Slices, hooks, tops, duffs, chunks, shanks, cranks, bombs, sallys, whiffs, pushes and pulls are all terms used to describe a "bad shot" in golf.
To eradicate these bad shots, golfers could spend hundreds of dollars on many lessons, new clubs, new golf balls, driving range buckets and aspirin.
Or, golfers could check www.poconorecord.com/golf every week for the latest tips as part of the 12-week, Pocono Record's Summer Golf Tips Video series.
"I think it (the video series) is a great idea," said Jeff Pietracatella, Head Golf Professional at Water Gap Country Club. "I think people will get a lot out of it. You're getting all the tips from PGA professionals."
Pietracatella, 38, and nicknamed "Peach", will host the first four lessons, while other local PGA professionals will host the remaining weeks.
The lessons will cover every aspect of the golf swing, and the numerous types of swings, from pre-swing mechanics to hitting bunker shots. The video tips will mimic a general lesson, but won't force the golf pros to give away their prized tips they save for individual lessons.
"Generally, we start most new players on a six-pack series of lessons, it's similar to what we're doing with the video series," Pietracatella said.
All the videos will be shot on location at each golf pro's respective golf course they manage.
The first week brought the video series to Water Gap Country Club in the Delaware Water Gap. The course offers scenic, mountainous terrain and a wide array of surfaces to swing from.
"Water Gap has history, Walter Hagen and Johnny Farrell played here in the late 1920s," Pietracatella said. "There are a lot of different lies. Anyone coming from flat terrain to here would definitely be challenged."
Pietracatella started playing golf when he was eight years old. Born in Staten Island, N.Y., he moved to the Poconos at a young age and grew up playing at Evergreen Golf Club. He turned professional as soon as he graduated from Pocono Mountain High School in 1988.
Since then, he has travelled back and forth between Florida and the Poconos, holding associate and head golf professional jobs until he landed the head job at Water Gap five years ago.
"People think that when you become a golf pro, you play golf all the time," Pietracatella said. "There are a lot of other things we do. We run the golf operations, run tournaments, manage merchandising, run the pro shop, manage staff and teach the game, it's not all playing, it's a business too."
Teaching is Pietracatella's favorite aspect of being a golf professional.
"I love to teach, teach is a great way to promote the game," Pietracatella said. "My biggest joy in teaching is seeing somebody improve; I like to see people get better."
Lessons are not the only thing a golfer needs to improve, Pietracatella said. Practicing is as easy as a short drive to the driving range, or a short walk to your backyard.
"Dry swings in the backyard are great," Pietracatella said. "The quality of the practice is better than the quantity of balls you hit at the driving range."
If this still doesn't help, lessons may be the only thing left to try.
"Don't be afraid to find a pro and take a lesson," Pietracatella said. "Make sure you're comfortable with who you're working with and set clear goals."