Robin Nigro Golf» – Tips to a better golf game

5 keys to game development

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:21:24 +0000

Key 1 – Equipment

Golf is no different than any other activity in that you need the right tools to do the job correctly. What if your game was suffering because of your equipment? What if your scores were too high because your tools were not the right ones? Wouldn’t it be great to know that the clubs in your bag would allow you to play your best golf? Robin has the answer. Our club fitting and testing process allows us to assess your game and find out what type of equipment will let you play your best golf. Remember, the right tools make any job much easier!

Key 2 – Instruction

Could you imagine any successful team or athlete competing at a high level without the proper instruction or coaching? What is the job of a teacher or coach and how do you find the right one? We feel a good golf instructor needs to be knowledgeable, passionate, honest, and have a true love for the game. A good instructor needs to know how to take any player at any ability and make them the best they can be based on their own unique talents and abilities. Robin happens to have 6 of the best Teaching Pros in Kansas City on her staff just waiting to make you a better player!

Key 3 – Practice

We all know the saying “practice makes perfect,” but what is it that we should be practicing? In golf the answer is simple, everything! When you play a round of golf you will hit many different types of shots, with different clubs, under different conditions. Is it possible that the “easy” shots are only easy because we have practiced them? Robin’s range is unique in that it offers many different ways to practice your game. Learning to “practice with a purpose” is the key to lowering your scores and Robin can help you do it, rain or shine!

Key 4 – Play

Getting on the course is where the rubber meets the road in golf. Here are two great ways to improve your game through playing. Play multiple courses when you can. Different layouts and course designs can only challenge your game and make it better. Also don’t be afraid of challenging the conditions. Playing in rain, wind, or different temperatures is a key to developing a well rounded game. Sycamore Ridge Golf Course became Robin’s partner in 2009 and provides challenges for any type of player, so make your tee-time and take on the Ridge this year!

Key 5 – Compete

Competition is the true measure of any players game. Developing a swing that can stand up under pressure should be a goal for all players. How would you like to rise to your best in the heat of competition? How would you like to face and overcome adversity in the course of an 18 hole event? Signing up for a league, outing, or tournament is your first step in learning how to compete under pressure. Robin’s partnership with Sycamore Ridge could provide you with several different opportunities to become involved in an event in 2010!

Posture is the key

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:48:02 +0000

Posture is one of the keys to consistent ball striking. I learned this 15 years ago while working on my game at a golf school in Florida. I was hitting balls, and my instructor kept pushing my chin up and pulling my backside out. The adjustment seemed uncomfortable and unnecessary until I saw it on video.

When I saw my original posture I looked very soft and rounded, like a 90 year old man hitting golf balls.

With my improved posture, chin raised, chest out, backside out, and spine angle slightly tilted to the right, I looked like an athlete!

From this new positioning, I could make a bigger shoulder turn and not sway. This allowed a better path for the club head and created much more power.

The immediate result for me was longer, more consistent shots. If you want to improve your ball striking, you don’t need to go to Florida, just come down to Robin NIgro’s and we’ll teach you great posture!

Robin

A snowy “hello” from the Robin Nigro Golf Academy at Sycamore Ridge Golf Course.

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:54:37 +0000

A snowy “Hello” from the Robin Nigro Golf Academy at Sycamore Ridge Golf Course. The Golf Academy will be back to Sycamore in March 2010. Here is a recap of our inaugural season with Sycamore Lead Teaching Professional Darrek Dubsky.

Robin’s first year on site at Sycamore Ridge was definitely a success and we are looking forward to doing even more in 2010! The dozens of students who improved their games through practice, playing, and learning were proof that Robin’s partnership with the golf course was a match made in heaven. How can you beat the best ranked public course in Kansas City joining forces with the most successful golf academy?

Many of Robin’s core programs were transitioned to Sycamore Ridge. This included Beginner Golf Groups, 1/2 day Golf Schools, and plenty of individual instruction using state of the art video equipment and teaching tools. But some new programs were also developed by Lead Teaching Professional Darrek Dubsky. They included both Boys and Girls High School Golf Camps, a new Jr. Golf Program, a Ladies’ Teaching League, and a unique Demo Day.

Anyone who has ever been to Sycamore knows how wonderful the facility truly is. The size of the driving range and multiple targets allow any player the opportunity to work with every club in the bag. Also the large, undulating putting green and short game practice area allow players to work on nearly every facet of their short game.

Professional club fitting and testing was also a big part of Robin’s presence at Sycamore. Anyone that was fit into new equipment can be assured they got the right clubs and the right fit to help them play their best golf!

Both Sycamore Ridge and Robin offered several promotions that tied the golf course and golf academy together in 2009, and will continue to do so in 2010. By receiving our weekly emails, you will have an inside look at all specials, promotions, and programs at the facility.

To all of you who participated in 2009, thank you for your support and we hope to see you in 2010. Happy Holidays from the Robin Nigro Golf Academy at Sycamore Ridge!

Darrek Dubsky
Lead Teaching Professional
Robin Nigro Golf Academy at Sycamore Ridge
816-522-1680 / Darrek@robinnigrogolf.com

Bert Benjamin – Getting Fit

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:04:50 +0000

In my first article for our Newsletter, I would like to address a very common scenario that I see here at the Academy. A golfer will hand me their driver and tell me what a difficult time he or she is having with the tee ball.

In this conversation, the golfer will explain that they hit a few shots with their friend’s new Driver “de jour” and then bought the identical one, thinking: “wow-I hit those great!” My explanation is that in order for a driver to “work”, the loft, shaft type and flex, length and grip size should be tailored for an individual’s swing. Given the multitude of variables, the odds are just not in your favor that the friend’s driver and the one that will work the best will be identical.

