John Smoltz on his senior tour aspirations, winning celebrity golf bragging rights, and his crazy backyard setup

John Smoltz’s first foray into serious senior golf came at last year’s U.S. Senior Open, where he shot 85-77 at the Broadmoor to miss the cut. Not that the ultra-competitive retired pitcher was surprised.

“Look, I had a flight home Saturday,” Smoltz admitted to GolfDigest.com. “I wasn’t really thinking I was going to make the cut.”

But it was on that flight home where he also took copious notes about his performance to prepare for the next time a similar opportunity arose. And that time is now.

Smoltz, 51, will tee it up on the PGA Tour Champions this week at the Cologuard Classic. It’s the first of three sponsor exemptions the MLB Hall-of-Famer has accepted to play on the senior circuit this year.

“When the phone call came for this opportunity to play in three events,” said Smoltz, who is an analyst for Fox and MLB Network. “I was like a little kid who just got one of the best Christmas gifts.”

Smoltz joined me to discuss his latest opportunity to showcase his golf game on a big stage, his recent win at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, his impressive backyard golf setup, and how a big baseball trade changed both his career on the field and on the course. He also talked about his senior tour aspirations going forward and a special buddies trip he’s planning with some former teammates.

Plus, Sam Weinman and Keely Levins joined me to discuss Dustin Johnson’s latest win, the LPGA backstopping controversy, and punching out from the trees. Please have a listen:

SOURCE:  Golfdigest

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7th Annual “FIGHT LIKE DYLAN” Golf Tournament

 

NOW IS THE TIME TO REGISTER

Please join us on Saturday, April 27th, 2019 for the 7th Annual FIGHT LIKE DYLAN Golf Tournament.

8:00 am shotgun start  |  $300 per team  |  $75 per person

Breakfast and lunch included

Hole Sponsorship available for $100 per hole

CONTESTS ON COURSE

An inspirational story about courage and perseverance…

Dylan Rebeor was a 15 year old sophomore at Columbia Central High School when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer in 2010.  Throughout his eight month battle, he showed incredible courage, love and unselfishness. 

Dylan was a teammate on the Columbia Lions Football team and supported his brothers from the sidelines while proudly wearing his #25 jersey.  As the season progressed the Columbia Lions fought their way to the TN State Championship game while Dylan was fighting for his life. 

On the morning of December 3, 2010,  Dylan asked his mother if they had won the game, not realizing it wasn’t to be played until later that night.  She simply replied “Yes sweetheart, you did.”  Shortly thereafter, Dylan passed away.  Hours after his passing the team played in honor of Dylan and brought home the first State Championship in 58 years! 

In memory of Dylan and the 2010 Central Lions Football team, the “Fight Like Dylan Scholarship” was established.  All proceeds go toward scholarships and helping local families.

TO REGISTER FOR THIS AMAZING EVENT

In person @ Stoneybrook Golf Course

email any of the following

hrebeor@hotmail.com

belewv@mauryk12.org

contact any of the following

• TJ Brown – 931-626-7995

• Vance Belew – 931-698-6231

• Heather Rebeor – 931-215-7563

FIGHT LIKE DYLAN

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Controlling distance in between yardages

Solutions for when you’re between yardages

You probably feel pretty good when you’re at the perfect yardage for the club in your hands. But what about those annoying yardages, like when a full 7-iron is going to be too much, and a full 8-iron might not get there? Or when you’re 45 yards from the green and your full lob wedge flies 60? I’ve seen many golfers struggle in these situations because they swing too hard or decelerate the club to try to control distance, and neither really works. If you want to hit more shots pin-high, give the methods I’ve used on the PGA Tour a try. Let’s start with in-between yardages. Here I’m swinging a 7-iron. I normally hit it 185 yards, so if I have 175 to the pin, I stand slightly closer to the ball and narrow my stance a few inches.

I also grip down an inch or so. When I swing, the only adjustment is to stop my backswing just short of my usual top position. Then I make my normal through-swing. I don’t change my speed coming through the ball. That’s key.

Swing speed also is important when you have less than a full wedge into a green. This is the area of the course where I’ve noticed amateurs struggle the most. Part of the reason is because they don’t have a consistent plan for how to handle these short shots. If you don’t have a strategy, it’s hard to know what to practice. And without practice, you’re going to struggle on the course.

The way I handle these shots is to regulate the length of the backswing depending on the length of the shot—shorter distances mean shorter backswings. But the thing to remember is, just like with in-between yardages on longer shots, you have to swing through the ball at the same pace no matter the distance.

I practice three swing lengths with my sand wedge that are less than full, so I have three distances locked in when I’m on the course. If I stop my backswing when the shaft is around the height of my hips (above), I know the ball will go 35 yards. When my forearms are parallel to the ground, it’s going 60 yards. And when my hands stop at my shoulders, it’s going to go 80 yards. Again, I can’t stress enough that you never want to slow down as you come through. It leads to inconsistent strikes.

“KEEP YOUR SWING SPEED UP ON SHORTER SHOTS.”

For even better results, add this to your range sessions: Hit 10 balls each with your backswing stopping at three different lengths. Make note of how far the ball goes with each, and rely on those swings to produce the right yardages when you get on the course. You’ll be a lot more confident in hitting half-wedge shots pin-high.—with Keely Levins

SOURCE:  Golfdigest

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