Blog

Tips from the TOUR: Pre-Shot Routine

HOW BOUT THOSE CHIEFS! Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on winning the Super Bowl. I’m sure many of us saw how Patrick Mahomes remained poised the entire game. You could really see how focused he was and into his process out there. No matter what happened during the game, he just kept focused on the next play, the next drive… sounds a little similar to what we want to do in golf.

One of the most important aspects in golf is the mental game. That can be a very broad term, and in this specific article, I wanted to talk about the pre-shot routine. Our routine allows us to control what we can control and clear out distractions to be our best. We can see disciplined routines every week on the PGA Tour. Tiger Woods is the gold standard for a disciplined routine. This allows us to be in the same clear frame of mind for every shot we hit and will allow us to play our best golf. It also allows us to recognize when we aren’t in a clear frame of mind. Without it, we don’t have a game plan and are just at the mercy of “hoping” we hit a great shot.

Ok, it’s the first tee shot of the day. You have been to the range and hit a small bucket of balls to get loose, some shots were good and others not so much. You are standing on the first tee with your buddies and are wondering “well I hit my driver with a fade on the range but I normally hit it with a draw…I don’t know what’s going to happen…just step up and hit it and hope it goes where I want…” Does this sound like you? The solution will be your pre-shot routine!

Mental Aspects of Great Routines:

  • We focus only on the shot we are about to hit. Our past shots on the range or yesterday or another day do not matter. We focus only on this shot.
  • We visualize our best shots and ingrain them into our minds. We visualize clearly the shot we want to hit in this moment.
  • We have clarity on what we want to accomplish with the shot.

Physical Aspects of Great Routines:

  • We walk into the shot the same way each time. Find a cadence that feels great to you.
  • Our body is loose and alive to hit the shot the way we want. This is where a practice swing would work.
  • We feel a sense of joy to be out playing golf. We have to remember we love to be out here and that helps clear out the fear of the shot.

Decision Aspects of Great Routines:

  • We have a clear distance we want to hit the ball.
  • We know which direction the wind is blowing and have factored that into our shot.
  • We have picked a clear target line that we want to start the ball at and a clear finishing target where we want the ball to finish.

Now that you know the components that go into a great routine, it’s time to practice building your routine. The important part of a routine is that YOU have to own it. There is no one right answer. These components listed above will help guide you to build your best routine for success.

I’m excited to share more tips from the TOUR to help you with your game this year. As always please reach out to your PGA Professional for lessons to help your game with this. They are prepared and equipped to help you become the best player you can be. Have fun and good luck!

See you on TOUR,

Joseph Winslow is a contributing writer for Central Links Golf. He is native to Kansas City and is a professional golfer. He has played around the world on the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR China, and PGA TOUR Americas. He was an NCAA Honorable Mention All American at the University of Iowa and graduated from the University of South Florida. Joseph brings insight and advice from a competitive playing perspective to help you in your practice. Follow along with Joseph’s career as he continues to work to win around the world.

Why Your Shoulders Hurt After Playing Golf

Golf shoulder injuries are a common occurrence in golfers. There can be various reasons behind your shoulder pain, which we will dive into below and help you golf pain-free.

Upper Body Dominance

One potential reason for your shoulder pain with golf is having an upper body-dominant swing. Whether it’s due to technical reasons or lack of mobility in other areas (we will go over this later), your arms might be doing too much work from a muscular standpoint – resulting in shoulder overuse. Your lower body must work with your upper body to create an efficient and smooth golf swing to reduce any pain associated with swinging.

Lack of Mobility

Thoracic Spine

As mentioned above, shoulder pain can also result from a lack of mobility from other areas in your body. One key area to examine is your thoracic spine or upper back. Due to their close proximity, a lack of mobility within thoracic spine rotation can create shoulder compensation to still complete your golf swing. Repeatedly swinging with this deficiency will slowly create more and more shoulder strain. Simply addressing and improving thoracic spine mobility can take pressure off your shoulder(s) and help you swing the way your body was designed to. 

