tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87763425762466322902024-03-14T01:48:09.928-07:00Turn Turn the blogCoach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-26805860862204201922019-01-06T10:29:00.000-08:002019-01-06T10:29:32.879-08:00The Golfer Within<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Find the Golfer Inside<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">One day, golfing with
my Grandfather, I grabbed a club walked to my ball and prepared to hit a safe
lay-up shot short of the water protecting a huge green. My Graps asked what I
was doing and why. He knew I could easily reach the hole with a 6 or even a 7 iron
and wondered aloud about my reasoning for taking a safe, albeit, boring shot
with the shorter club. I told him I just didn’t feel confident with my longer
iron and was afraid to hit into the water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">He asked, “Dave, if
you weren’t afraid and did feel confident, what club what you use?” My response
was of course I would hit the 7 iron. He told me to grab the 7 iron, act like I
had confidence and was without fear and put the ball on the green. That was
maybe the first time I found the golfer inside. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">For the rest of my
life when I was faced with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fear</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Uncertainty</b>, and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Doubt</b> I would strive to find the fearless, confident or certain
person inside. Did it always work, did I always find that person? No, of course
not. But it did and does work most of the time. When I have chosen to find and
draw out the person inside, I have never, ever, lost anything more valuable
than a golf ball. I have always found much more value than I had risked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">How did my
grandfather know that the golfer inside me could make that shot that day to
that green? He knew because I had spent hours on the practice tee executing
shots just like that. He knew because he had spent hours teaching me what a
good swing would feel and look like. He knew because he had spent years
teaching me to act bravely and do what needed to be done. He knew what I did
not yet know, that a golfer inside me could and would make that shot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Choosing to act
without mental recognition of failure or defeat is what he taught me. Preparing
for whatever hazards that lie in wait, so they end up as just pretty ponds, is
what he taught me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">To find the golfer inside, you must put a golfer inside.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">I love to listen to
the dialogue between a world class golfer and her caddie. Often the last words
from the caddie are, “Alright, you’ve got this!” I imagine the final words or
thoughts of the brain surgeon, just before raising the scalpel, are, “I’ve got
this!” I am certain that every remarkable achievement has followed the
unshakeable belief that ‘I’ve got this’. They have all earned the right to say
and believe without doubt, “I have got this!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">This is not to say
that somehow every ordinary human being can miraculously rise to the occasion
at hand without adequate preparation. As Dirty Harry said, “A man’s gotta know
his limits.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">This is about
becoming the golfer you want to be. Is that golfer you want to be; a club
champion, a bogie golfer, the best short game player in the group or the
week-end duffer that has the best time? Defining the golfer, you want to put
inside is the first step.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Take a few minutes to
describe, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">on paper</b>, the golfer you
want to be. The more detail the better. How will others describe you? What will
your golfer epitaph be? Ok, so it will probably take more than a few minutes,
and will most likely be a work in progress. Describe the swing, the attitude,
the style, the skill level of that golfer inside you. Jot down a few role
models. Are you an Arnie or a Phil? Maybe your inner golfer is Bryson Dechambeu
or Moe Norman. I like to see my inner golfer being as cool as Freddie Couples
and as tough as Tiger Woods. Hey, it’s my imagination and my inner golfer. I
get to pick!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Building the golfer inside.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Now that you have a
mental and physical description of that golfer inside you, your inner golf
self, it’s time to build him and begin using him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Step One:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Learn</b>
all you can learn. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Imagine</b> all you
can imagine. Figure out <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">how</b> to do
it. You need to learn because learning means understanding what somebody else
already imagined. No one taught Pythagoras the Pythagorean Theory. Did someone
teach Einstein that E=MC<sup>2 </sup>? Before they could imagine those keys to
everything someone must have taught them something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Do you know what
causes a ball to slice? Someone does. Bernoulli perhaps, or a good golf
instructor. When you know what causes a ball to slice, then maybe you can
imagine a swing that will cause a ball to draw. You have imagined a swing that
draws the ball, now how do you execute that swing? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Use everything you
have learned, every bit of your imagination to clearly visualize the sequence
of events that will create a motion that executes a swing that will draw the
ball. Now go out and try to swing the club like you imagined the swing to look.
This is learning, not practice. Learn until you know exactly what you must do
to draw the ball. Use video, an observer or an instructor to help you learn to
execute a swing that draws the ball.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">It might take a few
minutes or several months to learn the swing that gets the specific result you
are looking for. Learning means failure. Do you know how many different
attempts it took for Edison to finally get a light bulb to light?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Things a great golfer
learns: How to hit high, low, short, far, straight, curving, stopping, rolling,
long swing, short swing, hit the sweet spot, hit on the toe, hit on the heel,
hit on the back of the club, hit it thin, hit it fat, tee it high, tee it low,
know when to hold ‘em know when to fold ‘em.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Step Two: Practice</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"> what you know you should do. Practice until
you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>can do</u></i> what you know you
should do. Practice until your inner golfer is as good as the inner golfer you
intended to create. Practice with a singular purpose, to learn to execute the motion
of the swing. You don’t learn to draw the ball, you learn to execute a motion
that draws the ball. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">I often hear from my
students that the swing doesn’t work because the ball didn’t do what they
wanted. The ball can only react to the motion of the swing, can never react to
your intentions. If the ball didn’t do what you wanted, it is most likely not
the design of the swing but the execution of the design.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Practice never ends.
You change over time, your body changes, your mind changes, you get older! Practice
helps you maintain your expectations and abilities, even increase them, as time
goes inexorably by. As my Graps said, “You are either green and growing or ripe
and rotting.”</span><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Practice builds
skills and until it is a skill you are still learning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Step Three: Test</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"> yourself in a real-world scenario. When you
believe you have practiced enough to have developed the skills needed to
execute the swing motion regularly and consistently it is time to test it. Kind
of like a dress rehearsal for a play. Now is the time to judge everything based
on what the ball does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">If you have been
learning and practicing a high flop, the ball better do a high flop. This is a
real world, on the golf course as it lies, golf shot. Hopefully you have a
friendly course where you can go try some shots from various locations to see
if you can execute the shot at a moment’s notice. During a friendly round put
the new shot into play. Put a wager on the shot to create a little pressure. If
your goal is to win the club championship, you better practice this new motion countless
times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">When asked how much
training and practice a runner needed to run in a marathon, the coach said
about 2000 miles worth, “But not all on the weekend before the race!” <br />
This doesn’t mean you don’t run in any races, just don’t run in the big one. As
a golfer try out your new swing in skins games or league play, understanding
that it is just a rehearsal swing. . .its not the main event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">The day of reckoning</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">! Today is the reason you did all the
work. Today is opening day on Broadway, the biggest skins game of the year, the
Club Championship, the day that is the first day you start using your inner
golfer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Step One: Review what
you know. Think about it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Step Two: Practice
with a purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Step Three: Rehearse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Step four: Act with
confidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Breathe in Breathe
out go to the next shot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-71689258009636196892018-09-03T11:18:00.001-07:002018-09-03T11:18:33.529-07:00The Driver,<br />
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<b>It is NOT hard to hit a golf ball with your driver. However,
it is hard to hit the ball hard. </b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Working with hundreds of students over the past 10 years, it
is clear to me that the driver is the most misunderstood, poorly used, ill
fitted and ill-suited club in the average golfer’s bag. I cannot recall more
than a few students that were satisfied with their driver or their ability to
use it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In many a golfer’s bag you can find an assortment of irons,
woods, wedges and putters that are often hand-me-downs or bargain purchases.
Sitting in the midst of that hodgepodge is a very expensive driver. Most likely
purchased because of its adjustability, its claims of being longer or
straighter, or because it is used by the best golfers in the world. Often, I
see a $300 driver in the bag with a $30 putter!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The driver should be the easiest club in the bag to use. The
ball sits high on a tee. The ground the golfer stands upon is almost always
level and well manicured. The face of the driver is often two or three times
larger than the face of any other club in the bag. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So why is that club the source of such abundant frustration,
anger, hype, hyperbole and mystery? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Let me try to cure some of that for you. First let yourself
believe that the “DRIVER” is not a required tool in your bag. Understand that
the driver is the least likely club to lower your score and the most likely
club to raise your score. Believe me when I tell you that the driver is not
more important than any other club and has the same purpose as every other
club.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So, what is the purpose of the driver (and every other
club)?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The game of golf is all about going from A to B in the least
number of shots, repeated 9 or 18 times. Logically then the first shot is
intended to make it easier to get to B with the 2<sup>nd</sup> shot and so on
and so on. If the first shot ends up making it more difficult to get to B, that
first shot was a waste. Down the middle, down the middle, chip and a putt for
par, next hole.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Standing on the tee box of that tough par four it is very
unlikely that the goal of your driver swing is to put the ball in the hole.
Therefore, distance is not the issue unless and until you are within reach of
the hole (B) with an easy shot. Direction is the key. I am not telling you to
give up on your driver, I am suggesting that you use it like any other tool.
Choose the tool to fit the job at hand. That is called course management.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The likeliness of the average golfer discarding the driver
for another more useful tool is remote. So let’s find a way to make your driver
a better tool, and you a better craftsman with that tool.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Just as not all hammers are the same, not all drivers are
the same. Getting even more specific not all basic claw hammers are the same.
