about

Chipping

Chipping is such a vital shot it's amazing to me how little time most people spend practicing it. Anyone who can score low is always a good chipper because no one hits every green. The shot is mostly about judging distance and you can do it with the right method.

First, I suggest you use the least loft you can get away with. You can hit more directly on the line you have chosen if you use less loft. You can also use a smaller swing that will make solid contact easier. Try long chip shots with a wedge and then a 7 iron. I'll bet the 7 is easier once you practice rolling it as far as you can.

Secondly, set the ball just inside the back foot (even farther back if you want less flight and more roll) with your hands ahead of the ball; this will ensure a decending blow so you don't hit behind the ball.

Thirdly determine where the ball should land to roll the rest of the way. This is your job ;get the ball in the air to your spot and your natural system will learn to improve.

Finally, use your feet and knees to feel the distance. Yes there is a slight weight transfer to the back foot and then forward. The shoulders are relaxed and passive as are the hands and arms. Now go and hole some chips - try to drop them in the hole and watch your score drop as well.

Putting

Putting well is mostly greens reading and distance control. Distance control is about using the big muscles to repeat a solid stroke. Just as with all shots in golf you must have a firm but passive grip and relaxed shoulders and arms. I don't much care how you hold it as long as it's tension free and the shoulders are square with the starting line of the putt. The best putters generally have their eyes over the ball or slightly inside a line straight above the ball. I dont care where your feet are ( within reason ) but most good putters have stood a little open at address.

Having an even tempo both back and through is a key ingredient to any stroke. Snatching the club away with tension in the arms and hands will ruin any chance of consistent performance. You will also perform better if you let the muscles of the lower back provide the power to rock the shoulders and hence move the arms and the hands and the club. To get this feeling just address a putt and then lift the putter with your lower back; now use the same muscles to move the putter back and through in the stroke.

You can practice your putting in the following ways to help your distance control:

First putt without a ball for a few minutes. Just walk around the putting green imagining what the proper stroke should be for a putt. Actually stroke the imaginary ball once and then move on to the next putt. Peter Jacobsen says this drill was responsible for turning his whole game around.

Next try stroking the ball while looking only at the hole (not the ball) for five balls then putt five balls and never look up until they are all gone.

You should mainly practice from 30 feet and longer and 6 feet and closer. The middle distance usually takes care of itself. Knock it close from 30 feet all day and make a few 6 footers and your score will plummet.

Tension in the shoulders and arms

Many players I see wonder why they hit shots both low left and high right . One pattern is usually more common but either shot can crop up. Tension in the shoulders and arms is the real culprit in misdirected shots. If the arms snatch the club away in the backswing and the hips and leggs follow around the player will never create a consistently straight pattern. The backswing should always start in the feet and legs with the arms following. This approach will ensure more clubhead speed and allow enough depth in the swing so that the club can approach the ball from the inside, a key ingredient in hitting consistent shots. The feel is instantly rewarding as the ability to "cover the ball" is suddenly easier. All of this adds up to more power and the ability to control the flight of the ball. And controlling the ball as you play is what it's all about. A lesson just may help you find the feel of this fundamental.

Hand Placement

How you connect yourself to the club will determine your success as a golfer. I have three suggestions: hold it square, hold it firmly, and keep the pressure constant as you operate.

A square grip is characterized by having the back of your hands generally parallel to each other. This will set your arms in a better position to maintain their connection to your body, a fundamental that will also help you be more consistent. I'm not too concerned with overlap, interlock or ten finger styles since great players have employed all three types of finger placement. The important thing is that it's easy to duplicate and produces the best results. Many times when a player feels a better grip than he has used before it feels uncomfortable, that feeling will go away as you practice it at home at first and then as you hit balls.