Shoulder

Your shoulder pain might also be due to a lack of shoulder mobility. During the backswing and the start of the downswing, your trail side shoulder is doing what is called external rotation (rotating outward). If your shoulder is unable to rotate to the degree it needs to, whether it be from previous injury or other joint restrictions, this could potentially explain your pain. 

Take this at-home assessment HERE to see if you’re rotating correctly, and get FREE golf shoulder exercises at the end upon submission.

Conclusion

Many golfers deal with shoulder pain regularly; however, this can be prevented. It is best to seek out an assessment from a healthcare professional, such as a golf physical therapist, to assess your mobility and determine the cause of your golf shoulder injury. Book your FREE strategy call with RobertsPT Golf Physical Therapy and Performance HERE, and start your path to pain-free golf today.

Dr. Cole Bunce is a contributing writer for Central Links Golf. Dr. Bunce works at RobertsPT, a golf Physical Therapy and Performance Center in Kansas City.

2024 February Funding Drive

The Annual February Funding Drive for Youth on Course is back! Help us reach our $15,000 goal!

Did you know Central Links Golf is responsible for subsidizing the YoC program in Kansas & Kansas City?

Members of Youth on Course pay $5 to play a round of golf at participating facilities. This program allows juniors to have greater access to the game of golf.

Help us continue to expand and sustain this program by donating to our campaign.

What You Need To Do This Off-Season To See Results Next Golf Season

In the off-season, set clear, achievable goals, prioritize fitness, perfect your swing with an instructor, and keep playing through winter. Prepare to tee off the next season with newfound confidence.

Golf is a sport that requires dedication and practice to see improvement. If you want to take your golf game to the next level, it’s essential to use the off-season wisely. While it may be tempting to take a break from the links during the winter months, this is actually the perfect time to work on your game. In this blog post, we will discuss what you need to do this off-season to see significant results for next golf season.

1. Set Clear Goals

Before you start any off-season golf performance training, it’s important to set clear, measurable, and achievable goals. What aspects of your golf game do you want to improve? Is it your driving distance, improving your turn and flexibility, accuracy with irons, or your short game? Setting specific goals will give your training purpose and direction.

2. Work on Your Fitness

Golf is more physically demanding than it may appear. A good fitness regimen can significantly improve your golf game. Focus on flexibility, strength, and speed. Golf-specific mobility training and resistance training can help with flexibility and strength, allowing you to maintain focus and consistency throughout the round. If improving distance is your goal for next season, starting a supervised golf-training program is crucial and necessary. Investing in your health is not something you will regret.

3. Improve Your Swing

The off-season is the ideal time to work on your swing. Consider pairing your golf-specific training program with a golf instructor to fine-tune your technique. They can identify flaws in your swing and provide personalized guidance to correct them. Practicing with a launch monitor or indoor simulator can also help you understand your swing better. Combining golf-lessons with a golf-specific training program focused on the physical side is an off-season recipe for success.

4. Play Winter Golf

Don’t take the Winter off from playing golf. You cannot expect to improve your golf game if you don’t swing a club for 3 months. While taking a week or two off is fine, you’ll want to continue fine-tuning your swing so that you aren’t playing catch-up when next Spring arrives.

Conclusion

The off-season is a great opportunity to work on your golf performance training and game to make substantial improvements for next season. By setting clear goals, focusing on your fitness, and fine-tuning your swing, you’ll be well-prepared to tee off next golf season with confidence.

Set up a time for a complimentary phone session, or start with a free home assessment to get personalized exercises put together by Dr. Roberts in the regions you could improve.

Dr. Cole Bunce is a contributing writer for Central Links Golf. Dr. Bunce works at RobertsPT, a golf Physical Therapy and Performance Center in Kansas City.

