal Porthcawl in 1907 and reached the semi-finals of the Welsh amateur in the same year.

He moved to the Wirral in 1914 and joined Royal Liverpool and Wallasey golf clubs and it was at Wallasey in 1930 when he decided to resurrect his notion of a fairer scoring system that made it possible for a player to mess up a few holes and, unlike a medal, still turn in a respectable score.

It has to be said that his first attempt was not all that generous to the higher handicappers. But he made up for that when he tried his revised version at Wallasey. The competition was still played off scratch but you added your full handicap to your score at the end.

Unfortunately, the weather was so foul that scoring was very difficult and the high handicappers had a field day. They had their points in their pockets before they started.

Eventually, the stroke index system allowed him to allocate your shots hole by hole and it was a sure-fire success from the moment Wallasey staged the first competition under the present rules back in may 1932.

Wallasey play an annual open tournament in his honour and for the past 15 years we’ve done the same, using his original rules.

Because being able to add only a third of your handicap makes it such a tough prospect for the not-so-good golfer, there is a separate competition in which you add on your full handicap – but only to a maximum of 18.

This year, however, we were told that the maximum had been lifted. As a 28-handicapper, this was very good news. Others were not quite as impressed.

One first-team player left the course after scoring 25 points and his indignant parting words were: “Corrigan’s got three more points than me before he even starts.”

Sadly, I was not able to take advantage. I am experimenting with a new relaxed swing designed to take the tension out of my body. But it is not easy to play like me and avoid tension and I sliced my way to a measly three points.

But when I added my handicap it was a reasonable 31 points. Mike shot a net-69 and his total was 40 points. Andy, another 28-handicapper, scored 13 points and was whooping around with 41 points.

Then came the shock news that there had been a communication fault. The 18 limit was still applicable. We are already lobbying for the full handicap.

After all, it’s what Frank would have wanted.

p.corrigan@independent.co.uk

Tip of the week, by Simon Iliffe

No 68: How far from the ball?

It is little wonder that many golfers find it difficult to know just how far to stand from the ball.

The clubs in your golf bag can vary by up to a foot in length, forcing you to stand further away from, or closer to, the ball.

The easiest way to know if you are at the correct distance from the ball is as follows – once you have taken your stance as normal, the butt of the club should be about a fist’s width from the inside of your left thigh (for right-handed golfers).

There is scope for comfort, so it doesn’t need to be exact. Standing too far from the ball will encourage a more stooped posture with an upright swing plane.

Standing too near to the ball can cause an upright posture and a swing plane that is too flat.

Make sure that you are the correct distance from the ball each time to maximise your success at consistent ball-striking.

Simon Iliffe is head professional at Bramley Golf Club, Surrey. www.theshortgame.co.uk

The Hacker: To be Frank, it’s a slice of bad news for high-handicappers as we fail to see the points

I seemed to have developed a slice on my golf swing and can't sort it out. I think i've got it down to opening the club face on my down swing. has anyone got any ideas how to solve this?

First you should check your swing plane. This is kind of difficult to tell all by yourself so have someone watch or video tape your swing. This is one big reason why the club face is open at impact.

Also check your grip. a weak grip has your thumbs at 12:00 while a strong grip has your thumbs a little further back 1 or 2 o'clock. The strong grip will help in closing the club face through impact.

Apparently your arms are way ahead of your hips, thus opening the club face. make sure that you plant the lead foot first when starting the downswing with the hip turn as well as the arms synchronized so that dropping from the inside to impact and hit through the ball. Hit through the ball with a full follow through and high finish.

dont cock your wrists early…i have the same problem that you have and my fault is that i cock my wrists early in my swing.

when you take the club back–imagine you are takin it back with your shoulders, and try to keep your wrists in a fixed position. they will naturaly hinge at the right spot.

i hoped this helped you out. obviously no one on YA can tell you what is wrong without seeing your swing–but maybe if you try all of our suggestions it will help your game out some.

good luck!

easiest way is to strengthen your grip!

There are two variables in your swing that will determine the ball flight. first is swing path, this will determine which way your ball will start.( left, straight, or right) second the club face(open, straight, or closed) this determines the spin on the ball.
If you are hitting a slice like 99 percent of the players out there your ball is starting out left and going right! to fix this problem go to the driving range and set up with your club face square to a target, and your back facing paralell to the target with your feet staggered. This will force you to swing on the opposite swing path, and also make your right hand turn over your left producing a draw. Slowly bring your stance back to a normal allignment. good Luck and remember it takes the body 21 days to remember a change so don't get discuraged.

