It's been awhile since we have added a post to this blog and I thought it appropriate to take some time and fill in the community with what we've been doing and accomplished in 2018. As we have always said, the information we provide in video download form and at our workshops is the information we use in our teaching with every level of player. This information is applicable to the club level player and the elite level player as it directly relates to their skill development. Yes, technique is a part of skill development as much as training practices to challenge their current skill position.

This year saw some exciting new endeavors and accomplishments. Probably the biggest one is the roll-out of James' Wedge Matrix Teacher Accreditation program (https://wedgematrix.com). This program is designed not just to certify instructors and send them on their way but to be involved in their teaching and guide through continuing education on the subject of wedge play. So far, 3 different meetings have occurred. One in the UK, on in Spain and the other in the USA. There is another day scheduled on Friday, January 25th in Orlando, Florida for those professionals attending the US PGA Merchandise Show. Information and Registration for this opportunity can be found here. 

James has also been doing some extensive research and work in the area of chipping yips. This research has helped James get a clearer picture of the underlying causes behind the chipping issues most often afflicting golfers. I've had the pleasure of watching James work with players that have the yips and to see him go through a fairly methodical approach is fascinating as he pinpoints the issue(s) to be addressed. So far, he is experiencing a 100% success rate in helping players with the yips. So, if you have them or know someone who does, it would be well worth your time to get in touch with him.

Lastly, James has been working with some players on the European Tour and US PGA Tour. He has been doing both full swing and wedge work with his players and has seen 3 wins happen to students of his this year. Congratulations James to you and your players. I hope to see him in the States more often as his stock rises and he's sought out by even higher profile players including major winners.

John has spent the majority of this year working with players on the US PGA Tour and some time on the LPGA Tour again. In an effort to generate some peace and refocus, John has backed away from his social media profile quite a bit as he needed to spend some directed time with his children. As things start to quiet down, he plans to re-engage on social media and put his website back up. One of the reasons James and I have remained good friends is our mutual understanding of the importance of family and that it comes first. I needed some time and James has been very accommodating and accepting of my break. 

John's stock is also on the rise as a putting coach on the US PGA Tour as some players joined the ranks and additional coaches brought him in to do assessments and offer advice on their clients. The year ended up a bang as one of the players he works with broke an 11 year win drought on the PGA Tour. It was a week when all the cylinders were firing and his putting was able to fully support his superb ball striking. 

I hope you enjoyed this year in review and appreciate the changes to the website. Our partnership in Short Game Secrets started with a text and has grown into the highest grossing self created and produced video series on the short game in golf. We appreciate all the support and will update you with future plans for seminars, workshops and new content coming 2019.

JG/JR

When James Ridyard and I sat down to discuss our brand, one of the main things that kept coming up is that the information we provide be equally useful for the elite player and the club player. Our videos were created with the club player in mind as the main market. Honestly, this has happened more from an education of instructors that have spread our ideas to their clients with fantastic success than direct sales to club players. This is good for golf and that's the important thing.

We often get the question, "How is this different than what you would show or teach a Tour Player?" or "How is this different than what you would show a beginner?"

The simple answer is that it isn't different. The information we provide allows for significant differences in ability and style to be successful. It was very important to us that this be true. It's not a one size fits all method but rather a deeper understanding of a spectrum of styles and how they work. This allows for adaptability to whoever you have in front of you. As a coach, we take great pride in the reviews and testimonials we've received from other coaches about how this information has helped them with their daily clients.

To that end, I want to share some information from a player I started working with full time on the US PGA Tour late last summer. This player is a top 30 career money earner (Charles Howell III) that needed improvement in his short game. We initially met to discuss AimPoint Express and it blossomed into a full short game discussion. 

Year to date evaluation 2016:

26th Strokes Gained Total
13th Scoring Average
17th Scrambling
63rd Strokes Gained Putting 
36th Sand Save Percentage
27th Season Money List
23rd Fed Ex Cup Points List
91st Official World Rank

Nice start to the year.

Early focus on short game and short range putting going well. Time to focus on mid range putts.

2015 (year end)

59th Strokes Gained Total
88th Scoring Average
151st Scrambling
143rd Strokes Gained Putting 
161st Sand Save Percentage
77th Season Money List
79th Fed Ex Cup Points List
147th Official World Rank

The information and drills that we have worked on are the very same ones available in our videos. James' short game info has helped significantly and my putting ideas have done the same. Work with his full swing is also coming along nicely which plays a role in these statistics as well.

Thank You again to all of our supporters. Those that have purchased our videos and those that have come to our Schools. It means so much to us.

JG/JR

I recently posted a blog entitled "The Premium Balls Test" that included a video discussing the results of 6 premium balls tested against one another to determine if there really is a difference between the balls we are convinced to spend hard earned money on, if you'd like to refresh your memory on what happened you can view it here

This generated a lot of interest and I promised that by mid May I would reveal the wildcard ball that is not in the premium ball price range yet outperformed almost all of them.

So here we are, it's mid May!