They may all have the same basic design, look and functions but they can be so
different. In the hands of a master craftsman the claw hammer is a tool of
precision and grace. Gee, kind of like a driver! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When buying a hammer ask a few questions:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What is it going to be used for?</span></li>
<li>2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Who is going to use it?</span></li>
<li>3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">How much will the hammer get used?</span></li>
<li>4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">How many and what kinds of other hammers and tools does
the user have?</span></li>
<li>5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What is the skill level of the user now and into the future?</span></li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Same questions should be asked when buying a driver.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Let me try to help you with your driver by focusing on just
three key areas.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What is the right driver for you.</span></li>
<li>2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What is the correct technique for using the driver.</span></li>
<li>3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What you can do to become more suited to using the
driver.</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Step 1: Picking the right driver.</b> </div>
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<br /></div>
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First understand that price should not be an issue. The most
expensive and least expensive can be equally suited to you. My grandfather loved
to work with wood, his favorite saw was a little jig saw that I had as a kid.
He made the most beautiful little shapes with that “toy” saw.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When choosing your driver look for certain key elements. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The built in design bias of the club.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Loft<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Weight (the swing-weight of the club)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Balance (rotational and longitudinal)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Shaft stiffness<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Shaft length<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Grip<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Materials<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Quality and type of construction<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Adjustability (perhaps the least important)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The esthetics of the club.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Shape<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Color<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Overall appearance (used clubs especially)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Do you like looking at it?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The sound it makes<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Look at yourself<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Why do I want a different driver?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What am I expecting the driver to do for me?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What am I willing and able to do to be better
with the driver?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What do I know about drivers?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the first group of items; a good and honest fitter,
golf instructor or sales person can help you. The second group is all about
you. That third group can be tough. Use honest self-inspection and open
curiosity to allow discovery. Just as a good carpenter is a student of hammers,
you can become a student of drivers and all the other tools in your bag.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once you have taken the time to honestly and completely
answer the questions I have listed earlier, it is time to make the decision.
Prioritize the items and create your own personal “cut-line”. The driver you ultimately
choose must fit the criteria in every question above the “cut-line”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Step 2: Your personal technique.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With that shiny new driver in hand it is time to hone your
technique. You do have a clearly defined technique you are trying to master,
don’t you? Clear steps, written down, memorized, rehearsed and corroborated? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Break your technique description into 6 steps</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol>
<li>Pre-shot.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Set-up. </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">T</span>ake away.</li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Impact.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Follow through.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Finish</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Consistency comes from making each step easily repeatable.
Just as the musician learns a song note-by-note so the song can be plaid as a
unified tune, the golfer must learn the swing technique bit-by-bit to make the
driver swing a unified single motion. Play the song not the notes. The good
musician can practice by beginning at any point in the song, the golfer should
be able to practice from and to any point in the swing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Below is a description of the technique for one my students.
The list is just for one student. Each student creates their own unique and
personal list. Words and phrases that mean something to one person may not ring
true to another. Write your own list, it may be shorter or longer, it most assuredly
will focus on different things than this golfer’s list. Make it personal, make
it profound to you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pre-shot:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Pick the target.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Pick the starting point.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Visualize the ball’s flight</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Walk slowly to the ball and create the set-up.</span> </li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Set-up:<o:p></o:p></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Head behind the ball, the
longer the club the further behind the ball.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Right foot 90' to the target
line left foot slightly open.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Stacked to attack little to
no weight on the heels.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Hands neutral for the short
irons, progressively stronger for the longer clubs, palms parallel.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Left arm higher than the
right.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Right elbow tucked into the
body.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Shoulders and hips slightly
right of target line.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Spine bent forward between 30<sup>o</sup>
and 40<sup>o</sup> or 1 to 2 O’clock.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back swing:<o:p></o:p></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Stay connected.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Keep the feet solidly
planted.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Take the club back by taking
the left elbow straight back.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Insure that the club head is
staying outside the hands and target line.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Begin setting the wrist hinge
when the club is parallel to the ground and still in front of the toes.<o:p></o:p></li>
<ul type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level2 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">right wrist back<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level2 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">left wrist up<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Turn the left shoulder down
and past the golf ball.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">At the top the club should
bisect the shoulder at the shirt's sleeve-shoulder seam.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">The wrist should be fully
hinged (for a full shot) by having very relaxed forearms.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">The back of the left hand and
wrist should be flat.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
Transition:<o:p></o:p></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Hesitate at the top to feel
in balance, controlled, coiled and relaxed.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Weight should be fully transferred
to the inside of the right foot.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Bump the left hip out by
moving the left knee out over the toes.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Feel a little bit like you're
falling down to the left.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Down Swing:<o:p></o:p></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Turn the hips left swing out
to the right.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Think left shoulder down a
bit then up and back, drive the right shoulder to the ball.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Keep the left foot solidly
planted.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Butt stays out (behind you),
feel like you are doing a crunch shifting the butt to the left on the way
down.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Let right foot roll to the
inside and turn onto the big toe<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Just prior to impact feel
like you are throwing the head of the club out and through the ball to the
right.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
Impact:<o:p></o:p></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">At impact hips are open 30'
shoulders square to the target line.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Lead into the impact zone
with the hands.<o:p></o:p></li>
<ul type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level2 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Back of left hand to
the ground.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level2 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Club head lags behind.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level2 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;">Shaft leaning forward.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Do whatever it takes to get
the weight moving to the lead side so 90% of weight is on left foot at
impact.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Right foot fully rotated onto
the big toe.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Rotate the right hand
aggressively over the top of the left.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Accelerate to a full finish.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
Finish:<o:p></o:p></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Finish in a balanced position
with the head, right shoulder, right hip, and right knee stacked straight
up and down.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Finish with the right
shoulder slightly lower than the left.<o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">At finish the club head is
below the hands.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
Sound
like a lot, but probably has fewer notes than even the “Minute Waltz”!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b>Step
3: You! The engine of the swing.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
You
are the source of power, precision, and grace in the golf swing. To be able to
execute a wonderful golf swing the golfer must develop and marry certain mental
and physical attributes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo9; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Balance physical and emotional.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Concentration targeted and specific.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Strength of body and mind.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Courage to chance and fail.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Imagination for positive possibilities.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Forgiveness of self and circumstance.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Flexibility of body and choice.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Effort and desire to succeed.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Speed in motion.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Grace in winning and losing, success and
failure.</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
I
seriously doubt than anyone has all of those traits in abundance and definitely
never more than is needed. To be a great driver of the ball you must have
enough of those traits, so you are noticed for them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
You,
alone, can never expect to develop into the type of person that exemplifies all
of these virtues. You, with the help of friends and professionals, can expect
to have a wonderful journey down the fairway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-63358385054514909632018-07-24T08:44:00.001-07:002018-07-24T08:44:55.343-07:00The Short Half of Golf<br />
Golf is structured in two parts. I don't mean the front nine and the back nine. What I do mean is the long of it and the short of it.<br />
<br />
On your typical par 72 golf course there are 10 par-fours, 4 par-threes and 4 par-fives. Half of the strokes allotted to par are to get the ball to the green (the long of it). The other half of the strokes allotted to par are to get the ball in the hole (the short of it).<br />
<br />
Par-3: 1 shot to get it to the green, 2 more to get it in the hole.<br />
Par-4: 2 shots to get it to the green, 2 more to get it in the hole.<br />
