The Oregon Course with Red Bunkers 🤯 + Better Rotation (and FIXED EARLY EXTENSION) With One Simple Drill

TIPS & DRILLS
Improve Hip Rotation (AND Fix Early Extension) With One Simple Drill
@meandmygolf gives us a simple hack to maximize your turn

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To Recap…

Poor ball contact is easily one of the most frustrating things about golf - but when the stars align and you find the middle of the club face, there’s no better feeling in the world. For most amateurs, not turning or loading into your trail side is one of the leading causes to inconsistency, preventing you from getting into a proper position at the top of your swing. With the help of @meandmygolf, let’s see if we can get that consistent contact percentage way up this year:

STEP 1: Take a wedge from your bag and lay it down under the heel of your back foot, stepping on the club face so the club shaft stands in the air at an angle.
STEP 2: Take your backswing and stop at the top. Feel the weight shift into your back heel as it pushes down on the club. Make sure the club shaft doesn’t fall to the ground - if it does, it means you didn’t turn enough and get a proper weight shift.
STEP 3: Now take a full swing, and make sure the club under your trail foot doesn’t fall until after impact. If you don’t turn enough or you stand up on your toes, try again with a slower swing speed, slowly working your way up to 100%.

PRO TIP: If you struggle with slower club speed (and shorter drives as a result), maximizing your hip turn is a great way get faster (and longer off the tee). By turning in your backswing, you add tension through your torso that acts as a spring, and once released will increase power. Just be sure to keep your head relatively stable… HERE’S another great drill for that.

COURSES
The Oregon Golf Course With Red Bunkers
Like Bandon Dunes, this Oregon public masterpiece is worth the trek

Aspen Lakes Golf Course
Sisters, OR

Aspen Lakes Golf Course, located in Sisters, Oregon, is about as public as it gets - family owned, affordable green fees, and a local feel that makes you want to pull out a grill in the parking lot after your round. Designed by William Overdorf and opened in 1997, the course instantly became a local favorite, receiving high ratings from Golf Digest as well, 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Owned by the Cyrus family, who can trace their Oregon roots all the way back to 1847, Keith Cyrus and his children used their own farming and heavy equipment experience to sculpt the course themselves. Spanning 7,302 yards from the back tees, that’s a lot of land to clear and re-shape, but they somehow made it happen.

The signature feature is immediately apparent when you walk onto the course - red sand in the bunkers! Aspen Lakes uses crushed red volcanic cinders from Central Oregon to make their own unique sand. According to multiple reviews by those that have played the course, the red sand plays a bit different than traditional sand - it’s a bit more coarse, so play accordingly. It might take more force to escape the trap and reach the green. Even still, one reviewer called them the “coolest sand traps I’ve seen on the west coast”!

The Cyrus family is currently in the process of adding resort lodging as well as a spa on-site, making the trip to this remote location even more appealing. If you’re looking for a unique and scenic golf experience in the Pacific Northwest, Aspen Lakes Golf Course should definitely be on your list.

Rates: Prime Rate (between 7:00-2:50) is $100 for 18 holes, and after 3:00 the rate for 18 holes drops to $60.

Check out this drone video from @evan_schiller_photography

evan_schiller_photography

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STATISTICS
The “X-Factor” - What Is It and How Can It Help You Improve?
presented by…

The Stat: According to data gathered from PGA Tour players and amateurs, the average Tour player typically rotates their shoulders around 90-110 degrees relative to their address position in the backswing, while the average amateur only rotates around 70-80 degrees.

The Takeaway: The fastest way to gain speed and increase power in your golf swing is by increasing turn, but how is that measured? The amount that your shoulders turn relative to your address position in the backswing is what is referred to as the “X-factor”, and the bigger the rotation, the more power that can be generated. Increasing your “X-factor” is also one of the best ways to improve your control and consistency.

Pro Tip: A lot of golfers think that simply swinging harder is going to equate to longer drives, but this is the farthest thing from the truth. Improved mechanics, which includes increasing your range of motion in the backswing, can give you more power with less effort. So focus on that hip turn, and you’ll be hitting 125+ mph club head in no time, just like Jake Knapp.

TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win a GolfForever Swing Trainer Plus Bundle + 1 Year Membership Subscription
(1 winner chosen on 1/31/25 across all January trivia entries, 1,000 correct respondents minimum)

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