2012 Summer Camps Registration Form

Commitment Letter (PDF)

2012 Schedule (PDF)

Participant Agreement (PDF)

Quick Registration Form (PDF)

Medical Emergency Form (PDF)

The first place to start is to contact the local golf courses in your area and inquire about the instruction staff, asking about PGA or LPGA certification and instruction experience.  Also ask about instruction technique and style such as use of video and training aids, appointment availability, costs and lesson packages.  You may want to start out with a clinic group or if you prefer a more private situation with one on one instruction.  Usually, your golf professional will offer discounts on series of lessons and as it is important that you receive instruction on all areas of the game, these lessons should include instruction on full swing – from short irons to woods, pitching, chipping, bunker shots, putting, and, when ready, some on course guidance including learning some rules, etiquette and gaining some experience playing with a foursome and learning to keep up the pace of play.

Some of the basics that an instructor will cover for full swing should include your grip, posture and alignment, and a feel for the basic back and forth of the swing motion that repeats with good timing and balance. For short game, the basics include a steady body position and a smaller pendulum swing using several clubs to create the right amount of loft and roll for the shot you need near the green.  Also for putting, learning to judge distance and direction and how to “read” a green and stroke the putter for solid contact should be learned.

Learning the fundamentals of golf from the start makes a lifelong difference for your game.  Starting with all of these basics allows the golfer to develop a comfortable swing that is also technically correct, and will get you out on the course enjoying your game as soon as possible!

The Beautiful Fall Colors and Sunsets are inviting you

Back to Basics – Instruction includes all areas.  Develop your game, starting with Putting and moving through Chipping and Pitching to Full Swing

$100 / Month
$30 / Day

Call for Your Reservation Today
Bring Your Favorite Classmates!
Heidi 760-533-6917    Jacqui 858-699-1899
Encinitas Ranch Golf Course 1275 Quail Gardens Rd. Encinitas, CA 92024

You’ve got nothing to lose but strokes!
Inquire About Our Other Upcoming Golf Schools!

Heidi Richardson PGA Class A Golf Professional
Jacqui McSorley LPGA Class A Golf Professional

Friday September 23, 2011 - 9 am – 12:00 pm
Friday October 7, 2011 – 9 am – 12:00 pm
Friday October 21, 2011 – 9 am – 12:00 pm
Monday November 1, 2011 – 9 am – 12:00 pm

Back to Basics – Instruction includes all areas.  Develop your game, starting with Putting and moving through Chipping and Pitching to Full Swing

$125 per session
or
$200 per month

Call for Your Reservation Today
Bring Your Favorite Classmates!
Heidi 760-533-6917    Jacqui 858-699-1899
Encinitas Ranch Golf Course 1275 Quail Gardens Rd. Encinitas, CA 92024

You’ve got nothing to lose but strokes!
Inquire About Our Other Upcoming Golf Schools!

Learning styles, games, appropriate age level instruction are just a few pieces of the summer golf camp that sets their programs apart! Both being mothers, they know how to manage all of the camper’s needs throughout the week. Many times adults make golf difficult, but golf instruction can be kept simple. Jacqui and Heidi encourage good sportsmanship and all of the intrinsic values that accompany the game of golf. They empower golfers with knowledge and breed confidence in the kids! The intensive summer instruction programs at Encinitas Ranch give junior golfers the basic foundation to build a game that will last them a lifetime!

Learning to love the experiences and process without pressure and expectations removes a lot of stress from your golf game. Kids relish the fun competition, yet are encouraged at whatever level they bring to summer camp. Instruction is geared to the strongest players so they do not feel like they are above the less experienced junior. All instruction is age and skill appropriate, with great opportunities for new friendships to develop. Life lessons of many kinds are part of the program. Leadership, cooperation, and teamwork are just part of the fun golf camp!
Give your child the gift of golf, an amazing summer activity and a sport for a lifetime!

