Andrew Rice Golf

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….

This is the first in a series of articles addressing the physical side of the game from Berkeley Hall Director of Fitness, Derek Lemire.  Derek trains PGA Tour Phoenix Open winner Kyle Stanley and is also TPI certified.

Today Derek addresses how to warm-up in preparation for a round of golf:

This article deals with one of the most common questions I receive, “What are some good stretches before I play golf?”

Good stretches to warm-up before the round incorporate the entire body into the routine.  Take your body through gross movement patterns and prepare for the stressors that it will have to endure during the round.

Be sure to EXCLUDE the following from your warm-up:

• Bounce in Forward Flexion

No bouncing here...

This motion puts you in bad flexion posture, reduces the activity of the flexor muscles and can actually stiffen your back.

• Club Behind Back and Rotate (Sequencing)

This is a no no...

This old favorite can add sway to your swing and poor shoulder position in rotation can cause muscular strains.

• Swing Multiple Clubs

Swinging two clubs

This method of warming up can lead to compensatory movements in arms, altered proprioception (balance), altered weight control, overswinging, a reverse C and increased potential for a reverse pivot.

These are the moves to INCLUDE in your pre-round warm-up:

• Hip, Trunk and Shoulder Stretch

This covers most areas...

When you do this get into a lunge position, maintain upright posture, suck in lower abdominals and bend trunk into side of forward leg.  Switch and do the other side.

• Core Stability and Rotation

Leave the club out of this one...

Assume an athletic stance, rotate upper body with no motion below.  Keep the elbows at your rib cage while feeling tension between inside thigh and lower abdominals.

• Cross Over Hip Drill

My favorite...

For this exercise cross the right elbow to the left knee.  Gradually increase speed as you go and do 30 seconds on one side before switching.

This is best illustrated with a video…

Keep in mind that these warm-up exercises are the basics. Time is always a factor and these three exercises shouldn’t take you more than five minutes. If you’re interested in peak performance it’s five minutes very well spent.

Follow Derek on Twitter @DerekLemireTPI

Here’s what Rory McIlroy has to say about training for golf.

As you may have heard, it’s all about impact! And it really is. The most important part of the golf swing is the point at which the golf club communicates to the golf ball - impact. The ball spends 1/2000 of a second on the face and it’s during this sliver of time that the outcome of every shot is determined.

When the ball is struck anywhere other than the center of the face a phenomenon called gear effect occurs. Ever heard of it? It causes the ball to draw (or fade less) on toe oriented hits and fade (or draw less) on heel oriented hits. I often see a golfer struggling to stop the ball from fading, yet every shot is struck off the heel or inside of the face. Gear effect is elevated when you use clubs with larger heads such as a driver and it’s actually the reason why the face of a driver is curved from toe to heel and from top to bottom. The curve on the face of a driver actually gets the ball, when struck off the toe for example, to launch to the right (for right-handers) and then gear effect causes the shot to curve back to the target. Gear effect plays a role in all shots where the ball is not struck in the center of the face and let’s be honest – and that is most shots.

A thin hit...

Another important note: andrewricegolf.com is pleased to announce that Derek Lemire,

Derek with Kyle Stanley

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…

You’re on the range, pounding balls, and suddenly golf seems easy. All the parts of your swing sync and you start striping one career-best drive after another. “By golly, I’ve got it,” you say to yourself. You can’t wait to get to the course.

Science has a name for this exalted state, but unfortunately it’s not “flow” or “in the zone.” It’s “the illusion of competence,” and the odds are it’s doing your golf game more harm than good.

You may think you’ve got it, but you haven’t. More than most people realize, the range has little to do with actual golf. “After most sessions on the range or even lessons, golfers haven’t really learned anything, if by learning you mean making a skill usable, durable and automatic in other contexts,” said Fran Pirozzolo, a Ph.D. in neuropsychology who has worked on performance training with PGA Tour pros, elite athletes from football and baseball, Navy SEALs and NASA astronauts. By “other contexts” he means playing in the pressure of competition, but also driving off the first tee in front of friends and hitting off a downhill lie. Read more…