I'll admit that when I first heard that Tiger was involved in a serious auto accident, Payne Stewart's tragic end and Ben Hogan's ordeal were the first things that popped into my mind. Suffice to say, I'm very happy his incident was not that severe. In reality, only Mr. and Mrs. Woods know what really is going on, and I wish them well not only in keeping it that way, but also in resolving whatever is at the heart of the matter.
The first hint that Tiger was indeed human was at the PGA this year when Y.E. Yang outdueled him down the stretch, and now it appears that at some level he deals with the same kind of domestic issues that the rest of us humans do. That said, details of the incident certainly make us wonder just what in the hell was happening.
I was wondering how he hit a fire hydrant and tree while backing out of his driveway. Then it dawned on me that while I have to back out of my garage, Tiger no doubt can drive forward when leaving his compound. I'm pretty sure that the fire hydrant was not recently installed, and that he had successfully negotiated around it on numerous occasions.
Don't know what was different at 2:25 a.m. Friday, other than the possibility that he was being chased by a highly agitated 6 foot tall Norwegian supermodel with a golf club, and groggy from painkillers. As to the facial lacerations, he either wasn't wearing a seat belt, or said lacerations were incurred earlier from another source, i.e. agitated Norwegian.
Now, I have no reason to doubt published reports, but it seems highly odd that his wife smashed the back window of his Escalade with the club to free him, largely because that would involve crawling over two rows of seats and getting him out through the fully functioning driver side door. Alternately, it's not hard to imagine her tomahawking the club at the rear window as he scrambled away with his face bleeding, where upon hearing the back window shatter, Tiger augered in to the aforementioned fire hydrant, then tree.
Unconfirmed reports say that Elin's clubhead speed was in excess of 105mph, and Konica swing video and Peter Kostis revealed that she got stuck a bit inside and caused the club out to go to the right, leading to speculation that her target was indeed the driver's side window. No word on whether or not she hit a provisional.
Seriously, Tiger has fiercely and correctly protected his family's honor and privacy in the past, and is attempting to do so here as well. Can't blame him for that. However, when his private life spills into his neighbors property, the local hospital, and the Florida Highway Patrol, I don't think he can insulate himself from scrutiny.
If we can glean anything from the dozens of athletes and celebrities that have screwed up, it's that the cover up is always more damaging than whatever is underlying. Tiger needs to come clean, with at least enough of an explanation to not offend our intelligence, make things right with his family, and in a couple weeks a real idiot celebrity/athlete will do something so incredibly stupid that his double bogey will pale in comparison and fade away.
Fairways and Greens.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
From the Range to the Course
One of the most baffling and frustrating stages in improvement is when a player can produce good contact and ball flight during practice, but can't get the same results on the course. The obvious problem is that when we're practing, there's no consequence for poor shots. That leads to making free, relaxed swings on the range because we really don't care if we miss our target.
Fast forward to the first tee, where there's not only obstacles such as trees, water, out of bounds, ruthless playing partners and highly critical onlookers. At that point, the smooth swing on the range is replaced with tension, fear, anxiety and the desire to make the ball to go toward the target. Not a chance.
What do we do? Well, we need to 1) Play more like we practice, and 2) practice more like we play. In order to play like we practice, the biggest element is to trust your body to do what you've trained it to do in practice. You can't play good golf and produce good shots if you're worried about the mechanics of your swing. The mentality of hitting good shots on the course is that you commit to making a good swing, and let the ball go wherever it wants to go. It will take some practice and discipline, but as Rotella puts it, "we gain control of the golf ball by giving up trying to control (guide) it." There's no limit to the number of good shots one can hit when we don't care where the ball will go. Ultimately, there's only two results from any shot: it goes to the target, or it doesn't. Either way, you're still a decent, worthwhile member of the human race (assuming you were prior to the round).
To the second point, practicing more like we play starts with the realization that there are two types of practice: practice for technique, where we work on mechanics, and competitive practice, where we work on trust. I believe strongly that trust begins with a consistent shot routine. When you approach shots the same way every time, it starts to produce a comfort zone, where we know what to do when it's our turn to play. Other than tour players, how often do you see someone going through their entire routine on the range? Not often. Spend some time not only defining your routine, then repeating it on the range. By the way, a shot routine doesn't need to be something that takes five minutes! It just needs to be simple, and repetitive.
When practicing in this mode, not only should you pick a target, but also define what is an acceptable miss, and imagining obstacles right, left, short or long. You also want to change targets and distances so you're not hitting the same club on each shot. Try playing a practice round for a specific course on the range, hitting the same clubs and shots that you'll hit during a round.
