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Northfield, MN
This blog will seek to share the adventures, cultural miscalculations, and eccentric musings of one Luke Benoit, a golf coach from Northfield, Minnesota as he works for the BYGA (Bhutan Youth Golf Association).

ABOUT THE BYGA

To learn more about the BYGA, its mission, and history, check out... golfbhutan.com

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Golf Speed Sticks: Use Them To Increase Club Head Speed (400)

 Do golf speed sticks work? Yes, it does. Basically, the golf analytics has shown the advantages of distance because of which all level golfers started working on the club head speed. This is the reason golf speed sticks became popular nowadays.



The component that is beneficial in increasing more yards to the game is the swing speed. Therefore, hitting the golf ball with the utmost power is possible with the higher swing speed. This is a reason why SuperSpeed Golf Sticks are becoming popular among the golfers.


The golf speed sticks appear at three different speeds. Curious to know the same? If so, let’s check the following information.


  • The Green is lighter and is 20% faster than the driver.

  • The Blue stick is medium, that is 16% faster than the driver.

  • At last, Red is heavier and is 10-12% faster than the driver.

How To Use Golf Speed Sticks?

Yes, the three colored golf shafts with various weights that will help you in getting a good grip on the butt-end.

After stretching and swing speed workouts, you can start with the lightest stick along with the swing as hard as possible. While moving to the heavier stick from the lighter one, keep in mind to use the stick for both dominant and non-dominant sides.

Most importantly, you will need to have a launch monitor that will be supporting the measurement of your swing while you play air driver by not making contact with the ball. Not every monitor can do that.

Therefore, if you want to increase the speed while golfing, then it will be a great deal to connect to Rypstick for getting perfect golf sticks and more products.

Surprisingly, with the 2 months training, the club head speed gains to 98% gain 2mph (3.22 kilometers per hour), 50% gain 5+ mph, 10% gain 10+ mph. Along with this, you can use the launch monitor or else can also buy a swing speed monitor.


Moreover, Rypstick offers the Swing Fix Training, where you can learn more about the following:


  • The Slicer

  • The Caster

  • Flat Shoulder Planer

  • Swayer

  • Slider

  • The Guillotine Planner

  • The Goat Jumper

  • The Chicken Winger

  • Grounded

  • The Harpooner

  • The Hooker

Let’s Epitomize

It is important to use the golf speed sticks after golf speed exercises. Moreover, the golf speed workouts will allow the body to get heathen up and then start practicing with the gold speed sticks.


For that, you can easily rely on or visit the Rypstick to order one for yourself. Isn’t it exciting? If so, then why to wait more. Let’s order one today for better swing speed workouts and to make it a part of your regular golf speed exercises or efficient results.


Monday, November 1, 2021

How To Get Longer Drives In Golf?

Giving ourselves more time to take the downward swing not only helps us hit the ball harder and gain distance, but it also gives us more time to hit the bat in the face and get rid of slices. This is important because you don't want to try to hit the ball straight, which is why many amateurs end up leaning into the impact, smashing windows, and making bad contact. Grab relevant information regarding how to get longer drives in golf here. 

You have to hit the golf ball in an arc and we do this by stacking the upper body with the lower body and focusing on the angle of the spine when the swing is set up. When using a driver, your primary goal is to hit the golf ball off the tee at its height to induce an upswing. The ideal tee height for a normal shot is high enough to hit the ball into the middle of the club surface. The address position should be preset before impact so that you can make a normal swing for an optimal flight. 


What is the way to create a positive angle to hit the ball?


One of the easiest ways to create a positive angle of attack and increase the runway to maximize the distance of the driver is to move the ball up and down in posture. The driver is one of the clubs you should meet during your recovery strike. 




Placing the ball on the inside of the front foot helps to ensure that the clubhead is at the lower end of the swing when hitting it on the upswing. The most commonly read tip is to place the ball in your left heel if you want to hit a driver, but Chase explains how you can go a step further and drop bombs off the tee.         

Increasing your swing speed


  • Increase your swing technique to hit the ball closer to the middle of the club surface for maximum power. This allows you to swing more backward, resulting in more clubhead speed on impact. This can be the answer to how to get longer drives in golf. 

        

  • With longer shots, golfers can shorten longer holes on the course and increase their chances of scoring well. The angle of attack during a golf swing is influenced by the start, rotation, and flight conditions of the golf ball. In this case, the possibility of the ball hitting at a higher angle is larger, resulting in a longer, stronger drive.    

    

  • Another helpful tip is to think about keeping your back foot forward as you drive the ball. Of course, this can be a helpful tip but think twice before putting your back to the front when driving a ball.    

