Bruce Romberg - The perfect sport

Bruce Romberg Bio

About Bruce Romberg
You have company spending two weeks with you this summer. One week down, one week to go. You long for your privacy, your own routine. Who's house is this, anyway?

Your wife loves people and having "them" around. You, on the other hand, could be a hermit. Well, at least they are in town shopping and you have a rare opportunity to take that private shower, without little Billy knocking on the door.

You are in the hallway and you have just removed your shirt and pants and pitched them 10 feet into the hamper in the laundry room. What's that noise!!!


The back door just opened. Your (your wife's) company is back from town. Rats! You have to make a split second decision. No time to think it over. They will be around the corner in less than three seconds.

There are some people you would not mind seeing you naked but not this bunch. Why open yourself up to the brunt of dinner time jokes?

At super human speed, you balance yourself deftly on your right foot and yank your left sock off. You aim (under immense pressure) and throw your sock at the hamper. Bull's eye!

Switching to your left foot, you balance yourself so gracefully that a ballerina would be envious, reach down and rip your right sock from your sweaty foot, shoot once again for the hamper. Swish! Dead center. Now, the moment of truth.

You flash back to the final game of the Bulls and Jazz. You are Michael Jordan. You, on the other hand, have less than one second to get your shorts off, shoot for the hamper, spin around and duck into the bathroom.

Your mind's a blur. What if? No time to consider the consequences. Your left leg comes out, then your right, all too fast to see. You aim at the hamper and let 'er fly. Perfect arc, no rim, dead center. You twirl around and duck into the bathroom. You made it!!!!!

You and Michael have more in common than you think. You were both under extreme pressure. You both shot at your target and you both made it. But the story only begins there.

What were you and Mr. Michael Jordan thinking about when you made these great shots? Position of your legs? Knee bend? Left Arm straight? Shoulder rotation? Hip rotation? Right elbow? Left Elbow? Pivot? The Ball? Your Shorts?

You were "seeing" your shorts fly through the air and hit the hamper. Michael was "seeing" the ball go directly into the middle of the basket.

You both "trusted" your minds and bodies to come up with a plan (without you) that would be successful. Any thoughts about the mechanics of your shots would certainly result in failure.

Why then, do YOU think YOUR golf pro's advice about all the things you NEED to think about in your swing is going to help? The more you THINK, the worse you get.

The golf swing, throwing your shorts, and Michael's successful shooting are a result of communication between the motor skill part of the brain (called the cerebellum, if you didn't already know that) and your wonderful machinery called your body.

When you skip rocks on the lake what do you think about? The moment of release? Pivot? Knees?

Isn't it about time you realized what creates a good shot, a good basket, or a good skip? Ask Michael or order "The Swings The Thing" or get caught with your shorts down around your ankles.

Bruce Romberg Info

Consistency in your golf shots and in your game is a common goal that all golfers aspire to achieve. If you are not getting the results that you are looking for, the first thing you need to check is the way you start your swing. Below are examples of errors in the takeaway.
Rolling the club to the inside

One of the most common reasons for a loss of distance and inconsistent ball striking is rolling the clubface open on the back swing. Most swing errors occur during the first few inches, when the club is moving away from the ball. If the takeaway is performed incorrectly, the rest of the swing is nothing more than a series of compensations.

Rolling the clubface is caused by manipulating the hands on the take away, requiring compensation on the down swing with the hands and wrists attempting to square the clubface at impact. The golf swing takes approximately 1.5 seconds to complete, which doesn't allow much time to consistently return to a square position.


The result in most cases is an attempt to square the club with the upper body, causing the club to get off plane on the down swing.

Typically, your shots could fly to the right or to the left. Note the illustration at the upper left, which shows an incorrect takeaway with a club rolled behind the body and the hands starting to move outside the toe line.
Possible causes of rolling the club to the inside

1. Lack of rotation with the shoulders on the takeaway.

2. Trying to keep the right elbow tucked close to your side on the backswing.

3. Trying to swing the club on the same plane as your shoulders on the backswing.

4. Swinging the club too far to the inside on takeaway in an attempt to swing inside out on the downswing.

5. A poor grip that is placed in the palm of the hand.

6. Trying to keep your left arm stiff or straight.
Fix: Take the club away properly

Start the takeaway by allowing the hand, arms and shoulders to move the club away together. The club head stays along the target line the first four-to-six inches until the shoulder rotation moves the club to inside. This will put the club in a position where the shaft of the club matches your toe line.

