Ronald Bruce Romberg

Ronald Bruce Romberg Magazine
During every round of golf there are always a few holes where extra power is needed to attack the hole. When you want to reach back for that little extra distance, here are a few golf tips Byron Nelson gave me years ago.

Byron told me when coming to a hole where he needed some extra distance, he moved a couple of inches closer to the ball at address. His thinking was when you swing harder, you tend to pull the club in toward your body as you are going through the hitting area.

Second, he choked down about an inch on the grip as he felt he could generate more speed during his swing by choking down a little bit.


Finally, he felt these two changes helped him maintain control of his swing, which allowed him to play these longer drives from the fairway.

Byron felt his consistent driving of the golf ball was what set him up for success. During his streak of winning 11 tournaments in a row, he only remembered missing one fairway during that time. I'm sure that's why they named the Iron Byron machine after him, as he was always in the fairway and long when he needed to be.

Try these tips and add some extra distance when you need it.

Ronald Bruce Romberg Magazine

How many times have you found yourself in the woods or behind a tree or obstacle?

All golfers have faced this very situation from time to time and you basically have two choices, either 1) punch out into the fairway sacrificing distance or 2) curve the ball around the trees and up the fairway toward the green.

The first option is always the safest route in most cases but the opportunity to be more aggressive is there as long as you understand what makes the ball curve and how to play the shot.


The position of the clubface at impact is the determining factor on how much the ball will curve which makes the first thing that you have to do when attempting this shot is aim your clubface at the intended target.

Secondly, align your body to the opening or the direction the ball will start and simply swing to the opening. If done correctly, the ball will fly past the tree or obstacle and curve to the target.

Golf tip: Practice with a purpose

Most golfers have had days when they hit the ball great on the practice tee and can’t seem to get the same results on the golf course. This is due to poor practice habits and not making your practice match your course situation. Here are three tips on improving your practice in order to improve your scores.

1) Set up a practice station with two clubs for alignment and one for ball postion.

2) Play a game on the range - Imagine your toughest hole and play it in your mind. Hit your drive, second shot and chip or pitch according to how your shots were played. This will put added pressure on yourself and help you improve your pre-shot routine as well. It will also make your session more interesting and valuable.


About Bruce Romberg

Do you struggle with your bunker play? This may be because you are being given the wrong information. The technique that a (usually) stronger man will use in a greenside bunker is often the kiss of death for most women golfers, who generally have a lower club head speed.

Have you been told to open your clubface? Open your body? Swing the club more up on the back swing? All of these suggestions work great for Vijay Singh and even Annika Sorenstam because these players generate tremendous speed. They don't work for the average female golfer, who cannot even begin to relate to this power game and would simply be happy to be able to get out of the bunker and onto the green most of the time.

Players with slower club head speed often struggle with bunker play. Because the sand acts as such a buffer between the club and the ball, it's necessary to generate a minimum of speed to be able to extract the ball along with some of the sand.

Bunker play tips

Set up so that you will be able to splash the sand:

* Hold your hands high on the grip of the club. By placing your hands toward the top of the handle, you maximize the length of your sand wedge, which will help it to be able to hit the sand firmly.
* Position your golf ball in line with the instep of your forward foot, just like a tee shot. Playing your ball more forward in your stance will help to position the ball later in the swing so that the club head will enter the sand before striking your golf ball.
* Dig your feet into the sand. Digging your feet into the sand also helps to lower the bottom of your swing and will help you to contact the sand before the ball and helps to ensure a nice long divot in the sand. A divot in the bunker is ideally 12 to 15 inches long.

The necessary adjustments for low club head speed players are:

* A square face at address. You will not want to open the face of the sand wedge since this will produce more loft and less distance and due to the fact that you do not generate a lot of speed for most bunker shots you will need all of the distance possible.
* A square stance. In other words, your feet should be parallel to the target line just as they are for a normal full swing. Due the fact that you will not open the club face to maximize the distance it won’t be necessary to open your stance.
* A little attitude with a full finish. Since the sand acts as such a buffer between the club face and the ball, it will be necessary for the low club head speed player to take what feels like a very full swing with a full finish. To ensure that the swing has all the speed that you are able to generate, you will lift your trailing foot so that your heel comes up as your body turns forward and as the foot rotates up to the toe.
* Change to a less lofted club for greater distance splash shots. If you don't generate a lot of swing speed you will find that your splash shot with your sand wedge won't travel far, maybe only eight to 10 yards. If this is the case you will need to change to a less lofted club, like a pitching wedge or a gap wedge, for your longer splash shots.