Looking forward to having a ton of fun at the Ranch!
ENJOY GREAT GOLF!
Jacqui & Heidi

SUMMER JUNIOR GOLF CAMP SESSION DATES

Session One Eagle Camp
July 11 – July 15
9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Session Two Birdie Camp
July 18 – July 22
9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Session Three Birdie Camp
July 25 – July 29
9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Session Four Birdie Camp
August 1 – August 5
9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Session Five Eagle Camp
August 8 – August 12
9:00 am – 3:00 pm

PEE WEE CAMPS OFFERED * AGES 3-6 *
SESSIONS THREE AND FOUR
M-W-F 1:00 – 2:30 PM
$90
Contact Us for Information

Full Day Eagle Camp $325
Half Day Birdie Camp $175
Single Day Attendance $75

Our camps are for ages 6-15 (boys and girls). Instruction covers all areas of the game including putting, chipping, pitching and full swing including video swing analysis, rules and etiquette. Enjoy hours of professional golf instruction and spend the afternoons playing games and having fun with new golf buddies and practice partners!

GIVE YOUR CHILDREN THE GIFT OF GOLF!
ENJOY GREAT GOLF WITH US THIS SUMMER!

Click Here to Download The Flyer and Registration Form!

Knowing the rules will not only keep the traditions of golf alive, but will help you play your best round of golf each time you go out to play.  Many times, not knowing a rule may lead to a player losing strokes or taking a higher score then necessary.

There are many examples of how knowing the rules will help you save strokes.  Moving from tee to green, let’s look at some places where strokes can be saved.

I have seen many players unintentionally tee their ball outside of the teeing ground, not knowing the definition of and limit to where you can tee your ball.  Many times players will inch their ball just in front of the teeing blocks, not knowing that you have up to two club-lengths behind the markers.  Rule 11-4 states that you would receive a two-stroke penalty for breach of this rule.

Moving down the fairway, the ball must be played as it lies Rule (13-1) and must not be touched unless a rule permits it.  As much as you may want to nudge it, if you are playing by the rules, you can’t improve you lie.

But you do have options if you think you can’t play the ball, and knowing the rules may greatly help!  Knowing the options for an Unplayable lie (Rule 28) will help you get the most relief possible in some situations.  In other situations, you can take a drop, or move your ball to a better situation without a penalty stroke such as Loose Impediments (natural objects such as stones, leaves, twigs) and Obstructions ( such as anything artificial, out of bounds walls, fences, and benches).  Knowing Rule 20 (Lifting Dropping and Placing) will ensure that you do not incur a penalty in the process of taking a drop.

Finally, on and around the greens, rules that could save you strokes would be Rule 16, which states that you may not touch your line of put, or fix spike marks, but that you may fix ball marks.  Also, I have seen two penalty strokes assessed to players that accidentally hit the flagstick which was lying on the green too close to the hole, a breach of Rule 17-1.

There are many places where knowing the USGA Rules of Golf will help save you strokes.  In addition, you can be proud to be playing by the official Rules of Golf and to be upholding the traditions of the true game of golf.

The Grip

One of golf’s greats Ben Hogan said “Golf begins with a good grip.”  I agree!  Your hands are the only part of your body connected to the club so it seems to make sense that we should make sure that we know what to do with them!  For many beginners the grip feels unnatural at first, so repetitive gripping and re-gripping is important so that it becomes second nature to put your hands on a club.  A “formed” grip which has a mold of proper hand positions is an extremely helpful tool and the more a player swings a club with one, the faster the hands become comfortable. Grip pressure is as important as hand positions, and again, by using a grip trainer a player can relax the pressure as the position becomes more comfortable.  On scale of 1-10, grip pressure should be about 4-5, but for most, we are up around 9-10!    The grip pressure should be checked at varying points during a swing as well.  The “waggle” before a swing is a way of relaxing the hands.  Take some practice swings stopping at the peak of the backswing, then on the downswing as the club approaches impact, and then at the finish and notice your grip pressure along the way.  Relaxed hands allow the club to release and rotate through the swing, particularly during impact with the ball.  Lastly, both hands should work as a unit, as opposed to one hand being more dominant.  To help keep the hands close together and working as a unit, there are three options for finger positions: to overlap the pinky and index fingers, interlock those same fingers or just keep all ten fingers on, but in good positions and close together.  For most right handed players, the right hand is the stronger, more coordinated hand, and if the player is trying to HIT or LIFT the ball with only the right hand, the swing will break down. The opposite is true for left handers.  I recommend drills and exercises that will strengthen and increase coordination of the weaker hand, such as writing and brushing your teeth with your opposite hand.  During swing practice (not usually hitting a ball), letting go with the right hand (for right handers) at the moment of impact and swinging out to follow through with the left arm only, helps to reduce the urge to hit or lift with the right hand.