Par-5: 3 shots to get it to the green. 2 more to get it to the hole.<br />
<br />
Unless you are either really good or very lucky the chances of getting the ball on the green in less than the allotted 36 strokes are very slim. The typical amateur golfer shooting in the 80's or 90's may never have fewer than 36 shots to reach the green. That same golfer may regularly have fewer than 36 putts.<br />
<br />
So you may ask, "<b>What's the point?</b>"<br />
<br />
As a golf coach not just a swing instructor it is important for me to get my student's to focus on the Short Half of Golf. Even so most of my students want to hit it farther. There is a reason most practice areas in the country are called <i><u>DRIVING RANGES!</u></i> Spend just an hour or so at a typical golf course driving range and you will see hardly anyone practicing out of the bunker, chipping onto the green or putting. You will see a lot of golfers slicing, hooking, topping and whiffing their driver in a vain attempt to hit it better and longer with the big stick. All to get more out of the 14 times they will use the big dog.<br />
<br />
Why aren't those same golfers trying to get better with the clubs they are going to use for the rest of the 70 or 80 shots they are going to attempt on the golf course?<br />
<br />
I am making the case here for making golf all short half. I do not mean that the game should only be short par threes, but that is a good place to practice. If you make the game all short half you can make your practice all short half. You can play an all short half game on the courses you now play!<br />
<br />
How long is the short half? The answer depends on the length of the golf course you play. The length of the course you play should not be much longer than 36 times the distance you hit your 5-iron or hybrid. PGA tournaments, played by the best golfers in the world, are usually played on courses shorter than the distance of a top pro's 5-iron times 36.<br />
<br />
Let's say you hit your 5 iron 140 yards including roll. 135X36 = 4860 yds. So any set of tees around 5000 yards gives you a chance to hit your best score ever. Providing you <b><u>never</u></b> use a club longer than your 5-iron.<br />
<br />
For your first time playing a <i>'<b>short half round' </b></i>with your friend, hole number 1 is a pretty tough 325 yard par-4.<br />
<br />
Your playing partner pulls out the driver hoping to stay out of trouble, slices the ball into the weeds and trees 170 yards off the tee into trouble. You grab the trusty 5-iron knowing you can't hit it far enough to reach trouble and strike a fearless shot 130 onto the fairway. For the second shot you are away so you hit first. Now a 6-iron struck pretty good but only 120 yards. Your friend has no choice but to hit it sideways to get it back to the short grass he muffs the shot out of the deep grass and gets to keep his turn to shoot. His third shot does reach the fairway. You are both on the fairway, you are 75 yards from the green in 2 and your friend is 125 out in 3. So even after his longer drive he is away. His 4th shot comes up short, your 3rd shot is on the green! You have a pretty easy hit and run with a 9-iron onto the middle of the green. His 5th shot is a pretty good chip but he still 2 putts for a 7. You putt right up to the hole for a tap-in 5 and go one-up.<br />
<br />
Your thoughts heading to the next tee are, "Just a little better putt and I par the hole." His thoughts are, "I hate this game, now I have to hit another damn driver."<br />
<br />
Sitting in the bar after the round, settling up the wagers, you buy the drink because you took all three Nassau bets. He remarks, after sipping his losers scotch , "I can't believe you beat me hitting those dink shots off the tee, I out drove you on every hole!" Your response is a bit harsh, " I know. I just wish I would have chipped and putted a little better." Winners scotch does taste better.<br />
<br />
The next day you are both at the range. He is sweating and cursing, hitting a large bucket of balls with his driver, while you chip and putt after hitting a couple of dozen iron shots.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-31669969718230204172018-07-10T12:30:00.003-07:002018-07-10T12:30:58.932-07:00Do we play when we play golf?Have you ever read the definition of play? How about this for a definition of play as a verb, borrowed for the internet;<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose</i>.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"> Is it possible to play golf that way? Have you ever seen anyone actually playing golf that way?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;">As adults, maybe we take it all too serious, perhaps we have forgotten how to play. I think we know how to play. If you have ever spent time at a bowling alley during league play you have certainly seen adults playing. Ever watched adults playing softball, baseball, tavern pool, frisbee, or fishing? The list goes on and on. Why do we see so much joy during those activities and so little during golf? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;">Most of us wouldn't ever do those other activities if they weren't fun. So why do we golf? Certainly it is not for a 'Serious or Practical' purpose.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;">My grandfather used to tell me that I couldn't choose to play golf well but I could and should choose to have fun while doing it. Sometimes it seems nearly impossible to choose to have fun while I golf. It can be difficult to have fun when the play is slow, or when you are playing poorly. I remember playing with my grandfather when I was about 12 and having a horrid game. I was grumpy, angry and frustrated. Graps asked, "Why are you being such a #%$$?" My answer was because I was playing so bad. His response, as always, was brief and to the point, "Why be upset, you're just not that good!"</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;">I play those words in my head whenever I play poorly. I try to use it as motivation to get better. A reason to practice, a reason to have fun practicing. I did learn that even though I couldn't choose to play well I could choose to learn to play better. Oddly enough the more I strive to get better the more fun I have. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;">Now if I could only find a way to get the other golfers to play faster. </span></span>Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-62644360669128364742018-07-03T08:27:00.002-07:002018-07-03T08:27:14.587-07:00Goal Setting<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext;">Back to Basics</span></span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">After several months working to get back to a
low single digit handicapper and eventually to scratch, I seem to be
moving backwards. I took some time to process the journey I have been
travelling. Looking backwards I can see that the trip has not been a straight
one.<br />
<br />
Like most of my students I allowed the desire for short term gains to influence
the overall journey. In other words, I kept changing paths. For a while I was
strictly conventional, then a bit of stack and tilt crept in, followed by a
relapse into "natural golf". I ended up with a swing focusing on
style rather than substance. Somehow, I forgot the purpose of the journey was
to prove that the simple "Turn - Turn" swing could get a golfer to
the best golf of their life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
I spent a little time on the range the other day going back to the beginning.
Neutral set-up, “Turn – Turn” swing, rhythm and tempo. Results were great. On
the flag with my wedge and in flip flops too! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
I think it is important to examine what caused me to alter my path. DISTANCE!!!<br />
<br />
Like everyone else I started looking for more distance instead of lower scores,
disaster. I reread the early part of my book and remembered that distance was
the last of the key outcomes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 21.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Smooth
full turn around a fixed axis, creating powerful weight shift with the proper
sequence of movement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 21.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Consistent
rhythm and tempo<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 21.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Controlling
the bottom of the swing arc. . .hitting the ground exactly where I want.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 21.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Predicting
and controlling the ball’s flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: 21.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Distance.
Be long enough and just long enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">When the focus moves from the first
four outcomes to the fifth outcome (distance) too early in the journey,
those first four skills are not automated and habituated so they must begin to
fail. That is what happened to me over a very frustrating and discouraging few
months. Each outcome-skill must be developed and habituated in the correct
sequence. This is a very valuable lesson for me as both a golfer and an
instructor, I must be patient with myself and help my students be patient with
themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 3; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2720723538757135063"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="826568338562421050"></a><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="3556438617097182867"></a><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="https://goingtoscratch.blogspot.com/2011/03/ups-and-downs.html"><span style="color: windowtext;">Ups and downs</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">My Grandfather would always tell me,
"Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly!" Of course, he didn't
mean that one should keep doing it poorly, or even get better at doing it
poorly, but to </span><span class="SubtitleChar"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">understand that greatness is always preceded by
failure. He would also say that one of the most powerful</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"> impediments to
greatness, is to be "pretty good". The time, effort and money
it takes to get from "pretty good" to <b><i>great</i></b>, can be
overwhelming.<br />
<br />
Those truths are really hitting home on this quest to scratch. I am seeing
glimmers of greatness but mostly is see myself getting better at doing it
poorly. I can score better, but not actually play better. However, I do believe
now that it is possible for the casual golfer to become a 0 handicap, and I
believe I can be there before the end of summer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Following the direction of my own book, I have
begun the mastery process on me, a pretty poor student. To get to the mythical
place of the '0' handicap index I have some tough obstacles to overcome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
1. Time<br />
2. Effort<br />
3. Money<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Those are the key ingredients to any and every
endeavor. I can commit plenty of #1 and #2 not so much #3 so my plan
must fit that constraint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0in;">I
am over 60 years old, not an obstacle, at least not one anyone can do anything
about.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0in;">I
am overweight, that is an obstacle that effects performance a little, but since
I ride it's not too big of a factor, still I want to lose 40 pounds.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">P</span></span>h<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0in;">ysically
fit??? Not bad, but I have limited flexibility in the lower back, that is
an obstacle. Doing a lot of stretches, using my Pro-relax electrical
stimulator. I have the strength for golf but not the flexibility.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0in;">Ability.
I have eagled every hole on my home course except 3 of the par 3's. Only one
hole in one in my life. That means I have the ability to score low.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0in;">Skill.
I believe skill is the automatic habituated high-quality application of
ability. That only comes with repetitions, hitting lots of balls on
purpose and with a purpose. Lots of time in my hitting area in the
garage. Probably will still only play once a week, maybe twice on
occasion. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0in;">The question is, "Can a casual golfer be a scratch
golfer?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The answer is, "Why not?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-39630810979666017802018-06-26T08:30:00.000-07:002018-06-26T08:30:30.944-07:00What is the One Trick Pony's Trick!<span style="font-family: inherit;">One Trick Pony, is a song and a movie by Paul Simon, released in 1980. Until I heard that song I believed the term was a disparaging comment aimed at someone with limited talents and abilities. This song made me think otherwise. Perhaps it is better to have one trick that you can do very well than to have a multitude of ordinary lackluster abilities.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What could this possibly have to do with golf?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let's look at the lyrics from the song: <a href="https://www.paulsimon.com/music/one-trick-pony/">https://www.paulsimon.com/music/one-trick-pony/</a></span><br />
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #38342b; font-size: 12px;">Lyrics:</strong></h2>
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He’s a one-trick pony<br />
One trick is all that horse can do<br />
He does one trick only<br />
It’s the principle source of his revenue<br />
And when he steps into the spotlight<br />
You can feel the heat of his heart<br />
Come rising through</div>
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See how he dances<br />
See how he loops from side to side<br />