How do i keep the club face closed on my golf swing?

Keep your head down and dont turn your whole body.

take parctice swings holding the club in your left hand only from a stance and take a SLOW backwing and pretend you are gonna backhand somone standing directly behind you left shoulder…when you grip your club to hit…grip lightly with your right hand

Turn your hip before you hit the ball( during downswing)

Try standing a little further away from the ball. reach for it. play the ball in the middle of your left foot. keep your right elbow next to your body. and swing out toward your target. Finish your swing. reaching for the ball eliminates comming accross your swing plain causing a slace. your ball flight will be higher and more controllable.

You are swinging out side the line, then trying to correct on the way down.try cocking your wrist as soon as you lift the club,watch back of ball and FOLLOW THROUGH

What you are doing is coming from the outside and in causing a severe spin which makes the ball flight go way off to the right. Chances are, your hips are going way to fast and your hands can't catch up. So, either speed up the hands or slow down your lower body. Another good tip would be to try and keep your right elbow as close to your side as you can which prevents the outside and in approach.

Someone subsequently posted a similar question. If you have not, review the answers he got!

Go to a golf shop and buy some lead tape.Start with a little on the inside near the shaft and apply as needed. This should help a little.I close my clubface in about 1 or 2 degrees and swing smooth.Just because you swing like Tiger (130 mph) doesnt mean your gonna hit it 350 yds.TEMPO TEMPO TEMPO

Dont take to much of a back swing.And then have the club face pointing to the hole when you follow through

How do I correct a really bad slice in my golf swing?

its for a project
what are simple things u can do to correct slice

To correct a slice, you have to know what's causing it. Curving shots have multiple causes usually. Slices are caused by any one or combination of the following:

Outside to inside club path
Open club face at impact
upright lie angle
contact with the extreme toe or heel of the club.

A "quick fix" as stated before is to close the club face a little and make your normal swing. this will either fix the slice, or create a pull/hook scenario.

To hit the ball strait, the face must be square to the swing path. if the swing path is 2 degrees outside to in and the club face is 0 degrees (square to the target) you'll get a slice. if SP is 2 degrees closed and the CF is 2 degrees closed, you'll have a pull. same goes for open.

The easy fix is to close the club face a little at address and make your normal swing. To correct the swing, go back to a square club face at address, put something that is about knee height about 3/4 of a club length behind your ball. now, make your take away and down swing go inside of that object. a rubber cone such as used in road construction is a good item to use.

don't pull away when you swing. turn your body with your arms. take back you club dragging it as far back as possible without causing your body to sway and turn your shoulders til your shoulder is under you chin and swing arms and body together finishing swing with your right shoulders passing under your chin.

Learn to swing hard inside out , it teaches a hook which does correct a slice swing.

How do correct a golf swing slice?

I am right handed. I have tried widening my stance, putting my left foot further back from my right and linning the ball with my left foot. I am using a standard flex club with a 10 degree loft. I am just wanting other options to try. Thanks

Its sound like your not turning your wrist over enough, therefore you are hitting the ball with the club face more outward. take some practice swings and make sure you turn that wrist over during your swing to get a good, solid, sweet spot hit. You could also be dropping your shoulder, keep your shoulder straight. It could be a number of things but try those.

I have had this problem a lot also!!!!! The thing that worked best for me was, #1 bringing your hands through the ball before you move your hips. this will cause your wrists to turn over automatically without even having to consciously do anything. #2 keep your head down. although you have been hearing this from the very beginning it is also the best advice. good luck and just try to repeat your swing again and again and you will figure out what is causing different things to happen on your own.

i'm no expert, but i think you're doing it wrong by opening your stance. to cure your slice, you are supposed to close your stance (i.e left leg slightly in front of your right), align the ball with your left heel, take a stronger grip (i.e "V" on your right hand pointing further to the right ear).
Hope this helps.

I have been golfing for many years and still haven't been able to correct my "monster slice!"

it comes down your body not being square at impact and the angle your comign in at. if you can fix those to things you will be fine , thats why there is such a range of golf swings, but if you do that you will be fine.

get lessons; thats the best thing to do

I'm in the same boat with you, and obviously I'm no expert, but watch what advice you take. Everyone's different, and what work for one might have a thing to do with why another person is slicing. I'll only offer you what I believe to be my problem. Firstly, I used to swing too hard which really exaggerated my slice. this is because, and here's my current reason, swinging too hard makes my inside-out swing worse. now an inside-out swing might work for some, not for me. When I swing smoothly with tempo and make sure to allow the club head to make a big arc, I get a good fairway drive. good luck, and hit it straight down the middle.

