May 13, 2008 -- First and foremost, the happiest of Mother's Days to all that we know and love. Of course, a great place to smell the flowers in full bloom on this holiday is out on the golf course! So, perhaps the best gift you can give mom today is a round of golf or a lesson or two out on the links.

This weekend also concluded the Tournament Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Fla. home to the famous "Island Green" on No. 17. The magnificent course was designed by Pete Dye, who learned this week that he will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Here at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Dye is also the designer of the namesake Dye Course, one of the country's foremost links-style gems. At layouts such as Sawgrass and the Dye Course, he surely took into consideration how a player's swing arc affects distance both on and off the tee.

The width of the golf swing arc is the space that the grip end of the club travels in both the backswing and forward swing, which directly affects distance and club speed.

At address, the player sets the distance between the grip end of the club and the lead shoulder joint. This distance needs to be maintained to maximize the swing arc. If the elbow of the lead arm bends, the radius of the swing arc is shortened and potential speed is lost.

During the backswing, players should strive to push the grip end of the club away from their lead shoulder, as they keep the lead arm straight. When the lead arm elbow bends, a golfer is past his or her personal flexibility level -- or what often is the case, has a backswing with too much speed. In order to help keep the lead arm extended, be sure that you feel your trail arm push out from the center during your backswing.

As the club travels past impact, your trail arm now acts as the radius and stays straight, while the lead elbow bends. This allows your club to maximize its width of travel on both the backswing and forward swing.

The bigger the swing arc, the more potential speed that can be produced. Still, the swing center must be maintained so that your swing returns to the correct impact position. The goal is to maintain a full width of arc on the back and forward swings to develop the maximum speed for your golf swing.

The best news here is that you and the mom in your life can work on your golf swings during PGA Free Lesson Month throughout May. You can find a PGA Professional near you that offers complimentary 10-minute golf lessons by visiting PlayGolfAmerica.com and using the Zip code search.

Kids can get in the act, too. In addition to the free lessons, the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla., is also offering a free Youth Golf Day on Sat., May 17, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The event is for juniors to learn and discover golf in a fun and enjoyable environment, with games, prizes and a tour of the PGA Historical Center golf museum all included. For more information, call (772) 468-7686 or visit www.pgavillage.com.

Here's to better golf!

Best wishes,

Rick Martino, PGA
PGA Director of Instruction