The Golf Strategy Center

AA Keep Going and going – Golf Survival on the PGA

2006-06-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

It has been fun to watch both Paul Azinger and Billy Andrade this year fighting for their PGA cards. Truly two of the “good guys” on tour, both have history and both add an interesting storyline to this year’s season.

Azinger has fought off cancer and fought the loss of one of his best friends in Payne Stewart and now he is in a fight to retain his tour card. A very popular person not only among fans but among his fellow players, Azinger is a past PGA Championship titles holder and turned to the announcing booth a few years ago thinking he could do both. But with the rise of such good players in recent years, the Tour demands more of each golfer and Paul found himself having to make a choice. He has chosen golf and like he has shown before he is a fighter and I for one am routing for him each and every week. Going into the Booz Allen, Paul was number 95 on the money list and expects to improve that somewhat with his current 54^th position in this weeks event.

Andrade was in the running on the final day a few weeks ago in Boston and although he played steady in the final round, he lost his lead but still placed in the top 10 and this week he currently stands tied for 2^nd in the Booz Allen. That will clearly move him well up the list from his current 100^th position.

Golf is full of “good guys” but these two are special. Keep your eyes on “AA”. They just keep going and going and going…

Phil Michelson – 5 inches from Greatness

2006-06-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

What happened on hole number 18 yesterday was no surprise. Disappointing? Yes. But not surprising. What happened on 18 could have happened on virtually any hole that final tournament day after only hitting 2 fairways in a U.S. Open. Michelson just could not put the driver in the bag.

Strategy is far more than just planning to put the ball into a certain position for the next shot. It is also making the adjustments along the way to make it happen. Amateurs keep hitting the “big dog” because it is the “big dog” that gives them the thrill of being out there. They could shoot 110 but if they hit that one drive 300 yards then that is all that matters - That is all they would talk about. But here we are talking about “Greatness” – the U.S. Open; three majors in a row; the possibly of joining Woods as the only other player to win the grand slam (forget this “all in one year”, that is silly); winning 4 out of his last 10 majors and yet Michelson couldn’t put the “big dog” away.

There was so much emphasis put on all the trips to Wing Foot by Michelson and his caddie and yet some of that money would have been far better spent on overall strategy play. Standing on 18, Michelson knew what had happened to Montgomery and so at that point all he needed was par to win and bogey to tie if Oglvie could get it down in two from some 200 yards out. Either way the objective should have been to make sure at any cost to put that drive in the middle of the fairway.

I know it is very easy to second guess a golfer after the fact but even the commentators such as Johnny Miller were absolutely baffled at Michelson’s decision with what was on the line. His driver had been so erratic all day and all he needed was to assure bogey at worst.

Several years ago it seemed like Michelson had finally decided to abandon his reckless approach to golf and started playing with much more precision. His shot making seemed to go to a whole new level. And there is no doubt that when he is hitting on all cylinders that shot making makes him almost unbeatable. The missing element as I see it is playing smart golf. His talent keeps him in there but his head keeps him from running away from the field. They say you can take the child out of the street but you can’t take the street out of the child. In this case I wonder if you can take the amateur out of Phil.

I have always been a great fan of Phil Michelson but it is frustrating to see someone like that whom could possibly be the greatest golfer this game has ever seen neglect the one element that is missing from reaching that greatness – as Bobby Jones would say “the 5 inches between the ears”.

The Formula for Winning at Golf

2006-06-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

Visualize the shot…develop a consistent pre-shot routine…write out your strategy.

All of the golfing greats have visualized their shots and putts before actually making the stroke. Visualizing helps the golfer to commit to a target and flight path to that target. This in turn, sends information to the muscles to condition or prime the body for what it is about to do.

Image the ball landing at your target and what the ball is going to do. Then back up following the line of flight and imagine yourself making the swing. How did it feel, including the tempo, the impact, and the follow-through? It is amazing how the mind and body works. Once you have the shot in your mind you are ready to believe you will make it happen.

The pre-shot routine which often includes visualizing the shot is the habit that you develop to get yourself mentally prepared to execute the shot. It helps you to relax and get focused on the shot at hand.

The difference between professionals and amateurs is in the quality and consistency of their routines. A pre-shot routine is very similar to hypnosis in that you are attempting within a very short period of time, just before the shot, to basically clear your mind to focus on the task. Professionals practice their routines before every shot allowing them to put their minds to rest and assure them of eliminating negative thoughts. Too often amateurs think about the possibilities which open the door to fear.

Pre-shot routines can include adjusting the golf glove to make sure it is secure; holding the golf club at an angle to place your hands on the grip and make sure the club face is open; stepping behind the ball to pick out your target and locate a spot 3 to 4 feet in front of the ball to focus on while setting your feet accordingly for the target and the ball; making sure you are balanced then taking a smooth practice swing before hitting the ball. (This is just one example. The key is developing something that is easily repeatable and something that helps you to get focused on the task at hand.)

Finally, we come to having a written strategy that we can refer to on every tee as to what we intend to do on each hole. Remember something; 60-70% of all strokes are taken within 100 yards of the hole. If you are to make measurable improvement in your game, you must get a handle on the short game regardless of what you do off the tee. And yet amateur golfers continue to lose strokes around the green.

In visualizing the shots, I mentioned imaging what the ball is going to do around the target. The only way you can do that is to understand what the ball is going to do at impact and then how that ball action is going to affect what happens when it lands. This takes not only knowledge of your swing but knowledge of how the lie conditions will affect the ball with that swing. And although we can see the fairway from the tee and have a pretty good idea of where we want to place the shot, we don’t usually understand all of the subtleties from 100 yards in.

Ben Hogan was well known for walking the course the evening before a tournament to observe the subtleties of the course - Like he would say “to observe the tricks and traps”. He wanted to understand what the ball would do where and what he needed to avoid - I think that 37 wins between 1945 and 1949 says he must have known something.

Visualizing the shot, developing a consistent pre-shot routine and writing out a solid strategy works and it can work for you.

Golf and Life Till “It’s Time to Come Home” – A golf teaching tool

2006-06-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

Peter Jacobsen was quoted as saying, “one of the most fascinating things about golf is how it reflects the cycle of life. No matter what you shoot, the next day you have to go back to the first tee and begin all over again and make yourself into something.”

My father was an avid golfer and absolutely respected the game. Etiquette was a priority; the rules of the game were to be adhered to; and integrity was paramount. To dad it was the integrity of the game that took precedent.

Dad lived life the way he played golf. Whether it was in his job, serving the community, or raising a family, dad lived by those same principles. He worked hard; he treated everyone with respect and in everything he did it was with the utmost integrity. And he lived each day the same way. He knew that each day he had to “go back to the first tee and begin all over again…” – A golf teaching tool.

Obviously he was a great model to follow. I would spend time with him on the golf course where he played at a very high level having won many amateur events over the years. I was always struck by his level of quiet confidence. He was always in the game and never “out of the hole”. But this came with years of practice and tournament seasoning since like he said “nothing comes easy in golf just like in life. You have to be realistic in your expectations and there are no short cuts to success.” – A golf teaching tool.