How do I correct a golf swing with a slice?

Here are 3 simple steps to avoid Slicing.

Step 1: Check your grip
Make sure you start your grip with your left arm hanging relaxed from your shoulder.
From here, put the club in the fingers of your left hand with the grip under the heel of your palm. You should be able to see 2 or 3 knuckles on your left hand.
To check your grip, stretch out your arm and see if the clubface stays square. then put your left thumb into the groove of your right hand.

Step 2: Check your alignment
Lie a club on the ground parallel to the target and set up alongside it.
For most people this feels like aiming to the left, but if the club on the ground is parallel to the target, you must be too. Now, make sure your shoulders are parallel with your feet and hips.
Most people feel like their shoulders are pointing to the right, but you can have a friend put a club across your shoulders to check they are square with your feet.
From an open shoulder position, you would have to turn a lot more to complete your back swing.

Step 3: Check your body rotation
The later your shoulders turn into the ball making the club swing more from the inside, the lower the chance of hitting a slice.
Start turning your hips and abdomen at the start of your backswing. let your body lead your shoulders and arms as you complete your rotation.
A good way to make sure you rotate your body is to concentrate on turning your belly button and belt to the right as you start your back swing. this makes it easier to turn your body back into the ball in the downswing.
Your shoulders should be square at impact, making the club swing straight into the ball for a straight shot.

Hope this helps.

I say you need to swing through the ball. You must release earlier, you must swing inside to out, you must keep the clubface square, you must control your trajectory, and you must NOT swing too hard. all of these things can cause a slice. so can tilting back onto your heels, or reverse pivoting. if you can avoid all of these, and still slice the ball, aim left and play it.

look dude, try these, they worked for me.

Hold the club in your hands with the face slightly left, now when you swing, the ball comes off the face left and will go straight.

also, but the ball even with your front foot, I dont know why this helped, but it did…..dramatically.

goto youtube and type in, cure your slice

HOw do I stop my slice golf swing?

The golf slice is one of the commonest swing faults of a weekend golfer. Should you suffer with a slice in golf then you have no doubt looked for data on How to Fix a Slice. In the event you didn’t come across the advice necessary to learn how to cure a slice then this short article will teach you; luckily, fixing a slice in golf is not that complicated.

There are several reasons why you could be slicing the golf ball and so the secret for how to cure a slice is to identify the culprit and then fixing it. The main two areas where the fault of slicing the golf ball originates are in your golf grip and setup or in the golf swing sequence.

How You Grip the Club

While there is no correct method to grip the club, there are appropriate golf grip rudiments which you must discover if you wish to know How to Cure a Slice. There are 9 positions you can use to grip the club; the initial 3 are the grip styles which should not be an issue with your slice fault – interlocking, over-lapping, and baseball grip.

The Left Hand

When you place the club in your left hand, the neutral position is to have the grip of the club go through the base of your forefinger to a point in the middle of your palm over your little finger. to fix a slice in golf you may try adjusting this position so that the club is more in your fingers.

Grip Strength

Your grip strength is not how firmly you grasp the club but is a term used for the position of both hands on the club. when you are in the address position and you gaze down at your hands holding the club, you must distinguish a couple of knuckles showing of your left hand – this is the neutral grip.

The slice in golf may be caused by a weak grip which is if you can’t see any knuckles showing of your left hand. Simply rotate both hands simultaneously towards the right until they’re in a neutral position.

The Grip Pressure

You will have probably heard numerous different ways on the level of pressure you need to use to grip the club. Some advise to grip it tightly and the rest advise to grip it lightly. The fact is, if you wish to know how to cure a slice in golf, you will want to experiment with the amount of pressure you use to grip the club.

If you happen to grip the club very tightly then that could be the cause of your golf slice. Test a lighter grip pressure yet not so loose that the clubhead twists at impact. furthermore the size of the grips which are fitted on your clubs can influence the ball’s path. If the grips are overly large in your hand then this tends to bring about a slice in golf.

Experimentation and Practice

The key to learning how to cure a slice by adjusting your grip should be to test and to practice. for every one of the grip tips above, you ought to experiment by shifting your grip by slight increments at a time, after which practice the new position by hitting a few golf balls. If you discover no troubles with your grip then you have to take a look at your setup position and your golf swing mechanics.

If you want|really want|would like|wish to learn|find out How to Golf Better then you have|need to learn how to identify|recognize your swing|golf swing faults|problems and then to fix|cure them.

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