For more advanced players, try the "75% / 10%" practice. That means, for example, from 150 yards, you look for 75% of your shots to fall within a margin of 10% or less from the hole. That gives you a 15 yard circle that defines a succesful shot.
Bottom line is that you can get your swing to the course, but it will require changing both the way you practice, and your mindset when you play.
Finally, pay attention to your warm-up session before a round. If you hit 15 fades in a row with a driver, there's no reason to expect to hit a nice draw on the course (I believe that is the working definition of insanity). Hit the shot you know you can hit, not the one that you think you should be able to hit, or what Tiger would hit (Thanks Dr. Bob).
Hit it, find it, hit it again.
Fast forward to the first tee, where there's not only obstacles such as trees, water, out of bounds, ruthless playing partners and highly critical onlookers. At that point, the smooth swing on the range is replaced with tension, fear, anxiety and the desire to make the ball to go toward the target. Not a chance.
What do we do? Well, we need to 1) Play more like we practice, and 2) practice more like we play. In order to play like we practice, the biggest element is to trust your body to do what you've trained it to do in practice. You can't play good golf and produce good shots if you're worried about the mechanics of your swing. The mentality of hitting good shots on the course is that you commit to making a good swing, and let the ball go wherever it wants to go. It will take some practice and discipline, but as Rotella puts it, "we gain control of the golf ball by giving up trying to control (guide) it." There's no limit to the number of good shots one can hit when we don't care where the ball will go. Ultimately, there's only two results from any shot: it goes to the target, or it doesn't. Either way, you're still a decent, worthwhile member of the human race (assuming you were prior to the round).
To the second point, practicing more like we play starts with the realization that there are two types of practice: practice for technique, where we work on mechanics, and competitive practice, where we work on trust. I believe strongly that trust begins with a consistent shot routine. When you approach shots the same way every time, it starts to produce a comfort zone, where we know what to do when it's our turn to play. Other than tour players, how often do you see someone going through their entire routine on the range? Not often. Spend some time not only defining your routine, then repeating it on the range. By the way, a shot routine doesn't need to be something that takes five minutes! It just needs to be simple, and repetitive.
When practicing in this mode, not only should you pick a target, but also define what is an acceptable miss, and imagining obstacles right, left, short or long. You also want to change targets and distances so you're not hitting the same club on each shot. Try playing a practice round for a specific course on the range, hitting the same clubs and shots that you'll hit during a round.
For more advanced players, try the "75% / 10%" practice. That means, for example, from 150 yards, you look for 75% of your shots to fall within a margin of 10% or less from the hole. That gives you a 15 yard circle that defines a succesful shot.
Bottom line is that you can get your swing to the course, but it will require changing both the way you practice, and your mindset when you play.
Finally, pay attention to your warm-up session before a round. If you hit 15 fades in a row with a driver, there's no reason to expect to hit a nice draw on the course (I believe that is the working definition of insanity). Hit the shot you know you can hit, not the one that you think you should be able to hit, or what Tiger would hit (Thanks Dr. Bob).
Hit it, find it, hit it again.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Club fitting is too broad a topic to be covered adequately in one article, especially one that is supposed to be entertaining and likely read by people with as short or shorter an attention span than the author. That said, I’ll try to cover a few of the more salient issues as they relate to different types of golfers. Please note that the information below is the opinion of said author, and may not accurately reflect fitting concepts endorsed by GolfTEC, equipment suppliers, bloviating club geeks, or people who read too many magazines.
CF (I’m already tired of typing that out, so I’ll abbreviate it) is largely misunderstood, so let’s define what it is. I like to think of CF as simply helping the client get what is best for their game. If I have a client interested in new equipment, the CF process starts with an assessment of their ability level, shot shape, dreaded miss, and desired improvement. Equipment is produced by most suppliers that range from ultra game improvement clubs on one end of the spectrum to muscle back blades that should only be played by .00001 of the golfing population (probably doesn’t include you or me).
As it pertains to beginners, CF is as simple as game improvement clubs that will help a) get the ball up in the air, b) have a very large effective hitting area, and c) help square the club at impact. In the case of an abnormally short or tall beginner, fitting for length is an issue. Shaft flex is a simple function of clubhead speed, which is generally low. Beyond that, we need to get the grip size correct, and not worry about lie angle as that requires a repeating swing. I like to get this player into a relatively cheap set as they will either improve and need new clubs, or discover how brutally frustrating the game is and runaway screaming.
