I am sure you have heard the saying “a calm before the storm’. These five words cover a plethora of situations but none so dramatic as when trying to make a pressure, must have golf shot. I have explained how I hit clutch shots under pressure before, but yesterday’s round reinforced my view that remaining calm throughout my entire round is key to shooting low golf scores.
Continue readingTrying To Hit Your Golf Ball Just A Bit Farther
Have you ever been in a situation where you need just 15 more yards to reach a par 5 in two? Or you need those 15 yards to clear a hazard? Or you are trying to squeeze out 15 yards to put a better club in your hands for an approach shot? Trying to squeeze out an additional 15 yards in golf is equivalent to other sports having that extra gear for a short period of time. At the more elite levels of sports, most athletes have this extra gear, but as amateurs it is not always available on demand. Personally, I can rarely squeeze out extra distance from my clubs and when I try it usually ends up in disaster.
Continue readingControlling The Distance With Your Wedges
Many golfers, including myself, refer to our wedges as the scoring clubs. It is with these short irons that will determine if we have a 3 foot or 30 foot putt. I spend a great deal of time practicing with my wedges and in the past decided to replace my 5 wood with a 60° wedge. It was a smart move for my game and it has helped me slowly lower my handicap. Understanding that wedges are critical to lower shooting lower golf scores, I am often asked about controlling my distance with each wedge. Well, my method is simple and it follows the guidance of Annika Sörenstam.
Continue readingHitting A Clutch Golf Shot
Golf is a series of pressure shots topped off with uber pressure shots. In between, there are your regular shots that require the same amount of focus as the pressure shots, but do not seem to have the same weight of consequence if missed. Hitting clutch shots would fall in the uber pressure category that most amateurs have challenges executing. Over the years, I played in many such situations and surprisingly, my success outdistances my failures. My last approach shot at the Senior Men’s Ryder Cup competition a few days ago is a perfect example of leveraging my past experiences of hitting a clutch shot when needed. I have a process that works 100% of the time, honest!
Continue readingSenior Men’s Ryder Cup Competition
Yesterday, I played in the first leg of the Ontario Northern Region Senior Men’s Ryder Cup competition. I was invited to join the 8 man team and I am grateful for being asked to compete. My partner, Wes Burton (same last name but not related), and I had a fantastic time and once we got our legs underneath us, charged forward to win 4 of 6 points in our scramble, match play grouping. It was the first time I played the Idylwylde Golf & Country Club and I can say I was not disappointed.
Continue reading