Keegan is our new Captain! + Stat Breakdown: Missed Putts Long vs. Short by Handicap

TIPS & DRILLS
The “Limbo” Putter Drill Will Make You More Consistent On the Greens
To match the pros, try this simple drill from Taco Golf

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To Recap…

When using the flatstick, does the head of your putter feel like it’s way off the ground at the end of your stroke? If you watch the pros closely, their putter stays snug to the ground throughout the duration of the stroke. To match the pros, Taco Golf has you covered:

-STEP 1: Lay a club down 3-4 inches in front of the ball, perpendicular to your line.
-STEP 2: Use a tee or ball box to prop the handle up ~2 balls above the ground, and practice your putting stroke such that the head of the club will pass underneath the end of the handle. The goal is to have the handle just high enough for a ball to roll under it.
-STEP 3: You may be tempted to drag the putter head close to the ground, but don’t do it! Practice this drill until your stroke is smooth and the putter head can pass under the propped up club with no resistance/impact.

PRO TIP: Once you think you’ve nailed your stroke, try lowering the propped up club even closer to the ground. And don’t forget to aim for the center of the club face on every stroke!

COURSES
Jack Nicklaus Designed This Course to Eat Your Lunch
Even still, it’s a great value and very underrated

Old Corkscrew Golf Club
Estero, FL

30 minutes northeast of Naples, Old Corkscrew was originally designed to be a private club for the elite, called “The Retreat” at the time. But the original plans fell through and the course opened as a public venue in 2007, named Old Corkscrew. And the name is fitting- it will twist you into knots and spit you back out the other side when it’s done with you.

Jack Nicklaus designed the track, filling the course with numerous risk-reward holes between mature oaks and pines, cypress trees, lakes and wetlands. Due to environmental restrictions, the course is one of the few in southwest Florida that has no homes lining the fairways, and it actually earned status as a Certified Audobon International Silver Signature Sanctuary. This status covers strict limits on chemical use as well as organic materials used in the creation of its cart paths. As you might expect, the course is home to diverse wildlife, as evidenced by this alligator taking down a giant fish. 

Old Corkscrew is home to the Florida Gulf Coast University team, and it’s the #1 course in Southwest Florida according to Golf Magazine. It will challenge you to your core, and yet, it leaves you wanting to return. One reviewer wrote, “Expect great satisfaction with a par… I loved the challenge and the views, and would return again. In fact, I’m playing again in 2 days!”

Rates: $59-$109 during peak season

Check out this overview from @coursesyouneedtoplay

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STATISTICS
Stat of the Day: Missed Putts Long vs. Short by Handicap
presented by…

The Stat:

A 0 Handicap will miss putts long more often than they miss short, whereas any Handicap 5-25+ will miss short more frequently than they miss long.

The Takeaway: 

The punchline here is obvious - you miss 100% of the putts that don’t get to the hole. Perhaps the biggest data point you can pull from this chart is the difference in miss long percentage between a 0 HCP (57%) and a 5 HCP (48%). Both are very good golfers, but a 0 HCP is clearly not afraid of blowing a birdie putt 3-4 feet past the hole. They are confident in their ability to make the short-er return putt, so they putt aggressively.

Translation: You can’t score if you don’t get the birdie (or eagle) putt to the hole, so aim to have your putts finish a foot or two past.

TODAY’S TRIVIA
Answer to Win a TaylorMade Summer Commemorative Staff Bag 
(1 winner chosen on 7/31/24 across all July trivia entries, 1,000 respondents minimum)

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