THE PRACTICE RANGE: Every Possible Putt

By Daniel Island Club Head Teaching Professional, Ron Cerrudo

Recently, I had the privilege of playing with my old tour roommate, Tom Watson. Yes, that Tom Watson! The first thing I noticed was how pure his putting stroke was from short distances. As you probably know, in recent years Tom has had trouble with short putts ranging from three to five feet. I finally couldn’t contain myself so I asked him what he did to smooth out his stroke on the most crucial putts. His answer really surprised me. Tom starts by feeling the ball (what I mean is concentrating intensely on the ball) then looks at his hands as he takes the putter back. By doing this, he focuses on making a smooth stroke instead of worrying if he is going to make the putt.

If you are having trouble with short distance putts, try Tom’s approach – but make sure you practice before taking it out on the course. Tom practices these types of putts by placing the balls around the hole like a clock, three feet away from each other, making sure the area has some slope. He does this so he faces every possible putt: uphill, downhill, right to left and left to right. When you try this, make sure you give each putt your full attention. It was great playing with Tom again. He made eight birdies and two bogies – not bad for a 58 year old!

P.s. He beat me!

THE PRACTICE RANGE: Righty or Lefty?

By Daniel Island Club Head Teaching Professional, Ron Cerrudo

Are you a right hand or left hand putter? What I mean is which hand do you use to control your putting stroke?  The best way to discover which category you fall into is to place five balls approximately five feet from the hole. Grip your putter with just your right hand and then putt the five balls. Do the same thing with your left hand. You will soon discover which hand is best for you.This is important because there are different fundamentals for different hands.

If you are a person that feels control with the right hand you might need a putter that is a little longer than your present one. You will stand taller with a longer putter, which will cause your elbows to point slightly out. This in turn will create a crook in your right wrist with the palm facing the target. When you stroke the putt be sure the crook remains throughout the stroke and the palm swings lower than your target.

When you control the putter with the left hand your fundamentals are different. You want your arms to hang almost straight and this is why a shorter putter might be better. When stroking the putt pull the putter through the stroke with the back of the left hand toward the target. If you use the wrong fundamentals for these methods you are in trouble as far as being consistent in your putting. If your putting is good, stick to what you are doing. If you are having trouble, try these suggestions – what do you have to loose!

Go, Grease Lightning, Go!

By Contributing Bishop England High School Student Matthew Kuhn, ’09

The Bishop England Drama Department is ironing out the poodle skirts and dusting off the leather jackets. A school version of the classic musical set in the 1950’s is taking shape at Bishop England High School. Cast and crew began rehearsals the first week in February. In collaboration with the Bishop England band and chorus, the drama department will give their production a fifties rock-n-roll sound. Director and drama teacher Cathy Slonecki has high expectations for the performance: “We have great acting talent and are working hard to have a great set and authentic-sounding music.” Slonecki also added that the production would not be “modernized,” but instead stay completely faithful to the original time period. The production is scheduled for two performances: Friday, March 27th and Saturday, March 28th.

Community Fund Initiatives Make a Difference

By Jimmy Bailey, Vice President – Community Services, Daniel Island Property Owners Assocation

When you’re in the community management business, conflict resolution is often part of your daily routine. Admittedly, this type of work can be trying. That’s why working with the Daniel Island Community Fund (DICF) is one of the more rewarding aspects of my job. There are legitimate differences on many of the issues that cross my desk, but feeding the hungry, supporting our local public safety personnel, and improving the quality of life on Daniel Island by providing social and cultural programming are all initiatives that have near universal support. Consider these recent initiatives that have made a difference in our community:

Last year, the DICF made a $100,000 pledge to the Lowcountry Food Bank. These funds are being allocated to our geographic service area (Daniel Island and the Cainhoy Peninsula). Within three years, the food bank hopes to eliminate “chronic hunger” in our neighboring community.

Another exciting DICF effort has been our “52 Weeks of Thanks” initiative. Individuals, businesses, clubs and a number of other groups have “adopted” the Daniel Island Fire Station for a week. Beginning in June of 2008, 52 straight weeks were filled by volunteers hoping to express in their own way the appreciation they share for our emergency service providers.