A proper takeaway should have the clubface positioned with the toepointing to the sky. This move requires no manipulation of the hands and wrists if done correctly. This gives you an excellent opportunity to complete your backswing with a clubface that is square throughout the swing.
Takeaway Drill

Most golfers don't understand the importance of drills and doing them correctly. Drills will make you a better golfer in a shorter amount of time than if you try to hit a large quantity of range balls. Without a trained eye watching your every swing, it becomes too difficult to feel the correct movement while swinging 80-90 miles per hour. Here is a drill that will help your swing get a better start:

Body and Arms Drill - Assuming your golf posture, place your hands on the shaft just below the grip of the club. Bend forward into your posture allowing the butt of the club to rest against your stomach. Practice your take away while the butt of the club continues to rest against your stomach. This drill will help your arms and body to work together on the take a way.

Identifying your tendencies and errors in your takeaway will give you a better indication of why your golf shots and your ball flight aren't as consistent as you would like them to be. Learning to incorporate more drills into your practice sessions and cutting back on hitting so many golf balls in an attempt to feel change, will help you to see more improvement in less time.


Bruce Romberg Bio

This is the age of reality shows and dramatic transformations. You're never too old or too young to take care of your health and fitness, especially as it pertains to golf.

For those of you who have been exercising for years, it's time to put aside those old routines in favor of what's really "hot" as well as functional for golf. How you structure your golf fitness program is essential to your overall performance on and off the course.


Here are some ways you can ensure you are getting the most out of training program while utilizing the strength of your core as a building block for success. Use the following six tips and see a transformation in your game:

Specific to golf: Get rid of the traditional gym machines which focus on isolating specific muscle groups and require no stabilization work by additional muscle groups.

Integrate some old and new fitness tools which allow you to move your body in a more functional setting. These include cable machines, fitness balls, medicine balls, balance disks, traditional dumbbells and don't forget about the power of using your own bodyweight.

Increase core stability: More efficient movement creates more efficient power.

Golfers maintain an athletic posture over long periods of time and require both trunk and core stabilization and endurance. By increasing your strength and endurance in the core region of your body, you provide both a solid base of support for rotation in addition to the proper transfer of power throughout the body.

Vary your planes of motion: A golf fitness program will have varying planes of motion as part of your weekly strength routine.

Planes of movement include front-to-back motions, left to right and rotational exercises. Some good examples include multi-directional lunges and medicine ball wood chops.

Integrate multiple elements into each exercise: Each weekly workout should address all of the important elements for golf including flexibility, core development, balance, strength and power.

Integrated training techniques will develop your skills in each of these areas and produce a whole new level of play. Examples of integration include a five-minute dynamic warm up, a 30-minute strength routine, followed by 10 to 15 minutes of stretches. Each workout can be broken down into strength development for several weeks, core stabilization for several weeks and power development as you move into peak season.

Progress from simple to complex: Begin your exercise program by mastering the simplest forms of exercises first.

Progress your golf training design to increase in complexity as your body grows and develops and as you learn proper stabilization of your core region. An example of progression for the legs may be to perform two-leg ball squats prior to performing the one leg version.

Progressive resistance: Strength should be developed in a progressive manner.

In order to get stronger one needs to progressively add resistance over time relative to previous workouts. Strength gains are made slowly, but consistently and you will see the difference in your game in no time. In the absence of progress with your program, you're limiting your potential.

Now is the time to give your old exercise routine a new golf fitness makeover. Begin by implementing these simple strategies and you'll see improvements in your golf game in no time.

Not only will you be using some of the same exercise tips as the top touring pros, but your body will feel the difference and your golf game will show it.

About Bruce Romberg

Golfers who slice have no idea of why they do so. Most think it's because their swing path comes from outside in, (the dreaded over-the-top move) while many even blame their equipment. The one area most overlooked is the angle of the clubface as it makes contact with the ball.

The plain and simple fact is that if the club face is open at impact, the shot will move left to right. The clubface must be square to the target upon impact. An easy way to achieve this is to rotate your left forearm through the impact zone.

To achieve the correct rotation, try this simple drill using a piece of tape or a Band-Aid:


Place a piece of tape or a Band-Aid on the underside of the wrist of your lead arm (the left arm for right-handed golfers, the right arm for left-handed golfers).

Allow your lead elbow to be a couple of inches from your side and rotate your forearm so you can see the tape or Band-Aid as you swing the club through the impact zone. Your left wrist should be flat, (if you are a right-handed golfer). This will help you visualize the proper rotation of the club head during your swing.

During your swing it is important to rotate your forearm, not just your wrist, so you can see the entire piece of tape or Band-Aid as you swing through the hitting area.

