Tell us something meaningful about the first time you met Stan.
Paige: “He said, I always thought your brother would call me first.” (Paige’s brother Brock plays the Nationwide Tour.)

Stan has an “aw shucks” demeanor and delivery. When you first met, did you think he was just a good ole country boy?
Paige: “Wait, I still think he is…”

Everyone remembers the best shot they ever hit. What was yours?
Paige: “A skinny 3-iron for a hole-in-one when I was 13. It was 139 yards. Just goes to show that everyone needs a little luck now and then.”

What is the one thing that Stan tells you every time you see him?
Paige: “You are a great putter.”

He is indeed a great encourager. But enough about Stan, this is shaping up to be your best year on tour. Congratulations. To what do you attribute the success?
Paige: “Confidence. In myself but also the process. I worked really hard on a lot of changes in the last 3 years without immediate results, but stuck with it because I had faith that it would pay off. I think it has…or at least started to.”

You’re a Washington Husky. How did you end up in Scottsdale?
Paige: “I knew that I wanted to stay on the west coast and I had heard they have great summers…I mean winters.”

Most people ask what is the most played song on your iPod. We want to know which song causes you to immediately hit skip?
Paige: “Why would I have it on my iPod if I was going to skip it? But radio, almost all Lady Gaga songs…I hate that I like her latest.”

Yeah, we apologize. That was a lame question. Apparently we’ve downloaded songs that we really don’t like and thought everyone did. Paige…? Where did she go?

I wish that 8 or 9 years ago, the governing bodies of golf would have disqualified any putter, or club for that matter, that is anchored to the body. This includes, the belly putter, the “broom”-style putters and others. I guess that is the traditionalist in me.

However, having said that, these long putters actually cause the player to make the exact same stroke that I teach with a short, or traditional putter. The putter swings on the proper plane both back and forward. I believe the face will then swing perpendicular or square to the path of the on plane stroke. This motion allows, or causes, the putter head to release properly. When you anchor the grip end to the body, you simply cannot manipulate the grip in a way that pulls the top of the handle back in the take away or toward the target in the through swing– which is the biggest mistakes I see in my teaching. I teach people to “swing the end of the club that hits the ball.” My new book The Art of the Swing is all about proper sequence in the swing, (putter to driver). If the grip end of the putter is anchored the putter head has to swing the greatest amount which also allows for proper sequence all the way up the chain of movement.

In fact, The Art of the Swing features a scanning technology called Microsoft Tags that allows you to see a large library of swing-based videos that I shot for the book. I thought I’d share one of these videos with you because it demonstrates the exact putter motion that I teach – and that the belly putter requires – to make the putter work for professionals and amateurs alike.

So, do I like the long putters? Not really. But do I like to see people releasing the putter head, making putts and shooting low scores? Absolutely. I love tradition, but I love truth more.

Here’s a small lift from the interview:

Your previous books have focused on the short game. How far into the full swing does your new book go?

I have tipped over into the full swing with this book, but most of it is still about my short game principles. A lot of the principles that apply to short-game shots also apply to the full swing. The impact area is the same, the full swing is just bigger.

When it comes to what I’m looking for and what I share with players, one of the core things I want people to do is to hit a shot and ask, “Ball, what happened?” The ball tells us so much based on how it flies, as long as we know how to ask it the right questions. [...more]

You can read the entire interview by visiting Putterzone.com, or you can jump directly to the interview page by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy reading the interview. Drop me a comment with your thoughts.

First, while my earlier books focused on specific shot dynamics…putting, pitching and other parts of the short game, this one encompasses all of those PLUS covers one major factor that makes these things work…the sequence of the swing itself.

The other thing that’s important in this new book relates to technology. I really appreciate some of the benefits that technology has brought to the game of golf. Titanium, space age composite materials, graphite & steel derivative products and other interesting materials have all enabled good players to play better.

But, the technology I’m talking about here is different: the Internet, small HD digital cameras, super slo-mo techniques, visual overlays, Smartphones and a whole bunch of other technologies that I can’t hope to fully understand, but which are useful in both teaching and learning.