DICF funding has also made it possible to provide a variety of social and cultural events that make the quality of life on Daniel Island second to none. An example is the free Charleston Symphony Orchestra concert in Smythe Park each Spring. Not only does our community come together for a spectacular night of community spirit and beautiful music; we provide much needed support to an arts organization within our greater community.

These are just some of the initiatives that make DICF involvement a fulfilling part of my job and an integral part of the community. In the last four years, the DICF has provided more than $2 Million for the betterment of our community, and has become a quiet leader in the Charleston nonprofit arena.

Five of Our Favorite Spring Activities in Charleston

Although we are fortunate to enjoy mild, sunny winters here in Charleston, this is the time of year we start longing for Spring!

With tons happening, here are our top five reasons why.

• It’s a visual and aromatic delight – Charleston’s famed gardens explode with color and the air becomes fragrant starting in late March, as a progression of blooms begin to emerge. See some of the city’s most impressive displays at the Annual Festival of Houses and Gardens (March 19 – April 18).

• Professional tennis comes to town– Our very own Daniel Island plays host to the likes of Serena and Venus Williams, Vera Zvonareva and many more of the word’s top-ranked women at the annual Family Circle Cup (April 11-19). It’s a week of action-packed fun that that draws tens of thousands of visitors each year.

• You won’t go hungry – Charleston’s renowned culinary scene shines bright this time of year. It’s the season for oysters (March and April) and shrimp (starting in late April), and the start of the area’s many local farmers markets. The Charleston Food & Wine Festival (March 5-8) draws foodies from around the country for seminars, tastings and more featuring local and national chefs.

• The city is a stage – Heralded as one of the best arts festivals in the country, Spoleto Festival USA (May 22 – June 2) is a 17-day festival of opera, dance, music, theater and visual arts exhibitions taking place at venues throughout the city.

• You can run the bridge – Once a year the majestic Ravenel Bridge over Charleston Harbor is shut down for the Cooper River Bridge Run (April 4), a 10K race from Mt. Pleasant to historic Charleston offering more than 30,000 runners and walkers breathtaking views and a festival at the finish line.

What are you looking forward to this Spring?

Daniel Island Among Nation’s Top Golf Communities

If you read Travel+Leisure Golf magazine, you may have noticed in the January/February issue that Daniel Island Park has again been named one of “America’s Top 100 Golf Communities”. This is the fourth consecutive year that the editors at T&L Golf have recognized our island’s golf neighborhood as one of the most desirable in the country.

Not that we’re surprised. Daniel Island Park is a unique and highly desirable location for those interested in a country club lifestyle. This sea island setting offers the conveniences of on-island shopping and dining, resort-style amenities (the Daniel Island Club’s nationally-ranked golf courses… a breath-taking clubhouse… active tennis program… two beautiful swimming pools… the list goes on…) and a Charleston address. It’s a combination that simply can’t be matched. And what many people don’t know is that the majority of the residents and club members here call Daniel Island their permanent home.

It’s not a golf “get away,” but rather a real community in its truest sense, where neighbors get involved at the club and beyond on a daily basis. Now that’s our idea of a great golf community!

Garden Club Transforms School’s “Front Yard”

The Daniel Island School will have some new students to take care of this spring, and mostly due to the hard work and dedication of the Daniel Island Garden Club! For more than a year, the Garden Club has been hard at work; planning, preparing and transforming the area in front of the school entrance from a wooded and uncultivated space into six different gardens.

Using several different techniques and themes, members of the Garden Club have created an alphabetical plant listing, bird and butterfly garden, Japanese garden, woodland shade garden and a rose garden. Already the irrigation system is in place, along with some winter plants. In the next several weeks, after the last frost of the season, the remainder of the plants will be planted.

Stop by the Daniel Island School this spring and check out all the Garden Club’s hard work!