Dad seemed to always have a purpose on the golf course. He knew what he wanted to do and what stood in his way and played accordingly knowing full well that there is going to have to be adjustments along the way. He knew that frustrations and disappointments were a part of the game and he managed those since just like in life you can’t let those things control you – a golf teaching tool.

Dad built his golf game on a solid foundation. He practiced all of the shots so that he knew what to do once on the course. While everyone else was hitting drives and long iron on the practice tee he was hitting 8 and 9 irons. Then he spent time chipping the ball around the practice green. He knew that the game was won or lost from 150 yards in – a golf teaching tool.

Dad knew the golf swing and he knew his strengths and weaknesses and built his strategy around that. He also knew that just as important as the golf swing and feel was his mental attitude. He would spend time before each round in some quiet time thinking and envisioning what he was going to do and review the strategy he had planned out the night before to get his mind into the game – a golf teaching tool.

He had a pad of paper where he had laid out his game-plan for each hole. Nothing elaborate, just a short sketch of each hole and a general layout of what he intended to do with a few notes on the hole-subtleties which he needed to be aware of in case he wasn’t hitting the ball quite as crisply as he would like. And let’s face it; golf like life always has surprises. So by having a few notes and having a plan, although there may be some adjustments, he would take a moment or two on each tee to get refocused and back on the game-plan – a golf teaching tool.

He used to tell me about Ben Hogan who often would walk a course the evening before a tournament to notice and learn all of it’s subtleties and as he stated “tricks and traps”. This was Hogan’s way of getting mentally prepared and focused on the golf round. So preparation was a big deal with dad whether it was in golf or adding a patio to the back yard.

Dad loved this wonderful game and played respectably till he died in his sleep at the age of 76. In fact, that morning he had done what he had done virtually every day in his later years; have coffee with the “guys” and play a quick nine. In fact, I like to believe that he was planning tomorrow’s round when the good Lord said, “it’s time to come home.”

Movin' Up The Latter

2006-06-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Barlays Classic 2006 – on a day that saw Fred Couples shoot a 12 over 83, two additional players fired +9-80s and 7 others at +7 and +8, Tom Pernice, Jr. and Jason Bohn were hungry enough to move up 17 and 18 spots respectively on the field shooting 67s each. Click here for a list of all the 2006 movers.

Is Vijay Hitting Stride?

2006-06-10T06:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Singh shot a 7 under 64 to move into a tie at the Barclays Classic, the tune-up for Wing Foot next week. If the week before the U.S. Open turns out to be anything like the week before the Masters are we about to see a new trend?

Singh has been lurking all year with 6 top 10 finishes which is only second to Michelson and yet Singh is 15th on the current money list while Michelson is number 1. That could all change very quickly.

I am also keeping my eyes out for Adam Scott. He too has been playing much better than his current 19th in the money standings. Although he has not been able to put anything away to date, he has been near the top in several tournaments over the past couple of months. It only takes one round and he has the game.

I did some analysis on the top 20 money list and came to some interesting conclusions. Although you have to separate Woods out because of his lack of tournament appearances as of late, the guys that have been lurking the most this year are Mickelson, Campbell and Furyk if you give 10 points for a win, 9 for a second and so on. Based on that the top 5 would be Michelson (1), Campbell (6), Furyk (2), Zack Johnson (14) and Adam Scott (19).

Campbell has shown that he is a pretty cool customer and we all know the reputation of Michelson and Furyk. Johnson and Scott are the unknowns. Are they ready to make a move? Although they are both considered stars of the future they have not yet shown that final drive. But if you keep lingering around up there things are going to start to happening. But will it be at the U.S. Open? Mmmm???

My odds on favorites are still Woods and Michelson because they have both been there so many times before and in both cases there is a lot at stake. But will Woods be ready is the first question and how will Phil handle the pressure of three Majors in a row?

It could just be that Vijay is the one that is hitting his stride?

Down Memory Lane

2006-06-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

Last night I was roaming the net to find some U.S. History to help me to write the following article. Although I was reminded of great moments that truly stuck out in my mind like the great final round posted by Johnny Miller in 1973 when he shot a 63 and came from behind to beat Weiskopf and Nicklaus. I was sitting in the club house of De La Viega in Santa Cruz just after an early morning round; or that 45 foot putt that Greg Norman sunk in 1984 on the final hole to tie Fuzzy Zoeller only to lose in a play off the next day; Scott Simpson making those three consecutive birdies on the final nine to beat Tom Watson head-to-head; Palmer making 6 birdies on the first 7 holes in 1960 to come from behind for his first U.S. Open victory; that great 4-iron on the final hole in 1995 to secure victory for Corey Pavin; and that wonderful victory par sunk by Payne Stewart in 1999; I noticed a couple of interesting facts .

In both 2000 and 2002 both won by Tiger Woods, Miguel Angel Jimenez tied for second place; the U.S. Open didn’t adopt a 4-day, 18 hole format till 1965;Orville Moody captured the 1969 Open after having to go through sectional qualifying; the U.S. Open was first televised in 1954; then on a personal note, in 1982, Bill Rogers a winner of the British Open in 1981 and Player of the Year placed tied for 3’d and unbeknownst to me, I was to hire the caddy that carried Bill’s bag when he won the 1981 British Open the following year to work for a printing company in Southern California. Rogers played on the tour from 1975 to 1988 and won six tournaments, including 4 in 1981. After a final victory in 1983, Bill Rogers faded away and all I remember was that for a while he was a spokesman/endorser for a new line of soft-spike shoes. Chris (the caddie) continued for a few years to take his vacation and travel with Bill to the British Isles to the scene of their victory but soon Rogers took a Director of Golf position at the San Antonio Country Club where he worked for 11 years before joining the Champions tour in 2001.

The U.S. Open

2006-06-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

In 1982, my brother and I took my father to the U.S. Open played at Pebble Beach - The year that Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus on the 17 hole with that miraculous chip in. Unfortunately for us we lived in southern California and left the course a hole too early to try to beat some of the traffic. We were absolutely sick the following morning. To have endured the day like we had and to have missed seeing the dramatics as they unfolded was a true regret.

I don’t know how many of you have ever been to Pebble Beach but not only is it one of the truly great golf courses; you have to come prepared for most any type of weather. In a typical 4 ½ hours you can see brilliant sun turn to cold howling wind in a split second. I once walked the course at a Bing Crosby Clam Bake event in a golf shirt since it was in the high eighties when we arrived only to catch pneumonia on the back side.

Last night I was looking up some history on the Open and something caught my eye - The name of Sam Snead. Not because of victories because although he won more tournaments than any other golfer (81 in his career), he did not win the U.S. Open. He was runner up 4 times but did not get to the winners circle at this national Major golf event.

What Sam Snead did do was make it to the weekend in the U.S. Open at the age of 61 in 1973 – the oldest player to ever make the cut. And he ended up tying for 29th that year which is amazing given the typical U.S. Open conditions that usually favor the long accurate hitters coupled with, of course, the things that happen to our golf swings and bodies when we start to reach that ripe old age.

Here are a couple of other facts to get us ready for next weeks event:

The most victories in a U.S. Open is held by 4 golfer: Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus.