With more experienced players, it’s important to understand where their current set is on the playability spectrum, and where the new clubs should fall. It is important to fit a client with what they need, but not necessarily what they want. I’ve heard many people tell me that they want “blades” because they want to be purists and learn to hit the ball properly. These are the people that are probably using a slide rule or abacus for math problems, and say “if it was good enough for Hogan, its’ good enough for me”. Golf is hard, and golfers should take any advantage you can get. If you’re one of the lucky ones (or GolfTEC clients!) where your swing advances beyond your equipment, then upgrade at that time.
With intermediate players, once the proper clubs are selected, fitting is a bit more involved, mainly as to lie angle and length. Again, shaft flex is pretty simple, being a function of swing speed and tempo. With these players, the fitter should be making both static and dynamic measurements, and a key decision is to ascertain if you’re fitting a client for where they are at or where they’ll be with their game in the future.
Single digit to scratch golfers are easily the most demanding for their fitting needs, and will likely put the CFer through their paces. You better know what you’re doing with these guys, because you can’t guess and you can’t be wrong. True blades are for players that hit most every shot on the sweetspot, and have the ability (not simply desire) to manipulate ball flight. If a player doesn’t move the ball around much, they can benefit more from perimeter weighting, and don’t need blades.
Ultra game improvement clubs are generally designed to help with mis-hits toward the toe, while blades are more geared toward compensating for shots in the heel. This concept is not largely understood, and goes for drivers as well.
As to fitting drivers, a launch monitor is a necessity to measure ball speed, launch angle and spin to identify the club that produces optimal launch. The most ignored variable in driver fitting is length. Drivers are standard at 45 to 46 inches in length, and keep getting longer, but the funny thing is that the average driver length on Tour is 44.25 inches. I’ve got junior and women golfers that are under 5’6” that have drivers longer than mine. They don’t have a swing problem, they have a geometry problem. That, however is fodder for another blog down the road.
The above is a rather simplistic explanation and view of CF. You can get much more technical and complex, investigating intricacies of flex point, MOI, CG, and variable weighting, but personally when I do that my eyes roll back in my head and I pass out. Leave those discussions to the bloviating club geeks.
Fairways and Greens.
Monday, October 12, 2009
President's Cup Notes
The President's Cup has wrapped up, and first, I'm just happy that Obama didn't win that, too. I let two cars into traffic last week, and found out I was nominated for a Nobel Prize! Thought the bar might be higher than that (after all, I'm not George Bush, either).
While the President's Cup was interesting, for me there's just no way this will ever catch up to the Ryder Cup, unless of course the international team starts behaving more, well, European. For this event to be as compelling as the Ryder Cup, the U.S. would have to lose on home soil, and the opposition will have to be much less likable. Losing in Australia in two years probably won't make a big difference with fans here in America (didn't that happen a few years ago?), but losing in our own backyard would be tragic.
On the other side, if their side had some characters that we could dislike more, that would help boost the matches. Greg Norman, on top of having issues in his new marriage, evidently did something bad to his right arm (related?), Yang is just so happy, Adam Scott and Camilo Villegas are sooo cute and are playing horribly, Tim Clark is the little engine that could. How can you root against that bunch? It's like the Bad News Bears go golfing.
Putting Rory Sabbatini on their squad wouldn't have changed the outcome, but with how unlikable he is, no doubt interest would have gone up.
As to the golf, our top three (Woods, Mickelson, Stricker) were bullet proof, Johnson and Glover weak, and the rest of the team very good. The big surprise from their team was no surprise: Tim Clark. Notice how he's always hanging around in big events? He'll win soon over here.
As predicted, Tiger got another shot at Yang, and the world started turning the right direction again. Got the feeling Yang is finally aware of how unusual his win was in August.
Stay warm!
While the President's Cup was interesting, for me there's just no way this will ever catch up to the Ryder Cup, unless of course the international team starts behaving more, well, European. For this event to be as compelling as the Ryder Cup, the U.S. would have to lose on home soil, and the opposition will have to be much less likable. Losing in Australia in two years probably won't make a big difference with fans here in America (didn't that happen a few years ago?), but losing in our own backyard would be tragic.
On the other side, if their side had some characters that we could dislike more, that would help boost the matches. Greg Norman, on top of having issues in his new marriage, evidently did something bad to his right arm (related?), Yang is just so happy, Adam Scott and Camilo Villegas are sooo cute and are playing horribly, Tim Clark is the little engine that could. How can you root against that bunch? It's like the Bad News Bears go golfing.
Putting Rory Sabbatini on their squad wouldn't have changed the outcome, but with how unlikable he is, no doubt interest would have gone up.
As to the golf, our top three (Woods, Mickelson, Stricker) were bullet proof, Johnson and Glover weak, and the rest of the team very good. The big surprise from their team was no surprise: Tim Clark. Notice how he's always hanging around in big events? He'll win soon over here.