Drills for Common Problems

While I generally rely on a player's natural abilities when I help them in a lesson I think that there are a few drills that can help you develop a feel for the proper fundamentals in your golf swing. These can augment practice swings at home and on the range so you can train the body to react to the shot instead of thinking consciously about swing mechanics on the course. Doing them a few times for one session does little or no good so be persistent and you just may surprise yourself with an automatic " non thinking" golf swing. Triangle Center Drill ( Out of Control Backswing ) This is a Drill I learned from Jimmy Ballard; he teaches it so the arms stay "connected" to the body as the club swings back and through. D o this several times to get the feeling that your entire being swings the club away from and also through the ball to a balanced finish. This engrains a feeling of wholeness to the backswing.

Place the end of the grip just above your navel. Grip down the shaft until your arms are in the normal address position but on the steel or graphite part of the shaft. Without disconnecting the club from your belly let the upper body and waist coil back as they would in a normal swing until your hands are waist high. Then swing slowly back through an imaginary ball above the ground to a waist high finish keeping the club attached and the belly, spine, and eyes fully released and facing the imaginary target.

Step To Target Drill (Slicing or Over the Top)

Several repetitions of this drill will help keep your weight inside the back foot and leg on the backswing in preparation for the downswing. A key fundamental is to store power inside the rear leg to be used for changing the direction of the club back to the ball through impact. When you reverse the club incorrectly with your arms you will throw the club outside the target line (over the top) and across the ball with a swipe at impact. Do this drill a while and goodbye slice!

Take a normal stance and grip with any iron or wood. Take a full practice swing and allow the momentum to let you take an additional step with your back foot (right foot for righties) toward the target passing the front foot staying in balance the entire swing. Repeat 5 times and then take a swing balancing on the front foot as normal.

Isolation Drills

The two following drills utilize isolation to help you understand how the body must work to have a tension free motion.

Unity Drill (Chicken Wing Disease - Hanging Back at Finish)

This first drill will help the left and right sides of your body act together with the left arm relaxed and folded properly in a good finish position. It also teaches a full finish with the shoulders fully released toward the target. Its effects are sometimes wondrous in lessons when used with the second drill.

Place the club in your left hand ( if you are right handed ). Place your right hand on the right hip. Set up and swing the club with this one hand back and through to a normal finish. You should be able to simply reach up with your right arm and hand without having to move the right shoulder or stretch from the right shoulder further around. The right arm should be able to easily grip the club in a normal fashion in a balanced finish.

Do the drill a number of times and then change hands and finish in the same manner. You should be able to hit balls pretty well one handed if you ever want to get really good at golf. And yes this means both left and right hands. Tee up the ball first and gradually wean yourself by lowering the tee height gradually until you don't need it.

Parallel Hands Drill (Spine Angle - Poor Impact Position)

This drill is designed to help you have a much more unified backswing and to keep your spine angle more consistent as well as promoting the proper footwork necessary for powerful and crisp contact with the ball. Again with your left hand take the normal grip and stance with a real golf ball in place. Place your right hand 8 inches to the right of this grip with the fingers extended and parallel with the shaft. Take a slow backswing to waist high and then slowly swing back down and stop at the impact position behind the ball. Be as exact at impact as you can be. Almost everyone I have ever shown this drill adopts the proper position with weight inside the left foot and leg at impact. It also seems to assist the posture in staying consistent in the swing by eliminating standing up in the backswing or lunging down in the forward swing. The resulting blow to the ball creates the backspin so essential to control how the ball acts in the air and on the ground. Use this drill and your divots will be in front of the ball as they should.

Pump Your Feet;

This is a drill I share with everyone no matter the skill level. I usually consider drills as largely ineffective as they are rather boring, performed poorly and don't involve hitting balls. This drill is different because you can use it either hitting balls or not and can even be used on the course if you suddenly lose the feel for your game.

I always start demonstrating the drill by showing proper footwork. There is a slight knock-kneed feeling of support inside the feet, knees, and thighs. Jack Nicklaus says he plays golf from the insides or his feet and legs. The right knee resists the coiling of the upper body by pointing at the ball during the backswing.This feeling of resistance is the chief source of power and stability when you play. The feet and weight transfer 'pump' your weight back and forth .