    

Conclusion:


For extra yardage, learn to tee the ball off with as much bat head speed as possible. On the practice ground, try to make a few swings on the ball with your driver to get as fast as possible, and make fewer swings when the ball gets out of balance. Hopefully, you have got the answer to how to get longer drives in golf. 


Friday, October 29, 2021

Learn 3 easy tips to learn how to increase swing speed

Swing speed is also known as clubhead speed and this is the rate at which your club moves at impact. Swing speed is directly proportional to ball speed. The faster your clubhead speed, the faster the generated ball speed. Know more about how to increase swing speed easily with these three consistent tips.

Furthermore, there is no doubt about it. The majority of people can swing their drivers much faster than their irons. Drivers are long-distance golf clubs that are designed to be quickly swung. In addition, our best golf fitness program can help you immediately improve your swing speed.

1. Being physically fit & focusing on rotation


Your overall strength and range of motion will have a significant impact on your target swing speed. While the exact effect is difficult to quantify, it has been observed on numerous occasions that as golfers become more fit, their distance increases along with their speed. This could be the answer to how to increase swing speed.

There is a significant impact on your swing speed and that would be due to the rotation of your upper body against your lower body. While your upper body rotates 90 degrees with your back to the target at the top, your hips only rotate 45 degrees.

2. Use speed training tools and try club fitting.


You must know that there are many speed training or speed-increment tools that have been sold on the market for a long time. So, people prefer to have them all to improve their swing speed as well.

There are numerous drivers on the market for you to choose from, and you must ensure that the club with which you play is ideal for you. It is an important part because choosing the wrong club could lead to years of struggle. A good club should be good not only for speed and distance but also for accuracy.

3. Hit it free and use your wrist as a lever.


It is a presumption of many golf players to swing hard as they would be able to be faster as soon as possible. But for your information, it can happen in some cases and remember that this might be a problem if you have stress too, as due to this, your clubhead speed will be directly mitigated.

At the time of swinging your golf club, you have to imagine that your wrists are working as levers. When you remove the club, your wrists will be hinged on the way back. For an ideal golf swing, keep your wrists bent until impact.

Conclusion:

As a result, hopefully, this information about knowing the reason for how to increase swing speed has aided you in the right direction. The written ways and tips explicitly tell the main part of the story about increasing the swing speed. That would be a very beneficial part of increasing clubhead speed. As a result, use these strategies as well as join our golf fitness program to improve your swing speed.

Contact us for more information.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Haa

Haa is a small mountain getaway 2-3 hours from Thimphu. It sits more than 9,000 feet above sea level in a riverbed near snow capped mountains. Scenic? Yes.

Last week Major Jaswal called me and asked me to help him with the construction of the new course at the Indian army base in Haa. Having really no idea what this entailed, but eager to break away from my simple yet predictable life in Thimphu, I jumped at the chance.

My journey began in the back of a pimped out 10 year old "ambassador". For those of you familiar with India, you know about this historic model of car. A simple vehicle reminiscent of a pre WWII American sedan, yet complete with a DVD player and plush suede seating. The Indian army uses this vehicle to transport high level officials and officers throughout the country. Clearly they overestimated my significance.

The driver of my ambassador, Neshar, was a chatty jovial fellow from the "hill country" of India. Quite obviously from the Brahman caste. During the 3 hour drive we stopped 3 times. First, for tea. A second, to take pictures in front of the ambassador together. A third, to get get some "magical" water flowing out of a mountain near the highest (and coldest) mountain pass. The "magical" water is sprinkled on the wheels of the car (presumably for good luck, a scary thought), but also to refresh weary travels. Since I had just taken tea (about 20 km earlier), and am not particularly fond of unboiled water, I skipped the elixir. After the magic water, a simple game of volume control ensued in which Neshar would turn up the volume of his horrendous Hindi music to obscene volumes to which I would counter by turning it down. After 3 rounds, Neshar won, as I withdrew to the open the window and the breathtaking views below.

When I got to Haa I was greeted warmly by Major Jaswal, who took me for a short tour of the course. Although suffering from an extremely poor design, sand greens (sand and motor oil), and excessive elevation changes, the course had sufficient land and character to be an excellent 9 hole course, if designed properly. Over the next 4 days I did everything I could to convince the big wigs to keep the course fair, difficult, and most of all, safe. You see, the Indians and Bhutanese have this strange disorder that leads them to make golf holes short, goofy, and worst of all criss-crossing. This, in turn, forces the caddies to wear helmets because more than half the holes become death traps. In any case, I was eventually successful in pushing for a relatively strong and charming (at least to me) 9 hole layout with only 1 unavoidable criss cross. The design will be a par 34 or 35 with 2 par fives and 3-4 par 3's.