And the surprise package is.... TaylorMade Project (a)

TaylorMade Project (a) - UK Website

TaylorMade Project (a) - US Website

So TaylorMade have produced a ball that is long off the tee & very soft around the greens, in fact they have produced a ball that should shake up the premium ball market forever and here's why..

I'm not sure why anyone would choose the more expensive balls (even from the same manufacturer) when this is available at almost half the price, what reason could there possibly be besides ego? Remind yourself when you next buy balls that this game is ALL about performance and this ball out performs the majority, if however you derive confidence from playing a more expensive ball then that is also going to enhance performance so that might be the way for you.

Just do me a favour and try these balls out, would love to hear your thoughts (you might even thank me!).

Is there a best trajectory and curve for a wedge shot?

Which one spins most?

Which one is more accurate?

These are very popular questions. At Short Game Secrets, we strive to present information as clearly and factually as we can. There's a lot of great information being shared in the world of golf currently, particularly about the wedge game. A good mixture of the purely theoretical and the practical but there is little consensus about this very complex field. One thing that is clear is that occasionally the theoretical and the practical do not match up. The only way to clarify what is really happening is constant measuring and testing but with equipment shortcomings even that has it's own issues.

This video aims to address the concept that a wedge shot hit with a draw spin axis will spin more than one hit with a fade spin axis or a straight shot. The results are not conclusive as it's only one player's data and this topic really comes down to the individuals tendencies which likely have an effect on which spin axis produces the most spin and or consistency.

We believe that putting and wedge play information needs to be individualized whenever possible which is why we present our ideas in a way to cover different players patterns and tendencies instead of blanket statements or ideas to be applied by everyone.

We're looking forward to having more players conduct this test to gain a more comprehensive understanding but for now have a look at the video and let us know your thoughts.

http://youtu.be/Q0ArFZAaKzU

Just wanted to share with everyone a little video case study on green side scrambling from James Ridyard. Very often, the common advice given to students to help with their chipping can have poor side effects that aren't explained to the player.

This video shows a comparison between the common advice given and advice given to produce more options than the normal stuff you might see in a magazine tip.

Hope you enjoy it.

Attention Golf Consumers:

As a player, I've long wondered whether or not there are any significant differences between premium golf balls around the green. Certainly, there are differences off the tee but what happens when the shots become shorter and impact is less explosive? Does the technology that costs millions pay off for you the golfer? 

I decided to make a short video to show you the differences I found amongst a small group of premium golf balls (in the $40, £40/dozen price range and higher). The conclusions I drew are easily understandable and will hopefully make a difference to your ball selection so you get the most out of your game going forward.

Are you really getting what you are paying for and can a better more informed decision be made that best fits your needs and preferences. Most importantly, for some of you, can I get premium performance without the premium price. This video will provide some information to help answer these questions. We can't give you the names of the golf balls just yet but take a look and see what we have to share then stay tuned for the final answer coming later in May.

At Short Game Secrets, our mission is to provide you with the information you may not find anywhere else and help you, the player and consumer, get the most of your time and hard earned money.

Click Here to view on mobile

We recently asked on Twitter what our followers thought was the best short game shot of all time. Here in Part One of a new series we take a look at Tiger Woods' incredible hole out from behind the 16th green at Memorial, it was truly spectacular and an extremely good example of using your set up to improve the probability of a good result. Something we here at Short Game Secrets place a lot of stock in, we hope you enjoy it and maybe let us know your favourite shot of all time.

Greatest Short Game Shots of All Time - Tiger Woods

James

Just wanted to share with you a video and picture that you need to have a good understanding of to truly understand what happens to the club face when changing it's shape during wedge play. There have been many discussions in the past about what opening the face does to the direction of the ball.

It's important to us that you have a full and deep understanding of the 3 dimensional ramifications and how to use them to your advantage. If you've purchased our 5 video set, some of this will sound familiar.

Hope you enjoy these and don't forget, our Short Game Secrets Drills and Games Video will be released March 18th and we have extended the sale price till March 25th.

JG

We are proud to announce that our 2nd video - Short Game Secrets Drills and Games - has finished shooting and is currently in editing. This video, as the title suggests, will give about 20 drills and games for making more putts and about 20 more for wedge play.

Nearly 40 drills and games James and I have chosen to show you that we use in our own teaching of every level of player.  These drills are designed to improve the quality of your outcomes, not necessarily just drills on technique. James and I are comfortable knowing that the short game is a problem with multiple solutions and technique change could need to be very personal. These drills will touch on technique but most are geared toward measuring your current techniques ability to perform and score a set of tasks.

The putting drills cover the putting skills of targeting, touch and start line. Technique and games that require different types of makes to play are also included to help a player visualize more than one way to make a putt.

The wedge drills cover the wedge play skills of spin control, trajectory control, and distance control. Just like the putting drills, the wedge play drills will touch on technique but they're focused on making your practice time more fun and productive.

Pre-order sale pricing of $19.99 starts today and goes till March 17, 2014 at 30% off the normal price and can be purchased here: http://shortgamesecrets.tv/products/drills-and-games

Video should be ready to download in 2-3 weeks and links will be emailed out once available.

Stay tuned for an upcoming trailer in the next few days.