Try this drill with your lead arm alone before practicing with both hands on the golf club. Continue to work on this movement until you see the tape or Band-Aid consistently. If you do this properly your slice will be gone for good.


Bruce Romberg Profile

Whether setting up for a chip or a pitch, the address position should be the same.

The difference between chipping and pitching is simply wrist action - chipping requires no wrist action, while pitching requires some wrist action due to the length or trajectory of the shot. The set-up, however, remains the same.

Here are seven points to work towards:


1. The feet should be the length of a club head (5 inches) apart. The stance needs to be this narrow in order to keep the weight on the front foot.

2. The ball is positioned in the center of the feet. This is to deter the leading edge from catching in the turf. If you position the ball too far back, you give up all your bounce and expose the sharp leading edge to the turf.

3. Grip the golf club as you normally would for a regular full swing; there is no need to grip down unless you are using an 8-iron or longer club.

4. Cozy up to the ball. Good chippers and pitchers set up fairly close to the ball and so should you.

5. If the target is at 12 o'clock, the body should be aligned toward 11 o'clock (speaking as a right hander).

6. The weight is positioned so that it favors the front foot 60 percent vs. 40 percent. Make sure this is subtle, as shifting the weight too far forward increases the chance of the club "digging" at impact.

7. As a result of the weight being forward, the hands are shifted forward only a slight amount. There should be no conscious effort to push the hands forward.

Once you have acquired a proper point from which to start, now go ahead and trust your instinct. Go out of your way to react to the target, and avoid thoughts of how hard to hit the shot.

What do you think Larry Bird thought as he released another shot from behind the three-point line? I don't know, but I do know it was not how hard to shoot the ball.

Once you're set, simply react to the target. Oh yes, and practice helps, too.



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Ronald Bruce Romberg - Become a Golf Pro

Ronald Bruce Romberg

I've watched golfers set up to the ball correctly only to turn their chin toward the target or away from the ball before they start their backswing. This movement of the head will ruin good alignment and solid posture causing golfers to make bad swings.

It is important to note that these bad swings are all due to the position of your head at address. By tilting your head you misalign your posture, this makes you alter your swing path through the impact zone. The bad swing is directly caused by improper posture and alignment.

Here's a tip to think about: In the last few seconds before you make a swing, point your chin at the ball and keep it pointed at the ball until the club face hits the ball and you are following through.


Pointing the chin at the ball during your swing enables you to retain the proper body position and spine angle during your swing. When you turn your head, your posture and spine angle change, which alters your swing path causing all sorts of problems - lifting your head, opening your shoulders, pulling or pushing shots.

Remember to "point the chin" for every shot, from driver to putter, and you'll keep your spine angle and posture in place during your entire swing. You will find that your shot inconsistencies and ball sticking will improve dramatically with just this quick fix.

Ronald Bruce Romberg Sports

Ronald Bruce Romberg
One of the most common faults students display is not loading their weight over their back leg when taking the club back. Perhaps because they have been told for years to "keep their head down," most golfers don't make a good enough move off the ball to get in a power position.

Try throwing a ball with your back against a wall. Then throw a ball standing away from the wall. Note that there is no comparison, when your back is against the wall you have no leverage and can only throw the ball a short distance, no matter how strong or flexible you are. Yet standing away from the wall you can load up on your back leg by leaning away from the target and then generate a greater amount of force once you step into the throw.


Swinging a golf club is no different. In order to maximize your power you must load up your back leg by turning and moving off the ball during your back swing. If done correctly, your upper spine will be tilted away from the target and you'll create additional energy by letting the momentum build. After all, this is what centrifugal force is based upon. We build up the energy then gradually release it starting at the core and increasing the speed outwards as it nears the target.

So the next time you want to hit it big think of a throwing motion. Load up your back leg to create some leverage then plant your forward foot creating a brace with your forward leg that you can swing against. Once the brace is established drive the lower body into the shot as the arms swing the shaft through impact.

Remember, an outfielder can't throw a runner out if he doesn't first load up his back leg. Just as true, a golfer can't hit a long shot without creating the same sort of leverage during the swing motion.

Ronald Bruce Romberg Articles

Do you have a current handicap index? Do you really know your game? How far do you hit each club? What are your tendencies? What distracts you on the course? To improve your golf game, you must know yourself and your game to a greater degree. What do you do well, what could you do better, and what are your strengths?

When I give a lesson for the first time to a new student, I ask them to rate their game. How do they feel about the different shots? We can then make a game improvement plan from those answers.