Take My Teaching Techniques to the Range

When Matt Rudy and I began talking about writing The Art of the Swing, we both realized that writing the book was not going to be the hard part. We also agreed that the concepts in the book could be demonstrated through sequenced photos, but even well-done photos might not quite convey the new ideas in an easy-to-understand form for the readers. Video was certainly the ‘a-ha’ solution, but do we put a CD-ROM or DVD in the book? Or, could we sell the book and separately price a DVD that you could purchase after reading the book? We kicked those ideas around and finally came up with a very unique solution…and, it’s another technology that is changing things in a big way: Microsoft Tag.

If you’ve ever seen a bar code on a can of soup in the supermarket, then you get the basic idea of what scanning these codes is all about. Computers at the check-out stand accept the bar code scan and interpret these codes and ring up a price. Microsoft Tags embedded on some of the book’s pages will allow you to scan the tag with your Smartphone and then you can play a video at home, at the office (don’t tell the boss!) or on the practice range right on the phone. These video instructions are part of the book’s price, so you don’t have to pay extra for the video tips!

We’ve shot over 25 short sequence videos in High Definition (HD), each about 90 seconds in length. The videos are hosted on the Internet and can be downloaded and played after you scan the Microsoft Tag on the page. We believe this is the first time this technique has been used in golf instruction book publishing, and we’re very excited about this “extra” benefit for my readers who are really serious about improving their golf games and increasing their fun on the golf course. If you’d like to see what one of these videos looks like, click on this video link and then let me know what you think.

We are set for a May 12, 2011 publishing date through my publisher Gotham Books, an imprint of the Penguin Group. The book will be available at your local bookstores, or you can pre-order on the various electronic book buying sites. A list of the online buying sites are shown below.

If you buy the book and use the videos, please don’t hesitate to give me your feedback on the website or on my Facebook page. And, if you see improvement in your golf game, then I’d like to share some of those stories with others as well.

The brain is responsible for processing all these external signals, and while it seems overly complex to even talk about it, there’s something to be said for allowing the mental side of your game control the physical things that help us all be more athletic. Our abilities to see, feel and hear help reinforce some of the things that make a great putter: perception of distance, slope and breaks in the green; touch to “feel” the ball hitting the head of the putter, aural feedback of putter head striking the ball and the tactile feedback that goes from the head of the putter and up the shaft to your hands, and then up to your arms and to your brain; and your ability to trust what you see, hear and feel so that instinctively you KNOW the ball is going into the hole.

In this day and age of iPods, iPads and a host of other very small and portable devices, I’m certainly beginning to embrace the idea that visual learning tools can help with the interactive learning process. This is especially true if these visual cues are repetitive, accurate representations of what I believe makes a great stroke.

I recently did some work on a very intriguing new audio/video aid from a Phoenix-area company called seeitgolf that may benefit your putting stroke and hopefully help you get the ball in the hole in fewer strokes. Developed by Danny Orr, a former professional baseball player and major league scout, the aid is an app that will run on an iPhone 4, iPad and iTouch. Aaron Baddeley and I combined our efforts to include video and audio tracks for the app backed up by some pretty cool music. The longer-form 15- minute video and the shorter individual tracks captured from different angles, were shot with 4 “Red” cameras for an incredible lifelike feel. Danny’s team used super slo-mo effects in the app so you can literally see the dimples of the ball as it bumps and rolls successfully toward and then into the hole.

The app helps you create positive mental images so that you can not only see and hear what a great putt should look and feel like, but ultimately enables you to trust what all these outside signals are sending back to your brain. A lot of very scientific study went into the development of the app, and much of what Danny has produced is reinforced by Dr. Debbie Crews, one of Golf Digest’s Top 10 instructors, and a leading researcher recognized as well by Golf Magazine for her work.

You can find out more about the app by visiting the company’s website at seeitgolf.com. Or, if you just can’t wait to try out something new, you can visit the Apple iTunes App Store and purchase the app for download onto your Apple device.

If you try it, let me know what you think.

First, the beneficiary was Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center. The Child Life services group does wonderful work with kids by healing them and also making them feel like kids – not just patients.

