When to Fix Your Swing

November 8, 2012January 3, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

When is the best time to fix your swing? Each year, I pick one thing to fix about my swing, how I approach the game, my grip, my stance, etc. I examine my successes and challenges from the previous year and then decide which skill I want to improve (fix).

For example, I felt my wedge play this year was not where it needs to be….so next year, I will devote more time using my 60 degree wedge around the green and my 52 degree wedge from 100 yards. I will still work on the other parts of my swing, but I will purposely work on my wedge play. So when is the best time to practice!

Ian Hardie at golfhabits.com has an article with a very cool line – ‘Does your mechanic fix your car while you’re driving on the highway?’ This is an awesome statement. My take on this analogy is that playing around of golf, even with some better than you, is not the place to try to fix something. It never really works.

At eHow.com, the article says, “Do people take cover when you come to the tee? Did your last set of golf balls head for the Bermuda Triangle? It’s time to visit the driving range and work on your swing. You should bring a friend who’s an experienced golfer that can watch you and observe what part of the golf swing you need to improve.” The first step to fixing a problem is to get off the links.

From GOLFTIPS.com, LPGA player Paige MacKenzie says: On practicing vs. playing – “The range is where you work on your golf swing; the course is where you go to play…” Again, most high level players understand that it is extremely difficult to change anything on the course.

Ultimately, it really comes down to time. Most amateurs do not have the hours required to spend on the range to improve their game. We want to play, have fun, and dream about getting better. I would suggest that if we took just 1 hour a week and practiced something, our game would drastically improve!

See you on the links.

Grateful For Golf

November 4, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

When I was young, my father introduced me to golf. It is one of the more fond moments of my childhood. I have enjoyed this gift for 35 years. Little did I know that his act of kindness would help shape my way of thinking about the world.

I remember my first set of clubs – Spalding Rebels. I bought them with my own money and paid $99. My first ball was a Canada Cup. If I found one of those I hit pay dirt! Before I worked for the summer, I would golf every day and my Dad would take me out every week or so to give me tips! Those were the days.

My Mom took up golf at 44. The very first time she swung a club, she was hooked! She loved to play, plan their vacations around golf, and beat the people she played with. Yup, she was very competitive – something you would never know unless you played a round with her. I remember when she was 67 years young and she called me to ask for advice on how to hit the ball further! I said that you need to exercise and become more flexible – she laughed and said, “I think I hit the ball far enough!”

I remember playing golf with my best friend from high school just before his wedding. This was about 30 years ago and I still remember looking at the Rocky Mountains talking about our lives and our futures. We played a couple more rounds before I had to go back to work and to this day I can still recall many of the holes we played.

I have won a few tournaments, have 3 holes-in-one, and have had many eagles. I am still looking for the elusive albatross – I guess it gives me something to shot for. Mostly, I am grateful for golf because of all the people I have met. This game has allowed me to meet like-minded people I would never have normally met. It truly has been a blessing.

Lastly, I have a friend who loves to golf. Whenever we get together, off we go to the links. We laugh, joke, poke fun and most of all just enjoy the time we spend on the links. He is in the UK right now, but no matter when we meet, we will grab our clubs and off we will go. By the way, if he is reading this – I want strokes the next time we play!.

I believe it is important to be grateful for the awesome things in my life. I am grateful for many things and at the top of the list are my wife, daughter and friends. However, golf is definitely up there. I am grateful to my father for introducing me to golf and all the joys I have experienced through the years. I am a grateful golfer!

What are you grateful for?

Flexibility Flexibility Flexibility

November 3, 2012November 3, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 1 Comment

Well I guess you know what this post is about…..power…..okay not really. Is flexibility really that important to your golf swing? Does it really help you hit the ball further? Can we really have more success on the course because I can touch my toes? These, and many more, are questions golfers ask themselves every day. My response to those skeptics people is a resounding YES! YES! YES!

“If you look at some of the players on tour who can really bomb it–guys like Hank Kuehne
and Charles Howell–they’re not the most physically intimidating athletes. But they all are
very flexible players who can generate tremendous clubhead speed while swinging in
balance. That’s also one of the keys to my power. I’m convinced that if you increase your
flexibility, you’ll add power to your swing.” – Tiger Woods. This quote is from a free flexibility program from the RCGA.

Sean Cochran from About.com says, “…to help get golfers back into the game following a layoff – is to work on golf flexibility. The goal of the golf flexibility part of our fitness program is to develop the required ranges of motion within your joints and muscles so that you can execute the golf swing correctly.” This is absolutely true. I would suggest that starting and maintaining a flexibility program now will prepare you for early spring and another season of golf.

MensHealth says, “Flexibility may be the single most important factor in making a successful golfer.” This is absolutely true. Flexibility allows for increase range of motion – therefore more power – therefore more distance and ultimately bragging rights as your tee shot sails past your friends!

Flexibility is extremely important to success in golf. Being flexible helps improve all areas of your golf game. I stretch, not as much as I should, and plan to adopt an exercise program that fits my capabilities. I want to ready for next year and it is never too early to start!

See you on the links!

What Is Your Favorite Club?

November 1, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

This question is asked daily on the golf course. Everyone has a trusty club that they rely on to get out of trouble or to deliver that miracle shot. When the club gets in their hand, their confidence grows, they focus more, and they see the upcoming success. So is it really the club or something else?

I suggest that it is all mental instead of the club being magical! On the flip side, how many of us have said, “I can never hit this club” and surprise you never do! It is amazing and almost no fail. I have a sports experience I want to share that may hammer my point home.

I was assisting a very successful volleyball coach a few years back and he said something one practice that really shaped my mental thinking about sports. One of the players was trying learning a new skill and the player quickly got frustrated and said, “I just can’t do it”. He looked them straight in the eye and said, “You are right! You cannot do it. So take your shoes off and go home!” The player was aghast. After about 5 seconds, he said to the player “if you think and say you cannot do something – you will not do it. I do not want to hear “I can’t” anymore on this court.” Not surprisingly the player changed their view and were very successful learning skills in the future.

Image if every club was your favorite club! I believe many of golf’s challenges are mental and a positive attitude goes a long way to having success on the links.

Remember what Norman Vincent Peale, the author of The Power of Positive Thinking, said “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” and “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”

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

Hunting for the Pin!

October 30, 2012October 30, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

Golfing is an interesting sport. On any given day, you can go through a roller coaster of emotions that keeps you coming back for more. I have several ways of minimizing these crazy feelings, but my favorite is hunting for the pin!

Normally, this approach is frustrating and ill-advised. Most people would say that hunting for the pin will add stokes to your game, but I say – NO WAY! It is the only way to go.

On those days when we feel that we need a change from our normal game and want to challenge ourselves, hunting for the pin is the way to go. So, no matter where the pin is located, try firing darts. You will be surprised on how much fun you will have.

Usually I will only hit the ball close one in five, but that one shot usually makes my day. Sometimes a surprising thing happens…my first shot is golden and the rest of my game is like it is from a dream. I just cannot miss!

Hunting for the pins is a way to have fun and challenge ourselves while strolling around the links. Trying different things allows us to step out of the norm and see what you can really accomplish!