Take a few moments and assess your own game: On a scale of 1-10 (10 being excellent, 1 being poor), rate how you feel about your:


Putting _____
Chipping _____
Pitching _____
Greenside bunkers _____
Fairway bunkers _____
Short irons _____
Longer irons/hybrids _____
Fairway woods _____
Driver _____
Uneven lies _____
Shot shaping* _____

Take a look at the lowest numbers. Improving in these areas will be the best place to start with lessons/practice/improvement. Maintenance of the higher rated numbers will be important as well for overall improvement.

Remember: When rating your shots, it is how you feel about your shotmaking, not the opinion of others about your game!

Buy a small notebook that you can keep in your golf bag. This will be your personal golf journal with knowledge written down about you and your game. One of the most common comments I hear from students is "I forgot." If you write it down and look at it, it will help in storing it in the memory bank of your brain.
How far do you hit each club?

If you are a relatively new golfer, just start noticing the approximate distances your clubs go. If you are a lower handicap player, you'll want to be more precise with this knowledge. You want to know how far you hit the ball with each club, both in the air and on the ground. Learn these distances with just three clubs.

Measure your 9 iron, 6 iron, and a fairway wood or hybrid when the wind is calm. You'll be able to measure the other clubs off the knowledge of these three. How far your approach clubs land (vs. where they roll out) is really important in determining what club to select. For example, if the pin is at 100 yards and is placed 10 yards from the front of the green, your 85 yard on-the-fly club will not land on the green but rather 5 yards in front of the green. Is the front of the green wet? Is it hard in front of the green? Would the ball roll more or less when it lands in front of the green?

To learn more about your distances, hit 10 balls with the same club to the same target and see if 8 out of 10 balls went + 5-10 yards of each other in distance. This knowledge will help tremendously in your club selection when playing. Write it down. Know your game, know your abilities. "This is what I can do," should always be in the
forefront of your mind.


Bruce Romberg
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Ronald Bruce Romberg - Golf Lessons

Bruce Romberg

Dave Pelz specializes in short-game instruction and in this video he shares a few exercises that will improve your short-game aim.

The exercises Pelz demonstrates will eventually train golfers to aim directly at the target each time. Pelz emphasizes the importance of correct body alignment, alignment with the target and hitting the mark.

To show how to get the proper alignments, he employs the use of a T-square made of PVC tubing. Although such a device is banned in professional games, it is an effective practice tool that will allow golfers to accurately set up the shot.

About Bruce Romberg

Bruce Romberg Profile
Many of the top touring professionals know that winning on the tour today takes much more than a great game of golf. It means understanding every aspect of their physical and mental being and what factors influence their performance.

Before any golfer — pro or otherwise — picks up a club, they look at the capability of their body versus the requirements of the swing.

What exactly does this mean?


Most of us are aware that golf requires rotation at the hip joints, shoulder joints and spine. So, what if a golfer has a very tight low back or any restrictions in their shoulders? Well, the obvious answer is that any loss of range of motion creates swing flaws in addition to injuries.

This is a fact based on human performance and movement. It’s also necessary to create a fluid and natural golf swing. Not only does golf require good rotation at each joint, but it must be efficient and explosive.


Several years ago I had the opportunity to visit a human-performance center where some of the more famous tour players train. I was able to explore the same tests they take as part of their initial assessment period. Remember since we are all built differently and have different strengths and weaknesses, we all test differently.

The results of these tests help guide, direct and prioritize any training program moving forward. How successful is this approach to golf conditioning? I watched it place a green jacket on a well-deserving young player just a couple of years ago.

What exactly do you test for?


Muscle strength. Evaluate each significant muscle group. Are there any significant differences between your left side and your right side?

Range of Motion. Do you have adequate range of motion in the joints which most affect the golf swing? How does your lower body look versus your upper body? Does your left side match the flexibility in your right?

Core strength and endurance. Do you know how to properly engage your core region? If so, for how long?

Aerobic capacity and endurance. Do you have what it takes to last through a solid 18 holes? Is there an opportunity for improvement?

Balance. Do you have proper balance? Do you know what normal balance for golf looks like?


Physical assessment tests are commonly used by the top touring pros today. These tests are being offered at some of the top golf performance centers and will surely be the wave of the future. It’s your true understanding of your relative strengths and weaknesses that creates opportunities for immediate and sound improvement in your game.


Take the following tests to sample how well you would do under the same criteria.
How strong is your core?


Lie on your back with your knees bent.

Place one hand underneath your lower back, then extend your knees to 90 degrees.

Press the lower back firmly against your hand.

Slowly lower your feet towards the ground by keeping the same tension on your hand.


Which one of the following best describes what happened when you performed the exercises above:

(A) Your lower back lifted and you could no longer feel any pressure on your hand.