Enjoying Time with my Playing Partners

The event also was very creative in how they used my time there. I gave a short clinic to their Host Committee and played eight holes with folks from their Gift Sponsor, Bennett Electrical. That was fun, but the real creativity was in the raffle. At registration, they sold raffle tickets to win a chance to play three holes with me throughout the day. There were three different winners and I got to spend time with each of the three groups. I got to help at least one player in each group improve significantly. And that is always the highlight of my day. Also, Ed Pitts from Tufts Medical Center was a terrific host as he chauffeured me around and introduced me to the different groups throughout the day.

Chatting with Attendees

Finally, I can’t say enough about Salem Country Club. This Donald Ross classic has hosted multiple USGA championships and it is truly a treat to visit.

Thanks to my friends at Huron and the folks from Tufts Medical Center for including me. If you’d like to learn more about the Floating Hospital Golf Classic, visit Floating Hospital for Children Golf Classic

I am grateful to Gotham Books for the chance to deliver my fourth book to you, The Art of Sequencing Your Swing, which will hit bookstores later this year. I’m really excited about it for a couple of reasons. First, I was able to get some thoughts on paper that I believe will really help anyone trying to shoot lower scores regardless of their fundamentals. And you should know that sequencing applies to every shot from putter to driver.

Equally as important, Matt Rudy and I – he’s helped me with all four of my books now – incorporated some new technology that offers you the chance to see video of all the concepts in the book. It’s called Microsoft Tag technology and many of you may know about it from reading Golf Digest or other magazines. You’ll be able to use your smart phone and take a photo of a “tag” in the book and you will immediately be directed to a video tip right on your phone. For a small-town Missouri boy, it’s one of the coolest teaching tools I’ve seen. We’ve incorporated about 25 tags in the book which means you’ll get 25 video lessons along with the book.

I’ll let you know when we get a firm availability date for the book. I really hope it helps you shoot lower scores and enjoy golf more.

One of the most common errors I see students make is missing the proper release point of the swing. Because of the way the Orange Whip is balanced, and due to the flexible shaft, the device allows golfers to feel if their release is too early or too late…or, maybe just right!

In the video that I show here, I have exaggerated the early and late release so you can easily see the difference. If the release is late you will likely miss your shots to the right, and if your release is early a left miss is common. You can also see when I am letting the shaft release at the proper point the swing looks fluid and balanced and has speed to it that seems to come easy. As you would guess, the ball tends to fly straighter also when the release is correct.

If you have the chance to try the Orange Whip, I suggest you start out swinging it “small” and smooth, and then slowly build into more of a full motion swing. Make sure you sense your balance when the club head end extends away from you and has the greatest speed.

Always remember, we do not hit the ball with the end of the club that we hold on to. Make sure you swing the club head end with speed and not the grip end.

Throughout my career as a golf instructor I have written three instructional books (The Art of Putting, The Art of the Short Game and The Art of Scoring) with the most recent, The Art of Scoring, coming out last year. Out-of-the-blue last month, the publisher called me up and said that all three of my books will be promoted in all the Border’s bookstores across the country in the front of their stores in a sports theme table from April 20^th through July 11^th. I was completely speechless; I thought to myself, “Could that many people really want to read what I have to say about the game of golf.”  I guess so. The publisher will go back on press for the three titles to supply the Border’s store promotional efforts.

Long story short, I am completely thrilled about this news and I owe it all to my fans and those of you who have supported me throughout the years. Without you none of this would be possible. I only hope that the folks that do purchase my books reap the benefits and play better golf. After all, I want you to have more fun on the golf course!

In this month’s edition of Make Me Better, I’ll cover a sore spot for most players – the mid-range pitch. Back in late January, I was at my home course, Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, with the Golf Digest crew shooting photos for this article. I always enjoy these days because, as you already know, I am very passionate about teaching and showcasing these drills for all of you. But, it also gives me a chance to brush up on my own game.

I thought you’d enjoy reading the article in the attached file. The photos throughout the article capture the necessary body and hand positions to effectively pull off these shots. If you haven’t already, stop by your local bookstore and grab a copy of the May issue of Golf Digest. I think you’ll recognize the guy trying to help your game on page 110! If you ever have any questions, feel free to send me your comments and I will do my best to respond promptly.

click here for downloadable/printable PDF of the article