Andrew Rice Golf

Archive for the ‘Commentary’ Category

I was recently interviewed by social media guru, Ricky Lee Potts.  Ricky really did his research and asked some interesting and different questions. I thought you may want to give it a read:

He lives down in South Carolina, and teaches at the Berkeley Hall Golf Club. Oh, and he went to Harvard. (He didn’t go to Harvard… but we will get to that later.) Did I mention he drinks wine? Anyway, I met this guy on Twitter and we have stayed in touch ever since. I love working with the PGA teaching professionals because they all teach folks how to play golf… but they all have their own approach. Did I forget to mention he is from South Africa? There are some pretty big PGA TOUR players from South Africa including Ernie Els. He has actually played with Ernie… but we will get to that later. I am pretty excited to be sitting with Andrew Rice. He is all about impact… and in the game of golf, impact is pretty important!

Here is an excerpt….

A lot of guys are getting away from teaching, and bridging the gap to coaching. Is there a difference to you personally? If so, what do you think the difference is?

I too am trying to become more of a coach and less of a teacher/instructor. In my opinion, a coach is there for the long haul – they cover all the bases from swing to fitness to nutrition to equipment, the mental side and even scheduling. Coaching is so much more than golf instruction.

What’s in your golf bag?

I’m a Titleist guy and use all Titleist clubs except my 10 year old 36” Odyssey 2-ball putter. I love the Titleist D3 driver…

Do you ever do playing lessons with your students?

All the time! There is so much that golfers can learn in a playing lesson that saves strokes automatically. Course management (or lack of) is a big reason why many golfers have the handicap they do.

You went to Harvard. Tell me about that experience… that’s not an easy school.

(Laughs) You must have been on my personal Facebook page. I went to Central Florida, but with Facebook I can be a graduate of any school in the world in less than a minute! I have had some fun with my friends with that one…

What’s the best round you have ever shot?

I have shot 63 on numerous occasions, but the problem was that it was always in the pro-am before the real event!

Who is in your dream foursome?

I’ve thought about this many times – Seve Ballesteros (my favorite player), Bobby Jones (IMO the best of all time) and Arnold Palmer. I think my Dad would understand…

I am Tiger’s biggest fan. Honestly, do you think he will break Jack’s record?

I like to say this concerning Tiger, “The genie has left the lamp!” I think Tiger will win another major or two, but will ultimately fall short of Jack’s record. His greatest challenge is that he, and all the other players, realize he is fallible. When he dominated in the past, both parties thought he was indestructible.

There are a lot of young guys out there giving Tiger a run for his money. Who are some of your favorite players to watch?

You’ve got to love Rory and his wholesome vibe – just a good, talented, hardworking kid whose making the most of his opportunity.  I also like Charl Schwartzel. He performed the best in the majors last year and I look forward to seeing how he handles things at Augusta in a couple of weeks.

I read Golf Digest, Global Golf Post, Golf Magazine… they all promise to help “fix my slice” in 5 minutes or less! Do tips like that help or hurt an average player? Do you read any of those golf publications?

I do and I believe the quality of information they provide to their readers has improved dramatically in the past few years. The world has changed and many people no longer have the time to spend 15 minutes reading an in depth article to help them improve. Quick tips like that, while not optimal, work for more people than not. We’re all looking for something to give us a little hope for this weekend’s upcoming round…

You use TrackMan?

Yes, and it is worth every penny!

When I play, I play by “winter rules”. If we played 18 together, would you let me roll the ball or would we stick to the USGA rules of golf?

We’re out there having fun, Ricky – whatever your pleasure! My father emigrated to the U.S. a few years ago and was taken back with the way many Americans played the game – they didn’t know the rules and seemed to not even try to follow them. It took him a while, but now he loves it. People are out there just having fun. That’s the way it should be, shouldn’t it?

Speaking of the rules, there have been some changes to the rules of golf lately. What are your thoughts with all the recent changes?

The powers that be are doing all they (legally) can to protect the game. I would like for the powers that be to consider changing the rule that eliminated Brian Davis from the playoff at HarbourTown in 2010.