(B) Your lower back lifted and you could feel some pressure on your hand.

(C) You were able to keep the same pressure on your hand throughout the movement.

If you answered (C), congratulations! You are well on your way to developing the core strength you need for better golf. If you answered (A) or (B), start with some basic exercises on engaging the core region of your body.
How’s your balance?


Stand on a hard surface with both feet together.

Close your eyes and lift your foot about six inches off the ground. Your knees will be bent at about a 45 degree angle.

Place your arms at your hips or resting to your sides.

Perform this test as stated. Please stop immediately if you are swaying heavily from side to side, elevating your arms or resting your knee against your supporting leg.

Have someone record the number of seconds you were able to hold this position.


If you are between 20 and 49 years of age, 24 to 28 seconds is normal balance. If your age falls between 50 and 59, then 21 seconds is considered normal for your age group. If you are in the 60-69 age group, then 10 seconds places you in the normal range for balance. Above the age of 70, you should shoot for five seconds of steady balance.

Ronald Bruce Romberg Sports

Harvey Penick, one of golf's greatest instructors, always said the best way to improve your score was to improve your short game. You can see this week in and week out on the PGA Tour as the players who win usually have the best short game stats for that week. Here are a few tips to help you lower your scores.

On chips and pitches around the green use a club that gives you confidence. I play golf with a friend who is very good around the green, and he always uses his eight iron for these shots. He opens and closes the face according to the type of shot he wants to hit, so I have suggested he try wedges instead of that one club.

On occasions when he does use a wedge, he very rarely gets the results he does from that trusty old eight iron. Why? Because he has confidence in that club, he relaxes and hits good shots.


Phil Mickelson uses his high-lofted wedges around the green for most of his chip shots for the same reason. The lesson here is play the club or shot you feel most confident with and you will be more consistent.

When chipping or pitching from around the green the first rule to follow is "always get the ball on the green." How many times have you been faced with a pitch shot, over a bunker, with a closely tucked pin, only to flub your pitch shot into the bunker? Better to have a 25-foot par putt than be in the bunker with double or triple bogey staring you in the face. Always play the safe shot; in the end it will save you many strokes.
Practice that short game!

Practice that short game! Before each round go to the putting or chipping area and practice. Get your golf buddies to engage in some short game contests. Be creative and practice unusual shots. Practice in your backyard. The players with the best short games practice these shots more than others. That's why they usually shoot the lowest scores.


Bruce Romberg Info

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Ronald Bruce Romberg

Ronald Bruce Romberg Info

For most shots out of the sand, use your 60-degree wedge unless the flag is across the green, then you might go to your 54-degree or pitching wedge. Start by addressing the ball with an open club face. Play the ball off your left heel and set about 60 percent of your weight on your left foot.

Next, pick a spot approximately an inch behind the ball, as this is where you want the clubhead to enter the sand. From there make an outside in swing, making sure to use a full wrist hinge on the backswing.

As you swing the club head through the impact zone let the club head release to create the proper speed through the sand. Most golfers don't swing hard enough in bunkers to let the sand propel the ball out of the trap. Feel like you are pounding the sand and accelerating the club head through the shot to improve your bunker play.

Bruce Romberg

As we head into the colder months, and we leave thoughts of playing golf again till the spring, there is now a great opportunity for those of you who live in the colder climates, and those of you who get home from work too late to slip down to the course for a little practice, to work on that putting stroke, and improve it once and for all. Non of us want to make a change to our putting stroke during the season just in case it ruins rather that improves our score. However, we now have several months to perfect the stroke without worrying about score, only the correct stroke.


I have set up two 3x2x4" boards, standing them on the 2" side so that I have a high wall on either side. The width is determined by the width of you putter. Leave only a very small margin of error on each side. The cup is set up approx. 10 feet away (you do not want to practice longer putts, as this will effect your feel for long putts next spring).



I am making sure that my eyes are directly over the ball by holding the putter on the bridge of my nose and making sure the shaft falls directly over the ball.

Goals:

1. To get the putter head moving between the boards without touching

2. To finish the stroke with the putter face still at 90 degrees to your intended line.


and not with the toe out in front of the hell.


3. To set yourself a target of holing at least 50 in a row. This will build the self-confidence in your subconscious to make it believe that you cannot miss from that range.

Work on this and the chipping drill I will give next month, and your short game should be sharper than it has ever been come next spring. Good Luck!!

Ronald Bruce Romberg Bio

Bruce Romberg Articles:
With today's oversize drivers, it is much easier to hit the ball a long way. But if you suffer from a slice, that extra distance will probably have your tee shots not only missing the fairway but also rob you of your new-found distance.

