I am very pleased to announce that I will be moving my instruction business to Olney Golf Park in Olney, Maryland, which is about six miles northeast of Rockville.  Olney Golf Park is a full service practice facility with an excellent driving range, very large practice green and a separate practice green for the wedge game and bunker practice.  I will be making this move in mid-August. 

If you are an existing student here in PA, I will continue to have some limited availability as I will continue to travel between the two locations often.  PA students may schedule appointments by email… scottcolegolf@aol.com

I wish you all tremendous success in pursuit of a better golf game!

Scott Cole

Congratulations to Jonathan Heydt of Moselem Springs, who withstood the 100 degree heat for two days and fired rounds of 69 and 70 on the vaunted Hershey East Course to win the PA Junior Golf Championship by 5 strokes.

I wanted to take the time to comment on this tournament because I noticed some very strong play, particularly on the first day.  There were five scores of par or better in round one, and several one over par scores as well.  Heydt was the only player to maintain form for in second round among the leaders.

What I did notice in this tournament is that most of the kids finishing in the top 20 play out of some of the best clubs in the state.  In fact, four of the kids in the top five play at clubs that have held State Amateur and State Opens.  Two of these kids play out of Merion and Oakmont.  You just can’t give a kid a better opportunity to develop his game.

However, I see a need for kids such as several of my students to have the opportunity to play at some of these facilities.  In the current economic environment, many kids just don’t have the opporunity to play or practice every day, much less play or practice at a U.S. Open caliber golf course.  As a result, they find themselves at a distinct disadvantage. 

I think it is time for a program to be developed to allow these kids more opportunity, so they are not at such a disadvantage when it comes to competing in these events.  This is something I intend to work on over time, and if anyone else out there has some ideas, I welcome them.

Scott Cole

Bubba Watson, one of the longest hitters on tour, won his first tournament as a professional this past Sunday, beating Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank in a playoff.  It is surprising that it took Watson this long to gain his first victory on any tour, due to his length and talent. 

More surprising to me was that Corey Pavin, at age 50, and probably the shortest hitter on tour, is able to compete with players like Watson on select venues.  I think most golfers should pay attention to Pavin and how he gets around a golf course.

Pavin does not have a pretty swing, but he is able to work the ball right to left and left to right, pretty much at will.  He has an excellent wedge game and is a great putter.  In the final round, on the 18th hole, Pavin hit is tee shot about 240 yards, while Watson hit his 390 yards.  The hole is 444 yards.  That is an unfair fight, yet the two were tied at the end of 72 holes.  Watson should study Pavin’s game if he wants to win more.

While Pavin is not a long hitter, he is in control of his swing.  He does not have a pretty swing, as I said, but he does not have the flaws of the typical golfer such as an over the top downswing, a reverse pivot backswing, or a reverse weight shift on the down swing.  Since he does not have these flaws, he is able to work the ball, which he needs to be able to do, since at his low ball speed, he can not hit the ball very high.

It is amazing to me how long some of these players like Watson, Dustin Johnson and J.B. Holmes can hit the ball, but they do not win much.  Even the pretty swingers like Adam Scott and Luke Donald do not win as much as they should.  It appears that they still need to learn how to manage their game properly and quit worrying about making a perfect swing. 

While it is ideal to have a nice swing that is on plane, it is more ideal to have the ability to get it in the hole quicker than the other guy.  Corey Pavin, at age 50, showed them how to do that this weekend.