Another year, another Cadillac Innovation Golf Clinic. I was invited again this year and the clinic took place yesterday at the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta. Last year, the clinic took place at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth. This year’s Tour pro instructor was 2008 Masters champ, Trevor Immelman. The crowd seemed bigger this year. There were three sessions we could sign up for, two in the morning and one in the early afternoon. Complimentary breakfast and lunch were provided, buffet-style, underneath large white tents outside the back of the clubhouse. There were so many people that most of us had to park at an auxiliary lot off-site on Windward Concourse and be shuttled over to the clubhouse. Registration took a bit longer this year since there were more people and since we came in droves to the registration stations. The walking clinic with Trevor Immelman and David Leadbetter took place on the 9th hole, about 100 yards or so out. Immelman walked us through many different aspects of the game from setup and alignment to grip, aim, and strategy. Like just about any Tour pro, all of his shots seemed effortless. He even tried to do some trick approach shots by bouncing them off the stone wall behind the green. This got a good laugh out of the crowd, in addition to Leadbetter’s many quips. One example is when Leadbetter chose a random person out of the gallery to show us his swing. After showing us his not-so-good-looking swing and telling Leadbetter he was a 12 handicap, Leadbetter said, «you must be one hell of a putter to be a 12 handicap!» Immelman and Leadbetter then walked us through bunker shots, shots from just off the green, and putting. The entire formal instructional session went well over the allotted 1-hour time frame — it probably ran 1.5 hours. It was a great and very informative, enlightening, and useful lesson. After presentation was over, we separated into smaller groups and went through a series of 5 «clinics.» They were: 1. Driving — with video swing analysis 2. Learning — about the latest Cadillac vehicles(they were on-site) 3. Hybrids — learning about and hitting hybrid irons 4. Putting — putting with various putters including belly putters 5. Chipping — chipping from sidehill lies onto a green All golf clubs and balls were provided by Callaway(drivers, hybrids, wedges) and Odyssey(putters). All the latest model Cadillacs were also available for test drive. The hybrid, putting, and chipping stations were manned by a local golf club pros who provided additional instruction. We all got to take swings, so a lot of personalized advice was provided. Overall, it was another very fun-filled and well-planned day on another great golf course in Georgia. I look forward to attending more Cadillac Innovation Golf Clinics as long as they keep inviting me. Thanks, Trevor Immelman, David Leadbetter, Callaway, Odyssey, Cadillac, and the Golf Club of Georgia.