A sliced shot is mainly caused by two factors: starting the downswing from an over-the-top move - causing an outside-in downswing - and a clubface that's open at impact.

For a quick fix, start by gripping the club with a baseball grip, and address the ball as you would hitting a baseball. From this position, make a few full swings as though you were hitting waist-high baseball pitches. It's important to keep the arms and hands relaxed so you encourage a full release (turning over) of the hands through the impact area. This drill will encourage your hands and arms to rotate as they pass the center of your body.


By taking these baseball practice swings, above the ball, you're experiencing the feel of how your hands and arms should rotate though the hitting area. This release movement effectively helps speed up the hands through the impact zone enabling you to increase your power.

Try this drill as a practice swing before all your full shots the next few rounds, and you'll see and feel longer and straighter tee shots in no time.

About Bruce Romberg
Bruce Romberg Articles
Ronald Bruce Romberg Profile


Have you ever had the yips?

No. I've worked with a number of golfers who have, and I'm a technical advisor to the German Science and Motion Academy headed by neuroscientist Dr Christian Marquardt, who is highly regarded on the PGA Tour and the European Tour for his high-tech medical approaches to the yips in golf.


You've written that you've taken more than 3.5 million putts. Are you obsessed with putting and, if so, how did it start?

Fifteen years ago, I decided to learn how to putt, as part of learning golf. Once I started delving into the books, articles, and tapes on putting, I discovered that the existing lore is vague, inconsistent, and repetitive, and only rarely gets beyond the rudiments of talking about what should happen in good putting to describing insightfully how to do it. This irritant sparked me to survey the entire lore of putting since the beginning to today in search of simple answers to simple questions, and to try out the various suggestions, tips, and drills, in a daily regimen of putting between two to five hours every day.

I found that the books and magazines just don't come to grips with these basic questions: How does a person read a putt? What happens in accurate targeting and aiming? What is the relationship between setup and targeting and between setup and stroke movement? What is an optimal stroke and how is it best performed for accuracy and consistency? How does a person best control the distance of his putts? The great players and teachers of the past decades have a lot to say about different techniques and preferences, and even about the physics of putting, but the missing element has always been about how the brain and body actually work for targeting and stroke movement. So in my daily putting explorations, I have been incorporating in-depth research into how the brain functions in putting, and what this means for techniques, learning, and teaching.

My objective is to be the best putting instructor in the history of the game, so I am committed to mastery of the art and science of putting as a student, teacher, and golfer. Steve Lowry, noted commentator on the martial arts, has written about how the regimen of practice towards mastery becomes second-nature, and George Leonard, well-known golf teacher and akido expert, has written similarly that the master loves the journey itself. I love what I'm doing and I "work" very hard at it.

How are the other parts of your game?

Not bad. I now have a pretty good driver shot, hit my irons pretty straight, but I need a lot of work on chipping and bunker play.

What are your thoughts on "long putters?"

I have seen some golfers use long putters with great skill and effectiveness, and that makes me want to understand what is going on in the targeting and stroke movement processes that is different from those involved with conventional putting style. On the one hand, I agree with Arnold Palmer that golf needs to be fun for the amateur, and equipment that promotes success for the amateur should be allowed with only modest restrictions on gimmickry. On the other hand, I'm also a traditionalist when it comes to competitive golf, so I tend to agree with Ernie Els and others that equipment-based differences that make the human task substantially different between competitors should be disallowed. If at the professional level at least the consensus arises that long putters in comparison to conventional putters involves a significant unfair advantage, then either everyone should use them or no one should use them.

But I don't think long putters really present a significant advantage just from the nature of the design or the technique of use. Sure, some golfers benefit from switching to a long putter or a belly putter, but this doesn't mean a golfer with a conventional putter needs to switch in order to outperform those with long putters -- clearly, golfers using conventional putters typically outperform those using the long or belly putter. The take-away lesson from Vijay Singh's magnificent year in 2004 is that using the belly putter is a very good way to learn how to get better with a conventional putter. What's the most difficult putt you've ever made?