See how he prances<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q6_qfJ6JN14/WzJPPD7spkI/AAAAAAAAY2A/awWqmERwDR4GovwCTwBnA3uzYN9uq_MxgCLcBGAs/s1600/paulsimon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="879" data-original-width="1000" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q6_qfJ6JN14/WzJPPD7spkI/AAAAAAAAY2A/awWqmERwDR4GovwCTwBnA3uzYN9uq_MxgCLcBGAs/s320/paulsimon.jpg" width="320" /></a>The way his hooves just seem to glide<br />
He’s just a one-trick pony, that’s all he is<br />
But he turns that trick with pride</div>
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He makes it look so easy<br />
He looks so clean<br />
He moves like God’s<br />
Immaculate machine<br />
He makes me think about<br />
All of these extra moves I make<br />
And all this herky-jerky motion<br />
And the bag of tricks it takes<br />
To get me through my working day<br />
One-trick pony</div>
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He’s a one-trick pony<br />
He either fails or he succeeds<br />
He gives his testimony<br />
Then he relaxes in the weeds<br />
He’s got one trick to last a lifetime<br />
But that’s all a pony needs, that’s all he needs</div>
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He looks so easy<br />
He looks so clean<br />
He moves like God’s<br />
Immaculate machine<br />
He makes me think about<br />
All of these extra moves I make<br />
And all this herky-jerky motion<br />
And the bag of tricks it takes<br />
To get me through my working day,<br />
One-trick pony<br />
One-trick pony</div>
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One-trick pony, one-trick pony<br />
One-trick pony, take me for a ride<br />
One-trick pony</div>
<div style="background-color: #f3f0e2; box-sizing: border-box; color: #38342b; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
© 1980 Words and Music by Paul Simon</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #38342b;">Whenever I watch a really good golfer, whether pro or amateur, I see one trick they all can do with grace. Oddly that trick is </span><b><span style="color: red;">not </span></b><span style="color: #38342b;">hitting the golf ball! That golfer either fails or succeeds because of that one great trick and more importantly they accept that truth. They make it look so easy, they make it look so clean. They leave out all the extra moves that other golfers make, all that herky-jerky motion that is just not needed for that one great trick. I see that great golfer move from side to side, how their hands and feet just seem to glide. I can see their passion for that trick and the pride in their performance. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38342b;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #38342b;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the past several years I have tried to learn that trick and teach it to my students. It is very hard to learn and even harder to teach. Do more with less, think simple, be natural, understand nature's laws. I have successfully performed the trick on occasion, and have witnessed a student feel that wonderful moment when the trick worked. I still do not fully own the ability to perform the trick every time and probably never will. Moe Norman called it the "Moment of Greatness". I ask myself and my students to evaluate each swing not by what the ball did but rather how well was the trick performed. For me 'staying in the moment' means staying focused on performing that one trick and nothing else.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38342b;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38342b;">That one trick that all golfers need is motion. A simple graceful balanced motion from side to side. A motion that begins from a quiet stationary balanced place and ends in a different quiet stationary balanced place. A smooth rhythmical rotating motion around the torso. A movement that starts from the feet and moves throughout the whole body. A movement that shifts the weight from both feet to one foot and then to the other foot. </span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i3sFxT22vNU/WzJbMODhZ9I/AAAAAAAAY2M/eMLsmGU5gYwD6K1Thp2rtnDP3db9JzghQCLcBGAs/s1600/SwingSequenceRickie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1515" height="168" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i3sFxT22vNU/WzJbMODhZ9I/AAAAAAAAY2M/eMLsmGU5gYwD6K1Thp2rtnDP3db9JzghQCLcBGAs/s640/SwingSequenceRickie.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.golfperformancegroup.com/sequencing-swing-drill/">https://www.golfperformancegroup.com/sequencing-swing-drill/</a></div>
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Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-88975974597472170302018-04-17T15:07:00.000-07:002018-04-17T15:07:39.157-07:00Faults and fixes...a video<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hWi1cWgBRZI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hWi1cWgBRZI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-40562740426375970512017-08-23T09:20:00.003-07:002017-08-23T09:22:18.111-07:00Golf and the Physics of FlightThe Ball Flight Laws:<br />
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Several factors influence the flight of the golf ball:<br />
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<ol>
<li><b>Club Head Loft (Static and Dynamic)</b></li>
<li><b>Club Head Path (Vertical and Horizontal)</b></li>
<li><b>Club Head Face Direction</b></li>
<li><b>Club Head Speed</b></li>
<li><b>Club Head Mass</b></li>
<li><b>Club Head Contact Point</b></li>
<li><b>Club Head Grooves</b></li>
<li><b>Ball Design (Dimples, Compression, Cover)</b></li>
</ol>
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<b>Today's discussion is focusing on two factors:</b></div>
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<li><b><u>Club face direction at moment of impact</u></b></li>
<li><b><u>Club head path through the ball relative to club face</u></b></li>
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<b>The image below shows what the ball flight will be with the 9 possible face and path combinations.</b></h2>
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<img src="https://thesandtrap.com/b/imgs/playing_tips/nine_ball_flights.jpg" /></div>
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While the laws of physics have been around forever, the golf world's understanding of these laws has been developing only recently. Books written by golfers that we have all watched on TV had some very egregious assumptions about the flight of ball. </div>
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One PGA Pro wrote in his book that the reason the Driver produces such a long flight was because the ball was struck with the club face on the way up causing top-spin. Probably made sense to him at the time just as the belief that the sun traveled around the earth made sense to people at one time.</div>
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One of the most recognized golfers in the world maintained that he was able to curve the ball by keeping the ball on the face of the club as the club face was rotating to impart spin on the ball. It probably felt that way to him, but almost golf instructors know that "FEEL ISN'T REAL".</div>
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While not all golfers and not all golf instructors will agree; science and scientists however do agree that the initial direction of the golf ball's flight is caused by the direction the club face is pointing at impact. The curve of the ball's flight is created by the path of the club relative to the club face direction.</div>
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Why is this important for the golfer know? Golf is a game of 'Connect the Dots'. Get from Point A to Point B with the least number of shots and you win. Continually miss your intended target and you lose. If a golfer can patiently study their game and their ball flight tendencies they can apply the ball flight laws to improve. If we accept the fact that initial direction is always governed by the direction of the club's face at impact we begin our improvement process by getting a predictable initial direction</div>
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By focusing on just one thing "The clubs face at the moment of impact" we can begin to predict with certainty the initial ball flight direction. If we know what our natural swing path is and the curve that path imparts on the ball we can adjust out initial aim point accordingly.</div>
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Look at the chart above. Most everyone would assume the target is E. But if the majority of your swings produce a ball flight that curves to F you are missing your intended target. Simply change your initial direction to B and that same ball flight will land you at your target F. </div>
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It is simple physically but it is not easy mentally to adjust your initial aim point. Most golfers will struggle with the idea of hitting the ball away from the intended target, resulting in a swing that points the club back to the final target (E) and creating that big slice.</div>
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Practice a lot, then practice more. Learn to return the face of the club square to the intended initial direction. Your natural swing path will take care of correcting the initial direction with a nice smooth curve to the target.</div>
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Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-62999849868067768612017-08-08T12:32:00.000-07:002017-08-08T12:54:18.381-07:00Focus<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aA5vvidF9bg/WYn88ZGpkjI/AAAAAAAAWko/1f78nMR9dNYzYtApUjSoom-ewxHKfVC5QCLcBGAs/s1600/235677-focus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aA5vvidF9bg/WYn88ZGpkjI/AAAAAAAAWko/1f78nMR9dNYzYtApUjSoom-ewxHKfVC5QCLcBGAs/s200/235677-focus.jpg" width="198" /></a>The human brain is quite remarkable, it has the capacity to hold trillions of bits of data yet can only hold a single thought at a time. The brain has the capacity to envision unlimited possibilities yet cannot conceive of a negative. The brain has an amazing ability to act rapidly on even the most minute current stimulus but cannot create a future action. The mind can create a lazer like pinpoint focus and the mind can wander. The brain takes care of our body without our input but requires our input to execute a planned action.</div>
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Golf is perhaps a sport that requires the most and highest level of focus. Why? Because golf is a sport devoid of reaction. Golf is a sport of planning, decision making, and precise execution. Planning and decision making create confidence, focus creates precise execution. </div>
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I am not talking about thinking or awareness; most sports require much more thinking and awareness than golf. Can you imagine the amount of data the NFL Quarterback or the Indy 500 Driver must process every moment? Most sports require the athlete to develop a tremendous capacity for awareness. No other sport is played in the same unaware vacuum as golf. Golf requires the athlete to block out everything, the pain in the back, the birds chirping and that nagging self-doubt that they can actually execute the required shot. When the golfer suddenly looses that focus they stop play and start over again. Can you imagine the quarterback just stopping, because he lost focus? I can't either.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5E84xWoexqU/WYoRlDUb0iI/AAAAAAAAWk4/uTgpcyWKb7IYqLjyknQ-uJn0HSFLjdt4wCLcBGAs/s1600/distractions-focus-memory-mind-cacaroot-iStock_45010572_MEDIUM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="1600" height="217" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5E84xWoexqU/WYoRlDUb0iI/AAAAAAAAWk4/uTgpcyWKb7IYqLjyknQ-uJn0HSFLjdt4wCLcBGAs/s320/distractions-focus-memory-mind-cacaroot-iStock_45010572_MEDIUM.jpg" width="320" /></a>Golfers who claim that outside noises and activity don't distract them are probably not very focused to begin with. I golf with a guy who claims noises don't distract but just whisper his name at the top of his back swing and he falls apart. If you are not focused you cannot loose focus, the more precisely you are focused the easier it may be to loose focus. </div>
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Remember the brain can only hold one thought at a time. If you are truly focused on contacting the back of the ball you cannot be wondering what that sound is coming from your playing partner's pocket. If you are truly focused on the task at hand you cannot be thinking up a retort to your cart mate's stupid comment.</div>
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On what should the golfer focus? For sure the focus cannot include the word "not".</div>
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<li>Don't over swing</li>
<li>Don't rush</li>
<li>Don't hit it in the water</li>
<li>Don't leave it short</li>
<li>Don't top it again</li>
</ul>
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The brain cannot conceive of nothing or a negative so the word not or don't gets eliminated leaving as the focused thought the very thing you want to avoid. Make certain the swing focus is positive.</div>
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The brain cannot create the future so why focus on the future? Focusing on the outcome forces away any thoughts about what you must actually do at this moment to get that outcome.</div>
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I think the focus trigger must be simple yet meaningful. The word 'home' can create emotion, memory and much more. It might take you an hour to accurately describe your home, if I ask you to imagine your home it's all there; color, floor plan, furniture, people, memories and more. It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I think one word can create a meaningful picture.</div>
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For me I believe focus is in two parts, Physical and mental. Physical focus takes place once the golfer is confidently set over the ball and the eyes are focused precisely on the exact tiny spot on the ball that will be struck by the club's face. (this is called "quiet eye"... more about that in a later blog entry.)</div>