Let the weight transfer move the hands and arms free and easy back and forth to about waist high while you let the wrists and club break up towards the sky with no tension. The key is to eventually generate enough speed with your feet and legs to make the shaft "woosh" both BACK AND FORTH while you maintain constant firm pressure with your hands in both directions. This will build up your strength and feel for the proper blend of body and arms in the swing. This is the feel you can now use to hit balls with. Start with short shots first and don't have any expectations. Keep going with lots of practice swings and then a hit or two. Then as you gain confidence I'll bet you start hitting solid straight shots the way great shotmakers do.

Now these are mere words to describe a feel and do poor justice to the drill itself. So if you would like a free demonstration come to Pin High Golf Center and see me in person sometime I'll be happy to oblige. But don't delay, life is too short to hit the ball poorly.

How to step into a shot.

Although there are many different styles of play on tour and elsewhere that succeed in producing low scores there are a few aspects of routine that seem remarkably constant. One constant is how successful players step up to a ball in such a way that promotes rhythm and accuracy. Basically it revolves around three footsteps that will simplify your routine and help promote an accurate alignment. It goes like this : Right Foot , Left Foot , Right Foot. This all takes place after you have placed your hands on the club and squared the blade with your eyes. It's a very simple idea that produces a flow to your preshot routine and with practice will lower your scores.

Once your hands are placed on the club place your right foot about one clubhead behind a perpendicular line from the ball target line with your body open to the target. With your eyes on the target as much as you can while glancing at the ball for reference.Then place your left foot just ahead of the ball where it should be to get the ball the proper distance back in the stance for the club you are using. Ex. Driver just about off the left heel or 7 iron further back. Then with your eyes again on the target simply slide the right foot into it's final position. This will greatly help your alignment as you move your feet around. I can't stress enough that you must keep your eyes on the target as you move your feet for comfort, don't look at the ball but rather keep the head and eyes up and on the target .

Develop a rhythm with this routine and you will find it a comfort to face each shot the same way in the same tempo. Because if there is one thing you will need if you expect to score well it's tempo. But more about that later.

Winter Golf

A student of mine asked me recently how he can keep his touch in the winter so he doesn't have to start all over in the spring. Fortunately here in California even in the dead of winter we have a good chance during most weeks to hit a bucket or two, or putt and chip while waiting for the glory days to roll around again. We talked about a few ideas for him specifically, but I thought I would share with you some thoughts I have found helpful.

First of all I think an honest assessment of your performance during the past year would yield a few hints as to what to focus on when it's cold and wet outside. If you think your driving is a major stumbling block you might want to consider stepping up and finally getting that new fangled driver you have seen or tried out. The new technology is amazing compared to the older drivers and can help tremendously if you need to hit the ball straighter. A stiffer shaft might be the answer if direction is the problem and a softer shaft may help with distance. Of course a lesson from an experienced professional can point you in the right direction and motivate you to improve as well. Lessons take time to work so by starting now you can hit the ground running in the spring. After seeing thousands of students during my teaching career it never surprises me to see overall swing improvement translate into more fairways and greens hit.

Secondly, assess your mental game and course management. Commit yourself next year to playing the shots you can pull off and avoiding the hero shots that usually result in the doubles and triples you despise so much. How many shots did you throw away by losing your temper and then hitting a shot that was beyond your ability? If you feel you are hitting the ball well but the scores didn't get much lower then it's time to improve your decision making on the course. For example if you hit the ball solid but constantly miss the green to the right then a simple answer is to aim more left. On a smaller scale this strategy is how Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino played golf for all those years so well.

Third on my list is the short game. You can certainly find ways to improve your touch and visualization in your den or garage by playing around with your wedges and putter.

