Hi Guys,

Claire got a personal lesson this morning from Peter Jacobson.  He loved her swing, sent it to Jim Harding, and told her to swing as hard as she could but remain in control.

She was so excited!!

Thanks,
John

Dear Mr. Butler,

I want to thank you so much for making my Butler irons even better by lengthening the shafts for me.  I also want to thank you for fitting me with a fantastic Kramski Putter.

Last weekend, I had my first hole in one at Emerald Dunes Golf Club in West Palm Beach Florida.  I was so happy because it was a great shot and my whole family was there.  I hit my five iron 148 yards.

Thank you again,

Ryan Vaughn

Ryan, who was seeded second in his flight, won against the first seed 3&1 in today’s match play final.

He was up and down for the first 12 holes and the match was all even going into the 13th hole.

The 13th hole is the hardest driving hole for him with a 135 yard carry uphill into a wind. He has never made it over the carry before, even in practice. Today for the first time he made it over and then he made a great 160 yard 3-wood shot to the middle of the green. He made par to win the hole and go 1-up.

He then put his tee shot within 5-feet on the par-3 14th hole. His opponent was able to make a great up and down from the side of the hill and Ryan missed his birdie put to halve the hole. He was still one up.

He hit a great drive on 15 and almost made it on the green with his second shot for the first time. He was unable to get up and down for par but his opponent 3 putted to halve the hole again. He was still one up with 3 holes to go.

The 16th hole is a par-5 that Ryan has always played well. His only eagle came on this hole last year. His opponent hit a good drive and so did Ryan. Ryan then hit another great 3-wood right down the middle putting his ball about 100-yards from the hole. His opponent then hooked his 2nd shot into the tall grass. After being unable to find his ball, he hit a second shot from the same place into the tall grass again. Ryan then hit his approach shot to 4 feet and his opponent conceded the hole, allowing Ryan to go 2-up for the first time in the match. Ryan was 2-up with 2 holes to go. This meant that his opponent had to win both of the last 2 holes in order to force a playoff and Ryan could not loose in regulation. In match play lingo this is when the match is said to be “dormie”. Ryan just needed to tie him on one of the last 2 holes to win the match.

On 17, his opponent hit his drive into a deep fairway bunker. Ryan hit a great drive down the middle. Ryan then reached the green and closed out the match.

He was up and down for a large part of the match but when the game was on the line he played his best golf, shooting one over par for the last 5 holes.

Ryan played great golf overall. He was never down more than one during any of his matches, winning his three matches 5&4, 2&1, and 3&1. He was the only junior in the event and he created quite a stir at the club gaining many new fans throughout the week who were asking how he was doing all throughout the tournament. Next year he will probably have to move up into the second flight but he will be ready. He really likes match play and this was a great win for his confidence.

Next up: Scotland – European Junior Championships.

David,

...It has been a long time since the last Ryan letter and a lot has changed. After he finished 120th at the World Championship, I decided to make some changes. I replaced his swing coach and physical trainer with Alison Crawford from St. Louis. We have been exchanging emails and videos about swing changes and exercises. She was able to come visit us mid-April and her help has been tremendous. We also switch club makers. David Butler, in Halfmoon Bay, made a fantastic set of Muira limited edition blades. These are some of the best clubs ever made for a junior golfer. Blades are hard to hit. You need to consistently hit the sweet spot. Ryan has always worn out his clubs on the sweet spot and I felt that blades would help train him how to get even more consistent. He has been playing very well since he got these clubs.

Ryan is preparing to play in our club match play championship in 2 weeks. He is the only junior in the event and this will be his first time playing against adults. Now they can see how I feel. It will be a good experience for him.

In less than a month, we leave for Scotland to play in the European Junior Championship. Ryan qualified for this tournament when he won the World Championship qualifier at Shoreline. He has been very excited to play in this championship. I will let you know how these turn out.

Tom Vaughan
CEO
Retirement Capital Strategies

Dear Dr. Grip,

Thank you so much for helping me gain the right tools for perfecting my golf game. I am so grateful for you spending your time to build me my set of golf clubs. I have cut 3 to 5 strokes off my scores and my accuracy and distance have improved.

These irons are flawless.
Thank you.

Joanne Lee
LPGA US OPEN Participant

Dear Dr. Grip,
I just wanted to say thank you so much for fitting my golf clubs. My irons feel so much better, I can hit them 10 to 15 yards longer and straighter! My shots always feel so pure. I love the shaft put into them because they are steel shafts but feel lighter and easier to hit than the graphite shafts that I had before. My driver is going very well. My shots are landing at least 10 yards farther and rolls a lot more than before. I like the shaft in my driver because it is very stable on my downswing so I feel like I can really hit it as hard as I want to. With my longer distance and improved accuracy I'm sure to post lower scores. Thank you so much!