As predicted, Tiger got another shot at Yang, and the world started turning the right direction again. Got the feeling Yang is finally aware of how unusual his win was in August.
Stay warm!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Keeping it Simple
Being able to teach golfers with the best technology available has certainly made me a better teacher, and revealed some truths that I had not known before. Knowing the cold hard facts, generated from objective data, gives me confidence that I can really get down to the real cause of a golfer's problem. You want your doctor to get the real cause of your illness, not just treat the symptoms. Your golf instructor should do the same with your swing.
With GolfTEC's advanced technology and processes, I have to be careful about not getting too complex with mechanics. The reality is that the most basic and simple fundamentals have a pervasive effect on the swing mechanics that result. The two areas I've been focusing the most on recently are grip and alignment.
I try not to throw rocks at other instructors, but ask yours one question: "What is the most important fundamental in golf?" If they answer anything other than "grip", find a new instructor. Grip doesn't have to be perfect, but keep in mind that the last thing you want with a bad grip is a good swing. I asked one client if their previous instructor had covered grip, and they answered that the pro wanted to cover "more important things first". Hmmmm.
As to alignment, the major issue (for right handers) is to aim well to the right of the target. This is most prevalent with right eye dominant right hand golfers. Can't explain it, but I know it to be the truth. Don't know if you're right or left eye dominant? If you prefer right to left putts, you're very likely right eye dominant. Prefering left to right putts makes it likely to be left eye dominant (those of us that are left-eye dominant right hand players don't fight alignment issues quite as much).
If you're aiming right, and not aware of it, and make a good swing, where is the ball going to go? Right of the target, of course! Problem is your brain will tell you that you pushed it, and you'll correct it by coming over the top and pulling the ball left to get going at the target. What we have here is the beginning of a vicious circle: Aim right, pull ball left, aim further right, pull ball further left.
I always new this was the case, but it was driven home recently with two clients that were making very good swings on video indoors, but were having terrible results on the course. I watched them hit some shots on the range, and realized they were aimed 20-30 yards right of the target. The real trick is you have to re-train your eyes to not think you're aiming left, which will take some hard work and more than a few duck hooks. If you keep at it, however, you'll likely start to drop the club on plane and see much better ball flight and consistency.
Want proof? Next time you're at a Tour event, go to the range and see how many pros are using alignment aids in their practice. They know that alignment is something that they have to work on ALL the time, not just once or twice. Especially if they're right eye dominant.
You might find that your alignment is good, but isn't that a pretty simple thing to start with? You're wasting time trying to drop the club on plane if you're aiming right. Right?
With GolfTEC's advanced technology and processes, I have to be careful about not getting too complex with mechanics. The reality is that the most basic and simple fundamentals have a pervasive effect on the swing mechanics that result. The two areas I've been focusing the most on recently are grip and alignment.
I try not to throw rocks at other instructors, but ask yours one question: "What is the most important fundamental in golf?" If they answer anything other than "grip", find a new instructor. Grip doesn't have to be perfect, but keep in mind that the last thing you want with a bad grip is a good swing. I asked one client if their previous instructor had covered grip, and they answered that the pro wanted to cover "more important things first". Hmmmm.
As to alignment, the major issue (for right handers) is to aim well to the right of the target. This is most prevalent with right eye dominant right hand golfers. Can't explain it, but I know it to be the truth. Don't know if you're right or left eye dominant? If you prefer right to left putts, you're very likely right eye dominant. Prefering left to right putts makes it likely to be left eye dominant (those of us that are left-eye dominant right hand players don't fight alignment issues quite as much).
If you're aiming right, and not aware of it, and make a good swing, where is the ball going to go? Right of the target, of course! Problem is your brain will tell you that you pushed it, and you'll correct it by coming over the top and pulling the ball left to get going at the target. What we have here is the beginning of a vicious circle: Aim right, pull ball left, aim further right, pull ball further left.
I always new this was the case, but it was driven home recently with two clients that were making very good swings on video indoors, but were having terrible results on the course. I watched them hit some shots on the range, and realized they were aimed 20-30 yards right of the target. The real trick is you have to re-train your eyes to not think you're aiming left, which will take some hard work and more than a few duck hooks. If you keep at it, however, you'll likely start to drop the club on plane and see much better ball flight and consistency.
Want proof? Next time you're at a Tour event, go to the range and see how many pros are using alignment aids in their practice. They know that alignment is something that they have to work on ALL the time, not just once or twice. Especially if they're right eye dominant.
You might find that your alignment is good, but isn't that a pretty simple thing to start with? You're wasting time trying to drop the club on plane if you're aiming right. Right?