I always tell my students to chip into a chair or down the hallway at home from the carpet to get the feel for trajectory. You can purchase a roll up putting carpet to improve the birdie and par saving putts from 9 feet and closer. This is also a chance to improve your actual stroke when putting. I'm convinced that misjudgment of distance on the green is the product of poor mechanics rather than not knowing how hard to hit most putts so here again a lesson under a trained eye can help a lot by showing you what to work on in the off season.

Finally a few random ideas to keep you from falling too far behind. Don't get caught being too out of shape after the holiday feast season is over. Stretching is the best thing you can do for your golf game year round and it requires no equipment at all. Watch golf films and play golf video games to sharpen your decision making skills. You might also go to the AT&T in Monterey ( Feb 9th-12th 2006 ) there's nothing better to get you fired up for the upcoming season than to watch the worlds best. Hint ( Watch them PLACE the ball around the course )

The Mental Game.

One generally relates the mental side of golf with the thought process that occur during a round but this is only partly correct. While it certainly takes a confident attitude and controlled demeanor to score well under pressure these things shouldn't only happen while one is actually on the course but also when you practice. Finding the specific way you personally play your best takes experience and trial and error but also involves some common sense as well.

One generally relates the mental side of golf with the thought process that occur during a round but this is only partly correct. While it certainly takes a confident attitude and controlled demeanor to score well under pressure these things shouldn't only happen while one is actually on the course but also when you practice. Finding the specific way you personally play your best takes experience and trial and error but also involves some common sense as well.

Right now is a good time to change poor preparation and playing habits and replace them with positive ones that happen as a result of thoughtful practice before the season starts. Take for example your equipment: if a little voice in your head tells you that one or all of your clubs doesn't fit your swing type or body build then it will be difficult to carry a confident attitude to the practice range or the golf course. The best players refuse to play with any club they don't have supreme confidence in and neither should you. They constantly tinker and borrow and experiment until they have it just right.

Once the equipment equation is settled then begin your quest for lower scores by planning your round on paper before you get to the course. Google Earth usually has detailed views of Metro courses and a measuring tool that's very accurate. Seeing all the angles and assessing how you need to play a hole will promote a tension free round because you have a plan. Also not to be ignored is having an effective preshot routine that imparts confidence before you take your shot. This is essential and no great player exists that doesn't display a rock solid routine. Most great players have a mental image or movie of the shot long before they attempt to execute. Jack Nicklaus describes this vividly in his book Playing Lessons . "I never hit a shot even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head. It's like a color movie. I see the ball where I want it to finish, its path ,trajectory, even its behavior on landing. Then I see me making the swing that will make the image a reality. Only then do I pick a club and step up to the ball." This kind of mental imagery requires adequate practice before one heads off to the course; but is without a doubt one of the keys to success.

Playing golf should be a reactive endeavor and mechanical thoughts while playing detract from a sound attitude. Strive to keep the thoughts focused toward strategy and keeping an even temperament so as to get the most from your ability. Hasty decisions and low percentage shots are the enemy and are the result of poor habits formed on the range and careless rounds. That's not to say that poor mechanics will allow a good round for surely luck in golf has a short life span. Work out the mechanical problems as best you can before you play and then react to the shot before you as it happens. Perhaps the best time to practice is right after a round when the specific problem is fresh in your mind. You will notice that almost all tour players will practice right after their round to work out any problem that would hamper their confidence the next day and it also helps them relax . Conversely the worst time to work on a problem is just before you play. Warming up before a round is just that ; a warm-up. Use this time to feel the clubhead and find a playing rhythm. Make sure to hit some putts and chips around the practice green to feel the speed for that day.

Finally; make sure you have energy all day by eating the right foods in the right amount well before teeing off and have plenty of water and a snack in the middle. There's nothing more frustrating than having a good round go bad because muscles below and above the neck couldn't perform their best all day.

If you have any thoughts about the mental side of golf or if you would like to arrange a lesson please contact me at 408 460-7600 or e-mail markwellsgolf@yahoo.com .

