Golf Local, Rochester

Online coaching is a new concept in the “world of golf” and has the potential of revolutionizing private golf instruction as it is known today. In the day of multimedia communication and electronic mediums this path of instruction “just makes sense” for some people who respond well to visual instruction. With e-coaching your instructor (if qualified) has the potential to offer instruction to you without being with you personally for example, when you are on the road traveling for business or vacation or if you have minimal time to arrange a private meeting with your instructor.

You can simply shoot video both down the line and face on (see example below) with any hand held device such as your iPhone, then send to your locker with Online Skills Coach and your selected instructor will receive an email indicating that you have sent a video that needs to be coached. The video can be shot both indoors or outdoors, on the range, golf course, practice green or bunkers;  videos have been received to be coached that have even been recorded in students’ living rooms at their homes!

The instructor, as part of his or her agreement with Online Skills Coach, must within 48 hours of receipt, coach your video with voiceover and return to you with comments, text and/or drills attached that have been personally recorded by your instructor indicating the path he/she may want you to take to improve or work on in the coming days or weeks. The coached video remains in your locker for a total of one year so you can review over and over again at your convenience; this is an added benefit because many times we as students get off track and this is a way for the student to constantly review what needs to be done at their own convenience.

In the Greater Rochester Area, Brian Jacobs is the only Hank Haney Certified Ecoach Pro and currently coach players from all over the United States, Canada and overseas. His “Estudents” have progressed incredibly well and are just as committed to improvement as the students he teaches in his golf schools and private instruction.

There are a variety of reasons for why people choose ecoaching for example, time constraints or as a continuation of instruction for out of state/country students that have attended a golf school; many Estudents progress at the same or more rapid rates and in some cases Brian Jacobs has received as many as 3-4 videos a month from some  Estudents. He has been asked a number of times if he feels that ecoaching will “take over” traditional instruction and he  replies, “no” but there is a place for this type of instruction for a number of people who again, would prefer to be coached in this manner.

Brian Jacobs is always open to learning and implementing anything that he believes will help his students get better and develop consistency and this is definitely another tool that he can use to assist his students in constant progress. In Brian Jacobs way of thinking for our area of the country this is a great way to stay “tuned up” in the winter months and he has used this program for players that he coached that play the Mini Tours in Arizona when snow is on the ground here and for athletes that are preparing for college golf. The coaches from colleges can simply view the video in the student locker with his voiceover and the process of recruiting or student improvement can continue to be as smooth as possible.

In the coming months he will be creating a program with his Performance Coach, Corey Taylor (www.CoreyTaylor.net) where he can also ecoach his students and build drop down programs that can be done at home or a gym to assist the student in being golf fit for the off season, pre-season and in season all based on video that is sent via Online Skills Coach.

This program is a tremendous way to learn at your own pace or support previous learning at one of his golf schools or private instructional training sessions and Brian Jacobs would encourage you to research this further. He is always available to answer your questions either through his website www.BrianJacobsGolf.com or on twitter @brianjacobsgolf and he looks forward to the coming months as he continues this series of articles with Golf Local on topics of interest that to golf instruction.

HOW TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT

1. Go to OnlineSkillsCoach.com

2. Click on new user in top right corner of page

3. Fill out the information

4. Select golf as your sport then Hank Haney Golf as your team

5. Select Brian Jacobs as your Coach and get started today!!!

Start improving your game today with PGA, Hank Haney Certified Instructor, Brian Jacobs. When you send your videos, you receive a personal instruction video and customized tips and drills within 48 hours. All of your coached videos are stored in your accounts locker so you can watch them over and over again.

Get Started with 2 videos for only $29.99.

***Brian Jacobs Golf reserves the right to determine the length of the coached video returned to student

Now that the Wegmans LPGA Championship is over and the professional athletes have left town, women’s golf isn’t making Rochester headlines like it was back in June. That may lead to the perception that there aren’t many local golf opportunities for women, particularly for amateurs.

Thankfully, that’s not the case.

“Rochester is a golf town,” said Susanne Yarnall, the publicity director for the Women’s Rochester District Golf Association. “There are more opportunities than ever, more women-friendly leagues and courses.”

But what if making the transition from being a woman who is interested in golf to being a woman who is actually taking the steps to become a golfer seems overwhelming? It’s a normal feeling – even pros like two-time LPGA champion Heather Daly-Donofrio understand that type of hesitation. But the benefits of golf outweigh the challenges.

“At times the game of golf can be intimidating, but what all players need to understand is that the game is difficult for everyone, no matter the age, sex, or ability level of the player,” wrote Daly-Donofrio, now the LPGA’s director of tournament operations and player services, in an email. “Golf is a game that you can play for a lifetime and is a wonderful way to spend time with your friends, entertain business clients, enjoy the outdoors and, if you walk, get some exercise.”