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Mental focus is when the mind is 100% in the current moment; calm cool and collected. At this point I am ready to swing and I use a two word key. "<b>ONE TWO</b>". I even say it out loud. Each word has a meaning and is spoken in a meaningful way. They are spoken smoothly and slowly to match my desired tempo</div>
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<li>ONE creates in my mind a clear image of my back swing, an image created after hours, weeks, months and years of trying to understand my swing. I have watched hours of video of my swing and the swings of golfers I want to emulate. In my mind the word "ONE" has a clear and definite end point; the top of my back swing.</li>
<li>PAUSE is the nothing between the words that is my transition, that moment when my upper body gives over control of the swing to my legs and torso. The pause between the words is never rushed.</li>
<li>TWO is my down and through swing. When I say the word it is actually longer that the word one. It seems to me that twoooo gets drawn out a bit. I try to say the words with the same tone and inflection because I want my swing to feel balanced and symmetrical.</li>
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I challenge you to create your swing thought mantra. The one that perfectly matches you.</div>
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Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-91486593980776517842017-08-06T11:14:00.001-07:002017-08-06T11:14:06.824-07:00The Golf Ball<br />
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The golf ball is the most important piece of equipment in all of golf. Even the golf course is less important than the golf ball, a golfer can hit golf balls anywhere, but can't even get off the first tee without a golf ball. The golf industry spends millions of dollars in research and marketing to convince the average golfer that their ball is the best one for them.</div>
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Most of my students play the brand of golf ball known as "whatever is in my bag". Cheaper is better and the found ball is best of all. I used to play in a skins game with a golfer that was renowned for identifying his lost ball as whatever ball someone found. These same players will work so hard and spend so much money to find the right driver, the perfect pair of golf shoes, that perfect set of irons, sunglasses, shirts, golf bag, posture, swing thoughts, grip size, or whatever, but continue to play the ball that happens to be in the bag.</div>
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Not all golf balls are the same! In some cases not all golf balls in the same box are the same, but that is improving. While all golf balls must conform to the same set of USGA rules, not all balls have the same personality. The built in personality of the ball is where the smart golfer looks to choose the correct ball for their style and ability. Pick a ball that has a personality that fits you. If every man or every woman looked identical you could still tell them apart by personality, and personality is what ultimately creates attraction. </div>
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I am not going to talk here about what technology in the design of the golf ball creates personality, their are plenty of places for you to research that. I am going to talk about what personalities are important, and how you can find the ones that are most to your liking.</div>
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For me the personality traits I look for are:</div>
<ol>
<li>Consistency</li>
<li>Feel</li>
<li>Ball Flight</li>
<li>Putting</li>
<li>Short Game Action.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>CONSISTENCY:</b> When I began golfing there was no one ball rule, play one ball tee to green then switch to a different ball for putting. Maybe play one ball off the tee of a par five but a different ball on a par three. I remember my grandfather and I sitting at the dining table sorting through a box or 2 of balls to cull out the imperfect ones. some balls were out of round and some were out of balance. Role a ball the length of the dining room table and you could actually see that is was not round. Float a ball in a tub of water with Epsom salt and you could see it had a definite heavy side. Sometimes half the balls in the box would be deemed unplayable! Today, if you play a major brand ball that lack of consistency is probably not an issue. Knowing your ball will react the same way every time is important.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>FEEL: </b>The moment of contact, the moment of truth is when the ball meets the club's face. Is it a sound you like, a through the hands up the arms to the brain comfortable natural feel? Is it a satisfying, confidence boosting and visceral sensation. Most important is it truthful and accurate? Is that feeling there with every shot and every club from driver to putter? You wouldn't wear shoes that don't feel right, why play a ball that doesn't.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>BALL FLIGHT:</b> For years club makers have been attempting to design and build clubs to match the swing traits of golfers. Slow swings, fast swings, smooth swings, choppy swings, solid strikers and golfers that it it all over the face of the club. For the most part the industry has been very successful and being fitted to the proper club for your swing can make a huge difference. Its only been in this century that a major manufacturer has been marketing balls with a variety of personalities to fit a variety of golfer traits, Bridgestone. However to this day Titleist claims that every golfer can successfully play their flagship ball the PRO V and the PRO V1. With a little research and some field work the average golfer can find the ball or balls that have the best chance of delivering the kind of ball flight they desire. Characteristics are engineered and built into the golf ball. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Examples of some characteristics and some of their effects are:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Trajectory </li>
<ul>
<li>High flight for more carry</li>
<li>Low flight for more roll</li>
</ul>
<li>Spin</li>
<ul>
<li>Low spin for straighter and lower</li>
<li>Higher spin for more for more carry and curve</li>
</ul>
<li>Cover hardness</li>
<ul>
<li>Soft for more wedge bite</li>
<li>Harder for more feedback</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
Notice I did not include distance as a built in personality! I do not believe any manufacturer sets out to build a shorter golf ball. There are trade-offs caused by the laws of physics; if you want a higher flight you are going to get less roll. Does that mean you will go farther or shorter with the high flyer? It all depends on the personalty of the golf course. You choice of ball must include an understanding of the golf course. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>PUTTING:</b> Balls do behave differently off the putter face. Harder balls give more feedback and softer balls seem to roll better (at least for me). Since half of the shots allocated to par are putting, it is worthwhile to find which ball, from the ones you selected from for three previous trials, work the best for you on the putting surface.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>SHORT GAME ACTION:</b> Oh my! This is all about personality and personal style. I frequently play with 2 very different golfers.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Donny Bump and Run: Fly it low, land it short and let it run up. A 6 iron from 25 yards and in is not uncommon.</li>
<li>Gary Grip It and Spin It: Get it in the air land it close and make it stop. A 6 iron, never from inside 155 yards.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Is one way better than the other? Yes Donny's way is better for him and Gary's way is the only way for him. Ball choice? Well for this shot at least the ball choice doesn't seem to have much impact on Donny, however Gary better have a soft covered high spin ball.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So how do you choose the right ball for you? Trial and error, repetition, asking friends, research and constant evaluation. For me I have narrowed it down to three balls:<br /><ol>
<li>Titleist Pro V</li>
<li>Bridgestone E6</li>
<li>Wilson Duo or Zip, they seem the same to me.</li>
</ol>
<div>
When I am playing well and the weather conditions are good I will play the Pro V. The Titleist gives good control off the tee and awesome action around the green.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If its windy or its a tight course I play the E6. This Bridgestone gives me a confidence boosting straight ball flight. Playing the E6 I have to remind my self not to try to get cute, just hit it straight to the traget. The ball is good around the green and has a very nice feel when putting.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When I am not playing well I go back to the Wilson balls. Why? Well these are the softest balls I have ever hit and for me that just whispers softly, "Slow down, stupid." and wondrously my tempo relaxes and my rhythm returns. Also it is the best putting ball I have ever found.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let me know what you play and why you chose it.</div>
<div>
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<div>
<img alt="Image result for golf ball" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/fa/c6/bd/fac6bd2bf81244bd9ad863766dcecbc4--golf-events-funny-golf.jpg" /></div>
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Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-83315420325144045522017-08-01T11:45:00.000-07:002017-08-01T11:45:24.697-07:00Pressure<br />
Compared to racing a Vette down the Mulsanne straight, facing a 100 MPH fastball, downhill skiing or most other sports, golf seems like a rather pedestrian sport. I remember watching several athletes from various sports discussing pressure on a late night talk show. The famous pro golfer said nothing can have more pressure than facing a short putt to win a major championship, the race car driver calmly said "no one ever died missing a putt.<br />
<br />
Apparently pressure is a relative experience.<br />
<br />
Each athlete must learn to deal with whatever pressures exert themselves. Pressure is really just an emotional reaction to a situation. With calm confidence the pressure disappears. Situational pressure is not a real happening, it is one we create facing a situation we fear, have uncertainty or doubt about.<br />
<br />
<br />The FUD factor has created stage fright, the CHOKE, the yips, procrastination, paralysis by analysis and even quitting. Remember watching Sergio Garcia gripping and re-gripping the club for what felt like an eternity?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MR4ZX3cPUpQ" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
So how do we handle self created pressure, simply by creating pressure! Yes to handle pressure you have to experience pressure. Most golfers have little if any pressure when they practice, unless they find a way to create it. Tiger Woods staying on the practice green until he made 100 six foot putts, <b>IN A ROW!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Imagine you have a tee shot with a forced carry over water of 135YDS, don't leave the tee until you have struck 20 consecutive balls online over 135 yards. Twenty 10 yard chips with 1 putt or less, in a row.<br />
<br />
I remember playing with my grandfather when I was maybe 12. I was facing a 90YD shot over water to a tight pin and so I set up for a pitch out to the right of the water, that would have left a longer shot but at least not over the water. My grandfather asked, "Why?" I said I didn't have confidence in the shot. He asked me if I had a club I could hit 100 yards. "Of course", I said. "Well, hit that club with that swing and with confidence. Act like you are confident!" Graps said. I did and it worked, from then on I committed to act confidently whatever I was doing.<br />
<br />
Confidence trump pressure and confidence can be faked!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-18859190132617919682017-07-30T09:09:00.000-07:002017-07-30T09:09:05.904-07:00Swing Thoughts, Redux<div dir="ltr">
I am frequently asked by students and fellow golfers about swing thoughts. I always respond with, "What do you mean by swing thought?" Most often their reaction is kind of a blank or bewildered stare. Most golfers are not really sure what a swing thought really is and how to use them to play better golf.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
My first and best ever teacher, my Grandfather, taught me that swing thoughts happen during four different events:</div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<ol>
<li>Before the swing, pre-swing.</li>
<li>Preparing to swing, set-up.</li>
<li>During the swing, swing.</li>
<li>After the swing, post swing.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Each if these types of thoughts should be sequential, structured, deliberate, important, impactful, personal and inspirational. Each of these thought processes should be practiced and polished.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>The pre-swing. Decision making. </b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>What's the lie, stance, and swing path?</li>
<ol>
<li>how does that impact the swing?</li>
</ol>
<li>What's the target?</li>
<li>How far is it?</li>
<li>What is the shot shape?</li>
<li>What is the proper club?</li>
<li>What is the correct swing?</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>Set-up.</b></div>
<ol>
<li>Swing rehearsal.</li>
<li>Aim.</li>
<li>Grip.</li>
<li>Alignment.</li>
<li>Posture.</li>
<li>Clarity.</li>
</ol>
<b>Swing. The golfer has made the right decisions, is in the proper set-up, NOW ACT!</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>A<b><u><i> single</i></u></b> thought that is totally in the present.</li>
<ol>
<li>Tempo</li>
<li>Balance</li>
<li>Relax</li>
<li>Contact</li>
<li>Smooth</li>
</ol>
<li>Something that inspires the golfer to act in desired manner.</li>
<li>Thought that is free of FEAR, UNCERTAINTY AND DOUBT.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>Post-swing.</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Were the decisions correct?</li>
<ol>
<li>Yes . . . rejoice.</li>
<li>No . . . learn from it then rejoice.</li>
</ol>
<li>Was my execution correct?</li>
<ol>
<li>Yes . . . rejoice.</li>