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Chipping

Chipping is such a vital shot it's amazing to me how little time most people spend practicing it. Anyone who can score low is always a good chipper because no one hits every green. The shot is mostly about judging distance and you can do it with the right method.

First, I suggest you use the least loft you can get away with. You can hit more directly on the line you have chosen if you use less loft. You can also use a smaller swing that will make solid contact easier. Try long chip shots with a wedge and then a 7 iron. I'll bet the 7 is easier once you practice rolling it as far as you can.

Secondly, set the ball just inside the back foot (even farther back if you want less flight and more roll) with your hands ahead of the ball; this will ensure a decending blow so you don't hit behind the ball.

Thirdly determine where the ball should land to roll the rest of the way. This is your job ;get the ball in the air to your spot and your natural system will learn to improve.

Finally, use your feet and knees to feel the distance. Yes there is a slight weight transfer to the back foot and then forward. The shoulders are relaxed and passive as are the hands and arms. Now go and hole some chips - try to drop them in the hole and watch your score drop as well.

Putting

Putting well is mostly greens reading and distance control. Distance control is about using the big muscles to repeat a solid stroke. Just as with all shots in golf you must have a firm but passive grip and relaxed shoulders and arms. I don't much care how you hold it as long as it's tension free and the shoulders are square with the starting line of the putt. The best putters generally have their eyes over the ball or slightly inside a line straight above the ball. I dont care where your feet are ( within reason ) but most good putters have stood a little open at address.

Having an even tempo both back and through is a key ingredient to any stroke. Snatching the club away with tension in the arms and hands will ruin any chance of consistent performance. You will also perform better if you let the muscles of the lower back provide the power to rock the shoulders and hence move the arms and the hands and the club. To get this feeling just address a putt and then lift the putter with your lower back; now use the same muscles to move the putter back and through in the stroke.

You can practice your putting in the following ways to help your distance control:

First putt without a ball for a few minutes. Just walk around the putting green imagining what the proper stroke should be for a putt. Actually stroke the imaginary ball once and then move on to the next putt. Peter Jacobsen says this drill was responsible for turning his whole game around.

Next try stroking the ball while looking only at the hole (not the ball) for five balls then putt five balls and never look up until they are all gone.

You should mainly practice from 30 feet and longer and 6 feet and closer. The middle distance usually takes care of itself. Knock it close from 30 feet all day and make a few 6 footers and your score will plummet.

Tension in the shoulders and arms

Many players I see wonder why they hit shots both low left and high right . One pattern is usually more common but either shot can crop up. Tension in the shoulders and arms is the real culprit in misdirected shots. If the arms snatch the club away in the backswing and the hips and leggs follow around the player will never create a consistently straight pattern. The backswing should always start in the feet and legs with the arms following. This approach will ensure more clubhead speed and allow enough depth in the swing so that the club can approach the ball from the inside, a key ingredient in hitting consistent shots. The feel is instantly rewarding as the ability to "cover the ball" is suddenly easier. All of this adds up to more power and the ability to control the flight of the ball. And controlling the ball as you play is what it's all about. A lesson just may help you find the feel of this fundamental.

Hand Placement

How you connect yourself to the club will determine your success as a golfer. I have three suggestions: hold it square, hold it firmly, and keep the pressure constant as you operate.

A square grip is characterized by having the back of your hands generally parallel to each other. This will set your arms in a better position to maintain their connection to your body, a fundamental that will also help you be more consistent. I'm not too concerned with overlap, interlock or ten finger styles since great players have employed all three types of finger placement. The important thing is that it's easy to duplicate and produces the best results. Many times when a player feels a better grip than he has used before it feels uncomfortable, that feeling will go away as you practice it at home at first and then as you hit balls.

