Friday, May 20, 2011

Golfing Highlights Column 5-20-11


"The Putting Doctor", Joe Bermel Jr., gives a talk to golfers at the New Jersey Golf Show on what it takes to have a good putting game.


Joe Bermel Jr., "The Putting Doctor" shows the correct way to putt.


The Putting Doctor At Golf Show

Golfers from Sullivan County, the tri-county area and the tri-state area made their annual trek to Somerset, NJ in early February and although the month of February might appear as the middle of the winter to area golfers and some local golf professionals its time to gear up for the upcoming golf season.

The North Coast Greater New Jersey Golf Show held at the Garden State Exhibit Center is always a must show for this columnist as we get an advanced look into the world of golf when we see and can test the latest in the world of golf.

Whether golfers are looking for the latest equipment, planning their next golf getaway or looking to improve their game, the North Coast Golf Show had it all.

We will have several features on some of the special events we saw at this show but this week we feature Joe Bermel Jr. "The Putting Doctor" from Long Island, NY.

Joe proved to be a very interesting and knowledgeable instructor on the subject of "How To Putt Well."

Bermel showed that he is very passionate about putting. His study of the putting game, disciplined approach, and most importantly, commitment to practice, initially helped him maintain a single digit handicap over the past 30 years.

This dedication and resulting success helped him develop easy to learn methods to share and teach others to be successful at putting and thereby shoot lower golf scores.

Not everyone hits a bucket of balls before each round and less people practice putting before a round but the "Putting Doctor" religiously practices putting before each round and regularly spends more than an hour putting on days between rounds.

Putting and taking putting lessons are important to Joe as he has literally taught hundreds of people on Long Island, various club organizations, Golf Expos, Golf Shows and golf adult education programs through local community programs.

When Compaq Computer held a World Putting Championship in 1996, "The Putting Doctor" literally beat dozens of New Yorkers head to head before sharing the New York state title.

A good putting method make for better golf scores and a more enjoyable round of golf.

In addition to offering group and individual lessons Joe put together a very informative special edition of "How To Putt Well" on a DVD which gives a basic, easy to follow, successful method for good consistent putting. The DVD is outstanding and Joe's 25 years of teaching putting is very evident in the DVD as he shows you how to develop and build a consistent putting skill.

Joe reminds us all that 43% of the average golfers' score is putting and with the DVD you will learn a basic, easy to follow method for good consistent putting, a successful grip, alignment and ball position and a reliable pre-putt routine that will build putting skills, lower your scores and enable you to enjoy your golf game.

Whether through a private lesson, or series of lessons, or via a group or corporate clinic and Joe's "How To Putt Well" DVD, you are guaranteed to come away a better putter.

Information on lessons, a group or corporate show and his DVD can be obtained at the web site, http://www.theputtingdoctor.com/ by telephone at 631-589-1384 or via email at joe@theputtingdoctor.com

Golf Tip

By Robert Menges

How To Practice Efficiently

It's still very early in our 2011 golf season and we should get those winter muscles warmed up for a great golfing season. As the weather improves you should be starting the season with a good practice routine.

If you want to improve your game, it is important to set some goals for the season, and map out a practice schedule. I would like to offer you a few suggestions on how to practice. You must first realize there are different areas of the game where you can focus on becoming a better player. Most golfers consider hitting a bucket of balls before their round as practice. Obviously, you want to work on your full swing, but you need to look at what is considered the scoring area of the game, the short game.

Putting, chipping, pitching and bunker shots are just as important as a 300-yard drive. Most golfers ignore this part of the game when they practice. I feel you should spend t least twice the amount of time practicing your short game as you do your full swing.

Try to put aside a minimum of one hour a week to devote to your short game practice. If you have a chance to go to the range after work you can spend a half hour on the range working on your full swing, and then take another night and spend one hour on the practice green working on your short game.

I bet you will find if you improve your short game you will see an improvement in your overall score. Also, in order to work out the winter kinks, it is a good idea to make an appointment for a lesson with your local Golf Professional.

Robert Menges is the head golf professional at the Swan Lake Golf & Country Club on Mt. Hope Road in Swan Lake. He is available for private lessons and if you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached by telephone at 292-0323 or via email at menges@hughes.net

Ed's Outlook

The Billy Moran Memorial Golf Outing will be held July 24 at the Villa Roma Country Club with registration taking place at noon and the shotgun scramble starting at 1 p.m. This annual popular golf event will also feature a putting contest, prizes, raffles and mulligans.

A delicious buffet dinner will be served at 5:30. Entry fee including the golf, cart and dinner is $85. The buffet dinner only is $20.

The tournament organization committee is asking golfers to register by July 15 if possible.

For information call 887-4734 or 887-4174. Mail applications to the BMS Golf Committee, #23 Country Road 131, Hortonville, NY 12745.



This column is written by Ed Townsend, a consultant to the amateur and professional sport of golf and to several golf writers associations. If you have a topic that would make good reading or have league standings or tournament information, Ed can be reached by calling 439-8177 or via email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com For additional coverage please visit our Web Site at http://bght.blogspot.com/ Coverage is also provided on Facebook.

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