Blog

Location Update

The Aspirant Golfer’s Instructor has moved from Southern California to Northern Alabama.  We are no longer based in Coachella Valley.  My family and I relocated from Indio, California to Huntsville, Alabama.  Some of you are probably wondering why would I want to leave an area where there are PGA west courses and in general a lot more golf courses to come to Huntsville?  Besides being a golf instructor, I am also an engineer.  I took a position with a previous employer to move my family closer to our family.  My wife and I are alumni of the University of Alabama in Huntsville.  We miss our friends in the California but we are glad to be home!  If you live in Northern Alabama, Huntsville, Decatur, Athens, Owens Crossroads, Hampton Cove, and any of the surrounding areas feel free to contact me for my services.   The days are getting longer and the temperature will be warm soon, so contact the Aspirant Golfer’s Instructor to get your golf swing back in rhythm!

What Type of Golf clubs are good for beginner golfers?

What Type of Golf clubs are good for beginner golfers?

 

One of the biggest decisions a beginner golfer will make is choosing their first set of clubs.  There are mixed reviews as to which clubs are best for beginners.  To keep the discussion open I will provide some useful links to a couple of articles that will help you all decide what is best for you.

When I started playing golf, which was late 80s and early 90s, I played with traditional blade clubs.  Most people are not a fan of blade clubs and would prefer to have clubs with cavities.  Keep us all on the same page I will define the difference between blades and cavities golf clubs.  Blades are thin golf club heads.  They are harder to hit, but they will give you the most feedback from your swing and how you make contact with the ball.  Cavity back golf clubs moves the weight of the club head to the base or edges of the head.

The club design you choose is up to you.  If you want a club that is easier to hit and more forgiving then you would want a cavity back club.  If you want to gain more feedback from your club and have more control, then you would prefer a blade club.  As previously stated, my first set of clubs were blades.  If I hit a bad shot I felt it.  If you do hit the perfectly with blades you will feel it from the club, in your grip and wrists!  When you hit the ball perfectly with blades you will feel it also!  A perfectly hit ball with blades will feel smooth, good and most importantly right! Blades will give you a response each shot.  We as humans can learn through muscle memory.  For me, I was able to distinguish that bad shots with blades did not feel good in my wrists and hands, but good shots felt effortless and smooth.  I wanted to feel latter more.

If you decide to choose cavity back clubs as your first set, there is nothing wrong with you or your decision.  Cavity back clubs are a lot easier to hit! They do not require perfect contact with the golf ball to make a decent shot.  With the shift of the weight distribution of the club head in cavity back clubs, bad shots did not suffer as much with alignment nor distance.  It also makes it easier for the golfer to get the ball off of the ground.  With all of these advantages you are probably wondering why not buy cavity back clubs.  In my era of beginning golf and even now, blades were known as the player’s club and cavity back clubs were known as game improvement clubs.  If you want to play golf for competition then I would say go with blades, but if you want to play for pure recreation then cavity backs would be a good choice.

The fast forward from the late 1980s to 2018.  There is no longer a huge distinction between blade clubs and cavity back clubs.  According to the article “Blades vs Cavity Back Irons” by Mike Southern; ‘Forged blades are now made with shallow cavities to improve accuracy, and cavity backs are being made that provide increased feel and maneuverability.’  Club manufacturers are now merging the two types to develop new easier to hit irons.

Remember that whatever decision you make is up to you.  Always remember to enjoy the game while you learn!

 

Reference:

http://golftips.golfweek.com/blades-vs-cavity-back-irons-2404.html

 

Ideas for a Golf Event

I would like for this platform to be interactive.  I want you all to get to know my while I learn about you all as well.  What are you all biggest problem with your golf game?  Is it your swing, contact with the ball, putting, club grip, fading, slicing, hitting too far behind the ball, driver, irons, hitting out of a sand trap?  If you all were given the opportunity to attend a golf clinic focusing on one aspect of golf, what would you prefer to learn? Which aspect of golf would help you improve your golf game the most?  I want to offer my first golf event for free!  That is right, FREE!  You all have the opportunity to pick the subject of the clinic.  I am here to help you all!

One of my biggest problems in golf after taking a hiatus is my driver.  I tend to slice the ball when I start back playing.  I tend to spend more time practicing my driver swing than any other club, until I regain my rhythm in my swing.  In the past I have struggled with my chip shot from time to time as well.  I am typically a good chipper, but my father was a great chipper.  He would often chip the ball into the hole if he was any where near the green.  The shot that I admired the most was when he would over shoot the hole by a few yards with a backspin on the ball that makes it roll back towards the hole after the ball hit the green.  Sometimes I would be undecided if I want to attack the hole aggressively and put a backspin on the ball or play it safe and chip normal.  So if I was given the opportunity to pick a subject for a free golf clinic, it would be between driving and chipping!

If I do not hear anything from you all regarding the subject for the clinic, I will pick the subjedct and give you all a date time.  See you soon!!

Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Bennie Griggs III, and I am the Aspirant Golfer’s Instructor!  For those of you who are visiting my blog for the first time, I also have the a Facebook page named the Aspirant Golfer’s Instructor as well. I am excited to shared my knowledge of the game I love with you all.  I will be creating blogs throughout the week to keep you all informed on events I will be hosting, golf tips,  and opportunities to have one on one golf lessons as well as group lessons!

I would like to briefly give you all some of my background information and credentials.  I am a third generation golfer!  My grandfather was a great golfer who started the tradition of golfing in my family.  My father was a great golfer too! My father attended Jackson State University on a golf scholarship. I learned to play golf at a young age! I will admit that I initially wanted to play golf so I could drive the golf carts! Little did I know that I would fall in love with golf! I have been playing golf every since. I attended the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and graduated with a BS in Chemical engineering.  I am currently enrolled at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB), to obtain my Master of Engineering in the Management of Information and Engineering (IEM).  My grandfather’s brother, my great uncle,  was a golf coach for Alabama A&M University.  He wanted me to attend the university to play on the golf team, but I was starting my studies in engineering.  Now I’m a father of two boys, and my oldest loves golf as well. I have been teaching him, which has encouraged me to teach others.  My great uncle would coach me when I would not listen to my father’s advice. He taught me some some very useful skills that anyone can practice in a yard! I am looking forward to starting this journey with you all!