By having a plan that will work for your game and club head speed, you'll have more success. When you know how to handle a greenside bunker and you are less worried about going into one, you may be surprised how much less often you find yourself there.

Bruce Romberg

This month we are focusing on a very important part of your golf play, the short game. Many times golf requires less than a full swing. This aspect of the game is called the approach. It consists of pitch and chip shots. The primary goal for approach shots is direction. These shots require the upper body to be more compact and controlled while the lower body stays fairly stationary, which creates stability. The choice of which shot to use is dependent upon distance from the green and the terrain around the greens.

A pitch shot is a high lofted shot that lands softly on the green and has little roll to it. The clubs that should be used for this shot are an 8 iron, 9 iron, pitching wedge, or sand wedge. This shot requires the hands to be higher on the grip. The stance a little less than shoulder width apart and the weight equally distributed between the two feet. This allows weight transfer when the swing is longer due to the shot being of further distance. The length of the swing depends on the distance from the green. The speed of the swing should remain consistent throughout. This shot usually requires a longer stroke, but shorter than a full swing with some wrist involvement and weight transfer.

A chip shot is a low lofted shot that lands hard on the green and has lots of roll to it. The clubs that should be used for this shot are a 5 iron, 6 iron, or 7 iron. This shot requires the hands to be lower on the grip with hands ahead of the ball. The stance should be narrow and slightly open with the weight on the target foot. The length of the swing depends on the distance from the green and how far you need the ball to roll once it hits the green. The speed of the swing should remain consistent throughout. This shot usually requires a shorter pendular stroke with the lower body stationary allowing the upper target side of the body leading throughout.


With this knowledge, try practicing both shots from different distances and using the different clubs to see what will work for you. Practicing these shots should allow for some sort of comfort when you need to execute such shots on the golf course. Good luck and keep on swinging.


Bruce Romberg Bio

Bob Wilson is a member of the Manchester Golf Club in Bedford, N.H. He is a 12-handicap who has been golfing for 47 years, the last three decades of which, without the use of his legs from the knees down.

Wilson is a bilateral amputee as the result of an accident while serving in the U.S. Navy. He is also the executive director of the National Amputee Golf Association (NAGA), editor of Amputee Golfer magazine, and founder, lead instructor, and coordinator of the First Swing Program, which teaches golf to the physically challenged.


For golfers who think the sport is plenty hard enough, even with four working limbs, Wilson’s story sounds remarkable. As it turns out, however, there is a sizable subsection of golfers today who have overcome mobility issues in order to play the game they love.
Inspirational stories

No reliable statistics exist as to the number of people with disabilities who play golf, but according to Wilson, a PGA survey indicated that 24 percent of golfers are not playing due to “injury.” And according to John Hikel, owner of Total Access Golf, a distributor for SoloRider single-rider golf cars especially (but not solely) designed for players with mobility limitations, 22 percent of paralyzed veterans express an interest in playing the game.

Hikel can provide innumerable stories of inspiration and awe from his years of working and playing with disabled golfers. “I watched a golf tournament for amputees several years ago,” he recalls, “and was absolutely amazed at the ability of people with some severe amputations to play the game. I saw a man with one arm and only three fingers, and prosthetics for both legs, hit a 200-yard drive down the middle of the fairway, and hit his second shot on the green. Many golfers with no disability cannot do that!”

Martin Ebel, a Massachusetts attorney, was injured in 1983 and lost both of his legs above the knee. Like Bob Wilson, Ebel values golf as more than just a pastime. “For me, golf is the one thing that I still enjoy as I did before my accident, and playing makes me feel like I am not disabled,” he says. “I know this is true of many amputees – we simply do not feel disabled on the course when we are making golf shots and enjoying the camaraderie of the game.”