To me, all putts are the same basic task of effective targeting and stroke control for line and distance, and I give the same effort on a short straight putt as I do on a long monster snake of a putt. I especially enjoy the challenge of staying committed to a target outside the hole on a mid-range putt involving subtle touch. My most astonishing successful putt to date was a 250+ foot putt to a 4.25 inch "cup" on Daytona Beach in June 2000. Tom Olsavsky of Taylor Made Golf had just given me a new Rossa "Daytona" putter and I was trying it out on the fine-grained sand of Daytona Beach shortly thereafter. As it happens, the surface there stimps above 15, faster and truer than Augusta National on a Sunday in early April! The beach can be as wide as 500 feet on occasion and slopes around 2.5 to 3 percent. At low tide, I dug a small '"cup" at the top of the high-tide line and then walked down to the water's edge, over 85 paces, and putted two balls uphill to the cup, located at the feet of a man in a lounge chair who was nursing a beer. The first ball I blasted uphill and it then slowed and eventually toppled casually into the cup. The second putt missed a foot to the right.

What do you tell yourself when you miss a short, easy putt?

It depends. If I did what I needed to do to give the putt its best chance of sinking and it still missed, that's just "the rub of the green"-something beyond my current ability to control. I then take another look to see if I can find out what I might should have seen beforehand, if anything, so I can improve. If the miss was within my ability to control, then I made a bad putt on that occasion -- something in my effort wasn't as good as it could have been. Then I try to assess why I didn't put forth my best effort, so I can improve and reduce the number of times I have this less-than-best effort, but otherwise I accept that these letdowns will occur and move on. As Tony Lema once said, just because I missed a putt on the last green doesn't mean I have to pull my next drive out of bounds.

What is the first thing you look for when analyzing a student's putting stroke?

A general comfort level with the task. Some veteran golfers who lack this are very good learners of changes in technique that bring welcomed comfort with it. Some novices who have this comfort are easily molded towards a technique that preserves the comfort. Veteran golfers who are comfortable with sub-optimal putting are the greatest teaching challenge.

What is the most common putting mistake for newcomers to the game?

Misunderstanding how little effort should be used in making a good stroke.

What is the most common putting mistake advanced players make?

Believing they are good enough putters not to worry about getting much better, and instead focusing on maintaining their present level of skill out of fear of going backwards.

How can you help the golfer who has absolutely no athletic ability?

By showing him or her how normal adult skills, like reaching the hand out and opening a door or turning to pick up a glass of water on a nearby table, really underlie top athletic performance, and that the decades of experience with these processes of the brain and body can be used quite instinctively in sports to great effect, with appropriate guidance and practice.

Why did you decide to become a golf instructor?

Golf is choked with swing teachers, but top putting coaches are as rare as hen's teeth. I'm independent and driven to be the best there is in the world at what do, and I love learning and teaching and helping people enjoy a high degree of success in golf. I am probably some sort of nurse.

What's your own handicap?

As a professional teacher, I don't have a USGA handicap for amateur competition. For a while, my game was down near scratch, but that was when I was playing 54 holes a day, four or five times a week on the same golf course. These days, I certainly expect to break 80, think of myself in terms of a "single-digit" handicap, but don't get too upset if I shoot higher. But I plan on getting a lot better!


Ronald Bruce Romberg
Ronald Bruce Romberg:
Do you struggle with your bunker play? This may be because you are being given the wrong information. The technique that a (usually) stronger man will use in a greenside bunker is often the kiss of death for most women golfers, who generally have a lower club head speed.

Have you been told to open your clubface? Open your body? Swing the club more up on the back swing? All of these suggestions work great for Vijay Singh and even Annika Sorenstam because these players generate tremendous speed. They don't work for the average female golfer, who cannot even begin to relate to this power game and would simply be happy to be able to get out of the bunker and onto the green most of the time.

Players with slower club head speed often struggle with bunker play. Because the sand acts as such a buffer between the club and the ball, it's necessary to generate a minimum of speed to be able to extract the ball along with some of the sand.

Bunker play tips

Set up so that you will be able to splash the sand:

* Hold your hands high on the grip of the club. By placing your hands toward the top of the handle, you maximize the length of your sand wedge, which will help it to be able to hit the sand firmly.
* Position your golf ball in line with the instep of your forward foot, just like a tee shot. Playing your ball more forward in your stance will help to position the ball later in the swing so that the club head will enter the sand before striking your golf ball.
* Dig your feet into the sand. Digging your feet into the sand also helps to lower the bottom of your swing and will help you to contact the sand before the ball and helps to ensure a nice long divot in the sand. A divot in the bunker is ideally 12 to 15 inches long.