<li>No . . . execute a correct swing then rejoice.</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<div>
So the swing thoughts have distinct but equally important purposes. The pre-swing insures that the golfer has the correct tool and goal in mind to give the best chance of achieving the desired outcome. The set-up puts the golfer in the correct position to confidently execute the desired swing. The swing thought clears the golfers mind of clutter, conflicting thoughts and destructive emotions, setting the scene for success. The post swing creates joy and confidence, while setting up the golfer to play one shot at a time.</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>You cannot control outcomes, you can only control your own decisions and actions.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/df/7b/87/df7b87c87777e4b2654b02d02e68aef6--funny-golf-golf-pictures.jpg" /></div>
Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-51431918953461535742017-07-25T11:28:00.000-07:002017-07-25T11:28:20.063-07:00Most Important: Direction or DistanceStudents quite often ask me if they should spend more time working on distance or on direction. On the surface that seems to be a good question, however all that underlies that question is a different story.<br />
<br />For example if they are standing on the driving range tee box the question is different than when they are on or around the green. On the green they are asking about distance CONTROL, on the tee box they are asking about how to hit it LONGER.<br />
<br />
On and around the putting surface the question is valid, and the answer is DISTANCE. Most people miss more often and by a greater distance long and short than they will left and right. Learning to control distance when putting, chipping and pitching is by far and away the best way to lower your score. The shots around and on the green account for more than 2/3rds of most amateur golfers scores.<br />
<br />
Back on the driving range tee box most amateurs would be well served on working to discover just how far they can consistently hit each club with a full, 3/4 and half swing. Knowing how far a full swing with a 6 iron will carry is more important than learning to hit it 10 yards farther.<br />
<br />
Moving to the golf course the question changes again and neither distance nor direction is the most important. Direction is replaced with a small focused target and distance is replaced with correct club and swing choice. What is left then as the most important thing is EXECUTION!<br />
<br />
That brings us back to the practice range with a new and inspired purpose, working to meld 3 elements into one consistent swing.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Solid contact with each swing.</li>
<li>Predictable ball flight (direction) with each swing.</li>
<li>Reliable distance with each club.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Coming soon: Faults and Fixes, the workbook.</div>
Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-83786604755768033112017-07-25T07:48:00.000-07:002017-07-25T07:48:08.391-07:00Goals<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial black"; font-size: 26.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's time to get </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff3333; font-family: "arial black"; font-size: 26.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SMART</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial black"; font-size: 26.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> about becoming a better golfer.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-e90b8d7d-a048-4272-e1cc-30ee7bba85eb" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><br /><br /></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 17.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let's begin by setting some reasonable expectations.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Managing expectations helps you to approach the game more realistically. Without the pressure of unreasonable expectations to perform at levels beyond your skill-level you can relax and strive for more honest and achievable results. Don’t give up your desire to master this game, rather simply and honestly evaluate where you are and then set improvement goals that are:</span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff3333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff3333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Specific</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff3333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff3333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Measured</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff3333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff3333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Achievable</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff3333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff3333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Realistic</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff3333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Timed</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Specific</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t just set a goal to be a better golfer, or even to shoot a lower score. Set very focused detailed goals, like, hit 10 fairways per round. While the goal should have long term impact, it should be about more immediate results. Setting a goal to qualify for the USGA Senior Open in three years is just too long. Ask yourself, “What can I do right now?”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Measured</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The goal must be measurable and measured. That means you have to create a way to track your progress then actually keep track. Golf is an ideal sport for measuring, you can track the number of shots it takes to get the ball from tee to green, or the average distance you hit your 7 iron, or the total feet of putts holed per round. The more things you measure the better!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Achievable</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This simply means that you know the cost and are willing and able to pay it. The cost is more than just money, it includes time and effort. Can you clearly state how much time and what kind of effort must be spent to achieve the goal?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Realistic</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, it is different from achievable. Realistic has more to do with physical and mental capabilities. If you are 70 years old, it may be unrealistic to set a goal to drive the ball 300 yards.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Timed</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Set a date. A target without a date is just a dream.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the back of this book are examples of Goal Planning Sheets, and a sample of a goal sheet filled out. Feel free to make up your own, put them in a notebook along with several blank sheets, this is your mastery diary.</span><img height="171" src="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/sBgi4m6y6Px13y1YBsUDQCw/image?w=200&h=171&rev=1&ac=1" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="200" /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Work with an instructor who will help you create a target specific approach to overall game improvement. Pick a swing system that makes sense to you, and stick to that system. Believe me there are 100s or maybe thousands of different swing systems that are being touted today and the truth is they all work!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What I am discussing in this book is a system that is simple and effective and is at the root of every other system I have ever seen. I hope you enjoy the process. Remember the motivation to improve is different for everyone. The next section is intended to help you identify your motivators.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Mastering Process</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Golf is a sequential game, we play from hole to hole, shot to shot, no shortcuts. The mastering process to is sequential, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">no short cuts</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and the golf swing is sequential. It is important that we follow the sequence.</span></div>
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -72px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mastering a new skill requires several steps</span></h2>
</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Self-assessment.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> With solid data and careful examination, decide what the next improvement will be, carefully identify the performance goal and expected outcomes. This self-assessment must also include your abilities. You must know precisely what you are physically, intellectually and emotionally able to. </span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You must know what to do</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Simply put this means you need to learn how the game is played and how the swing is executed. A good teacher, videos, books and magazines can convey everything you need to know, to play golf; however knowing what to do is not the same as knowing how to do it. </span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You need to know how to do it.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> That means understanding the techniques and the proper motions of a quality golf swing. Posture, ball position, grip, balance, tempo and timing must be clearly understood before they can be executed.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You must build the skills.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Knowing what to do and how to do it will not make you a golfer. The teacher can help you with steps 1, 2 & 3 but you need a coach to help you through the skill-building step. Skill building is a long slow process that requires spaced repetition and a focused view on performing the new skill correctly.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Making it a habit.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Habituation is the process of making your skill a natural and automatic endeavor. You can only create a habit by using disciplined practice and focusing on the single element of skill that you are trying to habituate.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Courage to act.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Knowing what to do and how to do it, possessing the skills and having the correct habits will not help the golfer that lacks the courage to trust. Fear, uncertainty and doubt will destroy any golf swing</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start the process over</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on the very first step. </span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok, so we are now committed to an overall game improvement process, now what? Lets pick a few areas of the game to measure and to take a current assessment. If you are a new golfer you can skip this part, for now.</span></div>
<ol start="2" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><ol start="2" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -72px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To make it simple let’s break the game into 4 parts</span></h2>
</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tee Shots</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fairway shots</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Short Shots</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Putts</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For each of these parts there are three key factors</span></div>
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Solid Contact</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Direction</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Distance</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take a few moments to rate yourself on each of these 12 criteria on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being outstanding. Or better yet, how many shots out of a 100 are at the level you desire. Include a simple narrative about each part of your game.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 1.1999999999999993pt;">
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="99"></col><col width="54"></col><col width="466"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 20px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tee Shots</span></div>
</td><td colspan="2" style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #339966; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Contact</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">90%</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok on 4 and 5 pars but very disappointing on the par 3s</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #339966; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Direction</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">40%</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Only hit one green on the par 3s</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #339966; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Distance</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">235</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><ol start="2" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Courgette; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: -24px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok for the course I was playing but not long enough for better / longer courses</span></h1>
</li>
</ol>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fairway Shots</span></div>