The oldest champion is Hale Irwin at the age of 45.

There are 6 active players with 2 or more victories in the U.S. Open: Hale Irwin, (3), Lee Trevino (2), Ernie Els (2), Lee Janzen (2), Tiger Woods (2) and Retief Goosen (2).

Are you ready? Let’s tee it up!!

Them Bones

2006-06-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

On MSN.com this weekend there was a video with Jim “Bones” Mackay, Phil Mickelson’s caddie, about “Bones” visiting Wing Foot to scout the course for the upcoming U.S. Open in two weeks. Obviously this is a big event for Mickelson beyond just the fact of it being a “Major”; Phil has a chance to repeat the “Tiger Slam”. He has won the last two Majors (the PGA followed by the Masters) and seems to be playing some of the best golf of his life. Although he still likes to take chances from time to time, it seems over the past couple of years that even with that youthful tendency the new mature Mickelson stays focused and plays a much more controlled game. He seems to play with such precision and picks and choices when to get aggressive with a sort of strategic purpose in mind.

It appears, according to “Bones”, that the key will be off the tee this year. Golfers will need length but any wayward drives could be very costly. He says the fairways are clearly defined with a rough that could swallow up some balls or, at the least, give little chance to advance anything but turf. If Mickelson can keep the ball in the fairway it is going to be interesting to watch.

What about Tiger? We have heard little from Tiger Woods since the passing of his father. But you can bet he will be ready. It is amazing how Tiger Woods seems to come back from layoffs and pull things out of the hat. Almost like there’s a hunger to get back in the fray. There could be a lot of motivation in his mind, having just lost his father and you can bet he will be prepared.

I believe this has the drama and the potential of being one of the greatest events in golf history.

Up until last Sunday, the tour seemed to take a few steps back with more tournaments lost than won in a period of a few weeks. It was more like watching double-A ball each Saturday and Sunday. I even found myself turning the television off well before anything was decided because the only drama seemed to be; “who would miss hit the most shots” and that just isn’t interesting to me - And I love golf. But on the other side, this lull may have added to the anticipation – “calm before the storm”.

I wonder how many other caddies traveled to Wing Foot to check out the course conditions.

There is no doubt that there will be some “big time” strategy-building for this year’s tournament and it should be fun to watch. The cooler is cleaned, the refrigerator is full, and the couch has been properly fluffed. Bring it on!

Patch writes for Pocket Pro featuring Managing the Course which is being used this year by participants in 29 Major golfing events across the country. Put a Pro in Your Pocket.

Alex Moon Crowned Byron Nelson Champion

2006-06-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

Back Nine Run Leads to Victory

Alex Moon’s performance on the back nine at Lakewood Country Club during the final round of the EDS Byron Nelson Junior Championship will not soon be forgotten by anyone that witnessed it. Flying under the radar most of the day, Moon’s back nine four-under-par 31 vaulted him to victory in the first Texas Legends Junior Tour Major Championship of 2006.

With the first round leaders struggling coming out of the gate, Moon quietly put together a solid one-under-par 35 on the front nine to leap frog all the way to a share of the lead. Fueled by his jump up the leaderboard, Moon made no mistakes on his way in, and made four birdies on the back nine for a final round five under par 66. Moon made back-to-back birdies on holes #14 and #15, statistically two of the most difficult holes on the course.

Moon did not cruise to a victory, however, as Cody Gribble pressured Moon all day. Gribble started his day with 12 consecutive pars before a birdie at #13 and #15 put him within a stroke of the lead. Playing just behind Moon, and seeing the birdies he was making, Gribble matched each of Moon’s birdies on #15 and #17. Moon made a clutch up and down on #18 green and Gribble’s 20-footer to force a playoff fell off to the right. In the end, Moon’s play was simply just too much to overcome, and Alex Moon joins a prestigious list of champions of the event.

With his victory, Moon earned...participants in this years event used Pocket Pro Managing the Course booklets

What Can We Learn from Professional Golfers?

2006-06-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

Professional golfers are not only very talented, but they play smart, strategic golf. And it is the "smart, strategic…" that separates them from the good amateurs and the average club professional. They know how to stay in the moment and avoid distractions by being very focused when it comes to hitting that golf shot.

Yes, they practice for hours so that they can repeat that golf swing over and over again consistently; and they practice virtually every shot they will face when the tournament begins but all good golfers do that. But just as important as it is to making the shots, you have to know where to place those shots to get that right angle to the pin to get those extra birdies and eagles to get into the win column.

Golf is not an easy game at any level.

Hitting that little white ball and getting it into that small little hole has been a mystery ever since the game began.

Even under the best of circumstances, pros will lose strokes when they lose focus. Golf takes a lot of discipline.

Think of the number of moving parts in the golf swing; the exact spot you need to hit the ball to get the distance required for the shot; the proper club selection; the tempo; the perfect club path; the right feel; soft hands; then firm grip or firm wrist; shoulder turn... If you have played golf for long at all you have probably been told to do all of the above at one time or another.

If you listen to the caddies of the touring pros they are like the playing pro's second conscience. They remind the player of what lies in front of them, what the ball is going to do, and what will happen if they go long or come up short. And although you would think that the player with all of his or her experience would consider all of those things on their own, truth is there is just far too much to consider when the pressure is on.

"Make sure you get it well past the hole. With that club it is going to really spin. You don't want to…". "Aim at that bunker on the right hand side and draw it in. Swing smooth and..." "I don't know, I'd go with the 7 and get it there. Take bogey out of the picture. You have a..."

We don't all have caddies with us on the golf course. And if we did, I am not so sure they would want to have to work that hard. But there is a way to accomplish virtually the same thing.

If you notice in every golf tournament, the caddies and the players carry little pads in their pockets that give them the distances to the hole from various spots on the course. These booklets are generally computer generated before each round and give critical details to the golfers that help them make decisions on what club to hit and what things to consider like landing area, roll of the ball, trouble to avoid, etc. Then by considering conditions (wind direction, wind speed, rain, dry fairways, moist conditions, etc.) the golfer can make the appropriate adjustments.

Too often average golfers just go out there to "grip it and rip it" and live with the result. But golf can be so much more than that. Having a plan and actually writing that plan out can go a long ways to keeping you in the moment and focused on the task at hand during the round resulting in better scores.

And what golfer out there wouldn't want to drop 2 or 3 strokes a side or more?

Listen; typically, golf is a 4 to 4 ½ hour round. To stay focused during that amount of time is an accomplishment in it self and the truth is that the average golfer is not always up to the task. It doesn't take much to get out of focus. A miss hit ball, a stupid bogey, a fat-shot, a crappy bounce, a spike mark on the green, casual conversation, a beer or two can all get us off track and take our mind away from the task at hand.

Strategies are a game-plan of how you hope to generally approach each hole based on your skill sets. By writing that approach out, it keeps you focused in the moment and basically gives you a new start with each and every hole. In the end, it is hoped that you will be successful on more holes than not. Again, it is to keep you in-the-moment – focused on the task.