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
FedEx Cup Runneth Over
I don't know whether the PGA Tour finally got the formula right, or if they just got plain lucky, but the FedEx Cup Playoffs are a great deal more compelling than in first two years (3 years?).
The last couple years, there wasn't a bit of drama as it neared the end, with Tiger, then Vijay pocketing $10 mil prior to the Tour Championship.
There are many storylines as the season comes to an end and the Deutsche Bank finish was great. Tiger isn't holing everything he looks at, and merely putting good isn't enough to win. "Fans" that tune in only when Tiger is in the hunt missed a classic. A Cheesehead named Steve has overtaken him for the top spot, and has his ears pinned back ready to go around again. Vijay is out, and Goosen couldn't find water from a boat on Sunday. Sergio had a good final 36, but 'He Who Whines A Lot' lived up to his nickname by complaining about having to play six weeks in a row. Hey Serge, nobody's putting a gun to your head to make you try to win $10 million, so take the rest of the season off.
Padraig learned that you truly can't talk to a duck hook, and blew a chance on the back. Jason Dufner, Scott Verplank, and Angel Cabrera looked pretty bulletproof down the stretch, giving Stricker something to think about, but he came through in brilliant fashion. By the way, Johnny Miller, I think that Steve has maybe just a bit more than 25 degrees of wrist hinge in the downswing. I already miss McCord and Feherty.
A truly human side of Stricker showed when he got choked up during the post-round interview. When you keep your focus that tightly for that long, I don't know how one wouldn't break down a bit as the adrenaline subsides.
I couldn't help but notice that the first three FedEx Playoff events are sponsored by international companies, with Barclays, Deutsche Bank, and BMW. Hmmmm.
As usual, I called my brother during the final round, to see if he was enjoying the event on his 58 inch plasma. No, he chose to watch the 18th hole via the internet on a 9 inch computer screen, because the local NBC affiliate in Colorado Springs had chosen instead to air the final day of the Jerry Lewis Telethon. Wow. Can't quite get my mind around how that decision was made, seeing as how the Telethon was televised on at least 5 other networks. Lookout next week, Bro, I hear Bambi is on.
Fairways and Greens.
The last couple years, there wasn't a bit of drama as it neared the end, with Tiger, then Vijay pocketing $10 mil prior to the Tour Championship.
There are many storylines as the season comes to an end and the Deutsche Bank finish was great. Tiger isn't holing everything he looks at, and merely putting good isn't enough to win. "Fans" that tune in only when Tiger is in the hunt missed a classic. A Cheesehead named Steve has overtaken him for the top spot, and has his ears pinned back ready to go around again. Vijay is out, and Goosen couldn't find water from a boat on Sunday. Sergio had a good final 36, but 'He Who Whines A Lot' lived up to his nickname by complaining about having to play six weeks in a row. Hey Serge, nobody's putting a gun to your head to make you try to win $10 million, so take the rest of the season off.
Padraig learned that you truly can't talk to a duck hook, and blew a chance on the back. Jason Dufner, Scott Verplank, and Angel Cabrera looked pretty bulletproof down the stretch, giving Stricker something to think about, but he came through in brilliant fashion. By the way, Johnny Miller, I think that Steve has maybe just a bit more than 25 degrees of wrist hinge in the downswing. I already miss McCord and Feherty.
A truly human side of Stricker showed when he got choked up during the post-round interview. When you keep your focus that tightly for that long, I don't know how one wouldn't break down a bit as the adrenaline subsides.
I couldn't help but notice that the first three FedEx Playoff events are sponsored by international companies, with Barclays, Deutsche Bank, and BMW. Hmmmm.
As usual, I called my brother during the final round, to see if he was enjoying the event on his 58 inch plasma. No, he chose to watch the 18th hole via the internet on a 9 inch computer screen, because the local NBC affiliate in Colorado Springs had chosen instead to air the final day of the Jerry Lewis Telethon. Wow. Can't quite get my mind around how that decision was made, seeing as how the Telethon was televised on at least 5 other networks. Lookout next week, Bro, I hear Bambi is on.
Fairways and Greens.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Golf humor
Golf, likely due to its inherently difficulties, seems to cause its victims to develop and nurture a truly unique sense of humor. At times, that humor is the only fallback we have after enduring a particularly humiliating round. Aspiring golfers don't have years of needling and golf humor to fall back on, so feel free to use some of the following in your next round.
Slow Play:
"That guy in front of us is half a hole behind the group he's in", or "please keep up with the
group you're in".
"Is the same day rule in effect?" (Must complete the round the same day you start it).
"Dude has two speeds: Slow, and stop".