Next came the start of the work itself. I was amazed to find that I had 24 unskilled workers in addition to a backhoe and a team of skilled engineers, all at my disposal. Unfortunately not single one had any significant golf experience, which made my limited expertise even more influential. Had I decided to put a windmill directly in front of the 1st tee it would take less than a day to divert a stream to power the windmill. Absolutely ridiculous, but very fun. The design features an 8th green in the shape of Bhutan and a 3rd green the shape of India. Exactly the sort of novelty these guys love, yet tastefully done, of course.

Together we embarked on a mammoth redesign project that would easily cost $1,000,000 in the US, yet could be completed for a fraction of the cost here. Just for scope, "casual laborers" can be employed for 4,000 Nu per month, or roughly $85. Try $2,500 back home. And of course, anyone working for the army, such as an engineer, is free, since there really isn't much work for an army officer during peacetime. 

Apart from the pure excitement of being able to design and construct a golf course, something few golf professionals ever get to do, the project presented the unique opportunity to barter my expertise for the promise of a 5-day-a-week youth golf program open to all the kids in Haa. To understand how great of a concession this is you need to understand the army mentality on this side of the world, which tends to see army land as strictly army land, not open to outsiders. I'll be back to Haa next week to continue what will hopefully be a long and fruitful relationship between the Indian army and the BYGA!

Monday, December 28, 2009

The Bhutan Open

It took me 15 years of golf to make my first hole-in-one. Last week I knocked in a crisp sand wedge from 104 yards on the downhill 10th hole at Royal Thimphu Golf Course. Certainly a memory that will last for as long as I live.




This past weekend presented a similarly significant memory. The 2009 Bhutan Open was held at Royal Thimphu Golf Course. The field was a bit small, only 23 participants, a majority of whom are pretty good players. The guy in the picture above is Thrinley Namgayel (Tillie). Tillie was my caddie for the two rounds, the best I could have hoped for. After two rounds I had zero lost balls, totaling a two day total of 68-68 (+2), good enough for a narrow victory over Nick, an Australian mate who is working as my teaching partner here in Bhutan.

Nick and I were happy to play well, but it was just as encouraging to see the BYGA kids we teach play solid golf as well. Jeevan finished 3rd, Karma 5th, and Dechen 6th. In sum, the BYGA took 5 of the first 6 places, a testament to the hard work we've been putting in.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Kids

The kids of the BYGA come in all shapes and sizes. Age 4 to 20, they arrive and we teach em. It makes developing a good practice plan difficult, but I've learned to improvise and use the older kids to teach the youngsters. English is only taught in the schools so the little ones who haven't been to school are the most difficult to communicate with. Often, I just give them a club and a ball and tell them to "swing under that tree over there". Back home, where there parents pay lots of money for lessons, such behavior would surely be neglect. Here it seems totally acceptable since they are skilled at entertaining themselves and more than disruptive when you try to include them in activities. Resourceful or evil, you decide...

Another challenge is the amount of energy they bring each day. All day the kids are cooped up in school without any recess or physical education classes. By the time they get to golf, they're literally bouncing with energy. "Coach, coach, coach" is all I hear for 15 minutes straight. Yesterday I arrived at golf to find a dozen kids gathered around 4 pieces of cardboard arranged in a semi-square shape roughly the size of a wrestling ring. It seems I had come just in time to witness their best interpretations of WWE professional wrestlers, mimicking their favorite show on TV. I was about to share the story of how professional wresting began in MN with Jesse Ventura and Vern Gagne, when the kids began body slamming each other with more that bit of fervor. There was no blood, but definitely some extensive bruising. It seems physical fighting here in Bhutan is a game, just like golf or badminton. Odd, I think, for a predominantly Buddhist culture.

Besides the fighting, which really doesn't bother me much since development experts say it can actually be positive, I don't have any real discipline problems. Learning names, on the other hand, can be a real challenge. In Bhutan there are roughly 15 common names. Chances are 80% of the people you meet will be named Jigme, Dechen, Dorji, Sonam, Tenzin, Rinchen, or Tshering (pronounced 'sring"). Or, more likely, some combination of the aforementioned. A fun game is to yell Sonam into a group of people and see how many heads turn. At least 2 out of 10, regardless of gender, is the norm. Evidently traditionalism comes at a cost to originality. 

