Dear Good Golfing Member

New Year, New Site!

Good Golfing has been established for almost a year and I am pleased to re-launch the Good Golfing website with a new look in the new year. Through this new version website, I hope to share with you more information about my beliefs, my techniques and experience which are applicable to all levels of golfers.

http://www.goodgolfing.com.hk

Enjoy and Good Golfing!

A Good Golf Tip - Overcome the Bunker!

Standard Setup of Green Side Splash Shot

There are many ways in which golfers spoil their bunker shots and the most common mistake is the set-up. So let me start with all the main points about the setup before addressing the swing:

1. Turn your clubface clockwise until the face points up to the sky and the leading edge is right of your target.
2. Grip the club, keeping the club face open.
3. Take a wide stance, positioning the feet open i.e. aiming slightly left of target
4. Taking a right angled line from your target. Position the ball opposite to your left heel.
5. Your hands should now be slightly behind the ball.
6. Ensure you are not too close to the ball (see picture)
7. Feel your weight evenly balanced.

You are now ready to swing.

Swing

1. Firstly, focus on the point in the sand where you want the club to enter, for most shots 2 inches behind the ball will be correct. So, hold the club above the point before the swing starts.
2. Try to swing the club back on the line of your feet. This will help to swing slightly across the target line in the downswing.
3. To ensure enough momentum in the swing, take the arms past 9 o'clock in the backswing for even the shortest shots
4. In the downswing, forget about the ball but try to visualize that the club will be throwing sand out of the bunker starting 2 inches behind the ball.
5. It is a must to keep the club moving through the sand so swing into a good balanced finish position.

Common Mistakes

1. Ball position is too far back or with hands too far forward. This makes a too steep downswing.
2. Standing too close to the ball which makes it difficult to open the clubface properly and to achieve a correct plane.
3. Not opening the clubface enough and the club will dig too much into sand.
4. Standing too open with feet and body, causing club to swing too steep and too much across the correct path.
5. Too much right hand trying to hit the ball out, causing heavy shots with too much sand or shots always flying left of target as clubface closes.
6. No follow through, causing a lack of momentum to get the ball out of bunker.

Golf Lesson Story: Junior Golf

As some of you may remember last month I reported on the success of one of my youngest pupil, Chiu Hoi-To (B-Tsai) who had came 3rd in a tournament at Kau Sai Chau, well, recently, he has gone to an even better result: He came 1st in the recent 2-days Junior Squad Qualifier organized by KSC and won by 36 shots with the score of 99-94 off the red-tee at North in his age group section (Under-10 section). He now becomes an elite squad member.

Two-day Squad Qualifier

Under 10 years	Round 1	Round 2	Total
1 Chiu Hoi To (U10)	99	94	193
2 Samuel Artigolle (U10)	121	108	229
3 Tiger Lee (U10)	126	109	235
4 Austin Leung (U10)	140	111	251
5 Ryan Xi (U10)	139	113	252

Mental Tips: Acquisition phase vs. Performance phase

All golfers need to recognize the difference between the acquisition phase of learning and the performance phase of execution. Never the twain shall meet.

The practice range is the place for learning, for acquiring new skills. It is the place to shape (or re-shape) your golf swing.

The golf course is the place for performing, or executing shots. It is definitely not the place to work on swing mechanics or tinker with the golf swing.

Scientific research, as well as testimony from many of the best golfers, suggests that it's best to have only one "swing thought" on the golf course.

Trust yourself and believe in your athletic brain's ability to repeat sound mechanics. If your mechanics aren't sound and they impede the performance phase, return to the practice range, consult a teaching professional and concentrate once again on the acquisition phase.

Dynasty Cup

March 14 - 16, 2003 at Missions Hill Golf Club
Ticket : HK$380 for 3 day pass of the tournament

If you are interested, please call me for tickets or enquiries

Asian Team Captain HSIEH Min-Nan Player Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) Charlie WI (KOR) Arjun ATWAL (IND) Thammanoon SRIROT (THA) Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) KANG Wook-soon (KOR) ZHANG Lian-Wei (CHN) Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) LIN Keng-chi (CTPE) Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND) LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) First Reserve Kyi Hla HAN (MYR)

Japan Team Captain Isao AOKI Player Nobuhito SATO Tommy NAKAJIMA Taichi TESHIMA Hiroyuki FUJITA Katsumasa MIYAMOTO Kiyoshi MUROTA Tohru SUZUKI Tomohiro KONDO Yasuharu IMANO Keiichiro FUKABORI Hajime MESHIAI Katsunori KUWABARA First Reserve Hirofumi MIYASE

About the Dynasty Cup

Thai star Thongchai Jaidee will lead Asia in the inaugural Dynasty Cup against Japan at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China from March 14-16, 2003.

Asia's top eight players were finalized after the Volvo Masters of Asia and as expected the team is packed with proven winners.

Korea's Charlie Wi and Kang Wook-soon, India's Arjun Atwal, China's number one Zhang Lian-wei and Thammanoon Srirot and Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand make up the impressive line-up. The eight players are undoubtedly Asia's finest, with a combined 32 tournament victories plus four Merit list titles. The team has now been considerably strengthened by the additions four, who were announced as the captain's picks of Hsieh Min-nan, including Indian Jeev Milkha Singh, Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng, Lin Keng-chi from Taiwan and rising Chinese star Liang Wen-chong.

"The twelve players who have earned their places in the first Asian team to play in the Dynasty Cup are very strong. The selection procedure which uses a points system based on the Davidoff Tour has ensured that the cream rose to the top and indeed, we will parade possibly the finest Asian players to face Japan in March," said Ramlan Haron, Executive Director, Asian PGA.

On-course Special

On-course tuition is still popular with many golfers as well as students and joining me for a round of golf at Mission Hills is certainly a good way of learning on course golf skills.

The special on-course tuition package at Mission Hills is $1,500 per person for 18-holes and the price includes on-course instruction, green fee, buggy and caddy. For details, please refer to the website or call me directly for appointment.

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