What are you doing when you are not playing or teaching?

I have two fantastic young sons (11 and 13) who play baseball. I coach a team and most of my evenings are spent at a ball field somewhere in the South Carolina Lowcountry.

Read more….

The Best Golfer in the World

Welcome to the future because you’re going to be seeing this face for a long time. Did it not seem like a lifetime ago that Rory and Rickie Fowler battled it out for Rookie of the Year honors on the PGATour? How far this young superstar has come – and how far can he go? Was this weekend perhaps a changing of the guard? Similar to the US Open at Cherry Hills when Jack (the future) defeated Ben (the past) and Arnie (the present) in an epic battle. In my opinion I believe this young man is going to rule the world of golf for many years to come. To the tune of 6-8 lifetime majors!

Here is an in depth look inside Rory’s bag of Titleist clubs- no matter what golf clubs you happen to play, I think you’ll find something of note. I was interested to see that he has only three wedges and he has separates them by 6 degrees – 48-54-60. The same as what I carry in my bag and apparently not a bad way to select your wedges (Stay away from the 60 degree one with 4 degrees of bounce though!). I also noted that he has used the same shaft in his driver since 2008. How many of us can say that?

Rory McIlroy's Bag

Enjoy the future folks…

Hunter Mahan

What type of shot do you need to hit to be happy? Or even satisfied? Many golfers, as they strive to improve correctly set their standards high. However, these high standards will eventually corrupt their mental approach as they can only be satisfied with a perfect shot followed by a perfect outcome. They only accept perfection! Not a recipe for cultivating a positive attitude.

Having read about Hunter Mahan’s change in attitude over the past few months that culminated in his victory yesterday over world number two Rory McIlroy at the WGC Accenture Match Play, I thought today would be an opportune time to share an approach I recently learned from Dr. Morris Pickens.

During the course of a round, any shot you play can only have one of four outcomes: a good shot with a good result; a good shot with a poor result; a poor shot with a good result; or a poor shot with a poor result. Four possible combinations! How many of these four cause a negative reaction from you?

The above chart illustrates the four possible combinations.  We can all deal with quadrant 1 and we should be upset with quadrant 4, but how do you respond to quadrants 2 and 3?  When playing golf we all prepare and work toward good shots and good results, yet we know that will never always be the case.  In fact, there has never been a round of golf played where every shot and result has been good.  We will always encounter adversity at some point and need to be accepting of certain results that are less than perfect.  A perfectionist only accepts one option – that quickly leads to frustration and one unhappy and disgruntled golfer.

I am not advocating that as golfers we should never get upset – quadrant 4 will take care of that.  I do believe however, that with a better understanding of the big picture, we must learn to accept less than stellar shots that work out (quadrant 3) and good shots that don’t (quadrant 2) as part of the game that we play.  When you can do that you are growing and improving, as a golfer.

Kyle Stanley gets his win!

Kyle Stanley did something very few golfers ever get to do – he turned the tables. And the amazing thing is he did it all in the span of eight days. After losing at Torrey Pines after having a seven shot lead, he righted all his wrongs on Sunday, by negating Spencer Levin’s eight shot lead to win his first PGA Tour event.

Kyle is the touring professional for my home course, Berkeley Hall, where he is also a resident. He takes full advantage of our amazing practice facility and plays with the members whenever he is in town. We are all so proud of “our man”!

This is what was in the bag for the victory week:

• Driver: Titleist 910D3 8.5 degree with Mitsubishi Diamana Kai’li 70X
• 3-wood: Titleist 910Fd 13.5 degree with Mitsubishi Fubuki 83X
• Irons: Titleist 503i 2-iron; MB712 4-P with Project X 6.5
• Wedges: Vokey Design 52.08, 56.14, SM4 60.10 with TT Dynamic Gold S-400
• Putter: Scotty Cameron Timeless (GSS)
• Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

An interesting note is that during the off-season Kyle switched from a 9.5 degree D3 to a 7.5 degree model. He could not get comfortable with the 7.5 and after testing on our TrackMan we found that he was a lot more consistent, and felt better, with an 8.5 degree model. Good to see he stuck with the 8.5.