Tips from the Tour: Indoor Wedge Practice

Wintertime in Kansas. For most, that means football, sitting by the fireplace, ice skating at Crown Center, or any other indoor activity. Yes, the days have gotten short, and the grass has gone dormant…the opposite of what any avid golfer wants to hear. This doesn’t mean we have to stop playing the game we love! Our environment can cause our golf game to be “rusty” when we come back to playing in the spring. The excitement of the first round in spring weather shouldn’t be hindered by the frustration of performance. I’m here to help you overcome that by giving you options and opportunities to practice even on the worst days! In this edition, we are going to improve our wedge play.

When it comes to wedges, the key to success is precision. On Sunday, when you’re watching the PGA TOUR, pay attention to how well the pros hit their wedges. They routinely make birdie or save par, because of their wedge play. They have practiced this to where they know exactly how far they can hit each one. We can take an aspect of that practice to our own games to help us improve our performance too.

Three ways to practice wedges in the winter:

Indoor Simulator

  1. Pay attention to carry distance. You can control this via club speed (how fast you swing) and by swing length (how big of a swing you make). Carry distance and club speed are measured on most simulators.
  2. Find a swing length and speed that you can replicate with ease (ex. shoulder-high back swing to shoulder-high follow-through). The best part of using a simulator is that it allows you to quantify each shot.

Indoor Net without a Simulator

  1. Focus on contact. We want to hit the ball in the middle of the face to create the most consistent shot we can. Without quantifying with a simulator, one of the best things we can do is focus on being able to make consistent contact.
  2. Create a feel for how big of a swing you are using. Sometimes it works to think that the club works on a clock (for example, a right-handed golfer might have the club go to the 10 o’clock position on the backswing and finish at the 2 o’clock position for the follow-through). Other people can relate to the places on their bodies. The 10 o’clock backswing example would equate to a shoulder-high left arm at the top of the backswing for a right-handed golfer. Either method is great; play around to find out what works best for you! Taking video can be an excellent way to see how big of a swing you are making. Set up the camera for a face-on view.

At Home: Using a Mirror

  1. Focus on setup position in a mirror. We want a consistent setup with ball position- further back in our stance creates lower ball flight, and further up creates higher ball flight. We want to create a consistent ball position for success. I would suggest playing the ball slightly back in the middle of your stance. Work on setting up to the ball consistently each time in the mirror. If your ceilings are tall enough, you can practice making different backswing lengths and seeing them in the mirror. This can help develop a feel for what size of swing you are making, and then when you get the opportunity to hit balls, use that feel and see how far the ball goes with each one.
  2. Visualize with your mind. It is incredible how powerful visualization is. Every pro visualizes their shot clearly before they hit. Think about the best shot you have ever hit with a wedge; think about how great the contact felt, the flight of the ball in the air, the green grass, and how the ball landed and rolled right next to the hole or went in! Spending five to ten minutes a day just visualizing hitting great wedges (or any golf shot) is going to help you become a better golfer. You will be amazed at how ready your body and mind are for performance after doing this.

I hope these options help you to get through the toughest part of the year for golfers. There is no reason to let the winter in the Midwest hold us back from accomplishing our golf goals in 2024 or keep us from enjoying the game we love! I’m excited to share more tips from the TOUR to help you with your game this year. As always, please reach out to your PGA Professional for lessons to help your game with this. They are prepared and equipped to help you become the best player you can be. Have fun and good luck!

See you on TOUR,

Joseph Winslow is a contributing writer for Central Links Golf. He is native to Kansas City and is a professional golfer. He has played around the world on the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR China, and PGA TOUR Americas. He was an NCAA Honorable Mention All American at the University of Iowa and graduated from the University of South Florida. Joseph brings insight and advice from a competitive playing perspective to help you in your practice. Follow along with Joseph’s career as he continues to work to win around the world.

STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE

The Competitive Advantage of Off-Season Training for Golfers

Off-season training for golfers provides a unique opportunity to address weaknesses and gain a competitive edge. Prioritizing physical fitness, including strength, flexibility, and balance, can lead to increased clubhead speed, improved distance off the tee, injury prevention, and enhanced consistency in your swing. Discover how off-season training can transform your golf game.