The necessary adjustments for low club head speed players are:

* A square face at address. You will not want to open the face of the sand wedge since this will produce more loft and less distance and due to the fact that you do not generate a lot of speed for most bunker shots you will need all of the distance possible.
* A square stance. In other words, your feet should be parallel to the target line just as they are for a normal full swing. Due the fact that you will not open the club face to maximize the distance it won’t be necessary to open your stance.
* A little attitude with a full finish. Since the sand acts as such a buffer between the club face and the ball, it will be necessary for the low club head speed player to take what feels like a very full swing with a full finish. To ensure that the swing has all the speed that you are able to generate, you will lift your trailing foot so that your heel comes up as your body turns forward and as the foot rotates up to the toe.
* Change to a less lofted club for greater distance splash shots. If you don't generate a lot of swing speed you will find that your splash shot with your sand wedge won't travel far, maybe only eight to 10 yards. If this is the case you will need to change to a less lofted club, like a pitching wedge or a gap wedge, for your longer splash shots.

By having a plan that will work for your game and club head speed, you'll have more success. When you know how to handle a greenside bunker and you are less worried about going into one, you may be surprised how much less often you find yourself there.


Ronald Bruce Romberg Contact

You've probably heard that real improvement in golf takes time, especially to make wholesale changes to your swing. But what if you could get a lot better in just one day?

Well, that's exactly what the folks at Simple Golf LLC say about their Symple Power Swing technique. It eliminates several parts of the traditional golf swing, keeping the most important elements and providing an easy-to-repeat motion so you can improve quickly.

In fact, the worse you are, the more hope this method has for you. Instead of trying to figure out positions, much of this swing is preset in the stance and grip. Instead of rotating the club open and closed, it stays in the same position throughout. And instead of generating power through the legs and hips, power comes from the core, or more specifically, the shoulders.


Here are the claims, which are more valid for the mid- and high-handicapper: Convert to the Symple Power Swing and you will quickly gain 20 percent to 30 percent more distance, stop slicing, become 50 percent more accurate, eliminate fat shots and tops and take the timing out of the swing.

The Symple Power Swing has two major components, according to Director of Instruction Mike O'Leary.

"Our grip eliminates clubface rotation," said O'Leary, who is based in the Orlando area. "And our stance eliminates weight shift."
Symple Power Swing isn't Moe Norman's Natural Golf

The genesis for Simple Golf came from trying to solve a problem. The problem, the way Joe Davidson, president of Simple Golf LLC (the company says it uses the normal spelling of Simple to get more Web site hits), saw it, was that golf was too complicated.

Davidson, whose background is in education, wanted to develop a way to effectively teach a simple golf swing in a short amount of time. He had experience with Natural Golf, which used the late great Moe Norman as its swing model, but thought there might be an even simpler way to play golf.

What Davidson and his colleagues figured out is that golf would be easier to learn by teaching a shortcut to a good impact position.

"We wanted to create a more accurate swing by reducing the complexity of the swing," Davidson said.

The major difference between Simple Golf and Natural Golf is that Simple Golf is a left-sided swing for right-handed players. Natural Golf teaches a right-sided hit, as if you were using a hammer.

In order to achieve a more simple swing, Davidson figured that the clubface needed to stay in the same position throughout the swing. Some may call that position closed at the top of the swing, but Davidson said it's square to the swing plane. Plus, this motion is more compact, so rotation really isn't necessary to alleviate tension.

In the setup and impact position, Simple Golf seeks to emulate the homerun hitter, with an extended front leg and the weight more centered just behind the ball. The head is set up over the right knee and remains there throughout the swing.

Grip is key. In the Symple Power Swing, it's known as the power thumb position, which is set (for a right-hander) on the right side of the grip. The right hand overlaps with two fingers instead of one, with the idea of taking the right side out of the swing. Finally, the hands are positioned so the left arm, hand and club form a straight line from the left shoulder. From there, it's simply a left shoulder turn back and a shoulder whip through.
Symple Power Swing taught from green to tee

This all sounds simple enough, and it is, but Davidson and O'Leary stress that these new moves should be learned in chipping and pitching first. For the short game, Davidson said, the feet are together, and there's very little wrist break until you get to the longer pitches.

The idea is that when a student can master the short shots, the full shot swings become fairly easy because it's the same motion. The only major difference is that the stance is wide instead of having the feet together; and in the short game, the weight remains on the front foot.

"In an hour or so we can give you a top-notch short game," Davidson said. "And if you can learn to chip with this motion, you can pretty much learn the full swing."

According to O'Leary, this method becomes intuitive quickly.

"Good athletes don't think when they perform," he said. "We've made the traditional golf swing way too complicated."

Ideally, the best way to learn Simple Golf would be through one the company's clinics conducted nationwide, or from a Simple Golf instructor. In lieu of a live lesson, you can purchase instructional DVDs through www.simplegolf.com.

The Web site also offers clinic schedules, information on how to find an instructor as well as a number of free video tips. Students who subscribe also receive regular newsletters and tips.







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