Drills for Common Problems

While I generally rely on a player's natural abilities when I help them in a lesson I think that there are a few drills that can help you develop a feel for the proper fundamentals in your golf swing. These can augment practice swings at home and on the range so you can train the body to react to the shot instead of thinking consciously about swing mechanics on the course. Doing them a few times for one session does little or no good so be persistent and you just may surprise yourself with an automatic " non thinking" golf swing. Triangle Center Drill ( Out of Control Backswing ) This is a Drill I learned from Jimmy Ballard; he teaches it so the arms stay "connected" to the body as the club swings back and through. D o this several times to get the feeling that your entire being swings the club away from and also through the ball to a balanced finish. This engrains a feeling of wholeness to the backswing.

Place the end of the grip just above your navel. Grip down the shaft until your arms are in the normal address position but on the steel or graphite part of the shaft. Without disconnecting the club from your belly let the upper body and waist coil back as they would in a normal swing until your hands are waist high. Then swing slowly back through an imaginary ball above the ground to a waist high finish keeping the club attached and the belly, spine, and eyes fully released and facing the imaginary target.

Step To Target Drill (Slicing or Over the Top)

Several repetitions of this drill will help keep your weight inside the back foot and leg on the backswing in preparation for the downswing. A key fundamental is to store power inside the rear leg to be used for changing the direction of the club back to the ball through impact. When you reverse the club incorrectly with your arms you will throw the club outside the target line (over the top) and across the ball with a swipe at impact. Do this drill a while and goodbye slice!

Take a normal stance and grip with any iron or wood. Take a full practice swing and allow the momentum to let you take an additional step with your back foot (right foot for righties) toward the target passing the front foot staying in balance the entire swing. Repeat 5 times and then take a swing balancing on the front foot as normal.

Isolation Drills

The two following drills utilize isolation to help you understand how the body must work to have a tension free motion.

Unity Drill (Chicken Wing Disease - Hanging Back at Finish)

This first drill will help the left and right sides of your body act together with the left arm relaxed and folded properly in a good finish position. It also teaches a full finish with the shoulders fully released toward the target. Its effects are sometimes wondrous in lessons when used with the second drill.

Place the club in your left hand ( if you are right handed ). Place your right hand on the right hip. Set up and swing the club with this one hand back and through to a normal finish. You should be able to simply reach up with your right arm and hand without having to move the right shoulder or stretch from the right shoulder further around. The right arm should be able to easily grip the club in a normal fashion in a balanced finish.

Do the drill a number of times and then change hands and finish in the same manner. You should be able to hit balls pretty well one handed if you ever want to get really good at golf. And yes this means both left and right hands. Tee up the ball first and gradually wean yourself by lowering the tee height gradually until you don't need it.

Parallel Hands Drill (Spine Angle - Poor Impact Position)

This drill is designed to help you have a much more unified backswing and to keep your spine angle more consistent as well as promoting the proper footwork necessary for powerful and crisp contact with the ball. Again with your left hand take the normal grip and stance with a real golf ball in place. Place your right hand 8 inches to the right of this grip with the fingers extended and parallel with the shaft. Take a slow backswing to waist high and then slowly swing back down and stop at the impact position behind the ball. Be as exact at impact as you can be. Almost everyone I have ever shown this drill adopts the proper position with weight inside the left foot and leg at impact. It also seems to assist the posture in staying consistent in the swing by eliminating standing up in the backswing or lunging down in the forward swing. The resulting blow to the ball creates the backspin so essential to control how the ball acts in the air and on the ground. Use this drill and your divots will be in front of the ball as they should.

Pump Your Feet Drill;

I wanted to share with everyone a drill that has been very well received and produced great results lately. I usually consider drills as largely ineffective as they are rather boring, performed poorly and don't involve hitting balls. This drill is different because you can use it either hitting balls or not and can even be used on the course if you suddenly lose the feel for your game.

I always start demonstrating the drill by showing proper footwork. There is a slight knock-kneed feeling of support inside the feet, knees, and thighs. Jack Nicklaus says he plays golf from the insides or his feet and legs. The right knee resists the coiling of the upper body by pointing at the ball during the backswing.This feeling of resistance is the chief source of power and stability when you play. The feet and weight transfer 'pump' your weight back and forth .

