Issue 5NOVEMBER 2009

• NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
• TEE TIME WELCOMES NEW PRO STEVE BENZIN
• TEE TIME PROFILE: Bob Roux 
• FOUR KEYS TO LONGER, STRAIGHTER DRIVES

NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

Greetings! 

Practice time at Tee Time makes a great holiday gift and now it's a great deal too. From now until December 31, bring in the coupon at the bottom of this email, buy a Tee Time gift certificate worth $10 or more, and we'll make it worth $5 more than the price you pay! It's our way of saying Happy Holidays!

Also, as a proud member of the Carpinteria community, Tee Time wants to remind its neighbors that the Kinderkirk Pancake Breakfast and Holiday Festival is scheduled for Saturday, December 5 from 8am to 2pm at 1111 Valecito Road. Admission is free and all proceeds benefit Kinderkirk Daycare. It's a fun way to give back to our community.

See you soon!

As a lifelong golfer born into a golfing family, Steve Benzin started playing golf as soon as he started walking. Steve attended Grays Harbor Junior College and then the University of Idaho on a golf scholarship. He has played competitive golf at all levels including high school, college, club pro, and on the mini tour circuit. He has worked with winners on the PGA and Champion Tours as a club fitter; and as a teacher to beginners, juniors, and accomplished amateurs.

Beyond this extensive experience, Steve is the former director of fitting and education for a high end custom golf club manufacturer. His club designs have been used by top pros and top amateurs alike. Many of his clubs are still in production.

Q: What is your teaching philosophy?
SB: Golf is an athletic movement that is dictated by the way one's body is designed to function. With a proper foundation in the basics of posture and body movement along with properly fitted equipment, it is a game that can be enjoyed for a lifetime, pain free.

Q: What is the single biggest mistake golfers make?
SB: Using bad posture and trying to manufacture or create a golf swing in a manner that doesn't suit the body and is therefore ineffective.

Q: Why is practice important?
SB: Practicing the right movements is important. Practicing the wrong ones out of sequence will not create a repeatable effective swing. Practice should be limited to one dynamic and one static thought at a time until those habits become routine.

Steve has much more to say on the topics of proper practice and club fitting. Stay tuned to learn more in future Tee Time e-news issues. Or call Steve at Tee Time to arrange a lesson today at 818.926.8443 or email him at steviecb@netzero.net.

RATES                                                                                                         
Private Lessons

• $75 hour or $300 for a series of 5 one hour lessons
• $40 1/2 hour or $175 for a seies of 5 1/2 hour lessons

Junior Lessons   

• $50 hour or $200 for a series of 5 one hour lessons
• $30 1/2 hour or $125 for a series of 5 1/2 hour lessons   

TEE TIME PROFILE: Bob Roux 

Bob Roux was nearly born on a golf course. When he was born in 1929, his father was working as the golf pro at Hacienda Golf Club in La Habra Heights, California. At a ripe old age of eight, Bob played his first 18 holes.  

When Bob was 17, his father moved the family so he might take another position as a golf pro Willowick Golf Course. Bob took a brief stint in the service and then college, before he returned to Willowick where he worked for his dad in the golf shop. "That job certainly had its benefits," Bob points out. "Between ordering merchandise and talking to golfers, I was able to play a lot of rounds."

In 1951, Bob married his wife Mercedes. Three years later, he became his father's assistant when he became the golf pro at the course now a part of Newport Beach Country Club. Bob started to teach and played in many local tournaments. In 1967, he accepted the position of golf pro at the Burnham Wood Golf Club in Montecito where he worked for nearly 35 years. As much as he loved golf, Bob felt he needed a break. He spent a few years volunteering around the city, including the Santa Barbara Zoo, the pantry at Catholic Charities, and Friendship Center where he served a couple of years as a board member.

When Blake Johnson bought Tee Time, Bob's name was mentioned as a great guy to run the shop. Bob started on Blake's opening day, September 10, 2004. "I like working at Tee Time," Bob smiles. "I like the quality of the operation and Blake is a great guy to work for. Every day I talk about golf with enthusiastic golfers. It's helped me support my family and gives me a lot of pleasure."

Bob and Mercedes are the proud parents of nine adult children. "A sports writer from Long Beach Press Telegram once referred to me as the Bobby Kennedy of golf because I have so many children," Bob says. "My wife Mercedes has been at my side the whole way since 1951. Without her I never would have managed any of it."

Bob Roux on Why Practice is Important
"Practice is essential to be able to develop your golf game and improve your golf game. But it must be done on a consistent basis. Whether it's once a week, twice a week-doing it regularly is important. As long as you have the basic fundamentals and practice consistently, you can become a better golfer."

FOUR KEYS TO LONGER, STRAIGHTER DRIVES

The goal of all golfers is to hit their drives longer and straighter. Although it's tempting to believe that buying a driver sporting the latest technology will do the trick, it's simply not that easy.

The USGA has put in place all-encompassing rules on golf equipment material-especially drivers-to limit performance. For example, there's a limit to the Coefficient of Restitution of driver faces, a limit on the size (volume) of driver heads, and a limit to the length a driver can be. So how do you hit your driver longer and straighter?

Use a properly fitted driver! Here are the four keys listed in order of importance:

1. The best loft: There is an optimum launch angle that will maximize your driver distance, based upon your swing speed. To determine your best loft, your club fitter has you hit a series of drivers of known lofts while measuring your swing speed and launch angle with a launch monitor. This data is then entered into golf-trajectory software and your best loft is targeted.
2. Proper driver length: The goal is to fit you with the longest and lightest shaft you can control. According to physics, the club's head speed should be greater for a driver with a longer shaft. This is often true, but there are plenty of exceptions to the rule. And more importantly, you need to hit the driver-head on center. Missing the center of the driver face by as little as 3/8 inch will reduce distance by 7% which computes to reducing a 200 yard drive to 184 yards.
3. The best club weight: The driver's weight and head weight affects the club head path and face angle at impact. If it's too heavy, it creates an inside-out swing path. If it's too light, the result is outside-in. To determine the optimal total weight of your driver, your club fitter has you "test drive" several and watches to see if your ball curves right to left or left to right. By adjusting the weight of your driver, a desired ball flight shape can be influenced.
4. The best shaft: The shaft influences distance, direction, and feel.  Your club fitter will fit you into a shaft where stiffness at the butt end, the shaft middle, and the shaft tip are correct for your personal swing mechanics. Butt stiffness is determined by swing speed, middle stiffness is defined by the golfer's tempo, and tip stiffness is identified by where the golfer releases the club traveling toward impact. Your fitter uses a shaft database that contains almost 400 shafts with their stiffness profiles to find your best match.
   
   If you want to hit your driver longer and straighter, get your driver fitted with the best loft, length, weight, and shaft for you. For detailed advice, stop by Tee Time's Custom Club fitting shop or call Bill Kelly (805.218.5451) or Bob Dugan (805.223.5304).