In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a “natural cycle”. With the MLB playoffs underway, I started to wonder if there was a ‘Cycle’ in golf. I have decided there is and believe I have coined a new term that all golfers should adopt and use willingly!
Continue readingConquering The Tight Lies In Golf
Hitting the ball up and down is a challenge that most golfers face multiple times a round. Because of its frequency, understanding how to hit tight lies is very important to keeping our scores low. A tight lie is defined by Golf.com as “the golf ball is sitting with an eighth of an inch or less space beneath it, on a surface so firm you can’t take a normal divot.” This type of condition make it very hard to easily slide the leading edge of the club face evenly under the ball. Fortunately, I found on method used by Phil Mickelson that makes complete sense and it is easy to execute.
Continue readingBuilding Power In Your Golf Swing
Every golfer I know wants to hit the ball farther. I have never encountered any player saying they wished they did hit the ball so far; everyone wants more distance. Over the 2021 season, I made some fundamental changes with my driver that increased my distance while keeping my accuracy. The changes I made are only the beginning, however I wish I had notice Annika Sorenstam’s tip earlier to help speed up my learning curve.
I changed several things with respect to my driver set up, however adopting the ‘less is more’ philosophy was by far the toughest change I made to my driver and fairway woods. With my new set up, I found that if I tried to swing fast at the ball, I would pull it left……consistently. Of course there is sweet spot between tempo and club head speed that we all seek and not trying to grip it and rip it is the first step. As I ran through my morning news feeds, I found this video that would have helped earlier in the season.
I tried placing my thumb over my grip to see how it felt. I took a few practice swings (no ball contact yet because my DIY driving net will not be set up until the new year) Sorenstam’s tip definitely forced me to grip the club looser. This, inturn, forced me to swing the club with less tension in my arms, wrists and hands. Hence, the natural ‘less is more’ golf drill.
Before I get too excited, I will need to hit balls to see if this drill will produce the results I am looking for in my golf swing. Moving forward, I will have to wait for a bit, but it is knowledge I can store and recall when the time is right. As you know from previous years of reading The Grateful Golfer, my off-season is the time I try to expand my knowledge and prepare my tools for my next golf season. Annika Sorenstam’s thumb over drill is a perfect example of my process that helps me keep me focused on ways to improve my overall golf game. As my golf journey continues, I am grateful for the time and access to knowledge that helps reduce my learning curve.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
When Close Is Good Enough In Golf
Over the past 45 years of golf, I have hit approximately 150,000 golf shots. Some were great, some were good, many were okay and a bunch were…..well, lets just forget about those 😉 There were many of those times when I hit a shot where close was good enough. This does not mean that I was not trying to sink the ball, but being satisfied with the results is all part of my game. I do suggest that hitting the ball close on certain occasions is definitely a good enough result and I am sure you can think of certain situations when this true for our game as well.
Continue readingPlaying Golf Is All About Making Decisions
Golf is a game that requires all players, regardless of skill level, to make hundreds of decisions over the course of one round. In some cases, the challenge of trying to decide on specifics causes paralysis. The indecision faced by many players is nothing new and even players with a low handicap, like myself, will see themselves in a position of not knowing how to play a shot. It is the nature of golf and something that should be embraced in order to feel successful. Accepting that control on the golf course is sometimes an illusion will help strengthen our mental capacity during any given round.
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The Grateful Golfer 