Golf seems to always present new challenges with each time we play. But the general strategy shouldn’t change. We should just make certain adjustments depending upon how well we are striking the ball; how confident we feel; etc. and note any new observations based on those adjustments. It is those notes that you can work from either on your own or with your local professional to refine your game or plan or just to smoothen out some kinks in the armor.

A well thought out plan works cause smart golf saves strokes.

Metal-Play or Match-Play, Stick to the Game-Plan

2006-05-31T07:46:00.000-07:00

Contrary to many articles written lately, whether you are playing match-play or metal-play your focus should be on the golf course and your game-plan. Golf should not be played against an opponent. It should be “golfer against the course and the elements”.

In Match-play you score by hole and in Metal-play you score by total strokes. The difference in strategy is that in Match-play each hole is a new beginning. In the case of Metal-play, every stroke counts.

But you should still approach the golf course in the same way - what holes play to your strengths and what holes don’t. Keep your focus on the game-plan. It is when golfers start to think about what their opponents are doing that they begin to put added pressure on themselves such as “I have to make this putt to win the hole.”

Match-play is interesting because it is the “Match-play” mind-set that one needs to consider when setting out a game-plan for a particular golf course. By that I mean that you need to set up your approach by how the course sets up for your game. In match-play, you can’t afford to give up holes that play to your strengths. That makes it much more difficult for you when you come to the holes that don’t play to your strengths.

But the same holds true in Metal-play. You still have to set up your approach based on where you can pick up strokes as opposed to where your game is going to be more challenged.

In Match-play, every hole is a new beginning. But if you can get that same mind-set in Metal-play it will help you to stay focused. In fact, in Metal-play, every stroke is a new beginning.

Golfers often talk about “staying in the moment”, “take one shot at time”…but what is really being said is to stay with your game-plan, your strategy, and let everything else take care of itself. When you listen to the better players, they fully understand that the game of golf is a series of ebbs and flows throughout a tournament/throughout a given round and that you need to be patient and let everything evolve. Then by having a well thought-out game-plan or strategy, you will know where you can be aggressive versus where you need to play more conservatively.

The key here is laying out a solid strategy and staying with the plan. And, might I suggest, writing it out for review on every hole. Whether playing Match-play or Metal-play, stay with the plan and play the course and you WILL SEE more consistent results.

How to Enjoy Golf Without Hurting Your Lower Back

2006-05-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

By Sean Cochran

The golf swing, lower back, and injury are common phrases in the world golf. It is understood the golf swing places large amounts of stress on the lower back. This is simply a result of the mechanics of the golf swing itself. The execution of the golf swing places the lower back under immense shear forces each and every golf swing, and the muscles of the lower back must withstand these shear forces. Muscles of the body when under stress from physical activity eventually become fatigued. Once the lower back muscles are fatigued, supporting the stressors of the golf swing and executing the mechanics of the golf swing are compromised. Resulting in some very common situations for the golfer.

Again, we are all aware the lower back is one of the most oft injured areas of the body in the game of golf. Statistics indicate approximately 50% of all golfers will incur a lower back injury during their playing careers. This statistic tell us a great deal about the importance of keeping the lower back healthy in the game of golf. Outside of the lower back becoming injured from the golf swing.

The situation of performance on the golf course comes into play. Often times prior to injury occurring, a drop in performance will occur. This is a result of the fatigue within the lower back not allowing the mechanics of the golf swing to be executed correctly.

On the PGA Tour keeping the lower back strong and injury free is a daily task. It is understandable how much time is spent on lower back injury prevention when the biomechanics of the golf swing are understood. The biomechanics of the golf swing place the lower back under large amounts of shear force/stress every time you swing a golf club.

Over time, this can easily cause injury if you do not take the correct steps. This leads me to e-mail I received a little while back from BioForce subscriber Bryan

He wrote in with a question about his lower back and here is what he had to say;

“Sean,

I am 54 years of age and a very keen golfer.

Lately I have been experiencing back pain, maybe because of to much golfing?

I need your kind experience to advise me on this subject so that I can enjoy golf

without any harm to my back.”

Thank You,

Bryan

First and foremost the reasons for lower back pain is numerous and is best identified by a qualified physician.

My first suggestion is to get the lower back checked out by a back specialists. This will determine what exactly is going on with the lower back and what is the best treatment.

Now Bryan brings up a very good point in his e-mail. He discusses the possibility that his lower back discomfort is caused by playing too much golf. (you can never play enough golf!, well…maybe)

This absolutely could be the reason why his lower back is “tight” and “sore”.

Again, we know the lower back is placed under high amounts of stress every single swing of the golf club. Over time the muscles of the lower back can become fatigued from the golf swing. This will eventually lead to the muscles of the lower back “giving up” and becoming fatigued.

Once the muscles of the lower back are fatigued it is a very short step to injury. What is the process of eliminating this type of scenario playing out?

It simply requires the development of muscular endurance in the lower back to withstand the stressors of the golf swing. Bottom line the golf swing is a repetitive movement, requiring the body to perform the swing over and over again. In order for the muscles (lower back muscles included) involved in the golf swing to perform the repeatable movements of the golf swing over and over again in an efficient manner.

Muscular endurance is the ability of the neuromuscular system of the body to perform a repetitive biomechanical movement (i.e. golf swing) without becoming fatigued. How do you develop muscular endurance specific to the golf swing? By simply, implementing golf fitness exercises into a structured program.

In addition to the development of increased muscular endurance the efficiency of the golf swing mechanics may require adjustment. Efficiency within the mechanics of the golf swing can directly affect the amount of stress placed upon the lower back.

Additional research has indicated the shear forces placed upon the lower back of a professional golfer is significantly less than the amateur golfer. The reason for the difference is the mechanics of the golf swing performed by the professional is much more efficient, placing less stress on the lower back.

Stated previously, numerous reasons exist for the lower back to become injured. The mechanics of the golf swing and endurance with muscles of the lower back are only two of many possibilities. If the lower back is weak the shear forces placed upon it by the golf swing will eventually lead to fatigue. The development of higher levels of muscular endurance can counter act this situation. The utilization of golf fitness exercises is best in relation to the golf swing for this situation.

Additionally, the efficiency in which the mechanics of the golf swing are executed affects the lower back. A less efficient golf swing places higher levels of shear force upon the musculature of the lower back causing fatigue and possible injury. A comprehensive golf fitness program to develop higher levels of muscular endurance and the creation of a efficient golf swing golf through instruction may assist keeping your lower back injury free.

Sean Cochran

About the Author: Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2004 Masters, 2005 PGA, and 2006 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf swing improvement techniques available to amateur golfers on the website http://www.bioforcegolf.com. To contact Sean, you can email him at support@bioforcegolf.com.

Source: www.isnare.com

Six Keys To Pitching From The Fairway

2006-05-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

Accurate pitching reduces your golf handicap. Turning three strokes into two by pitching close to the pin cuts strokes from your scores. Cut enough strokes and you’ll lower your handicap significantly. Learning to pitch accurately from the fairway is crucial to improving your game.

Pitching accurately from the fairway, as I mention in my golf lessons, requires good distance control. That’s not easy to achieve. The tendency is for your swing to be either too long, in which case the clubhead decelerates through impact, or too short, in which case the clubhead is jerked through impact. Either way costs you strokes, inflating your golf scores and your golf handicap.