Golfing Ability:
When out-driving a playing partner by a significant distance, ask "Hey Bob, did you hear
about the new WalMart they're building?" Bob naively asks, "Where?", and you reply
Between my ball and yours".
Old, but good, is when an opponent leaves a putt 3+ feet from the hole, say "There's a lot
of chicken left on that bone".
On the occasion of someone's truly bad shot, utter "That's not that bad of a shot, unless
you care what you shoot".
Tell an opponent over your six footer to win the hole that "We're just wasting daylight by
making me putt this". I highly recommend that if you say that to make the putt.
Glossary:
College girlfriend: Short and Fat
Oral Roberts: Heeler
Billy Martin: Dead Yank
Shovel Pass, Pitchout, Chinese Hook, El Hosel: Shank
Nurse: Beverage Cart Girl
Scoring Fluid, Aiming Fluid: Beverages dispensed by nurse.
Oscar Brown, Orville Butler: Out of bounds.
Idiot mark: Ball imprint on the crown of a driver caused by popping one up.
For more golf humor, I defer to the king, David Feherty. If you truly have a sick and twisted, golf oriented sense of humor, read his book "A Nasty Bit of Rough". Funniest thing I've ever read. Ever.
Play hard, laugh loudly, and press often.
Slow Play:
"That guy in front of us is half a hole behind the group he's in", or "please keep up with the
group you're in".
"Is the same day rule in effect?" (Must complete the round the same day you start it).
"Dude has two speeds: Slow, and stop".
Golfing Ability:
When out-driving a playing partner by a significant distance, ask "Hey Bob, did you hear
about the new WalMart they're building?" Bob naively asks, "Where?", and you reply
Between my ball and yours".
Old, but good, is when an opponent leaves a putt 3+ feet from the hole, say "There's a lot
of chicken left on that bone".
On the occasion of someone's truly bad shot, utter "That's not that bad of a shot, unless
you care what you shoot".
Tell an opponent over your six footer to win the hole that "We're just wasting daylight by
making me putt this". I highly recommend that if you say that to make the putt.
Glossary:
College girlfriend: Short and Fat
Oral Roberts: Heeler
Billy Martin: Dead Yank
Shovel Pass, Pitchout, Chinese Hook, El Hosel: Shank
Nurse: Beverage Cart Girl
Scoring Fluid, Aiming Fluid: Beverages dispensed by nurse.
Oscar Brown, Orville Butler: Out of bounds.
Idiot mark: Ball imprint on the crown of a driver caused by popping one up.
For more golf humor, I defer to the king, David Feherty. If you truly have a sick and twisted, golf oriented sense of humor, read his book "A Nasty Bit of Rough". Funniest thing I've ever read. Ever.
Play hard, laugh loudly, and press often.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Tiger Yanged
Pithy title, but hey, it was a long weekend.
Well, it finally happened. The best player in the history of golf succumbed to an opponent that outplayed him. Yes, I said outplayed him. Only thing is that opponent wasn't named Els, Mickelson, Singh, Harrington, or one of the other dozen or so best of the rest.
You may say that, well, Tiger didn't make any putts, but neither did Yang. Well, Yang got lucky on 10, but so did Tiger. I really thought when Yang hit his 40 foot birdie putt on 17 only 30 feet that Tiger would make him pay for blinking, but not today. Bottom line is Asian Dude hoisted a hybrid over a tree from 200+ on 18 with a one shot lead trying to hold off You Know Who, and stuffed it. How is it that this little known one-time tour winner succeeded in staring down Tiger when few if any have before?
Dr. Rotella asks us what comes first, success or confidence? Obviously, the answer is confidence, because if you wait for success to come first it will be a long, lonely wait. Clearly for Yang, he CHOSE to be confident, and seemingly struck nearly every shot today (excepting a few putts) fully believing he would pull it off.
I am neither glad that Tiger lost, nor sad that Yang won. I simply have been waiting for someone to do something other than blow a gasket down the stretch in a Major when paired with Tiger, and see how Tiger would respond. By all accounts, he responded well, but couldn't get critical putts to fall. The shoe is clearly on the other foot in that matter, as we are so used to seeing Tiger being the one that applies the pressure and his victims' putts go awry.
Much will be written about Yang, specifically about the unusual move he makes in the downswing. Props to the crew at CBS that very accurately identified how unusually open his shoulders are at impact. Hard to believe he can be that accurate in that position, but it just goes to show that a swing doesn't have to be perfect to produce great results.
Likely, there is only one person in this world who believed that today would end as it did, and from what I saw that belief did not waiver one bit all day. With all the extremely talented players that Tiger had reduced to quivering piles of Jello, you gotta believe that he was surprised when Yang kept hitting great shots deep into the back nine.
