Many players are challenged to break their golf habits. I know I sure am, however there comes a time where every golfer has to decide their future and what direction they plan to take with respect to their game. They either dial it up or dial it back depending on their life situation and what their future plans they expect to achieve. They may not like the fact that a decision must be made and they try to avoid it, yet all golfers come to that fork and have to live with their choices. It is all part of every golfer’s journey.
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Forgetting How To Hit Golf Shots
Have you ever played yourself into a situation where a unique golf shot was required. You have made this shot before, but for some reason your cannot recall how. This season I came across a couple of instances where I had to rethink my shot because I could not remember how to make the shot I want. I realize that this seems a bit on the crazy side, but my trouble shot was a rare one, but it was a shot I made in the past.
Continue readingThe Cost Of Golf Is Rising!
Golf is a luxury sport (some would suggest a necessity) that has the potential to be very expensive. By the time someone buys all the equipment and takes lessons, the bill can become quite high. There are cheaper ways to get into golf, but the reality is that the expense can be daunting for many people. Additionally, the cost of playing golf is not going to drop anytime soon. In fact, the cost of golf (like everything else in our lives) is increasing and soon might be a prohibitive factor for players trying to enter the sport or those already playing. This is a reality for many players regardless of where you live or like to play.
Continue readingInteresting Golf Shots From The LPGA
When we think about great recover shots, we often think about Phil Mickelson or Seve Ballesteros. These wizards often entertained us with some amazing golf shots. But, the PGA Tour are not the only professionals that can do some innovative golf shots. The LPGA have their own players who can perform the same level of magic. Making any unconventional shot takes a great deal of imagination which is never in short supply in the professional ranks.
Continue readingDo Results Point to the Cause of a Poor Golf Swing?
Determining what happened during any golf swing is a challenge. Sometimes golfers, especially me on certain days, over analyze the tiniest mistakes and think that corrective action is required. Experience has taught me that waiting to see if this swing error persists over a round or two before trying to worry about making adjustments. If I do decide that something needs to be addressed, then I have to determine what is causing the problem before making any changes. This step is a bit more challenging because I find that the results do not always point the the cause of my swing woes. It really is a bit more complicated than it seems.
>!–more–>Any golf swing can be dissected into large, medium, small, and minute movements. The plethora of actions during any golf swing need to timed is such a manner as to produce a square club face on impact. Or at least the position required to produce the shot shape needed at that time. It really is a magical dance that has the potential for something to go wrong on every swing. Obviously, I cannot break down every movement because of the complexity of the interaction, but I do have a thought process that helps me narrow down my search and analysis.
The first thing I do is take a step back and look at the larger picture. Understanding the result of my consistent poor shots is is not always based in the where the ball finishes. Well, actually where the ball finishes is a big indicator, but not always. The point is that I think that it is important to look at the big picture of my poor results.
Next, I focus on my specifics. I watch to see what my divot looks like; I see if my ball is pulled or pushed consistently; Is my ball long or short of my target; how did my contact sound; how does my contact feel; or am I making the right course management decisions. There is a longer list of possibilities, but I think you get the point. There are many specifics that will give me a clue as too what the problems might be taking down my golf score.
So, the real question is do the results of poor results point to the cause of the golf swing? I would say probably. **Side note** I was going to stop writing my article right now, but I thought all the screaming at the monitors would be a bad thing 😉 ** I actually think that most amateurs should seek professional help to solve most of their swing woes. However, mature golfers, like Brian, Kevin, Lorne and BMc, understand their grooved swing enough to dissect swing woes without always seeking professional advice. We understand that consistent errors are caused by a plethora of possibilities. I think if you asked these sage players they would be able to tell you that results of their swings do indicated what the problems could be.
Results do help point out swing errors. The more experienced you are, the better opportunities you have to identify our swing errors. But until you are that level, seek professional help from your local golf pro.
I am grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 