Travis Raque Director of Racquets at The Club at Gateway
TENNIS TIP OF THE MONTH
SOFTEN YOUR GRIP!
When you need more touch for that fifth shot drop or that angle volley, remember to loosen your grip. This will allow not only for the ball to bounce softly but will help create a little bit of underspin to make your former routine volley an outright winner.
RACQUET SPORTS NEWS
The Club at Gateway just completed our 2025 two-day Tennis and Pickleball “Gee Up” Wellness Bootcamp event over the first weekend of January. We brought in five different racquet and paddle professionals, including a player on the National Pickleball League tour and a touring professional on the Senior Pickleball Pro Tour. It was a smashing success and everyone had so much fun and learned so many new tricks of the trade.
In case you were wondering, the term Gee Up is an old English word meaning to work harder and perform better than thought possible. We used the Gryphon to represent all the characteristics that we are striving for and they are listed below-
- Enhanced flight: Griffins can fly through the air.
- Enhanced agility: Griffins are able to go from one movement to another effortlessly.
- Enhanced balance: Griffins innately possess extremely well-developed senses of balance.
- Enhanced flexibility: Griffins are able to effortlessly bend and twist their bodies beyond mortal limits.
- Enhanced jump: Griffins are able to achieve rocket-like jumps, while having hassle-free landings.
- Enhanced lung capacity: Griffins possess tremendous lung capacity while staying active.
- Enhanced reflexes: Griffins possess extremely enhanced reaction speed.
- Enhanced speed: Griffins are able to move at extraordinarily physical speed.
- Enhanced stealth: Griffins possess extraordinarily skillful expertise in numerous ways and techniques of stealth.
- Enhanced strength: Griffins are able to exert a great amount of strength from their muscles.
- Enhanced vision: Griffins possess eyes that can see with amazing clarity, distance, and detail.
- Enhanced communication: Griffins are able to communicate with griffins, lions, and eagles.
Thanks to all for the support and participation!
THREE TIPS IF YOU ARE NEW TO EXERCISE
If you are new to exercise, it’s essential to consider a few things before starting a new workout routine.
- CHECK YOUR HEALTH
It’s important to consult your healthcare provider and get a physical medical examination before starting an exercise routine.
This is particularly important for those new to strenuous and vigorous physical activities.
An early checkup can detect any health problems or conditions that could put you at risk for an injury during exercise.
It can also help you optimize your workout, making it easier for you and your personal trainer, if you choose to work with one, to understand your limitations and create an exercise plan tailored to your particular needs.
- MAKE A PLAN AND SET REALISTIC GOALS
Once you decide to start exercising regularly, try to create a plan that includes attainable steps and goals.
One way to do this is to start with a plan of easy steps to follow. Then you can continue building on it as your fitness level improves.
For example, if your goal is to finish a 2-mile run you can start by building a plan that includes shorter runs.
Once you can finish those short runs, increase the distance until you can run the whole 2 miles in one session. Starting with small achievable goals will increase your chances of success and keep you motivated every step of the way.
- MAKE IT A HABIT
Another key component of exercise success is to stick to your routine.
It seems to be easier for people to maintain an exercise routine in the long term if they make it a habit and do it regularly.
All it takes is replacing an unhealthy behavior with a new healthier habit. It is an excellent approach to maintaining it in the long term.
Furthermore, making a schedule or exercising at the same time every day are good ways to sustain your routine and make it last.
For example, you can make exercise a habit by planning to work out right after work every day or first thing in the morning. It’s important to choose a time that works best for you.
GOLF TIP
WANT TO BE A BETTER CHIPPER?
There are some very important fundamentals when you are chipping. Use these fundamentals while practicing to improve your chipping in minutes.
Choose the club you want to use by imagining the shot you want to hit. If it’s a higher shot you need more loft. If it’s a lower running shot you need less loft. One of the most important parts of chipping is deciding where you want the ball to land. All the best players in the world are looking at the point they want to land the ball because they have decided how they think the ball will roll after it lands.
Make sure you preset your weight 60% on your leg closest to the target at address. If you do this correctly it will lock your lower body so your upper body can control the swing.
With your weight 60% on your leg make sure the end of the grip is pointing at your belt buckle and your ball position is just in front of the middle of your stance. (Your hands should be ahead of the ball). *If you want to hit a lower chip shot you can move the ball back in your stance.
To control the tempo of your swing and therefore the distance of your shots, try and make the club head travel as far back as it does through.
Make sure you accelerate the club through impact (this can be scary for some people). If you have the correct fundamentals this won’t be as scary because you will create spin and ultimately have more control of the golf ball. When these fundamentals are correct you will make the club bounce into the ball and brush the top of the grass.
In this tip I didn’t mention anything about opening stance or adding loft to your club. These are used for different shots, not a basic chip shot. If you would like to learn more about different types of chip shots and the techniques we use to hit them please contact me at [email protected] or go onto foretees to book a lesson.
GOLF NEWS…
It was great to get all 18 holes open in January and start hosting our major events. We kicked off the opening of our 18 holes with the Bloody Mary Open on January 1st. The event had a full field and was a great way to start the New Year with our new course. We also had a very successful January Member/Member tournament with many new faces competing. We are looking forward to a fun-filled rest of the season starting in February including our Ladies’ Invitational, Little Green Jug Men’s Guest Day and our Fazio/Whitacre Match-play knockout tournament.
The Performance Center has been busy with the release of new products from Taylor Made, Callaway, Srixon/ Cleveland, XXIO, Titleist, Cobra and Mizuno. We have been doing many fittings on these new clubs with great success in gaining distance and consistency for our members. Even if you are not a member please feel to reach out to the golf shop to book a fitting with myself or Michael Dodson.
Join us as we embark on an exciting new chapter at The Club at Gateway. Become a member today and experience all that our club has to offer. We can’t wait to see you out on the course!
See you at the club!
Gyles Robin,
Director of Golf