Since learning names can be difficult, previous pro's here have simplified the matter by naming kids by the t-shirts they wear (everyday). Ex: one kid has a cartoon sleeping bear on his shirt, thus he has been named "sleeping bear", which he seems to enjoy since I've never seen him out of it. Pictured below is my putting group today. Cheki, Pema (Sleeping Bear), and Jigme. Jigme is the son of the general manager and lives on the course. He is the best 9 year old putter I have ever met. He enjoys saying "lovely putt" in a British accent as he follows his 10 foot putts into the hole. And yes, they all wear crocs, or more likely, some cheap imitation. Fun times with the BYGA.


Sunday, November 22, 2009

Tournament Time

















The India House tournament went off without a hitch. Qualifying took place over 3 days during the week. Players from across the country gathered to tackle Bhutan's most devilish 10 acres of land. The picture above is of the legendary par three 2nd hole, where good and decent golfers score 10, 15, and even 20 shots. My fivesome teed off on Wednesday morning at 9:15. At days end, I was the only one left in my group with a chance at making the cut (1/3 of the field make the cut). I was 10 over my handicap (0, I shot +10) and stood in about 25th place out of 150 players. My 10 over par round wasn't good by any means, but I've had rounds in the past where I hit the ball equally well and shot under par. The 10 strokes just added up... an extra bunker shot here, a missed 4-footer there, and before you know it you shoot 74 on a par 64.

I began play on Saturday convinced I could better my score. I couldn't have possibly been more mistaken. The pin positions on Saturday were unbearable. Hole after hole, the greenskeeper had placed them 2 feet from the edge of the green. On hole number two I made a bogey 4, but watched other players in my group make 7, 9, and 13. I finished the round 22 over par, my worst round since high school!

Without a doubt the most rewarding part of the experience was getting to know my playing partners. The youngest member of the group was a guy named Kille, a 17-year old caddie at Royal Thimphu. Kille only made it through 8 grades, but is well regarded by his peers and stands high on the caddie totem pole (meaning he gets the good loops with foreigners who tip well). He's also got a decent golf game, though he buckled under the pressure like a lawn chair in a tornado. Not all that uncommon when you're playing for a car and you're one of the favorites.

The next best player in the group behind Kille was a Major in the Indian army. The Major is a short wide man, who's portly appearance and low croaking voice reminded me of a bullfrog. Major had a nice swing despite his 10 finger grip and amphibian characteristics, but his real talent was telling dirty stories about his girlfriends and wives (I think he had 2 of each). It took me a dozen holes to realize I was better off walking slowly to the next tee so as to avoid the lurid details of his love life.

After Major, was Colonel, a small and sprightly man from south Bhutan. Colonel was well mannered and excessively excited about playing is his first tournament. The interesting thing about Colonel was that he truly was a self-taught player. He'd only played a few rounds in his life and yet was competing in his first tournament. He had learned golf from various books and the internet, though I wonder if the book he first picked up was authored by Jim Furyk. His swing was long and inefficient, but you could tell instantly he had spent plenty of time at his army base hitting 7-irons out of the dirt of some lonely field behind the barracks. Colonel missed the cut, but his effort was impressive nonetheless.

The last member of our group was a guy I had played basketball with the night before. His name was Dasho, and he is the 40 year old husband of the King's sister (royal blood = Dasho). He is a remarkable man by all accounts. An engineering degree from Berkeley and an MBA from Yale are just couple of his minor accomplishments. He also started, with the help of his wife, Royal Thimphu College, Bhutan's first higher education institution. Dasho struggled the day I played with him, the result of being far too busy to practice, but he was a joy to play with. Back in the US, it's not okay to strike up a conversation with a guy in a tournament after he makes a 9 on a hole, yet Dasho seemed more than willing to chat it up regardless of the route his ball took to the bottom of the cup.

On Sunday night after all the golf was played everyone gathered at the Indian embassy for the awards and banquet. The official awards ceremony was titled "Prize Distribution Function" and was exceedingly well planned. You get the idea from the name that formality is not something the Bhutanese/Indians shy away from. A caddie, who practiced golf in the evening by sneaking on the course, won the grand prize. His brother even took second prize (won a flat screen TV). The boys' father who works grounds crew at the course makes $60 a month. His sons, with one good week of golf, netted $8,000-10,000. What a life changing event!

After the prize distribution event everyone gathered in the moonlight to celebrate the amiable, yet complex, relationship between India and Bhutan.. Pork curry, was the appetizer, but drinking was the main priority in the early evening. After eveyone was sufficiently liquored up, the real spread of food finally appeared. It was delicious. I have decided that Indian food in Bhutan is actually better than Indian food in India. Gorged and content, people drove slowly home, unafraid of the $40 fine for a DUI. The next morning, Thimphu rush hour was a bit lighter than usual and golfers slept off the final effects of India House Golf Tournament 2009.