With all great athletes, it will be very interesting to see how Tiger responds.
Might be an interesting rematch in the President's Cup!?
Fairways and Greens.
Well, it finally happened. The best player in the history of golf succumbed to an opponent that outplayed him. Yes, I said outplayed him. Only thing is that opponent wasn't named Els, Mickelson, Singh, Harrington, or one of the other dozen or so best of the rest.
You may say that, well, Tiger didn't make any putts, but neither did Yang. Well, Yang got lucky on 10, but so did Tiger. I really thought when Yang hit his 40 foot birdie putt on 17 only 30 feet that Tiger would make him pay for blinking, but not today. Bottom line is Asian Dude hoisted a hybrid over a tree from 200+ on 18 with a one shot lead trying to hold off You Know Who, and stuffed it. How is it that this little known one-time tour winner succeeded in staring down Tiger when few if any have before?
Dr. Rotella asks us what comes first, success or confidence? Obviously, the answer is confidence, because if you wait for success to come first it will be a long, lonely wait. Clearly for Yang, he CHOSE to be confident, and seemingly struck nearly every shot today (excepting a few putts) fully believing he would pull it off.
I am neither glad that Tiger lost, nor sad that Yang won. I simply have been waiting for someone to do something other than blow a gasket down the stretch in a Major when paired with Tiger, and see how Tiger would respond. By all accounts, he responded well, but couldn't get critical putts to fall. The shoe is clearly on the other foot in that matter, as we are so used to seeing Tiger being the one that applies the pressure and his victims' putts go awry.
Much will be written about Yang, specifically about the unusual move he makes in the downswing. Props to the crew at CBS that very accurately identified how unusually open his shoulders are at impact. Hard to believe he can be that accurate in that position, but it just goes to show that a swing doesn't have to be perfect to produce great results.
Likely, there is only one person in this world who believed that today would end as it did, and from what I saw that belief did not waiver one bit all day. With all the extremely talented players that Tiger had reduced to quivering piles of Jello, you gotta believe that he was surprised when Yang kept hitting great shots deep into the back nine.
With all great athletes, it will be very interesting to see how Tiger responds.
Might be an interesting rematch in the President's Cup!?
Fairways and Greens.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Golf is Fun?
Well, certainly it should be! Personally, fun is not the reason that I play golf. I'm extremely competitive on the course, and I'm motivated by attempting to pummel everyone else on the course that day. If I accomplish that feat, no doubt it will be fun, but that is not what drives me. I do wish that I could play golf for fun more often, but if I'm looking for fun I will likely not be on the golf course.
The average golfer (if there is such a beast) that is not in the business of golf does want to have fun while golfing, but that's where a central problem in the game is found. All things considered, a day on the links will take six hours (including travel, warmup, 19th hole, etc.) and will involve expense.
That time spent on the course is time that we are either not working, or not with our families. All that considered, you're now on the course, ready to have fun, and then you struggle through the round and are extremely frustrated at the end of the day. If that describes your last few rounds, you've probably asked yourself if it is worth it.
We love the idea of golf, like being outside on a nice course, and we want to be with friends, to enjoying our chosen leisure activity. The problem is that our chosen leisure activity in many cases is harder and causes more frustration than our career or family situation! GOLF IS HARD! Nearly every golfer has said "I'm either going to get better or quit", myself included.
I chose to work harder on my game, focus tighter on what was necessary to make improvement, and get stronger mentally.
If you're overly frustrated you'll eventually either give up, or you will commit to improve knowing that it will be hard and take time. If you choose the latter, Someday is Today!
Lower your expectations, and raise your commitment.
The average golfer (if there is such a beast) that is not in the business of golf does want to have fun while golfing, but that's where a central problem in the game is found. All things considered, a day on the links will take six hours (including travel, warmup, 19th hole, etc.) and will involve expense.
That time spent on the course is time that we are either not working, or not with our families. All that considered, you're now on the course, ready to have fun, and then you struggle through the round and are extremely frustrated at the end of the day. If that describes your last few rounds, you've probably asked yourself if it is worth it.
We love the idea of golf, like being outside on a nice course, and we want to be with friends, to enjoying our chosen leisure activity. The problem is that our chosen leisure activity in many cases is harder and causes more frustration than our career or family situation! GOLF IS HARD! Nearly every golfer has said "I'm either going to get better or quit", myself included.
I chose to work harder on my game, focus tighter on what was necessary to make improvement, and get stronger mentally.
If you're overly frustrated you'll eventually either give up, or you will commit to improve knowing that it will be hard and take time. If you choose the latter, Someday is Today!