Let the weight transfer move the hands and arms free and easy back and forth to about waist high while you let the wrists and club break up towards the sky with no tension. The key is to eventually generate enough speed with your feet and legs to make the shaft "woosh" both BACK AND FORTH while you maintain constant firm pressure with your hands in both directions. This will build up your strength and feel for the proper blend of body and arms in the swing. This is the feel you can now use to hit balls with. Start with short shots first and don't have any expectations. Keep going with lots of practice swings and then a hit or two. Then as you gain confidence I'll bet you start hitting solid straight shots the way great shotmakers do.

Now these are mere words to describe a feel and do poor justice to the drill itself. So if you would like a free demonstration come to Pin High Golf Center and see me in person sometime I'll be happy to oblige. But don't delay, life is too short to hit the ball poorly.

How to step into a shot.

Although there are many different styles of play on tour and elsewhere that succeed in producing low scores there are a few aspects of routine that seem remarkably constant. One constant is how successful players step up to a ball in such a way that promotes rhythm and accuracy. Basically it revolves around three footsteps that will simplify your routine and help promote an accurate alignment. It goes like this : Right Foot , Left Foot , Right Foot. This all takes place after you have placed your hands on the club and squared the blade with your eyes. It's a very simple idea that produces a flow to your preshot routine and with practice will lower your scores.

Once your hands are placed on the club place your right foot about one clubhead behind a perpendicular line from the ball target line with your body open to the target. With your eyes on the target as much as you can while glancing at the ball for reference.Then place your left foot just ahead of the ball where it should be to get the ball the proper distance back in the stance for the club you are using. Ex. Driver just about off the left heel or 7 iron further back. Then with your eyes again on the target simply slide the right foot into it's final position. This will greatly help your alignment as you move your feet around. I can't stress enough that you must keep your eyes on the target as you move your feet for comfort, don't look at the ball but rather keep the head and eyes up and on the target .

Develop a rhythm with this routine and you will find it a comfort to face each shot the same way in the same tempo. Because if there is one thing you will need if you expect to score well it's tempo. But more about that later.

Winter Golf

A student of mine asked me recently how he can keep his touch in the winter so he doesn't have to start all over in the spring. Fortunately here in California even in the dead of winter we have a good chance during most weeks to hit a bucket or two, or putt and chip while waiting for the glory days to roll around again. We talked about a few ideas for him specifically, but I thought I would share with you some thoughts I have found helpful.

First of all I think an honest assessment of your performance during the past year would yield a few hints as to what to focus on when it's cold and wet outside. If you think your driving is a major stumbling block you might want to consider stepping up and finally getting that new fangled driver you have seen or tried out. The new technology is amazing compared to the older drivers and can help tremendously if you need to hit the ball straighter. A stiffer shaft might be the answer if direction is the problem and a softer shaft may help with distance. Of course a lesson from an experienced professional can point you in the right direction and motivate you to improve as well. Lessons take time to work so by starting now you can hit the ground running in the spring. After seeing thousands of students during my teaching career it never surprises me to see overall swing improvement translate into more fairways and greens hit.

Secondly, assess your mental game and course management. Commit yourself next year to playing the shots you can pull off and avoiding the hero shots that usually result in the doubles and triples you despise so much. How many shots did you throw away by losing your temper and then hitting a shot that was beyond your ability? If you feel you are hitting the ball well but the scores didn't get much lower then it's time to improve your decision making on the course. For example if you hit the ball solid but constantly miss the green to the right then a simple answer is to aim more left. On a smaller scale this strategy is how Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino played golf for all those years so well.

Third on my list is the short game. You can certainly find ways to improve your touch and visualization in your den or garage by playing around with your wedges and putter.