One of the primary benefits of off-season training is the ability to address weaknesses. Golfers can identify specific aspects of their game that need improvement and target them during the off-season. A key area of focus to gain a competitive advantage in the off-season is to prioritize physical fitness. Golf demands a combination of strength, power, flexibility, and balance. These attributes can be cultivated during the off-season. A stronger, more powerful body translates to increased clubhead speed and improved distance off the tee, while better flexibility aids in maintaining a consistent swing throughout the round and reducing injury risk.

Off-season training offers an invaluable opportunity for golfers to elevate their physical condition. Strength and power are the foundation upon which a golfer’s game is built. Building muscle and increasing speed can substantially increase distance off the tee, leading to lower scores on the course – and, of course, bragging rights.

Flexibility, another key component of physical fitness, is the unsung hero of injury prevention and longevity in golf. The ability to move specific joints and muscles through a full range of motion allows golfers to execute swings without undue stress on their bodies. When flexibility is lacking, the risk of strains, sprains, and other injuries skyrockets. A mobile body, on the other hand, ensures that golfers can maintain proper form and absorb the forces of their swing, reducing the likelihood of injury. So, for golfers looking to stay on the course and out of the doctor’s office, flexibility isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity. Moreover, a limber body enables a golfer to execute the full range of motion required for a consistent and controlled swing. By improving flexibility through targeted exercises during the off-season, golfers can gain a competitive edge on the course. 

Additionally, balance and stability are vital for a golfer’s success. A steady stance and controlled body movements are essential for accurate shots and maintaining consistency. Off-season training programs that incorporate balance and stability exercises can significantly enhance a golfer’s ability to maintain a poised posture during swings.

Incorporating these physical aspects into off-season training can be a game-changer. There’s no better time to gain a competitive advantage than the off-season. By dedicating time to building strength, power, flexibility, and balance, golfers can take their game to new heights and stay ahead of the curve in the competitive world of golf.

Dr. Cole Bunce is a contributing writer for Central Links Golf. Dr. Bunce works at RobertsPT, a golf Physical Therapy and Performance Center in Kansas City.

2023 Volunteers of the Year

Our volunteers are the heart of Central Links Golf. This year’s recipients of Volunteer of the Year are extremely deserving of the honor. 

Rules Official of the Year: Scott Brooks

Scott has been a volunteer with KGA/CLG for over 30 years. In 2023, he volunteered at 25 tournament days and worked the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills. 

Course Rater of the Year: Tim Lenz

Tim has been a Course Rater for four years. In 2023, he traveled across the state multiple times to assist with training new raters and rate golf courses as one of our team leaders. He has consistently provided feedback and sought educational opportunities to grow his rating knowledge.

2023 Players of the Year Announced

Congratulations to our 2023 Players of the Year!

Junior Players of the Year

Rusty Hilst Boys Player of the Year: Tyler Strong

T15 finish at the Optimist Qualifier, 10th place finish at the Railer Stroke Play Championship, 6th place at the Junior Boys Four-Ball Championship, Low Junior at the KC Amateur, Member of the Mid-America Cup Team, Qualified for Match Play at the Kansas Amateur, T3 at the KC Junior Amateur, and won the Kansas Junior Amateur.

Girls Player of the Year: Emerie Schartz

Kansas Women’s Amateur Champion, Kansas Junior Amateur Champion, Qualified for the US Girls Junior Amateur and Junior PGA National Championship.

Women’s Players of the Year

Women’s Player of the Year: Hanna Robinett

Prairie Invitational Champion, Kansas Women’s Amateur Runner Up, 16th place at the CLG Women’s Match Play.

Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year: Katy Winters

3rd place at the Kansas Women’s Mid-Amateur, 4th place at the Kansas Women’s Amateur, 3rd place at the Tee Fore Two, 17th place at the Prairie Invitational.