Learning to pitch accurately from the fairway is a two-stage process. One stage involves building better technique. You can work on technique in golf lessons and on the practice range whenever you go. The second stage involves learning how to judge distances. While you can’t learn to judge distances simply from taking golf lessons or reading golf tips, they can facilitate the learning process.

Here are 6 keys to building better technique:

1.Make changes at address
2.Open the stance
3.Aim clubface at target
4.Make a shorter backswing
5.Clear the left side
6.Release the clubhead

Two subtle changes at address help with technique. Since you need to strike the ball with a crisp, descending blow, (1) position the ball at your stance’s midpoint and (2) make sure that the club’s shaft and your left arm (for right-handers) are in a straight line, ensuring ball-then-turf contact.

Also, open your stance a little at address. It enables you to clear the left side through impact. While it seems like a minor thing, it has an impact, just like the two changes discussed above. Despite the open stance, aim the clubface directly at the target, just as if your feet were parallel.

Opening your stance shortens your backswing, since it curbs movement of the lower body. Gripping down on the club also shortens your backswing, while providing increased club control. The closer you hands are to the ball, the better control you have. Nevertheless, you still need to transfer your weight correctly, despite the shorter swing,

With the open stance and the left side clear, your hands have room to strike the ball squarely. Release the clubhead freely through impact and then move smoothly into your follow-through. Use these suggestions to help build better technique.

In addition to working on your technique, you need to improve distance control. Unfortunately, the only way to do that is by practicing. The more you practice, the better you’ll get. Below are two other suggestions to remember the next time you’re practicing your pitching:

Practice the Body-controlled Method
One approach to help with distance is the body-controlled method. It’s an approach I’ve talked about in my golf tips. Assume your normal pitching address position, but place a towel across your chest and under your armpits. Choke down on the grip for added control and make short compact swings, keeping the towel under your armpits as you swing.

At the same time, vary the speed of your body turn. If you have a 20-yard shot, think in terms of turning your body 20 miles per hour. If you have a 30-yard shot, think in terms of turning your body 30 miles per hour. The longer the shot, the faster you turn your body. Try this method to help improve your distance control. Also, vary the length of your shots so you will get practice at different lengths.

Establish a “Pitching Zone”
Work on establishing a pitching zone—a safe area where you’re not only comfortable and confident pitching from. Once you’ve developed the zone, try playing to it the next time you golf. The goal is to land your shots in the zone when approaching the green, so you’ll have an easier shot.

Jose Maria Olazabal used this approach during a tournament. Having driven into trouble off the tee, he asked his caddie: “What club will give me 92 yards to the flag for my next shot.” Thinking one step ahead, Olazabal was aiming for a spot on the fairway where he was confident he could get up and down from to save par. That was strength for him. Establishing a “pitching zone” gives you a strength to play to, just like Olazabal.

Use these six keys to help with pitching from the fairway next time and you’ll be sure to start dropping shots fast.

About the Author: Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros". He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately.

Source: www.isnare.com

Is the PGA Tour Losing Some Luster?

2006-05-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

Is everyone sitting at home preparing for another major? With the exception of Tiger Woods who just lost his father, where has everyone been? The tournaments have not had the drama of the past and it has been more like “who is going to hang on” as opposed to “who is going to make the charge?” I wonder how much this has all affected television rating. Any way…just an observation…

Yesterday I mentioned the importance of water consumption. Here is some information I came across that is not specifically golf related but it does emphasize the point I was making. Our bodies are 75% water and so it should be obvious to all of us that water is very important for functioning at our optimum.

“Water prevents and helps to cure back pain.

Low back pain and ankylosing arthritis of the spine are signs of water shortage in the spinal column and discs - the water cushions that support the weight of the body. These conditions should be treated with increased water intake - not a commercial treatment, but a very effective one.

Not recognizing arthritis and low back pain as signs of dehydration in the joint cavities and treating them with pain-killers, manipulation, acupuncture, and eventually surgery will, in time, produce osteoarthritis when the cartilage cells in the joints have eventually all died. It will produce deformity of the spine. It will produce crippling deformities of the limbs. Pain medications have their own life-threatening complications.

Water and salt prevent and helps to cure asthma.

Asthma, which also affects 14 million children and kills several thousand of them every year, is a complication of dehydration in the body. It is caused by the drought management programs of the body. In asthma free passage of air is obstructed so that water does not leave the body in the form of vapor - the winter steam. Increased water intake will prevent asthma attacks. Asthmatics need also to take more salt to break the mucus plugs in the lungs that obstruct the free flow of air in and out of the air sacs.

Not recognizing asthma as the indicator of dehydration in the body of a growing child not only will sentence many thousands of children to die every year, but will permit irreversible genetic damage to establish in the remaining 14 million asthmatic children.

Water prevents and helps to cure early adult-onset diabetes.

Adult-onset diabetes is another adaptive state to severe dehydration of the human body. To have adequate water in circulation and for the brain's priority water needs, the release of insulin is inhibited to prevent insulin from pushing water into all body cells. In diabetes, only some cells get survival rations of water. Water and some salt will reverse adult-onset diabetes in its early stages.

Not recognizing adult-onset diabetes as a complication of dehydration will, in time, cause massive damage to the blood vessels all over the body. It will cause eventual loss of the toes, feet and legs from gangrene. It will cause eye damage, even blindness.”

www.watercure.com Dr. Fereydoon Batamanghelidj

For more on water click here

Patch Has a Weekend “Heads Up” for You

2006-05-26T15:51:00.000-07:00

Obviously I can never stress enough the importance of a written game-plan or actual golf course strategy in helping you to be more consistent in your golf and, quite frankly, take your game to higher levels. But there are other elements that also play into this new mind-set which include golf conditioning, diet, mental preparation, and even the kind of and amount of water you consume during the round. The idea is to create a clear strategy that fits your game and then gets your body and mind properly prepared to carry that strategy out.

Too often golfers think they can just go out there and set the world on fire and for many of us, it just doesn’t happen that way. Especially with courses getting longer and longer and many courses not allowing golf carts on the fairways. (Oh my goodness, we have to actually walk the course! I didn’t know that!!!)

Let’s take a simple thing like water. Most of us know that the water we get from our taps or drinking fountains is not exactly what we want to be filtering through our bodies. There are far too many contaminants that are not processed out through today’s water districts. In fact, I read just yesterday that over 40,000 water districts in the United States alone do not meet minimum standards (and notice I said “minimum standards” and why should we settle for that) - that is scary! And what is worse is that much of the bottled water you buy isn’t any better. And we pay as much for that garbage as we do for a gallon of gasoline. (God forbid if we ever decide to run our cars on water we might have to declare bankruptcy.) For more info

I know that most people are used to hearing “(8) 8-ounce glasses of water per day” but in actuality the healthy formula according to many health experts is to drink in ounces one-half of your body weight under normal conditions. So if you weigh 200 lbs. then you should consume 100 ounces of water per day. Now being out doors, in the heat for 4 hours and getting moderate exercise on the golf course increases the required consumption from there. (That is a lot of water.)

