LPGA COMMISSIONER
CREDITS ANDERSON FOR
HIS GAME IMPROVEMENT
MAKE MONEY PUTTS
Most people under-read their putts largely because they are looking with their
eyes and not feeling the green’s contours with their feet.
Incorporate the following technique in your short game practice to sink more
putts. Step behind the ball and look at the imaginary line on the green from
your ball to the hole. Place a coin, ball mark or poker chip on the middle line of
the putt. The coin should be placed close to where you think your ball will miss
hitting the coin on the high side of your line. The goal is to avoid hitting the
coin by playing the ball far enough out to take the break and roll into the hole.
Now, go ahead and address the ball and stroke your putt. If you hit the coin
with your ball on the low side of your line, adjust your coin until you get the
correct read while trying to make the putt. You may find that you need to move
the coin higher than you originally thought because you didn’t allow for enough
break in the putt.
This drill helps you see the proper line on the green for short or long putts.
You will likely be amazed at the amount of break that you actually have to play.
It also provides you with feedback about the start line of your putt. You may
notice that your ball is not starting where you think it should start. This could
be due to an open or closed face at impact.
TOP RIGHT: SCOTT HALLERAN/GETTY IMAGES
Co-author Cheryl Anderson is the director of instruction at the Mike Bender Golf
Academy in Lake Mary, Fla. She was the 2006 National LPGA Teacher of the
Year and was named in 2013 by Golf Magazine as one of the Top 100 Teachers
in America. Golf Digest named her as one of the Top 10 Women Teachers in
America in 2012. A native of Connecticut, Anderson taught in the Metropolitan
New York area from 1992-2007, and became the first woman to win all three
Metropolitan PGA women’s championships in a single season. She is a Class A
member of both the LPGA and PGA of America. Co-author Lisa D. Mickey is a
Florida-based writer and a regular contributor to Virginia Golfer.
During practice, ingrain the
sensation of how much a
putt breaks. Place a coin
or small, flat object on the
green and stroke your putt
so the ball rolls by the high
side of the marker.
w w w. v s g a . o r g
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by LISA D. MICKEY
LPGA Commissioner Mike
Whan praises teacher
Cheryl Anderson for
trimming his golf handicap
and whipping his game
into the best shape it has
ever been.
“She has helped
improve my game
mentally as much as
physically,” says Whan,
Cheryl Anderson has helped
whose handicap slid from
LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike
10 to a 7 since last year.
Whan lower his scores. He’s
“She has taught me to
found that playing business
believe in my pre-swing
golf or enjoying a round with
routine, to commit to the
players such as Cristie Kerr is
process no matter the
all part of the job.
outcome, and to slow
down and enjoy the journey, not just the result.”
That’s no small feat for the high-strung, fast-talking
commissioner who enjoys highly caffeinated sodas and
whose previous pre-round warm-up consisted of two
Aleve tablets and one practice swing.
Whan met Anderson at the Mike Bender Golf
Academy during the center’s grand opening in 2013.
The center is located about one mile from Whan’s home
in Lake Mary, Fla.
The commissioner spent time with some of
Anderson’s students at the event, who noted her
instruction had benefited their games. Immediately
after the LPGA’s 2014 season ended, Whan made an
appointment with Anderson for the first of many lessons.
He took lessons with her once a week during the
LPGA’s non-peak time. He expects that will become
“more like once a month, now that I’m traveling nonstop again.”
Whan began working on specific things in his swing
and practicing more during the last off-season than he
ever has. He figures he practiced twice a week for two
months. Why?
“I never really enjoyed practice, but then again, I never
knew what I was working on,” he says. “Now, I love to
hit balls and experiment with shot shape and ball flight.”
Even though he’s the LPGA’s commissioner and
attends nearly every tournament held around the world,
Whan estimates that he plays in 20 percent of the tour’s
pro-am events.
He will play when a perspective or current sponsor
asks him to play in the event. When he’s not playing,
Whan spends time with the different teams at the pro-am
events, offering “financial challenges” on certain holes.
“Every player knows when I walk up that we’ll
be doing some sort of contest for $20,” says the
commissioner.
As for that lowered handicap, Whan is not sure how
he dropped three strokes. Through the lessons and
practice, he admits to “some good rounds last year” that
factored into his single-digit handicap status.
But there’s also a downside when playing with his
buddies.
“It’s taking way too long for [the lower scores] to get off
my handicap,” he adds. “I’m a 10, playing as a 7, which
is sometimes a very expensive way to spend your day!”
MARCH/APRIL 2015 | VIRGINIA GOLFER
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3/18/15 9:21 AM