Sylvia Ferdon: Return to the course with a plan, and have fun

Sylvia Ferdon is a longtime Peninsula State Park Golf Course instructor. Her career has included building the Baylor University golf program and coaching there. Submitted.

The amazing warm spell April 10-15 brought Door County golfers and most courses out of hibernation, but cooler late-April weather might make folks feel like they’re starting all over again in May.

That’s OK. We have a strategy for hitting the Reset button.

When we asked Sylvia Ferdon for a few tips on getting readers’ golf games headed in the right direction to start the season, she quickly agreed to help. The former LPGA tour player, Baylor University coach and longtime Peninsula State Park Golf Course instructor volunteered the following concise, clear and simple plan.

• The first thing is, check out your fitness level. Golf requires strong core, arm and leg muscles and flexibility, so any kind of stretching and strengthening program that you can do daily would be great. There are many combinations that are sport specific to be found on YouTube, and of course, walking is always added as one of the best things to do for your body, no matter what!

• Second, I would do an equipment check, especially your grips. I see so many people with worn-out grips that are really slippery. In the cooler weather, it makes players hold the club with way too much grip pressure. That is the biggest destroyer of clubhead speed and loss of distance.

• Third, I would head to the driving range with an “alignment stick.” You can purchase them for $5 at any hardware store, plus you are so cool if you have one – it is a must to have in your bag! Jack Nicklaus said the setup is 90% of the swing, so I would check my alignment, starting with the clubface square to the target line and my shoulders and hips parallel to that, like a railroad-track effect. 

I would also check my pre-shot routine. Make sure that each step is put into a sequence. It provides a checklist so that your large muscles are aligned to provide maximum power. This also allows you to concentrate on producing your best swing without worrying about where the golf ball is going.

• Fourth, I would practice my swing starting with my wedges, 8 iron, 6 iron, 4 iron, a fairway wood and driver. I would concentrate only on a good turn of the shoulders, and a finish where your club releases through with your hips facing the target and your body is in balance. 

It is also necessary to put in time with pitching, chipping and putting. Sixty percent of your scoring comes from this area in your game. Make it a point to know your fundamentals and all variations of these shots. Putting is half the score in a perfect round, so make a resolution to put in half of your practice time around and on the green.

• Lastly, go play! I would attempt to have no expectations. Instead, I would set a goal of picking good targets, doing your routine, and making a commitment to making a good turn and finishing in balance. The saying holds true: “See it, feel it, do it.” My score would be a “plus” for each time I did those three things well.

Sylvia Ferdon returns to Door County to teach at Peninsula State Park Golf Course in May and also assists with the course’s many youth golf programs. Reach Fairways writer Craig Sterrett at [email protected].