Water is definitely a part of conditioning. But what about the other parts of conditioning which are important to your golf? There is no doubt that being in good shape, having good endurance, and keeping that body well oiled are critical for consistent success.

(By the way, with the summer here and all maybe it is time to actually get the old body moving to take advantage of the good weather. I heard from Mike Pedersen today of PerformBetterGolf.com and you just may want to browse around a bit at www.performbettergolf.com.)

It is amazing how your confidence soars when you feel healthy. It helps you think clearly and stay mentally prepared and most importantly it helps you stay focused on your written strategy.

This is Patch wishing you a great Memorial Day weekend. Stay healthy and play some good golf.

Who Gives ‘Jack’ about Strategy? He Did!

2006-05-26T04:08:00.000-07:00

Most golf instructors talk about the importance of golf strategy. Some have used the term "Course Management" but it all comes down to playing the course strategically based on your abilities. Jack Nicklaus was considered probably the best "course manager" of all time. He wasn't really seen as a particularly great ball striker but he knew how to handle the course. He played smart golf. It's about understanding your game inside and out, which includes your limitations, your strengths, when to gamble, when to back off… Course strategy will also help you to control your judgment and your emotions and in competition, those are the most important elements of golf.

Part of strategy is not only knowing what is on the course and where you want to be but it is also developing a routine that you can follow consistently shot after shot. Visualize what you want to do and approach each shot positively. A good routine can help to keep you in the moment and keep you on a even keel.

It is also important to know the right club to hit. And this is where knowing your distances and what type of shots you can hit from there are so important. Do you have the ability to put a lot of spin on the ball or is it going to land hot? And what about where you hit from on the tee - Is that going to matter? Where can you get the best angle between where you are on the tee and where you want to be? And what about avoiding trouble?

And don't forget about good old risk and reward. Think about your shots and consider what makes good sense. What are the percentages of hitting the fairway and giving your self a good angle to the pin? What could happen if you miss the shot? And, of course, learn to take your licks and only lose the one stroke. Don't add to the error by playing another shot that could lead now to a triple bogey.

You will notice that in the Situation Golf Guide it states to always make the same swing. And be aware of your tempo. Don't take a practice swing nice and smooth and then get up to the ball and swing like the hatchet man - Swing with ease and don't force it. Watch Ernie Els or Vijay Singh, they get plenty of distance with what seems to be so little effort. If you are concerned about getting there, then consider using more club.

Finally, I spoke briefly about the importance of emotions on the golf course. That cannot be overstated. Strong emotions in golf can definitely work against you. Golfers need to stay even tempered and take the same mental approach to every shot whether you are playing well or not.

Strategy Golf works and that is a fact. But you have got to know the course and then understand how it plays into your game. It all starts with good instruction. If you have a sound swing that you can depend upon then what is left is how to play the course and it is those that figure out that part of the game that excel.

First You Work – Then You Get Paid

2006-05-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

“If you are interested in improving your game, I would highly recommend helping your head as much as you are helping your swing…”

The above was a quote from Rob Mangini, former assistant men’s golf coach at Arizona State University. I read it in some material that I am reviewing written by Michael Anthony called The Mental Keys to Improve Your Golf. As Michael points out “the secrets to success is to understand and know what works. Then, concentrate on doing the work…”

Unfortunately, when it comes to golf usually us regular, recreational golfers don’t think beyond “gripping it and ripping it”. We don’t really want to put in the time. We just want to hit that sucker.

And yet in all my years of golfing, I haven’t met a golfer yet that doesn’t want to improve his or her game.

Getting better is not going to just happen, especially if you want to be consistent. It requires giving some serious attention to the four fundamentals of golf – mechanical, strategic, physical and mental. Now isn’t that interesting. How many of the (4) do you as a golfer have a handle on? I would bet that most average golfers don’t even think of (3) of the (4) and, to be honest, their mechanics probably aren’t necessarily “all that”.

Remember what I quoted from Michael Anthony’s book The Mental Keys to Improve Your Golf. “First you work, and then you get paid.”

That is the very foundation of what Strategy Golf is all about - focusing on doing “the work”.

Any sport requires practice. But golf requires so much more. It is you and you alone against the golf course, the elements, and your own demons. It is you that has to make the shot or sink the putt.

Something that Michael also mentioned was that “When you focus on winning (the outcome), you open yourself to the fear of losing”; letting bad shots or mistakes get you angry and that usually leads to something other than first place.

Again, this is where putting your attention on your Strategy and not on your competition is so important. All things being equal, if you play to your game-plan, then the outcome should take care of itself.

I would recommend Michael’s books The Mental Keys to Improve Your Golf to anyone serious about their game. But I would also highly suggest that you think about the game a bit differently and start observing the course and physically writing out a game-plan of how you intend to approach each hole. (Managing the Course; Plan Your Strategy)

It is a fact that “written goals have a mysterious way of becoming real…” page 15 of the The Mental Keys to Improve Your Golf. Unfortunately, most golfers, let alone most people fail to realize that reality.

Michael points out that there are “two reasons why people don’t write down goals. The first reason is similar to why people stop making New Years Resolutions”. They don’t keep them! ”…so (they) stop making them…the second reason…is that it is time consuming.”

You are the one playing each round; there is no doubt time between each shot waiting for the other players and on every tee; golf takes about 4 ½ hours to play 18 holes; and most of us fiddle around with stats and such on the 19th hole so what’s the problem? If you made notes a little after each round you would have plenty to lay out a solid strategy in no time. I know you think about the game, why not think your way onto paper?

Just some food for thought from a golf fanatic

2006 State Public Links Championship and Pocket Pro

2006-05-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

The State of Texas Public Links Championship will be using our Pocket Pro - Managing the Course booklets this year. All participants will be able to note their observations and build their game-plan. We wish all participants success. Smart golf saves strokes.

Do Not Stretch Just Before Your Golf Round

2006-05-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Did you read that right?

Let me say it again: “Do not stretch just before each golf round!”

Flexibility is important in all phases of the golf swing. The different phases require various parts of your body, muscles, joints and ligaments including neck, wrists, shoulders, trunk, knees, hips and ankles. If one of these joints or structures is limited you may not notice.

Your body is very good at making adjustments in order to complete its task. However this can lead to various compensations and muscle imbalances which could present them selves as a slice, hook, or just a general bad shot. Therefore it is important to gain and maintain balanced flexibility throughout your joints to allow full range of motion of your swing.

Timing of your stretching is also important

Although stretching should be done as a part of your daily life, to stretch right before or during a golf round can inhibit the muscles for a short period of time leading to decrease in power output (that is less distance in the mind of the golfer).

But doing regular stretching away from the game will actually help in:

Reducing muscle tension and make you feel more relaxed
Give you freer movement which is so critical to the golf swing
Reduce muscle strain
Keep you prepared for your activities
Loosen the mind's control of the body so it moves freely

Always remember that it is best to do relaxed, sustained stretches with focus on the muscles being stretched. When you begin, start with easy stretches and don't force it. Do not bounce and only go to the point of where you feel relatively mild tension then relax as you hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds.

