back to basics

After several months working to get back to a low single digit handicapper and eventually to scratch, I  seem to be moving backwards. So 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.

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 awhile 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. Some how 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.

I spent a little time on the range yesterday 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!

I think it is important to examine was caused me to alter my path. DISTANCE!!!

Like everyone else I started looking for more distance instead of lower scores, disaster. So I reread the early part of my book, and remembered that distance was the last of the key outcomes.

1. Smooth full turn around a fixed axis, creating powerful weight shift with the proper sequence of movement.
2. Consistent rhythm and tempo
3. Controlling the bottom of the swing arc. . .hitting the ground exactly where I want.
4. Predicting and controlling the balls flight.
5. Distance. Be long enough and just long enough.

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 have to be patient with myself and help my students be patient with themselves.

There are no short cuts.

A fairly solid round in the H E A T ! ! !

Played pretty well both Saturday and Sunday, even in the oppressive heat. Shot 74 both days. Should have been lower but I am just not putting very well. That's not exactly the fact, I am rolling the ball very well, but I am horribly misreading the breaks. Going to play again today and use the electronic break reader.

I guess what is concerning me the most is my lack of distance with my driver and woods. Short irons are fine, 120yds with my wedge is ok. I actually hit a few drives in the 170 yard range and shorter, I can actually hit my 3 iron farther than my driver! But the good news is that I am hitting fairways.

After a bit of time.

Time does just kind of slip away. One minute here a day or two there and pretty soon your looking at social security. 13 months from now I will be eligible, will it still be there when I get there?

Oh well, 50 50 chance, either it will or it won't.

Darren Clark wins the British, that's a good thing. That's 2 majors in a row won by spectacularly non-spectacular golf. Straight hitting, great putting and awesome short games will beat the longballers every time.  We can learn from that. Play it forward (shorter) hit it straighter and make some putts.

Darren's philosophy of having his attitude affect his golf game instead of his golf game affecting his attitude is another gem we can all take to heart.

For my self well the weight is coming down, the scores are coming down and I feel pretty good. The foot is still a bit of a nag, but I can live with it, well me and Mr. Aleve. Will play several times this next week to see if my swing will hold up. I'll let you know.

Dave

The Beginning of Summer

It has been a long time since my last entry, and the progress has been slow and even a bit to the rear. Suffering a new injury to the foot I have used food and adult beverage once again as a medicine so the weight came back.  I am thinking now that getting to scratch might turn out to be easier than losing 65 pounds.

I have some glimmers of hope in my last few rounds, a near par round at the Links and a low 70's round at Sunnybreeze were intermixed with some rounds in the 80's. They did share some common stats. My up-and-down ratio is way low. I think the cause is the putting, on one round I never made a putt over 5'!

I have hit 40% of my greens in regulation but only have 8 birdies to show for it, that is less than 1 birdie for every 10 GIR.

I did a little experimenting with a different putter and that showed me that it is the read of the green that is causing my problem. I am consistently missing on the high side. I am reading in too much break, or I have too much pace.

So I guess I have to practice putting, but like the rest of you I find an hour of putting practice is BOOOORRRRIIING.

I have been using GolfLogix on my smartphone for yardage and stats info, it has been pretty good but the info stored on the websight is a bit odd. Most importantly they do not have the Blackberry set up to track putting distances. Can't even enter them manually after the round.

Finally a good round.

For a few months now I have been working on getting my swing back. I suppose too many swing thoughts and concepts had crept in because of the hundreds of lessons I have given this past year. I have taught everything... 'Stack & Tilt', 'Natural Golf', 1 plane and 2 plane, long backswing, short backswing, young, older and even older. All the while I have tried to maintain the core concept that it is a rotational swing. But somewhere along the way my "turner" quit turning, my hinges rusted, and my towardser went askew. As my friend Chris is prone to say, "I lost my shiveagetter!"

Well for a brief time this past Sunday all felt right again. The turn was smooth and efficient, the patient had patience, and the ball knew where it was supposed to go. Maybe it was the new toy; I started using the GolfLogix range finder and stat tracking app in my phone, way cool stuff. Or maybe it was playing a new golf course; the Links at Cape Haze is a very nice 'executive' course with real grass on the fairways, greens with intelligent pin placements and aesthetics that have been missing at my home course.

I felt really good and have my shivagetter back and working better than ever, I think scratch is in reach.

Ups and downs

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 understand that greatness is always preceded by failure. He would also say that one of the most powerful impediments to greatness, is to be "pretty good".  The time, effort and money it takes to get from "pretty good" to great, can be overwhelming.

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.

Still working it

Well the progress has been real slow. It is clear that I cannot get the distance that I once had. I am fully 75 yards shorter than just a few years ago.  I know its not strength or technique, I think it's flexibility, in the shoulders, wrists and back.  Jeff Davis is coming to the Longwood Clinic this Saturday, he is from the Titleist Performance Institute and will take a look at me and all of the participants. I'll let you know what he has to say.  Come out and join in.

I have been playing pretty well, except for the par 3's and my longer putts. Not hitting the greens and not sinking longer putts.

For the putting problem I am going to try what I call the Shuffleboard Stroke.  Stand a bit open aim the palm of the right hand at the line and stroke it while looking at the target, NOT THE BALL.  Tried this for a few days, worked in practice but does not stand up in competition.  Back to normal I go, well as normal as I can be.