Daly-Donfrio, who started golfing at age 15, became a professional golfer in 1993 and won on the LPGA tour in 2001 and 2004, emphasized that competition is not always the best motivation. “The key is to enjoy the game and not to worry about how well or poorly you play,” she wrote.

It is also helpful to take lessons, and get involved in local organizations, Daly-Donfrio added.

And Rochester has plenty of golf organizations to choose from, Yarnall said.

The WRDGA strives to further the advancement of golf by assisting in the development and recognition of amateur women golfers, while promoting good sportsmanship and friendly competition, according to its website. Yarnell said there are organizations in Rochester for all types of female golfers – whether you are simply looking to learn, socialize and network, or if you would like to play competitively, there are lots of options. Another example of a Rochester women’s golf organization is Rochester chapter of the Executive Women’s Golf Association (EWGA). And there’s no reason not to introduce girls to the sport early on. The Genesee Valley Golf Course is home to the First Tee of Rochester program, Yarnell said.

“People should be aware of the talent that comes out of Rochester and that’s because of the programs we have,” Yarnell said.

For those women just starting out, Daly-Donofrio recommends bringing along a friend. She said that her sister starting golfing at age 45, and brought a friend with her as she got started. “Before long she and her next-door neighbor were comparing notes and swings in the driveway,” Daly-Donofrio wrote.

For Betsy Fox of Brockport, she didn’t even have to leave her yard to find a golf partner. Her husband, John Fox, first introduced her to the game approximately nine years ago. Fox picked it up herself as a way to regain upper body strength after a medical issue and has been golfing regularly ever since.

“My best advice for women starting out is to get fitted for a good set of clubs. Find a good instructor and take a few lessons,” Fox wrote in an email. “And don’t golf with your husband until you are comfortable swinging a club!”

Fox said it can be challenging when a husband and a wife are at different skill levels, but it’s worth it to power through. They enjoy golfing together, as well as separately. They are members of separate organizations – he belongs to the Brockport Country Club and she belongs to the Arrowhead Golf club. Unaware that Daly-Dofrino had pointed out the same benefits of the sport, Fox demonstrated that amateurs find the same enjoyment out of the sport as the pros do by writing that both she and husband “love that we can get outside and enjoy the weather, and it is great exercise.”

“Golf is a mental game and that basically is the most challenging part of the sport,” Fox continued. “Women tend to get very frustrated when things don’t come together as quickly as they would like and golfing is always challenging – if it wasn’t we would all be on the pro circuit,” she pointed out.

For additional information on the organizations mentioned in this article, visit:

www.lpga.com	www.thefirstteerochesterny.org	www.ewgarochesterny.com	www.wrdga.org

Article Written By Jessica Nicastro

I recently learned about a new golf ball called the Polara Ultimate Straight. This ball was engineered to help correct a slice or hook. The manufacturer states that their ball remedies up to 75% of hooks and slices. So I contacted the company and asked them for some balls so I could do some of my own tests.

As a player who has battled the slice for many years, I had my doubts. I have tried every gimmick around to help hit the ball straighter – nothing has worked completely … until now!

The Polara golf balls claim to fly straight because of the three different dimple depths and patterns:

• Shallow Dimples: helps lower lift and establish optimal spin axis
• Small Dimples: helps inhibit slice and hook-causing side spin
• Deep Dimples: helps reduce drag and enhance weight distribution

When the ball is placed on the tee with the side stamp arrow on top and pointed at the target, the ball is in its principle spin axis orientation for a straight shot. The Polara Ultimate Straight balls generate about 20% less drag and 50% less lift when they rotate about their principle spin axis. It is the 50% less lift that is responsible for 50% of the slice correction.

So Did The Polara Balls Fly Straighter Than A Normal Golf Ball?
In order to get a accurate evaluation I played two balls over 18 holes – the Polara Ultimate Straight ball and a Nike PD Long ball. Off the tee the Polara ball was much straighter and found the fairways more frequently than the Nike PD Long. What the ball lacked in distance, it made up for in accuracy. I was consistently 5 – 10 yards shorter on the tee. To make up the distance of the tee the manufacture recommends 13 degree or higher loft club. The higher loft gives the ball a higher launch angle, which complements the Polara’s low lift/low trajectory.

When using my irons I experienced the same accurate results – hitting the ball straighter and even longer than the Nike PD Long. I found that the Polara ball was one to two clubs lengths longer off the irons than a normal ball. Once I figured this out, I hit more greens than ever before.

I was not as impressed with the Polara ball on the green. I found it hard to get a good feel putting compared to the Nike PD Long. This could be because I am very particular with the type of ball I putt with, so you may have to form your own opinion on this.

The Polara Ultimate Straight Ball is perfect for one group of golfers – those who want to enjoy the game more and hit more shots from the short stuff.  Please be aware that this ball is not recognized by the USGA as a legal ball in tournament play.

Want to win a sleeve of the Polara Ultimate Balls?  Enter Below For Your Chance.