Golfing is tough. It is not an easy sport to play and even more challenging to write about. Finding new and interesting topics is challenging, but maybe it is time to change it up a little and change the medium. Here are three videos I found on the net that provides an explanation about golf that you may find useful. Enjoy!
Some lessons from NBC Learn:
Something fun :
Some awesome recovery shots from the PGA Tour:
Hope you enjoyed them, I sure did!
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
“Hitting the wall In endurance sports such as cycling and running, hitting the wall or the bonk describes a condition caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles, which manifests itself by sudden fatigue and loss of energy. Milder instances can be remedied by brief rest and the ingestion of food or drinks containing carbohydrates. The condition can usually be avoided by ensuring that glycogen levels are high when the exercise begins, maintaining glucose levels during exercise by eating or drinking carbohydrate-rich substances, or by reducing exercise intensity.”
I bet you were thinking of the 17th hole at St. Andrews Old Course! It is a famous site that provides once in a life time shots for amateurs and pros alike. Only the brave will venture a heroic shot off the wall; giving credence to the saying “Where there is no risk; there is no reward!” Regardless, this is still not what I am talking about.
Hitting the wall is a golf drill with many variations. There are three specific drills I like and recommend. I will be using all three as spring approaches with the intent to increase my power off the tee.
For Beginner Golfers
The first is a great wall drill for beginners from Hitting It Solid by Troy Vayanos. This drill uses a wall or a chair. Troy’s drill works on posture. He states that “the most common reason golfers don’t hit solid golf shots is because they lose their posture on the downswing.” He provides a simple step by step process to fix this common error. I will use it in the beginning of my golf season to remind my body the proper position when addressing the ball.
The next drill comes from the National Golf Academy. It is for intermediate golfers who have the general mechanics of the golf swing down, but want more power. This particular drill is very good for players like myself who would like an extra 10-15 yards or more off the tee. This is definitely a drill I will use before the season starts.
The last wall drill comes from David Leadbetter. This drill is for the advanced player who wants to fine tune or improve their overall swing. This particular drill is might be difficult and requires an understanding of swing mechanics. Having said that, anyone can use it with varying degrees of success. Again, I plan to use this drill in the off season as I wait for the 3 feet of snow to melt!
Hitting the wall can deal with the physical nature of a sport. However, in this case it means using three outstanding drills by the beginner, intermediate and advanced golfer to improve their game. Know which drill is best for you might be a challenge; I recommend you try all three and let me know which you like the best!
I am a grateful golfer! 53 days until golf season!
What inspires you to excel? Have you ever been in a situation when watching athletes perform at an élite level sweeps you in to the moment? Has someone ever inspired you to achieve greater success in your life? These and many other similar questions are thinks that I think about from day-to-day.
This exact situation happened to me today while I was working out. As per my previous post about my goal to be a scratch golfer this year, I have embarked on a fitness program. So far I have been very successful and doing well at keeping to my 30 minutes of lifting weights and 30 minutes of cardio four days a week. Additionally, I throw in walks, yoga, squash and snow shoeing on the off days.
Anyway, as I was saying, while working out today I was watching the Olympics. Specifically, the 1000m woman’s speed skating relay race where Canadians were going for gold. As I watched the speed, precision and athleticism during the event, I found myself going faster and faster on the elliptical machine. It was crazy; next thing I knew I went one kilometer further than normal and felt great. As I watched, I unwittingly became inspired and exceeded my expectations for my work out. I thought this was pretty cool.
The more I thought about the situation, the more I realized that I am inspired by many of the people in my life. For example my darling wife who always knows how people are feeling and what to do; my friend who called me every week during some medical challenges I had a few years back; my friends in Hawaii who introduced me to the law of attraction and are LIVING their lives; my daughter who no matter what chooses what is best in any situation; I am truly blessed to be surrounded by inspiring people – I am grateful they are in my life.
So how does the relate to golf you may ask. Well, golf is a mental game. Every time you hit the links your mood, thoughts, attitude and mental awareness affect your game. This is one sport where it is beneficial to have the whole package – the mental and physical. My best scores have always come on the days when I felt inspired. It is difficult to sustain the euphoria of inspiration, but I believe having inspiring people in my life is a great way to start.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links.
If you can’t laugh at yourself, then how can you laugh at anybody else? I think people see the human side of you when you do that. Payne Stewart
Most golf blogs are serious and try to discuss different aspects of the golf swing. Some try to sell something or other, and yet some only focus on just the mental part of golfing. Also, some blogs, like this one, try to talk about all aspects of golf, even the lighter side. Sometimes its a bit overwhelming and most of the people forget that golf is about having fun! If you are not having fun golfing, then why play!
I thought it would be nice to look at the lighter side of golf. So here it goes…….
Four old men went into the pro shop after playing 18 holes of golf. The pro asked, “Did you guys have a good game today?” The first old guy said, “Yes, I had three riders today.” The second old guy said, “I had the most riders ever. I had five.” The third old guy said, “I had seven riders, the same as last time.” The last old man said, “I beat my old record. I had 12 riders today.” After they went into the locker room, another golfer who had heard the old guys talking about their game went to the pro and said, “I’ve been playing golf for a long time and thought I knew all the terminology of the game, but what’s a rider?” The pro said, “A rider is when you hit the ball far enough to actually get in the golf cart and ride to it.” — Howard P. Curtis
A golfer standing on a tee overlooking a river sees a couple of fishermen and says to his partner, “Look at those two idiots fishing in the rain.”
A pretty pathetic golfer was getting frustrated with his lousy game and began blaming his mistakes on his experienced caddie. As the round came to an end, the golfer said, “You have to be the worst caddie in the whole wide world.” To which the caddie replied, “I don’t think so, sir. That would be too much of a coincidence.”
Q: Are you a scratch player?
A: I sure am – every time I hit the ball I scratch my head and wonder where it went.
Brand new golf balls are attracted to water, and the power of the attraction is in direct proportion to how much the balls cost.
I hope you had a good laugh!
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
This is a great article for discussion. Is there really a mind-body connection in golf? I believe there is – especially for competitive players. What do you think?
This week I am going to discuss the mind-body connection. First lets look at one of the biggest mind-body disconnects in the history of golf. It happened in one of the most memorable majors of all time, the 1986 Masters. We are going to look at only two players, Jack Nicklaus and Seve Ballesteros, and one hole, the par 5 15th. So lets look at the timeline.
Nicklaus is on the 15th tee and Seve is on the 13th green with about an 8 foot eagle putt. At this moment Jack is -5 and Seve is -7.
Jack hits a great drive right down the middle and as he is walking down the fairway, Seve makes the eagle putt to go nine under par.
Jack is 204 from the pin and hits a 4 iron within 12 feet and makes the putt for an eagle to go to -7
Seve hits the drive of the day on…
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