I always tell my students to chip into a chair or down the hallway at home from the carpet to get the feel for trajectory. You can purchase a roll up putting carpet to improve the birdie and par saving putts from 9 feet and closer. This is also a chance to improve your actual stroke when putting. I'm convinced that misjudgment of distance on the green is the product of poor mechanics rather than not knowing how hard to hit most putts so here again a lesson under a trained eye can help a lot by showing you what to work on in the off season.

Finally a few random ideas to keep you from falling too far behind. Don't get caught being too out of shape after the holiday feast season is over. Stretching is the best thing you can do for your golf game year round and it requires no equipment at all. Watch golf films and play golf video games to sharpen your decision making skills. You might also go to the AT&T in Monterey ( Feb 9th-12th 2006 ) there's nothing better to get you fired up for the upcoming season than to watch the worlds best. Hint ( Watch them PLACE the ball around the course )

The Mental Game.

One generally relates the mental side of golf with the thought process that occur during a round but this is only partly correct. While it certainly takes a confident attitude and controlled demeanor to score well under pressure these things shouldn't only happen while one is actually on the course but also when you practice. Finding the specific way you personally play your best takes experience and trial and error but also involves some common sense as well.

One generally relates the mental side of golf with the thought process that occur during a round but this is only partly correct. While it certainly takes a confident attitude and controlled demeanor to score well under pressure these things shouldn't only happen while one is actually on the course but also when you practice. Finding the specific way you personally play your best takes experience and trial and error but also involves some common sense as well.

Right now is a good time to change poor preparation and playing habits and replace them with positive ones that happen as a result of thoughtful practice before the season starts. Take for example your equipment: if a little voice in your head tells you that one or all of your clubs doesn't fit your swing type or body build then it will be difficult to carry a confident attitude to the practice range or the golf course. The best players refuse to play with any club they don't have supreme confidence in and neither should you. They constantly tinker and borrow and experiment until they have it just right.

Once the equipment equation is settled then begin your quest for lower scores by planning your round on paper before you get to the course. Google Earth usually has detailed views of Metro courses and a measuring tool that's very accurate. Seeing all the angles and assessing how you need to play a hole will promote a tension free round because you have a plan. Also not to be ignored is having an effective preshot routine that imparts confidence before you take your shot. This is essential and no great player exists that doesn't display a rock solid routine. Most great players have a mental image or movie of the shot long before they attempt to execute. Jack Nicklaus describes this vividly in his book Playing Lessons . "I never hit a shot even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head. It's like a color movie. I see the ball where I want it to finish, its path ,trajectory, even its behavior on landing. Then I see me making the swing that will make the image a reality. Only then do I pick a club and step up to the ball." This kind of mental imagery requires adequate practice before one heads off to the course; but is without a doubt one of the keys to success.

Playing golf should be a reactive endeavor and mechanical thoughts while playing detract from a sound attitude. Strive to keep the thoughts focused toward strategy and keeping an even temperament so as to get the most from your ability. Hasty decisions and low percentage shots are the enemy and are the result of poor habits formed on the range and careless rounds. That's not to say that poor mechanics will allow a good round for surely luck in golf has a short life span. Work out the mechanical problems as best you can before you play and then react to the shot before you as it happens. Perhaps the best time to practice is right after a round when the specific problem is fresh in your mind. You will notice that almost all tour players will practice right after their round to work out any problem that would hamper their confidence the next day and it also helps them relax . Conversely the worst time to work on a problem is just before you play. Warming up before a round is just that ; a warm-up. Use this time to feel the clubhead and find a playing rhythm. Make sure to hit some putts and chips around the practice green to feel the speed for that day.

Finally; make sure you have energy all day by eating the right foods in the right amount well before teeing off and have plenty of water and a snack in the middle. There's nothing more frustrating than having a good round go bad because muscles below and above the neck couldn't perform their best all day.

If you have any thoughts about the mental side of golf or if you would like to arrange a lesson please contact me at 408 460-7600 or e-mail markwellsgolf@yahoo.com .