Cape Region Pro-File: Ryan Diehl

If you give him a chance, Ryan Diehl will go all philosophical on you.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that – especially when he can help you with your golf game.

The golf pro and owner of Eastern Shore Custom Clubs can be found most days at his new post, helping oversee The Foreland Club’s golf simulator space across the street from Bear Trap Dunes in Ocean View.

A Maryland native, Diehl entered the golf business several years ago at Olney Golf Park. From there, he worked as an assistant golf professional at Manor Country Club in Rockville, Md. “I did a ton of teaching,” he said in a recent interview.

He moved to the Delmarva Peninsula in 2016 and was an assistant golf pro at Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club. Diehl’s increasing interest in club fitting and repair inspired him to open his Eastern Shore Custom Club business.

When Dustin Smale opened the Foreland Club, Diehl reached out to see if he was interested in a partnership – and Smale was.

Diehl’s sessions at Foreland mix regular golf lessons with club fitting and repair orders. His club offerings are sourced from several lines, including Callaway, Cobra, TaylorMade, Mizuno, See More putters and LAB putters. Smale’s collection also draws upon Mizuno, as well as Titleist, PXG and Ping.

Diehl said he usually sticks to the stock shafts the club manufacturers offer. “It’s rare to have any fittings get into the exotic stuff. I just don’t see the dramatic improvement, and they’re expensive,” he said. “The shaft optimizer device Mizuno has is great.”

A typical fitting session is devoted to either irons or woods, with a single one-and-a-half- to two-hour session by appointment costing $125. Diehl’s initial customer interview touches on past injuries or limitations from past surgeries, but focuses on the overall goal, such as improved distance or dispersion. “After I see them hit five or six solid swings, I usually have a good idea where to go,” Diehl said.

He uses his repair shop for re-gripping and other routine jobs. Diehl also uses his loft and lie equipment to check the specs for any clubs his clients ordered, prior to final delivery.

When asked about lessons, Diehl detailed his overall approach.

“I think it starts with what skill level you’re at. Obviously if you’re a lower handicapper, there’s probably a little tinkering, some minor things that we’re working on. If you’re a little bit older, probably looking at developing a swing for you. A lot of people look for distance. Simplifying the swing tends to help create more speed, which allows you to create more distance,” Diehl said.

He continued, “A lot of these companies are selling longer clubs for more speed. The problem is that the longer the club, the harder it is to hit the center of the face. And then from there, you’re hitting an off-center shot. You might be making a higher club speed but you’re not making a higher ball speed.

“What I try to do is start with fundamentals for most of my lessons,” he said. “I’m trying to simplify the swing, get fewer moving parts moving during the swing. What I see in a lot of amateur golfers is a lot of movement with their arms.”

Diehl continued, “I’m a big believer in trying to create force from the ground. There are a lot of baseball players out there with a lot of power, but they have balance issues. They’re used to stepping into a pitch instead of staying connected to the ground.

“I have a philosophy, but I alter it depending on what the swing is that I’m working with,” he said. “But the bigger thing is simplifying it for everyone so they have something they can take out with them to work on. Then come back to me and we can progress from there.”

Diehl also had strong opinions on practice.

“I preach 30 to 40 golf balls in an hour, going through your process for hitting each one, picturing your shot, picturing your target. It’s very hard to do because you have to be patient. What it does is slow you down between each shot.”

“Most people don’t practice on the range like they are at the golf course,” he said. “All of us know that. I’m guilty of it as well. Slow down the practice, really try to focus on each shot. If you’re struggling, try some chip shots, maybe some putts, then come back.”

Diehl continued, “There’s no such thing as too much practice. There’s hitting too many golf balls in one session, but I don’t care if you practice every day, as long as it’s not for two to three hours, but you have to get out there three or four times per week. It’s a commitment. If you want to get better, you have to go through the process.”

On this issue he sounds a bit like Philadelphia 76er Joel Embiid – which is fine with me.

For more information about lessons or club fitting, contact Diehl at info@ theforelandclub.com.