You will notice the tension subside as you hold the position. You can then begin to move slowly an inch further in each position till you feel again a mild tension and again hold that for 15-30 seconds.

If the tension at any point does not subside then back off just a bit. The idea is to gradually stretch out the muscles.

Your breathing should be slow, rhythmical and under control. Exhale as you head into the stretch position and then breathe slowly as you hold the position.
Never hold your breath during the stretch.

The two areas most affected by the golf swing are your shoulders and your hips and they are the areas that give you your club head speed. As people get older, those two areas begin to restrict and so it is important to stretch both areas regularly.

Summary: A proper and consistent stretching routine between rounds can help prevent injury and allow for a smooth and powerful golf swing. But stretching right before any round can result in lost distance do to…

Patch Speaks Out

2006-05-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

That's what I'm talkin' about!!!

A Key to Controlling the Golf Gods

2006-05-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

“For the life of me what is going on? I haven’t gotten that ball more than 8 feet of the ground the entire hole. This is absolutely ridiculous. I was playing so well…”

Do you get frustrated at times when out of the blue your golf swing just abandons you for no reason? When the golf gods are trying to humble you?

Think a bit about the following. It just may help you to make that quick adjustment to get back on track.

Although the golf swing can be broken down to some basics, I want you to focus on the result at impact so we can work back from there.

What direction is your divot pointing? (Or not pointing, if you know what I mean.)

A lot can be told to you by the direction of your divot. If the divot is pointing out you may be swinging too much inside out. Too much pointing in would indicate too much outside in swing plane and so on.

From that point, what could be causing that swing plane to be off?

Is your body turning through the ball? Is your body swaying – not staying between the balls of your feet? Do you have sound footing or are your feet slipping out from under the shot? Is your shoulder dipping? Is your head getting ahead of the ball? Are you only using your arms? Are you turning your shoulders? Do your arms break down on the back swing? What about your tempo?

Once you know the divot direction you can then start to isolate what is going on.

Now I am not saying you have to think of all of the above at one time – far from it. But the above are some of the obvious things that could be happening and so you can take them one by one and determine if at that moment any of them make sense.

You also know your game and your swing and probably have a good idea of what your body tends to want to do.

Our bodies are creatures of habit and that is why even the Tiger Woods of the world who hit hundreds if not thousands of golf balls virtually every day say that it takes a good 6 months (and in the case of the average golfer much longer) for a swing change to take effect.

So think about what your tendencies are. What does your “golf memory” tends to want your body to do?

A good, qualified golf professional can help you to isolate those tendencies. Then by noting the tendencies and what you need to do to correct them, you can be better prepared when things start going south.

This is why we highly recommend some sort of golf journal for every golfer to maintain during each round. Note what you are feeling, what you are observing, your conditions, your lie and most importantly the direction of your divot.

By doing that, after the round you have something to review on your own or, more importantly, to show your golf professional who can isolate the problem based on specifics and keep you in control of the golf gods.

…just trying to make the game a more enjoyable experience for you.

Pocket Pro Used in Major Tournaments

2006-05-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

The area that most golfers tend to neglect, when it comes to their golf game, is the area of course knowledge. When a golfer plays a particular golf course all of the time, he or she knows that they begin to develop an advantage because they instinctively know how things break, what to expect if the ball lands in a particular position, where they can pitch and run or where do they have to get the ball all of the way to the pin, etc.

But even in the case of playing a course over and over again, there can be an advantage to laying out a course strategy in writing – especially for tournaments and such. That added pressure sometimes can cause our minds to wander or get preoccupied. And a written plan can cause us to stop on each tee and review and or remind ourselves of what is up ahead and what we intend to do on that particular hole – keeping us focused and in the moment.

Golf seems to present new challenges every time we tee up that little white ball. There are always surprises:

Lies that we have not seen before
Divots our ball seems to gravitate toward
kinks in our swing that are a new element
Plugged golf balls
And my all time favorite the “lost ball in the middle of the fairway” (a sure ticket to insanity).

Golf is also a very social game and by writing out your strategy in advance it provides a quick reminder of what you are trying to accomplish. And it shouldn’t matter whether there is a bet on the line or not. It would seem to me that there should be enough incentive to just play the best round possible each time out and keep that handicap down where it belongs.

This week begins a series of nation-wide golf tournaments that have adopted the Pocket Pro for their participants to use in developing an effective course strategy. The process usually consists of 3 parts:

The collection of course data (Managing the Course)
The development/writing out of a game-plan (Plan Your Strategy)
And finally the execution

In the case of the following tournaments the participants will be using the “Managing the Course” booklets which encourage the player to observe everything about each hole then sketch and note those things necessary to playing a sound strategy. This is especially critical with courses that the participants have either not played before or have played infrequently.

Although distances are marked on every hole in the fairway, it is wise to note distance from each position (right or left of the fairway, beginning and end of the traps, from one trap to another, from any position to the center of the green, etc.) so that when the player is mentally considering the possibilities they can make informed decisions. Often this can be the difference of that one stroke necessary to take home the title.

Our hats are off to all who qualified for the following and we wish every competitor the best of luck. May each golfer’s strategy be a winning one!

WGKCGA Member-Guest Day - May 22
EDS Byron Nelson Jr. Championship - May 30-31
Alaskan Golf Assoc Spring Opener - June 15
Texas State Jr. Match Play Championship - June 26-30
The Chad Campbell Jr. Championship - July 5-6
D.A. Weibring Jr. Classic - July 10-11
The Greater Houston Jr. Open - July 17-18
Texas State Jr. Championship - July 31-Aug 2
The Bruce Lietzke Jr. Classic - Aug 1-Aug 2
The Ben Hogan Jr. Invitational - Aug 8-9
EWGA Championship Finals - Sept 15-16
The Texas Legends Tour Championship - Nov 25-27

The Diary of a Golfer 1

2006-05-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

No doubt there are high hopes heading out to that first tee. You feel strong; you can see that ball exploding off the club. That feeling of raw power as the ball soars through the air; that swing so smooth and powerful; your head definitely in the game.

And then for some reason after taking a smooth practice swing and still feeling on top of the world, you address the ball, a little doubt creeps in. You start that back swing with a little sway in the body and before you know it you have over-swung just a bit. Then as you start your downswing your hips shift slightly causing your hands to get too far ahead of the club so that at impact you are coming from outside in cutting at the ball causing a severe slice to the right and the round begins.

From the heavy rough you try to make the miraculous shot only to find yourself advancing about 100 yards with a 4 metal and no better of a lie. By the time you reach the green you have visited the sand and are now putting from 25 feet for bogey with a slight breeze in the brilliant sun but you might as well be playing in the rain - you see nothing but two putts.

You reach the second tee, you are now the last one to tee off and the smoke is billowing. Smack! This time the ball takes an abrupt turn to the left, heading toward the trees, ricocheting off the tall branches and settling softly behind a beautiful Douglas Fir with no way to advance the ball. From here you play straight across the fairway, left-handed by the way, and are then hitting number 3 to this 375 yard par 4.

Finally you lift one up into the air heading directly toward the green and it looks like a beauty and the rest of your foursome yells "great shot", "at a way partner" but suddenly it comes up short, lands in a soft spot where moisture has collected from last night's 5-minute shower storm and the ball is plugged.