Women’s Senior & Super Senior Player of the Year: Denise Desilet

T2 at the Kansas Women’s Senior Amateur, Runner Up at the Tee Fore Two, Won Women’s Team Links Series at Auburn Hills, Won Fall Triple Threat.

Women’s Legends Player of the Year: Naoma Kilpatrick

Kansas Women’s Super Senior Amateur Champion, T2 at the Prairie Invitational Opal Hill Division.

Kansas Players of the Year

Kansas Men’s Player of the Year: Zach VanDolah

T12 at the Kansas Mid-Amateur, Runner Up at the Heart of America Four-Ball, Qualified for the US Mid-Amateur, Match Play Qualifier at the US Mid-Amateur Championship, Kansas City Amateur Champion, Quarterfinals at the Kansas Amateur.

Kansas Mid-Amateur Player of the Year: Nathaniel Spencer

T6 at the Kansas Mid-Amateur, Quarterfinals at the KC Match Play, Runner Up at the Railer (Mid-Am), T1 High Plains Amateur (Mid-Am), Round of 16 at the Kansas Amateur.

Kansas Senior & Super Senior Player of the Year: RJ Opliger

3rd place at the Kansas Mid-Amateur (Senior Division), 3rd place at the Kansas Senior Amateur (Super Senior), Runner Up at the KC Senior Match Play, Quarterfinals at the KC Match Play.

Kansas Legends Player of the Year: Joe Rothwell

Runner Up the Legends of Kansas Championship, 4th at the KC Amateur (Super Senior Divison), Senior Series Championship winner, Winning Team at the Association Senior Cup.

Kansas City Players of the Year

Kansas City Men’s & Mid-Amateur Player of the Year: Zach VanDolah

Runner Up at the Heart of America Four-Ball, Quarterfinals at the Kansas Amateur, Semifinals at the Missouri Amateur Match Play, KC Amateur Champion.

Kansas City Senior Player of the Year: Ed Brown

KC Senior Match Play Champion, KC Amateur Champion (Senior Division), Falcon Wealth Advisors Tour.

Kansas City Super Senior Player of the Year: RJ Opliger

Runner Up at the KC Senior Match Play, Quarterfinals at the KC Match Play, Runner Up at the KC Amateur (Super Senior).

Kansas City Legends Player of the Year: Don Kuehn

4th place at the KC Amateur (Super Senior/Legends), Falcon Wealth Advisors Tour Legends Division.


All points lists can be found here >>

Future Kansas Amateur Champions Will Receive Exemptions into USGA Championships

Big changes are coming to USGA Qualifying. Starting in 2024, the winners of the following Central Links Golf events will earn spots in USGA Championships:

  • Kansas Amateur winner will earn a spot in the US Amateur
  • Kansas Women’s Amateur winner will earn a spot in the US Women’s Amateur
  • Kansas Junior Amateur Boys winner will earn a spot in the US Junior Amateur
  • Kansas Junior Amateur Girls’ winner will earn a spot in the US Girls’ Junior Amateur

These CLG Amateur Championships are limited to residents in Kansas or Kansas City and students at Kansas and Kansas City Area schools.

“I’m grateful for the USGA’s decision to recognize our state champions with these exemptions,” says CLG Executive Director, Doug Habel. “It speaks to the strength of golf in Kansas that all four of our championships qualified to send our winners to the national championships. Hopefully, we’ll continue to get the best players in the state to participate and our championships will remain strong.”

In addition, US Amateur qualifying is changing to a two-step qualifier, similar to the current qualifying format for the US Open. CLG will host US Amateur local qualifying in even years and US Amateur sectional qualifying in odd years. Kansas Amateur semifinalists will be exempt from US Amateur local qualifying. All other previously hosted USGA qualifiers will remain on CLG tournament schedules.

For questions regarding these changes, please contact doug@clgolf.org.