</td><td colspan="2" style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #339966; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Contact</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">70%</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I tend to be a little fat and I hit ground to early</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #339966; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Direction</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">70%</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Misses are to the right</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #339966; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Distance</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">90%</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Seem to be pin high unless I really chunk it</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Short Shots</span></div>
</td><td colspan="2" style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #339966; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Contact</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">80%</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Feel myself slide forward then I chunk</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #339966; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Direction</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ok</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #339966; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Distance</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">50/50</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bump and run is great, lobs tend to be long</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Putting</span></div>
</td><td colspan="2" style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #339966; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Contact</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #339966; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Direction</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">?????</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can you say when you have 11 lip-outs? And 3 more that stop next to the cup that’s 14 strokes given away!</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #339966; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Distance</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">great</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1px; border-left: solid #000000 1px; border-right: solid #000000 1px; border-top: solid #000000 1px; padding: 0px 7px 0px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Byt maybe with a little less speed the lip-outs might have fallen in.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How did you do? Your direction off the tee is not so good? I’ll bet distance was an issue in most areas, too short off the tee and too long when you chip and putt. Solid contact on every shot is just a distant dream? </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So now you have some solid areas for improvement, ask yourself this question, “If I improve what will it really mean to me personally? Is that important enough for me to invest the time, effort and money required to achieve that improvement?” If the final answer is “yes” then you have a goal and the motivation. With solid goals and sincere burning desire we can begin building an equally solid swing.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In his book “The Golfing Machine”, Homer Kelly goes to exhaustive lengths to explain the golf swing with purely physics, machine, and geometric terms and thoughts. Unfortunately he failed to understand that what makes a great golf swing is a great athlete. The athlete-golfer can create, improvise, manipulate, think and change. She can move the club with force or grace or both. Like a Nuryev or a Jordan the great golfer can seem to defy physical laws, and almost always challenges or disregards convention.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I do believe ‘Everyone Can Golf’, however not everyone can be Arnold Palmer. So we are going to construct a swing that is right for you; your athletic ability, your hand eye coordination, and your intellect. The four abilities listed below need to become skills and once again we build those skills sequentially.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Four Repeatable Skill-Sets Required to build a Successful Golf Swing</span></div>
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Posture, Grip and Alignment: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Connections to the Ground, the Club and the Target</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How we connect ourselves to the ground, and to the club and finally to the target itself determine how successful the swing is ultimately going to be. Not all great golfers stand over the golf ball</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the same way, they don’t all look alike, they don’t even hold the club in the same way. Personality, body types, physical ability and desired outcomes all effect how the great golfer stands to the ball. However while great golfers don’t all stand the same way, the individual great golfer does stand the same way each time she addresses the ball. Posture and alignment create the opportunity for exquisite smooth and balanced golf. The correct posture and alignment builds the human body into an integrated machine, connecting the feet to the ground and the club to the hands.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sequential Rotation</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: All good golfers rotate around a fixed axis: the head, neck and spine with a consistent sequence. As the golfer’s game improves so does the sequential rotation and more importantly as rotation improves so does the game. It becomes more graceful, forceful, accelerating, balanced and repeatable. The rotation becomes athletic, it moves into and with every aspect of the swing and every part of the body, if it’s moving it’s rotating. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everything that moves during the golf swing must be rotating.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Rotation is the source of the power of the golf swing, much like the eye of a hurricane, the more stable and organized the eye of the storm the stronger and faster move the outer-bands. Building this level of skills mandates purposeful practice, practice aimed at improving our ability to rotate while creating the skills to repeat the sequences.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rhythm and Tempo:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> All top athletes at one time or another have described being in the zone or feeling the rhythm. That game or event when everything seemed to flow with ease, never rushed. Golf is an athletic event, played with an internal rhythm and tempo. Some sports have moments when the rhythm and tempo are internal, the pitcher in baseball, the free-throw in basketball, the compulsory exercise in skating. At other times the rhythm is purely external, the batter responding to the slow curve, the skater to the music, the basketball player defending the driving lay-up. Most athletes describe the internal rhythm activities as the most difficult. Golf’s rhythm and tempo is purely internal, great golfers seem to posses a perfect sense of rhythm and timing. Golfers are the drummers of the sports world.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14.4pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hitting the Ball/Ground with a Firm Lead Wrist:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The golf swing is an arc that bottoms out at the ground. Every swing from driver to putter has the bottom of the arc at the ground, every swing except the driver and putter and a few teed-up shots contact the ground. The better the golfer the more control they have over the bottom of the swing arc. Great golfers can put the bottom of the arc exactly where they want. When the golfer masters this skill set they can control the direct, the flight and the distance of the gold shot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These four abilities are intertwined each dependent on the other. With no turn there is no distance, without a consistent rhythm there is no predicting the ball’s flight. Over and over again as you examine your swing you will see that improvements in the basic four abilities will result in huge improvements in your game.</span>Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-27880777564525691812014-11-20T06:11:00.001-08:002017-07-25T07:39:18.103-07:00Learn then Practice<div dir="ltr">
Practice is all about success. Learning is all about failure. That is why the learning process is so hard on most golfers...failing is not fun!</div>
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My Grandfather taught me that anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. Yes I know that is opposite of what you always hear. Just think about it for a little bit. By today's standard the Wright brothers airplane would be a giant failure. By today's standard your abilities with a fork and spoon when you were just two years old would be considered sloppy failures at best.</div>
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When we were first learning to walk, every failure was celebrated with joy and encouragement. We would take a shaky step fall to the ground and our parents would clap! Somehow over the years we have learned to get no joy from failing.</div>
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For golfers the learning process is all to often a time of frustration, dissapointment and failure followed by quiting. Learning to hit that important soft lob shot gets put off to another day, maybe forever.</div>
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Setting some realistic goals for the learning process can help. Let's say you are going to learn the "hinge and hold" pitch that you see Phil Mickelson do so effortlessly. A reasonable goal might be to succeed at the hinge and hold swing 2 out of 10 attempts. So failing 8 times is success. To accomplish the learning process requires that the only thing you focus on is the swing. Not the ball. Not the target. Just the swing. If you focus on what the ball does you will never truly know how to execute the swing. Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn.</div>
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It might take several 10 swing sessions to get to the point where you can confidently say you know how to hinge and hold. The learning process means you must be willing and even eager to fail first. Study the failure. What is causing the wrists to flip the club? What is causing the balance or tempo or jerking problems. What must I do to learn to execute this swing like Phil?</div>
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Now that you have learned the shot you can practice the shot to become proficient and successful at execution. Practice means being success oriented, target oriented. Now the goal might be to get 8 out of 10 balls inside a 6 foot circle. Learning is becoming able, practice is becoming skilled.</div>
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The concert pianist began by learning rudimentary scales and probably executing them poorly. For golfers its not scales its drills. Boring slow motion tedious drills. Hinge... hold... turn... repeat. Focus on the movement. It is the movement after all that you are struggling to learn.</div>
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Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-78932249798401658752014-11-18T13:31:00.000-08:002014-11-18T13:31:31.783-08:00Golf tech<div dir="ltr">
It seems that nearly every golfer has some form of yardage indicator. Lazer and GPS have all but replaced the old yardage books.</div>
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Now there are very good GPS apps for the smart phone that are very accurate. If you are going to use a GPS app why not use one that will give you some helpful data about your round and your tendencies. </div>
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I highly recommend Golflogix, an app that can track all the important data of the round.</div>
<ul>
<li>fairways hit or where they were missed.</li>
<li>greens in regulation.</li>
<li>chips and accuracy of chips</li>
<li>putts and length of putts both made and missed.</li>
<li>distance and accuracy on all clubs and shot types. </li>
<li>a map showing where every shot went.</li>
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As for the GPS it is wonderful. Besides giving you all the relevant distances, you can select a landing area by touching the screen to learn just how far and what club is required. At the end of the round the score card and data are stored for you and you can send the data to me, your instructor! I can then direct your practices to the areas that need attention.</div>
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All your rounds are kept on the GolfLogix server for you to to review.</div>
Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-77312606692933489502014-11-02T15:17:00.004-08:002014-11-02T15:17:42.913-08:00When Practice is Not Practice<div dir="ltr">
To develop a skill requires four steps.</div>
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1 knowing what to do<br />
2 knowing how to do it<br />
3 becoming able to do it<br />
4 get to a high level of skill</div>
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The first three steps are learning steps, the fourth is practice.</div>
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Let's say you want to learn how to hit a draw.</div>
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Going to the range and trying to hit a draw is NOT practice. It is a futile and frustrating exercise.</div>
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Do step one first. Learn what must happen to create a draw. What is the setup. What is the club path. What is the face angle? What needs to happen to create a draw. Write it down on paper. Draw it out if that works for you. Design the swing that creates a draw like an architect designs a building. Become an expert in describing the process of hitting a draw.</div>
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Now do step two. Take a moment to figure out how you can actually do what you have designed. Your body and your swing, dictates what you're capable of. Learn how to do what must be done to hit a draw. Discover how to turn the description of hitting a draw into the actual motion of hitting a draw. Do it in slow motion.</div>