Another interesting note – and this will tell you a little about his work ethic – his three wedges are each stamped with a word – DO WORK SON. One word for each wedge. He really does do work….

Kyle tweeted this after his victory yesterday:

“To do list on my week off: 1. Relax. 2. Work on my lag putting from 15 feet!!”

And a very classy tweet from playing partner and runner-up Ben Crane:

“As a fan of sports you have to love what @kylestanleygolf did this week. CONGRATS, Kyle. You earned this. The whole golf world is proud of u”

My sentiments exactly!

Kyle Stanley and Dunning Apparel

The Travis Mathew Booth

I have just returned from the annual PGA Show in Orlando, Florida and I am pleased to share that the economic side of the game appears to be in fine shape. In previous years I have left the show feeling somewhat dejected, yet after this year’s experience I am really excited for what 2012 holds.

Every year I look around for ideas that might be game changers – something fresh, new and different. I also keep an eye out for what I call “headscratchers” – something so far out it makes me wonder how it could ever help a golfer get better. Here are a few things that piqued my interest:

Swingbyte

This tiny, lightweight device attaches to the shaft of your club from where it captures your swing and transmits it to your smartphone (Apple or Android) or tablet. It offers relatively accurate data on swing path, speed and launch angle amongst others, but the developer did stress to me that once swing speeds exceeded 90mph the accuracy got a little “sloppy”. It also allows you to share the information with your coach or golf buddies. This product comes highly recommended for the vast majority of golfers out there ($149; swingbyte.com).

Snag Golf

Face it - kids absolutely love to hit balls at a moving target and they love it even more if that moving target happens to be you. If you’re looking to give your kids or grandkids a reason to play golf and have a ball while doing it – all you have to do is suit up in the sticky suit and let the fun begin. It’s a velcro suit that, when used with Snag’s sticky balls and plastic golf clubs, turns you into a moving target thats far more appealing than even the guy in the range picker. Big time fun factor ($230, snaggolf.com).

SuperFlex Bands

Iliac Leather Head Covers

These leather headcovers have been around for a while, but there is nothing that makes a statement quite like a customized set of these protecting your big sticks.  I have some (that I paid for!) and every round I play somebody asks about them. I love old school and these have old school written all over them. For the golfer who has almost everything (from $58 ea; iliacgolf.com)

A Curved Face Putter?

How about these two items? I have a hard enough time making putts with a flat face – how does anybody suppose I’m going to make more putts with a putter that has a curved face?

The Putting Guillotine...

This second “headscratcher” I simply called the Putting Guillotine! Is this device really going to help me on a downhill left to right slider on the final green for the win….? I rest my case. While I selected these two items to show you, there were many more instances where ideas, products and teaching aids caused me to simply turn and walk away.

The best booth at the show had to go to TaylorMade – again. Here’s an interesting stat for you: TaylorMade currently controls a 55% share of the metalwood market. If you compare to when Titleist golf balls where at their peak – they only controlled a 48% share of the ball market! And remember – golf clubs cost a lot more than golf balls.

Inside the TaylorMade booth...

....and the TaylorMade UFO?

Best Clothing Booth - Travis Mathew – the old convertible was a great touch.

Best Hosiery (socks!) – Kentwool – they claim to be the world’s best golf sock and I have no reason to dispute that. These socks rock!

Best Teaching Technology – Swing Catalyst – I may be biased here, as I own one, but this technology is ahead of it’s time.

As per usual there were many golf personalities there and I happened to see Scotty Cameron, Michael Breed, Lee Trevino, Paula Creamer, Wally Uihlein, Gary Gilchrist and Erik Barzeski amongst others, but I’m still trying to figure out what Flava Flav was doing there? If that’s not a “headscratcher” then I don’t know what is?

If you have not had an opportunity to visit the PGA Show then this video might give you an idea of what the experience is like. Thanks for reading and enjoy!