All of you look for a good 5 minutes but there is no ball to be found. Soon, reluctantly, you pull out another Titleist take your lost-ball stroke, then shank it onto the green leaving yourself another long putt but now for double-bogey - oh-oh, another two to get down. Two holes completed and you are now 5 over par.

Smoke is now coming out of your ass.

"Where’s the golf strategy, sweetheart?" Any hopes you had of "this being the day" have just vanished in the first 13 meetings of your clubface and that little white ball.

Of course we all know that this has nothing to do with you. There is obviously something wrong with the golf clubs or the ball is out of balance or they did something to the golf course. This just can't be. You felt too good. You had this all planned out in your mind and you were told by that latest article that all you had to do was visualize the shot and that is exactly what you did.

Where is the justice??? Somebody call the sheriff and get his fat torso out here.

Golf is always full of surprises. And to many of us that is probably what makes it such a great game. But just once, wouldn't it be nice to be hitting on all cylinders and having that ball land in just the right spot on every hole? And then have every putt break just as you had planned and end up perfectly in the middle of the hole? …probably not going to happen.

The above scenario is not so far fetched as most all golfers know. In fact, you play this game enough and you will have many of these sorts of stories of your own. Most of us have one or two every round.

But this is the very reason why golfers need to think more about "Golf Strategy". It is too easy out there over a period of 4 to 4 ½ hours for things to get out of control. And if you don't have something written down to help you get back on track you can turn one mistake into many very quickly and that is what can drive up the score.

The written strategy does not have to be complicated at all. It is just a reminder of what you intend to do on each hole. Where do you want the ball to land? What club selection makes sense off the tee? What do you need to consider giving you the best chance at par? What do you definitely want to avoid? And what are the distances from certain landmarks so you know what to do if things don't go quite as planned?

Most golfers try to do all of this in their heads. But when things go a stray, plans start to get abandoned. And that is not good. It is better to only have one bad hole as opposed to many if you can prevent it. And the quicker you can get your mind off of the bad shot or the missed putt the better off you will be.

The concept behind a written plan in golf is no different than a written plan in business or your personal life. It helps to solidify the plan or strategy in your mind and then keeps you on target - you have something to refer to when distractions get in your way. It is also a great tool for evaluation. You are not just remembering what you did that was good or bad but you have your plan to see how you are doing against your strategy for each hole.

In time this will pay dividends with more consistent play.

Think about it: Get that "Strategy" out of your head and onto some paper for better results.

What Was I Thinking?

2006-05-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Just look at the likes of Tiger Woods, Camilo Villegas, and many of the other younger chiseled golf-bodies today and you realize that golf fitness is becoming a major part of the game. If players want to compete at the highest levels they have to have a physical routine, watch what they consume, be properly prepared mentally and then develop and follow a defined golf strategy that keeps their focus on the business at hand.

The old days of “golf not being a sport” have changed dramatically. It may still not have physical contact but you have to get very physical in order to drive that ball consistently 300 + yards. And with many of the courses reaching 7200+ yards the game is demanding more and more length with each club.

The need to play strategically is equally as important. If you look at most leader-boards, the difference between first and second is in most any professional tournament less than a stroke a round. But that “less than a stroke a round” equates to hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money – not to mention limelight and endorsements and what about the difference between first and fifth?

You hear professional golfers talk about staying with the plan; focusing on the course; playing for position; attacking some holes; backing off on others - Without a solid, well-thought-out strategy that “less than a stroke a round” starts to widen considerably. It doesn’t take much to lose focus and drop a stroke or two.

The average golfer can benefit from this type of thinking also. Virtually anyone that plays golf knows that it only takes that one solid shot or sunk putt to get the juices flowing. But there is much more to golf to enjoy.

Thinking a bit more about how to approach each hole based on how well you play the game can make a huge difference in how you ultimately score. And it is the high-handicap player that has the most to gain. A 15 handicapper may pick up 2 strokes a side, let’s say, but with some high-handicappers it may be significantly more; And what a difference that could make in your “golf attitude” let alone your enjoyment of the grand old game.

That’s Golf “Think”!

David or Goliath

2006-05-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

To hear dad tell it you’d have thought you were right there in the gallery. It was 193? and dad was playing for the Tacoma amateur golf championship. He was a 17 year old wisp of a youth about 5’ 10” tall and around 145 pounds. Definitely not the kind of guy that made others shake in their boots. But one thing was certain, he could play golf. His drives and irons, from what I remember from my youth, both would shoot off the club with that beautiful sound of the club face hitting the ball squarely only to seem to catch a cloud about ¾ of the way out which would gently lift the ball further in the air just before heading down to land softly where he intended – such precision; such artistry.

There was an air about dad when he stepped on the golf course. It was as if he owned it. Wherever we seemed to land in life, nothing changed that. In golf he was king and everybody knew it.

It was an overcast day in the Pacific Northwest and dad had reached the final match of the city championship. His opponent was a seasoned veteran of the event and was about 15 years his senior. But dad had spent several hours the previous evening mapping out his strategy after walking the course earlier that day and he was prepared. In his mind this guy could have been Bobby Jones and it wouldn’t have mattered. His focus was on the game-plan not the opponent.

Now the media, of course, had a different picture of the event. Almost a David and Goliath type image since dad’s opponent, although only a couple of inches taller, was much more mature in stature - definitely man against boy. There was respect for dad’s game since he had won every match to this point, but this was going to be the real defining moment. This was where the “kid” was going to get his lesson.

Dad’s strategy which he diligently hand wrote out on a small pad of paper hole by hole had him attacking the first three fairways and greens since those were holes that played favorably into his ball flight strength. 4, 5, 6, and 7 were back up the hill and dad knew that with his opponent’s length, he would be hitting short irons on the approach. So dad focused on position to give himself the best angle to take advantage of his pitch and run. (There was nobody better from 150 yards in) The objective was to be at least 1-up after three and then hold even or better through 7. Eight and nine were a short par 3 and par 4 which favored neither player. The back side was going to be where this thing was won or lost.

Dad knew that he must focus on his game and his game alone. If he played the course according to his strategy and stuck to his plan he knew that if he was on he would be right there come 17 and 18. Each tee he would step to the side and pull out his Game-Plan and review what he intended to do on that hole and then stick to it. Like he said “it kept me focused on the task and everything else took care of itself”.

By the time they reached the 15th hole, dad was 3-up with 4 holes to go. His strategy had him hitting a drive down the left hand side of the fairway to a landing area about 255 yards from the tee. This gave him a perfect angle with a flat lie to the green on this 385 yard par 4 which dog-legged sharply to the right. From there he hit a beautiful 9 iron that left him only 8 feet just below the pin with a slight left to right break for the birdie that clinched the 193? Tacoma Amateur championship.

This was only the beginning for dad. Although he contracted Rheumatoid Arthritis in his legs by the time he was 20 and had to learn to walk all over again, dad went on to add the Meadow Park club championship in Tacoma, twice the Riverside club championship in Chehalis, WA, the Lewis County Amateur Championship as well as 20 other amateur events.