Body Set Up, Posture and Alignment

A new golfer should use alignment aids, such as a club on the ground or other tools that an instructor can provide to get the feet, knees, hips and shoulders parallel to the target line.  Two clubs on the ground, parallel to each other, one at the feet and another on the other side of the ball forming a channel can help a golfer “see” what “square” is.  For putting and chipping, these two clubs can be closer together to make the parallel or square path more obvious, and for a full swing they should be a safe 4-5 feet apart.

Next, a new player needs to learn what the clubface of each club looks like in the square, open or closed position.  A pitching wedge looks a lot different from a three wood, but the common denominator is that the bottom edge or “leading” edge is perpendicular to the target line.  Also, the hand on the grip need to be over the ball, verses behind or in front of the ball, which affects the loft of the club.  There are times when a player may want to hit a low shot, and in that case they would want to use a “forward press” and start with the hands ahead of the ball to decrease the loft of the clubface, but for a standard full swing, the hands should be over the ball.

Lastly, for a good balance swing, a player needs to work on a comfortable and “athletic” posture position.  This includes the correct amount of knee flex combined with a straight spine and tilt from hips to shoulders.  Looking in a mirror from a “down the line” as well as a “face on” angle helps a player examine their body posture and work on a balanced athletic position.  The body weight and balance should be evenly distributed from left to right feet as well as heel to toe, and the chin should be over the hands.  Tools such as a “balance board”, and balance drills help a person work on this position so that a proper golf swing posture can be maintained during and though the swing.

It is equally important to know about golf rules and etiquette when you are going on the course.  As you join with others to play in foursomes, you must not only have physical swing skills, but you must know when to hit, where to stand when others are hitting, how to mark your ball, fix your divots, how to use a golf car, how to write down your scores and more.

Start by looking in the USGA Rules book where the Etiquette Section outlines Behavior on the Course.  Within that section items such as the Spirit of the Game, Safety, Consideration for Other Players, Pace of Play, and Priority on and Care of the Course are covered.  Unlike many sports, in golf, you are the referee and umpire and must monitor your own behavior.

One of the most important aspects of getting out on the course as a beginner is to maintain the pace of play, not holding up groups behind yours.  The first time you go on the course, it may be best to go in the late afternoon, as opposed to prime time where you may feel pressured.  If you find you are falling behind and the group ahead of you is one hole ahead, you should let the group behind you play through.  As you improve and want to play official rounds, you must play your ball through the green, but as a beginner on the course, it is ok to pick up your ball and drop closer to the green, or just go to the next tee. You should keep track of your own score, and write it on your scorecard at the next tee, as opposed to standing on the green you just finished.  Golf cars should be kept away from the green, mostly on the cart path, following the signs and ropes on the golf course.  When you aren’t sure what club will be needed, bringing one or two extra when walking from your cart to your ball saves time.

Also, time is saved by playing “ready golf” which means to hit as soon as you get to your ball, working with your playing partners, so that whoever is ready should go, as opposed to waiting for the farthest away to play.  Of course, safety is important, so you must stand clear and away from the line of the shot when your playing partner is hitting. On the putting green, continuous putting is recommended, meaning that once you start putting you should finish, being careful not to step in your playing partners “line.”  The “line” is the intended path of the putt on the green.

Knowing course markings is important also, such as the red, yellow or white stakes or lines that define Out of Bounds, Water Hazards, and Lateral Water Hazards, as well as what to do if your ball is lost or Out of Bounds, or Unplayable.  Refer to Rules 26, 27, 28.  Also, information on how to Lift, Drop and Place your ball if needed is found in Rule 20.  You don’t need to be a rules expert, but some basic knowledge is needed in making the transition to becoming a player on the course.  There are many different options on “easier to read and understand” rules books, but it is recommended that you have an official copy of the Rules of Golf published by the USGA and the R & A.  There is also a “Rules in Brief” that is a very helpful outline of some of the most used rules.

Players on the course will expect your consideration and knowledge of these guidelines of etiquette and rules.  At first, it seems intimidating to beginners, but with some basic study of the rules and support by your PGA Professional, soon you will feel comfortable on the course and will enjoy the great game of golf!