A club-fitting where you hit shots outside in front of a radar based launch monitor provides not only the empirical data, but the aesthetic feed back to determine the “one” for you.

Launch angles, ball speed, spin rates, all terms I suspect you have heard before, are measured and evaluated outdoors with a Doppler launch monitor as part of the only fitting protocol I employ. Hypothetically, if we find that your swing speed with a driver is 95MPH; then we need a loft that will give you a launch angle between 13 and 15 degrees, and a ball spin rate between 2500-3000 RPMS. The driver that is best for you performs with those specific parameters. The guesswork is eliminated and the Driver issues are minimized.

The key is being fitted outside with a sophisticated launch monitor that has the capability of tracking ball flight from impact through its apex.

Get fitted, it works.

Golf is an Outdoor game!

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:11:22 +0000

GOLF IS AN OUTDOOR GAME. HITTING BALLS INTO A NET JUST DOESNT CUT IT. THAT IS WHY ROBIN NIGRO’S GOLF BELIEVES GETTING FITTED FOR GOLF CLUBS MUST BE DONE OUTDOORS. YOU WILL NEVER SEE A TOUR PLAYER GET FITTED FOR CLUBS INDOORS BECAUSE SEEING THE BALL FLY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FEEDBACK HE HAS. AT ROBIN NIGRO’S GOLF YOU WILL BE TREATED JUST LIKE A PRO. ALL FITTING MUST BE DONE OUTDOORS IN OUR FITTING CENTER. BERT BENJAMIN, ONE OF AMERICA’S TOP CLUBFITTER WILL PUT YOU THROUGH A THOROUGH TEST OF DIFFERENT MAKES AND MODELS OF CLUBS . BALL FLIGHT WILL BE ANALYZED WITH OUR STATE OF THE ARTDOPPLER RADAR LAUNCH MONITOR. THE COMPUTER WILL NARROW DOWN THE LIST OF THE BEST CLUBS FOR YOU . AS YOU SEE THE BALL FLY AND YOU FEEL THE CONTACT OF THE BALL, YOU WILL KNOW FOR SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT CLUBS. DON’T MAKE A MISTAKE IN BUYING CLUBS WHERE YOU CANT SEE BALLFLIGHT. COME TO ROBIN NIGRO’S AND GET TREATED LIKE A PRO. CALL US AT 816-942-0505 TO SETUP AN APPOINTMENT TODAY. OR COME VISIT USAT 135^TH AND HOLMES RD. IN MARTIN CITY. AT ROBIN NIGRO’S WERE SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR GAME.

Putting is Really Simple

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:06:36 +0000

Last year I went to COG hill in Chicago to Train on the “SAM” putting lab that we had purchased for our Academy. I was fortunate enough to work with Dr. Christian marquardt the inventor of the SAM putting lab one on one. He was a very interesting person in that he had no background in golf at all. Even to this day he does not play golf. he is a scientist that studies human motion and movement. He is the type of person that would study the hand movements of a concert pianist or why a person might get writers cramps. He became interested in putting when he heard about the dreaded putting yips. He started his research on putting by going out on the European golf tour. His equipment was an apparatus that fit on the putter and read every movement that the putter was making during the putting stroke using ultrasound. His finding was very surprising. There were many different techniques and styles. They all were pretty efficient. The one common element was that they were very repeatable. Consistency was more important than the technique. It didn’t matter if they used a long putter, putted cross handed, used the claw grip, or a belly putter. Consistency was the most common trait among the best players in the world. This does not mean that technique is not important, it just means that consistency is more important. Dr. Marquardt first statement to me was, “Mark, putting is a very simple movement. There is very few moving parts and it takes very little strength or power.” “My first question to him was “why is putting so difficult for most people?” His answer was that most people perceive it to be difficult. So if we think putting is simple and that is is not difficult, and truly believe that concept, we are on the right track to becoming a great putter. This really makes sense because in teaching the golf swing there is so many moving parts and the club is going at a very fast rate of speed. The putting stroke requires very little athletic ability and does not require a great deal of strength. The key to developing a good stroke is simplicity. A our academy, we always evaluate our students first. The most common problems we see, is that the putter does not fit them, or should I say the the putter does not allow them to get into a setup that is mechanically sound that will allow their hands and arms to swing freely from their shoulders. Most putters are too long and are too light. If the putter first you right, you should be able to bend from your waist and get your eyes over the ball. Your arms should hand freely with a slight bend in the elbows. The ball should be positioned forward in the stance to allow a slightly ascending stroke. The power in the stroke should come from the right hand and arm. The left arm and hand should stabilize the path and face to keep it square to your target. For left handed players just flip this concept around. Waist action should be minimal but not necessarily eliminated. Length of stroke should be determined by how much speed is required to reach the hole. The ratio of back swing to forward swing is 1 to 2. Grip pressure should feel firm but not tight. There should be very minimal body motion. The legs and head must be very steady. Is this beginning sound to complicated? Remember our perception is that this is a very simple movement. Of course there is more to putting than just developing a simple stroke. How about reading the greens, or how do you develop the proper speed? How about your mental pre-shot routines that are so important to developing focus and a relaxed state of mind when you putt? These are all so very important keys to better putting. As you can see there is a lot to putting. Much more than what I can write in this article. You just have to learn and feel the proper technique and get a putter that fits your stroke. If you would like a SAM putting lab lesson schedule at Robin Nigro Golf Academy. And remember putting is very simple.

Hello Golfers!

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:32:06 +0000

Welcome to Robin Nigro Golf academy blog. Join us while we bring you some of the best tips from the best golf pro’s in Kansas City. Robin Nigros Golf Academy is among the best in the U.S. We will be providing golf instructional videos, golf instruction articles, and golf equipment reviews!

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