Unfortunately, disabled (and senior golfers who have lost mobility) find course access to be a major barrier to their participation in the sport. “On the course we face lots of resistance from the golf industry,” says Ebel. “Generally, golf facilities are not particularly accessible to people with disabilities and unfortunately there are people that take advantage of the accommodations that some golf courses do offer, even though they do not need the accommodations.”
Complying with the law

The Americans With Disabilites Act (ADA) covers public and semi-private golf courses, ensuring that such facilities be accessible to the disabled. Nevertheless, adherence to the law has come only grudgingly.

As reported on the SoloRider website, a landmark 2002 settlement in Indianapolis unambiguously established the rights of disabled golfers. In the settlement the city of Indianapolis agreed with the U.S. Department of Justice “to make necessary changes at all twelve of their municipal golf courses to comply with the requirements of Title II of the American Disability Act (ADA).”

John Hikel, who as a distributor of SoloRider golf cars has an obvious stake in the issue, points out “Most golf courses are either not accessible or do not have a single rider golf car that meets the needs of many disabled people.” He stresses that the ADA “specifically defines golf courses as places of public accommodation.”

Hikel advises golfers with disabilities to be persistent, and to know their rights. “Some people may encounter a golf course that is not accessible and does not welcome a person with a disability,” he explains. “We suggest that the disabled person try to talk with the owner…and encourage them to make accommodation. If refused after sincere and reasonable effort, contact the USGA, National Golf Course Owners Association, SoloRider, and/or local government organizations concerned with discrimination. Hopefully, without civil action, the golf industry will become fully accessible sooner rather than later.”

In addition to the courts, the ruling bodies of golf have also recently moved to embrace disabled golfers. In 1984, Bob Wilson worked to change the decision of golf (14-3/15) regarding artificial devices. According to Wilson, “My lengthy dissertations with (then USGA Executive Director) P. J. Boatwright focused on retention of amputees in the game. Maybe that was the underlying reason for the recent publication of the ‘Modification of the Rules of Golf’ by the USGA and the R&A, which encompasses all forms of disabilities.”
Advances, accessibility, and acceptance

Making a course accessible means more than installing wheelchair ramps into the clubhouse. It also means allowing single-rider carts, such as the SoloRider, onto courses. According to Hikel and SoloRider users such as Martin Ebel and Bob Wilson, course owners and greenkeepers have to overcome a number of prejudices and fears before they embrace these carts.

First and foremost among these concerns are cost and damage to the course. With respect to cost, Hikel points out that “Compliance with the law is far less expensive than a lawsuit, and besides, it's the right thing to do."

With respect to potential damage to the course, new, well-designed auxiliary aids such as the SoloRider feature wide tires and weight distribution schemes that leave imprints on the greens no more sever than those left by golf shoes. As such, the carts are safer for both the course and the golfers than traditional options.

Martin Ebel relates how the new cart technology has helped him enjoy the game: “When I first started playing golf after my accident, I used a wheelchair. The narrow tires were hard on the greens, so I did not putt to avoid damaging them. There were also difficulties in getting from shot to shot in a wheelchair. Eventually, I, like many disabled golfers, began using a three-wheeled scooter to play golf.

"While better than a wheelchair for hitting the ball and not damaging the course, the scooter was not particularly stable. I would regularly fall out of the scooter or tip it over.” Ebel was eager to try the adaptive single-rider cars like the SoloRider when they hit the market. He credits the SoloRider for providing him access to courses, as well as adding ten yards to his shots.

Finally, disabled golfers also have to overcome the preconceptions of able-bodied golfers. Ebel stresses that “Most of us (at least members of the NAGA) also cannot stand slow play. We much prefer four hour rounds to six hour rounds and are painfully aware that we are seen (usually inaccurately) as the cause of slow play.”

Pat McDonald, a parapalegic from the mid-chest down who carries a 1.7 handicap index and teaches golf to other disabled golfers, describes the reactions of able-bodied golfers who watch him swing for the first time as usually “all good.” Nevertheless he says, “They’re shocked when I’m on the green in two and they’re still pitching up.” McDonald adds, “There have been a handful of times when I joined up with a threesome, and by the 13th or 14th hole, one disappears. I ask where he’s gone, and they say he’s quit. Why? Because a guy in a wheelchair is kicking his butt.”

Bob Wilson offers the best way to think about golfers with disabilities: ”We are all golfers who play against the golf course, not each other. If playing the game simply means ‘hitting the ball,’ then there is no difference between us.”



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