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Step 3 is knowing the skill you must aspire to and develop at least a modicum of ability to actually (at least occasionally) hit a draw. This is where you test the theory and design of your draw swing. Verify that it can actually work.</div>
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Congrats, you know what to do, you know how to do it and you have demonstrated that you can do it, at least sometimes. Now get good at...get skilled...become consistent. That is practice.</div>
Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-40013256925190111572014-10-30T18:50:00.001-07:002014-10-31T06:24:53.561-07:00Golf is a craft<p dir="ltr">Golf is a craft when it is played at a higher level. I don't just mean at the professional level. What I mean is that when the golfer can play golf with no or at least very little mechanical process golf becomes a craft.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The pianist plays with no thought of the mechanics, the dancer doesn't have to stop and do a pre leap she just leaps. What allows the best to become the best is their ability to intrinsically know their craft.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mark Twain quipped "golf is a good walk spoiled." What if a round of golf could be just as easy as a good walk? No thought about how to walk, just thoughts about where to go and how to get there.  All the while enjoying the process, the scenery and the company. </p>
<p dir="ltr">So how does one become a golf craftsman? I imagine it's the same as becoming any other kind of craftsman.  I have been watching and enjoying the Foo Fighters HBO documentary "Sonic Streets" about how musicians in 6 different cities honed their musical crafts. They saw what was going on musically around the world, payed closer attention to what was happening locally then personalized it to make it their own. Drummers knew the mechanics of drumming but it became a craft when they did it their way.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Baking a cake doesn't make you a baker. </p>
<p dir="ltr">I would like to believe that the craftsman golfer would outshine the mechanical golfer every time. I think most of the golfers on TV are mechanical golfers. Not Bubba Watson, not Fred Couples and certainly not Jim Furyk. I also believe that any artist or athlete that has the rare moment of inspired performance is not mechanical. Watching any of the top golfers when they are at their best is watching a craftsman. </p>
<p dir="ltr">So to become a craftsman you first must truly know your craft and yourself. Know how it's done by the masters, know how the golfers you play alongside get the job done. Practice your swing, your golf decision making, get the right tools and learn how to use them. Then answer the question, "how do I make this swing my own?" </p>
Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-45813250560212571392014-10-28T11:43:00.000-07:002014-10-28T11:56:20.390-07:00A case for a single plane setup<div dir="ltr">
Traditionally the golfer at setup is a 2 plane machine. The arms hang from the shoulders on a fairly vertical plane and the club hangs from the hands on a flatter plane. <br />
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A recent popular training aid is the "tour angle 144". This device places the hinge angle of the club shaft to the forearms at 144 degrees. So the grip end of the shaft points to the belt line and the forearms point to the arm pit.<br />
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The greatest ball striker to ever play golf, Moe Norman, felt there was a better way. Put the shaft and the arms on the same plane. One straight line from the ground to the shoulders. The golf shaft running parallel to the bottom of the forearms.<br />
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From this position he moved the club with his arms, not with a complicated one piece rotary takeaway lead by the body.<br />
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Conventional golf is a <u>body</u> generated arm movement....The body moves the arms. Single plane is an arm generated body movement...The arms swing and the body follows. The following link to a youtube video gives a great view of the difference between a conventional swing and the single plane swing. Let me know what you think.</div>
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BTW I am a single plane golfer.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGw3YuuevaA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGw3YuuevaA</a></div>
Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-59917963449642632602014-10-16T20:13:00.001-07:002014-10-17T09:04:03.598-07:00Four Truths<p dir="ltr">In golf, once the club is selected there are only 4 factors that the golfer has control of that determines ball flight. <br>
1. Path.<br>
2. Face. <br>
3. Bottom.<br>
4. Pace.<br>
Learn to manage these four factors and you will be a better golfer. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The first two factors work together to determine initial ball direction and any curve the ball may exhibit. Physics tells us the ball will start on a path 90 degrees to the face of the club at impact. Any curve the ball may take will be in the opposite direction of the path of the swing through impact. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Add bottom to the equation and we get solid contact... or fat....or thin. If the bottom of the swing is anywhere but just after contact with the ball we have a problem. (Except for the driver and certain other teed up shots.)</p>
<p dir="ltr">Pace of the club head determines distance and height. The faster the pace the higher and further the flight.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Face starts the initial ball flight.<br>
Face and path determines curve.<br>
Face and path and bottom delivers solid contact.<br>
Face and path and bottom and pace create distance.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Focus on the four physical truths to be a better golfer. </p>
Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-17032984292554719642014-10-15T20:05:00.001-07:002014-10-15T20:08:10.851-07:00Infomercials and Golf Magazines<p dir="ltr">Two recent golf magazine covers had these tantalizing headlines.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Add 15 yards in three seconds.<br>
Rip it like Rory.<br>
197 ways to save strokes now.<br>
Hit every fairway. <br>
Pure every iron.<br>
Knock down the flag with my square face secret.<br>
My 5 fixes to launch it higher, longer & straighter.</p>
<p dir="ltr">These lies sell magazines. These lies create frustrated golfers. And you pay to read them. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Car nuts would never buy a magazine that claims a simple adjustment made to a Formula One Grand Prix car can make your minivan a super car. </p>
<p dir="ltr">If you want to be better I do believe you can learn from the best.  Work out like they do. Focus like they do. Practice like they do. Watch your diet like they do. And start playing golf competitively at 6 like they did.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Moe Norman, the greatest ball striker of all time, did hundreds of clinics showing people how to do what he did. And at every clinic he repeated the same thing,  "Only I can do this. Only I have the feeling of greatness." He knew that to be true because only Moe put in the required time, effort and money required to achieve the feeling of greatness. </p>
<p dir="ltr">There are no shortcuts. </p>
Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-19370137492009421002014-10-12T05:24:00.001-07:002014-10-13T19:39:38.041-07:00Effort<p dir="ltr">Most of my students come to me with lofty goals. "I want to be more consistent", is the most common. But there are several others,  "get the ball in the air, be a better putter, just hit the ball" ...... all kinds of results focused goals.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Rarely have I had a student that looked for more personal consistency. Like, "I would like to develop a better setup or pre shot or practice schedule." Or, "I want to learn to apply my energy at the right time and place in my swing instead of feeling like I am just trying to kill it."</p>
<p dir="ltr">I think the dream student for any coach would be the one asking for something like, "I want to learn how to apply my efforts in a way that will produce the kind of scores I believe I am capable of shooting."</p>
<p dir="ltr">So now we can look at effort across a much larger and more colorful palate.  What is the mental effort needed? Not just on the practice tee or the golf course, but all day everyday. And of course it's not merely mental but physical, emotional and maybe even a bit spiritual. </p>
<p dir="ltr">How can you practice being calm and focused? How can you learn to visualize the shape, tempo, and grace of a golf swing, your golf swing? How can you practice all day everyday having positive expectancy? Why wouldn't you want to practice those things all the time?</p>
<p dir="ltr">So this brings us to your next practice session. Pick some very specific things to apply your effort towards. For 15 minutes apply all your effort towards maintaining club lag or owning a pre shot routine. 10 minutes of perfect effort on rhythm. 10 minutes learning to hit the sweet spot of your putter.</p>
<p dir="ltr">All your effort; physical, mental and emotional is aimed at that one goal. If your effort is focused on rhythm do you need to know where the ball went? Do you need a ball at all? All that should fill your senses at the end of the swing is a clear understanding of your rhythm. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Try it. It's much harder and significantly more powerful than you think. </p>
Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-45904906498069432232014-10-10T19:19:00.001-07:002014-10-10T19:19:20.847-07:00Feel is not real<p dir="ltr">Over dozens of years teaching, consulting, mentoring or coaching I am always amazed at how different the feeling is from the actual behavior.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"Gee coach, I am really trying my hardest." Says the 15 year old shortstop. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"I really feel like I know my employees." Whines the manager. </p>
<p dir="ltr">"I feel like the backswing and the downswing are at the same speed." Ben Hogan states emphatically. </p>
<p dir="ltr">None are true. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Science has gone to great lengths to show us that what we feel is quite often not real. The world is flat, well it feels flat. </p>
<p dir="ltr">What you feel is happening in your golf swing is probably as far from the truth as the previous quotes.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Using science and technology we can learn to feel for real. Find a golf coach that has these three things.</p>
<p dir="ltr">1. A video camera to show you the truth.<br>
2. A launch monitor to measure the truth.<br>
3. The courage to tell you the truth. </p>
Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-24010772444481306112014-09-28T12:23:00.001-07:002014-09-28T12:24:30.836-07:00Next!<p dir="ltr">One of the things I love about golf is the anticipation. Looking forward to the next round, the next match, the next hole and the next swing.  </p>
<p dir="ltr">Now of course there have been days when all I was really looking forward to was the 19th hole and some adult beverages. Days when maintaining a positive expectancy for the next shot was all but impossible. Those days are fewer now.</p>
<p dir="ltr">If golf is all about the next shot shouldn't we practice that way? My favorite practice/learning method for my students and for me is what I call the "Rule of five". </p>
<p dir="ltr">Take five balls set them several feet behind your teeing area. Make a decision about what swing action you want to improve on. Weight transfer,  tempo, rhythm, alignment or whatever. As long as it is some action not a result.</p>
<p dir="ltr">On any driving range you can ask those gathered, "what are you working on?" Nearly every answer will be a results statement.  The two most common are "I want to hit it farther." "I want to be more consistent." Ask them what they are doing to achieve such lofty outcomes and most likely you'll get a blank stare as a response. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The 'Rule of five' requires that you decide on a specific action that if done correctly should produce something close to the desired outcome. Let's say your chosen action is to strike the ball with a descending blow leaving a divot well past the ball. Step 1 is to take a practice swing smooth and slow attempting to hit the ground after the spot where the ball would have been. After the swing ask yourself,  "what do I need to do better on the NEXT swing?" Then attempt to do it. Do it five times! Then you place a ball down and attempt to execute the action you have been rehearsing. Do not judge the result by how far you hit the ball, or how straight, or by anything other than did you accomplish the action you wanted.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Step 2 is to repeat step1. And so on. Twenty five practice swings and five ball swings on purpose and with a purpose.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Then pick a new action. </p>
Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776342576246632290.post-74582049777092568812014-09-26T13:54:00.001-07:002014-09-26T13:54:08.489-07:00A little bit more slow play<p dir="ltr">Watching the Ryder Cup matches had me thinking once again about the nemesis of slow play. Even on alternate shot the play was slow.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So I have some questions for all my golfer friends out there.</p>
<p dir="ltr">1. How long should a round of golf on a "regulation" course take? </p>
<p dir="ltr">2. What can a ranger do to actually manage the pace of play?</p>
<p dir="ltr">3. What can be done to a golf course to speed up play?</p>
<p dir="ltr">4. What can the individual golfer do to speed up play?</p>
<p dir="ltr">5. What can members of a foursome do to speed up play.</p>
<p dir="ltr">6. What can leagues do?</p>
<p dir="ltr">7. Is speed of play or pace of play the issue?</p>
<p dir="ltr">8. Does it really matter?</p>
<p dir="ltr">9. Why are we in such a hurry?</p>
Coach Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07043377677422575992noreply@blogger.com