Lower your expectations, and raise your commitment.
Monday, August 10, 2009
PGA Cancelled, Trophy and Check to Woods
All right, I guess we should go ahead and play the PGA, but it sure seems that we could eliminate a lot time and expense by just handing it to Tiger. Funny thing, though, that every time I think its a done deal that he's going to win, he doesn't. Harrington put up a good fight, as expected, but quite butcher job on 16. Hazeltine should be fun.
During the Buick last week, I swear that I heard a television golf announcer identify the source of Tiger's power as left shoulder lowering at the start of the downswing then raising straight back up quickly through impact. Immediately, I could hear 20 handicappers around the country get off the couch and rehearse the shoulder dip (Charles Barkley come to mind?). True, Tiger's shoulder does dip and then raise, but that is completely effect, not cause. Might have something to do with his ability to retain hinge, leg drive, shoulder rotation and tilt. Raising and lowering the left shoulder is inconsequential.
These TV knuckleheads (especially that one) need to be right about what rabbit holes they send the golfing public down before laying an egg like that one. I think the 'Tour Gurus' have lost their sense of cause and effect by working with the best players in the world. How hard is it to teach people with that level of talent? My peers and I teach in the real world, with real people, ranging from very little to decent athletic ability.
Get help in the real world, and be careful about where you're getting your swing advice!
During the Buick last week, I swear that I heard a television golf announcer identify the source of Tiger's power as left shoulder lowering at the start of the downswing then raising straight back up quickly through impact. Immediately, I could hear 20 handicappers around the country get off the couch and rehearse the shoulder dip (Charles Barkley come to mind?). True, Tiger's shoulder does dip and then raise, but that is completely effect, not cause. Might have something to do with his ability to retain hinge, leg drive, shoulder rotation and tilt. Raising and lowering the left shoulder is inconsequential.
These TV knuckleheads (especially that one) need to be right about what rabbit holes they send the golfing public down before laying an egg like that one. I think the 'Tour Gurus' have lost their sense of cause and effect by working with the best players in the world. How hard is it to teach people with that level of talent? My peers and I teach in the real world, with real people, ranging from very little to decent athletic ability.
Get help in the real world, and be careful about where you're getting your swing advice!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
GolfTEC in Oklahoma
Welcome!
I write this as Tiger has just completed the first five holes in the Bridgestone WGC in four under. I would say it's unbelievable, but we've come to expect that from him. It will be interesting to see if Paddy can bounce back-- wouldn't surprise me if he did, and hope he does.
I've maintained for a while that with all the physical talent Tiger has, that what separates him from the other top players (by a wide margin), is his clearly superior mental toughness. Like Nicklaus, he is a ruthless competitor that is able to impart his will on lesser beings. He know he's the best, and he knows that the other guys know he's the best. It is almost like he starts out on Sunday with a three stroke advantage, regardless of what the scoreboard says.
We use a lot of video of tour players in our instruction, and personally I show less of Tiger's swing than most want to see. He does things in his swing that I would not want the average golfer to try to emulate. That said, his lower body position to the top of the backswing is the best, as there is little change in knee flex and zero hip sway. If you want to copy something from Tiger, make it his putting stroke. I believe it is the best I've ever seen, and by no coincidence he makes more putts under pressure than anyone else (again, much like Nicklaus, with better mechanics).
This is my first post, and I'll be back in a day or two to sort out the final result.
Fairways and Greens,
Pat McTigue, PGA
I write this as Tiger has just completed the first five holes in the Bridgestone WGC in four under. I would say it's unbelievable, but we've come to expect that from him. It will be interesting to see if Paddy can bounce back-- wouldn't surprise me if he did, and hope he does.
I've maintained for a while that with all the physical talent Tiger has, that what separates him from the other top players (by a wide margin), is his clearly superior mental toughness. Like Nicklaus, he is a ruthless competitor that is able to impart his will on lesser beings. He know he's the best, and he knows that the other guys know he's the best. It is almost like he starts out on Sunday with a three stroke advantage, regardless of what the scoreboard says.
We use a lot of video of tour players in our instruction, and personally I show less of Tiger's swing than most want to see. He does things in his swing that I would not want the average golfer to try to emulate. That said, his lower body position to the top of the backswing is the best, as there is little change in knee flex and zero hip sway. If you want to copy something from Tiger, make it his putting stroke. I believe it is the best I've ever seen, and by no coincidence he makes more putts under pressure than anyone else (again, much like Nicklaus, with better mechanics).
This is my first post, and I'll be back in a day or two to sort out the final result.
Fairways and Greens,
Pat McTigue, PGA
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