Battery Announces 2009 Schedule

The Charleston Battery’s 2009 regular season schedule opens on the road on April 11 when they team up against the 2008 USL First Division Champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Battery returns home to Daniel Island’s Blackbaud Stadium the following weekend for a match against the Montreal Impact. If you haven’t attended a Battery soccer match on Daniel Island, you’re missing out – it’s great fun for the entire family! Here’s the home schedule for the regular season:

Saturday, April 18 vs. Montreal Impact 7:30 PM
Friday, April 24 vs. Minnesota Thunder 7:30 PM
Wednesday, May 20 vs. Miami FC Blues 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 23 vs. Rochester Rhinos 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 30 vs. Cleveland City Stars 7:30 PM
Saturday, June 13 vs. Portland Timbers 7:30 PM
Thursday, June 25 vs. Puerto Rico Islanders 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 11 vs. Carolina RailHawks 7:30 PM
Friday, July 24 vs. Carolina RailHawks 7:30 PM
Thursday, July 30 vs. Austin Aztex 7:30 PM
Tuesday, August 11 vs. Cleveland City Stars 7:30 PM
Thursday, August 20 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps 7:30 PM
Friday, August 28 vs. Portland Timbers 8:00 PM
Sunday, September 6 vs. Minnesota Thunder 6:00 PM
Friday, September 11 vs. Miami FC Blues 8:00 PM

Season ticket packages are on sale now; packages include reserved seating for all 15 regular season games, starting at only $150. To purchase season or home game tickets call (843) 971-GOAL (4625) or visit www.charlestonbattery.com.

A Mediterranean Hideaway Now Open on Daniel Island

After much anticipation, Ali Baba Mediterranean Deli has finally opened on Seven Farms Drive to great reviews!

The new island spot boasts a delicious (and mostly healthy!) menu, including choices like chicken souvlaki and pineapple, lamb and beef gyros, grilled vegetables, hummus and more.

Ali Baba’s colorful atmosphere incorporates rich hues and fabrics, welcoming diners to relax in a casual, exotic setting.

A fantastic addition to our dining options, Ali Baba is a Mediterranean hideaway on Daniel Island!

HEALTHY LIVING: A Formula For Success!

The Daniel Island Club’s Bo Taylor shares his tips on fitness & weight loss goals.

Set a goal. Write down three to five nutrition/fitness related goals that you would like to achieve and a time frame in which to do so. They must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Why is that, you ask? If you set a goal to simply lose weight, you set yourself up for simple success and ultimate failure. If you lose only one pound you have succeeded, yet I imagine it’s not where you truly want to be. The other extreme would be to set a goal to lose 20 pounds in a week. Can it be done? Probably, but it would not be from fat loss, and it would only set you up to gain it back. Set specific goals such as: I will lose 10 pounds of fat in 30 days; I will improve my walk/run mile time by one minute in 30 days; or I will eat six nutritious meals each day for the next two weeks.

Make a plan. Sit down and write out how you plan to achieve your goal. Find a place where it can easily be found – whether it is at work, home, in your phone or organizer.

Execute the plan. This is where many people falter. If you take the time to plan your work, then you have to work your plan!

Evaluate how you’re doing. Everyone completes this step, but we are our own worst critic. In some cases, even though we are on track, we think we aren’t meeting our own expectations and give up. On the other hand, we may see little success and fall off the wagon. The third scenario is whatever plan we are executing; it isn’t meeting the goals we set, so we wonder why we should continue. In any case, you have given up.

Adjust! How badly do you want this goal? How long would you push your little boy/girl to learn to ride a bike before you gave up on them? Never, I would hope. Adjust your goal and/or your execution to be able to attain your goal(s).

Be a copycat. Do you know someone who is in the shape you want to be in and has reached the goal you are chasing? Find a mentor, a trainer or a nutritionist. Find out how they did it or how they showed someone else. Copy their road map to success!

Be stubborn. Some people call it committed or determined but I call it stubborn. You have to be able to face temptations and obstacles when training and dieting. Make your goal something you truly desire. Then your motivation to attain it will not waver.

What are your tricks to staying healthy? Share them with other readers below.

By Bo Taylor, Fitness Center Manager, Daniel Island Club

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