Chipping to Break 100

May 9, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Golf is a crazy game! On Tuesday I shot 78 with bogies on the last three holes – with two 3 putts! Thursday, I shot 76 with 2 birdies and two pars on the last 4 holes! I felt exactly the same, played almost the same way and scored two strokes better. As I think back to my round, and I know most of you analyse your last round of golf, I was wondered what the difference was between the two rounds. My conclusion is that It all came down to chipping.

I have talked about practicing my 3-6-9 chipping drill before and suggest that it will help anyone break 100. The most important aspect of the drill is just to practice and develop a solid go-to stroke that will help build consistency. As I played today, I realized that chipping is as important as putting to score low.

I could go on about how to hold your hands or how to grip the club or where to align or, or, or. As your skill develops, there will be time for improving and refining your chipping touch. The trick to breaking 100 is to build a consistent chipping technique. The video below outlines a repeatable process that will benefit all players trying to break 100.

The clock drill is very good for using the same swing for multiple shots. It helps develop consistency and improves your chance of lowering your score. Give it a try; let me know how it works.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Chipping or Putting From the Fringe

May 7, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 23 Comments

A while back, the commentators of the The Masters caught my attention. This may not seem that odd, but it actually made the stop and think about the answer. The whole premise was about putting or chipping from the fringe. I have discussed this before and personally I prefer to chip, but that does not seem to be the case any more.

Image 1 – 2 feet to green

The commentator said younger players prefer to putt and older players prefer to chip. He never really suggested that either was better, but did indicate a change in way fringe play was being conducted. He said that if the ball is 5 yards off the green younger players are putting if they are on the fringe or in the fairway.

Image 2 – 6 feet from green

I would suggest that the courses are manicured better than our local course and this may attribute to the change. However, 5 yards off the green would be extremely difficult to judge the speed and how the ball will exit the fringe grass. Personally, chipping would be the safer shot from 5 yards, but the young pros do not see it that way.

I really do not have an answer to this question – anyone want to weigh in? Would you putt or chip Images 1 or 2?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Hole in One!

May 5, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

There is only one thing equal to shooting a hole in one; your buddy shooting a hole in one! Yesterday, my friend from the UK sent me an email with the title my first hole in one; unfortunately, I was on the golf course and did not receive the information before I was talking to him on Skype.

His first question was if I had read the email. Saying no, he said that something really special happen; I immediately shouted that he shot a hole in one! His mile wide smile gave it away and he said yes. I welcomed him to the club. Of course I wanted details.

He was playing the Northwood Golf Club, Middlesex, UK. It was 149 yards. He used a 7-iron. It hopped once then into the hole. There were witnesses. He said as he walked to the green that his playing partner suggested that the ball went over the back, he knew completely different. During the entire description of this historic event, you could his chest puffed out just a little bit.

I am grateful he shared his story with me. I believe all hole in one shots are intended and the stroke is perfectly. Personally, I love these stories because I enjoy sharing the thrill of success with my friends!

Thanks ole boy for sharing your story. I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Jumping to Confusion

May 3, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 10 Comments

Have you ever walked up to your ball with a club already in your hand before you actually looked at what was going on around you? This usually happens when a player is familiar with the course and draws conclusion before their next shot. We are all guilty of it, but is it really a case of familiarity or confusion?

One of the major challenges to members of a golf course is familiarity. Many players use the same club off the same tee all the time. Next they walk to their ball with the exact distance in mind; then select their club because it is the one they always use! After shooting the same score over and over, they question what is wrong!

Complacency on the golf course is a real challenge for most players. It causes them to stop thinking and to play golf on autopilot. Playing without thinking is the root of many challenges for amateurs. Having a preset plan on each hole stagnates the development of the famous Jack Nicklaus course management, degrades the Seve Ballesteros shot ingenuity, and limits their Lee Trevino’s love of the game!

Ultimately, by jumping to confusion players limit their ability to lower their score. Fortunately, there is a fix to this quagmire – change your approach to playing your favorite course. Instead of using your driver, use your three wood off the tee. Instead of bashing the ball each time, play to your favorite distance to the green. Instead of pin hunting, shoot for the middle of the green. There are many fixes, the real approach is just deciding to make a change.

As Jack Nicklaus says: Success depends almost entirely on how effectively you learn to manage the game’s two ultimate adversaries: the course and yourself. The only thing that a player can control is themselves; so instead of jumping to confusion, try something different. Only you can decide what changes are required, but changes are required if you want to lower your score!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Failing to Succeed

May 2, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

Failing to succeed is a reoccurring theme in my life recently! Driving to work everyday, I listen to self-help, novels, or how to books on CD. I find that this helps pass my 20 minute journey each morning and evening. The CD I was listening to over the past couple days is from Success Magazine. There were five stories that dealt with failure and how it ultimately leads to success in life. As I listened, it hit me that their message was exactly the same as anyone trying to lower their golf score!

How many times has a player practiced the same chip shot from 10 yards off the green; each time, they make a minor adjustment until they are confident in the shot. How often have we gone to the range and hit ball after ball until we felt comfortable? How many rounds of golf have we played only to see slow glacier-like improvement in our scores? Each time we play the failures are actually lessons for success.

This is exactly the message from the speakers on the CD. They stated: “fail often, fail fast, and fail big”! There is truth to their statement, but I would also add – and learn from your failures. It is important that golfers do pay attention to the many aspects of their game. Try to emulate the successes and always be open to learn.

Last night I played my first nine holes of golf for the year! It was very exciting and rule 25-1 was my best friend (casual water). The course was extremely soggy and it was difficult to find dry land on some of the shots. As I continued to play, I quickly realized that taking a divot was a real bad idea! My wedge was more like a shovel and my divots were more like patches of sod. Each swing taught me that I should be picking the ball instead of hitting through it. So after the third hole, I stopped taking a divot and my success rate went up significantly. This small example shows that failure is not necessarily a bad thing as long as we take away a positive lesson.

So as the season unfolds, I hope to fail early, learn, and be successful when it counts! Have you had repeated failures only to conquer a skill? If so, what was it?

Golf season is here and I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!