pre-shot routine

Golf is All About Time

/ The Grateful Golfer / 10 Comments
time-management

Time is precious for a golfer!

Time is a valuable commodity for a golfer. Whether we have time to practice, get in a quick 18 or 9, time to research or time just to enjoy our favorite Major on TV. Time, Time, Time – it is so precious!

Golfers talk about time in the form of pace of play, swing tempo, lining up shots, time on the green, or the time it takes a player to make a decision about their next shot! No matter, time plays an important part of every players game.

Even the great players have discussed time on the course, towards growing the game, giving back to their community, or just having the time to make the need changes to score well on Tour. Time effects all aspects of their lives. The great Ben Hogan summed up time the best when he quipped:

Daylight Ben Hogan

Worrying about time can have some detrimental effects to our game! It can cause us to speed up our swing, make poor decisions, disregard course management and just plain give up on a shot. Time has the power to destroy your round and conversely make your round the best ever!

Now, lets stop and think about this for a minute. Does time really have the power over us or doe we let power control our lives to some extent? I believe that we have to power to control time! Time can be an irrelevant factor with respect to our golf game; only if we allow ourselves to make it so!

It is difficult to put into words, but one of my views of golf is that time is not a factor in my game. My pace of play is always good, so the rest of the effects of time is controlled by one thing…..me. I like routine and consistency in my approach to golf; every shot takes a certain amount of time and I use it all, every time. It is important to develop the proper habits that work for you so time does not have a negative affect on your game. Over the coming months, I will use time as the basis for discussion. I hope you have the time to read them!

During the off-season, I make the time to learn, train, and imagine about my upcoming success in my 2016 golf season. I leverage time to do all the fun things in my life – golf is just one – and ensure my time is spent in the best way possible! As your off-season unfolds (and golf season for some) keep in mind that time is only as relevant as you make it!

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

Pre-Shot Routine: Do You Have One?

/ The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Golf is a game of exciting opportunities! It is the only sport that requires a meticulous process to result in a near perfect swing; hoping for spectacular results; with a plethora of opportunities to make a mistake. Golf is awesome!

Through the years, I have learned on lesson over and over again: a pre-shot routine is critical to consistent golf!

There are an infinite number of variations to the pre-shot routine. Most are unique, but there is one I noticed that most professional golfers use; it is the waggle before they hit their driver. You know, that 3 seconds before starting your swing when you wag the club head at the ball. It is the last indicator for a player that it is time to hit the ball long and straight.

Recently, I asked the question if you had a waggle before striking your driver. Here is what the masses said:

I did receive an interesting response from one of the #golfchat attendees. (#golfchat happens on Twitter every Tuesday night at 8pm EST. If you are interest in golf, it is worth your while to check it out) From the sounds of things, she took the waggle a bit too seriously. She said that:

Obviously, the intent of the waggle is to calm all aspects of thought and movement before striking the ball. It is a visual and mental cue for players that it is time to perform their perfect swing. I have tried the waggle, but found it too distracting; so I am in the minority given the results of my poll.

Regardless, having a pre-shot routine is very important to a consistent golfer. It is something that most professionals perform before striking the ball. Chances are that if the élite players are using the waggle in their pre-shot routine, it is worth a try. What do you think?

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

Filling in Time on the Golf Course!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments
Ball Hawking - spending time on a golf course.

Ball Hawking – spending time on a golf course.

How do you fill in your time when playing golf? I am not talking about course management, your pre-shot routine, or focused intent on playing well. You know, the time when you are waiting for your shot because the group ahead is so slow that you can measure their pace by the changing of the seasons!

Some players, especially lately, pull out their cell phone. Others practice chipping along the fairway. And still some will play several balls just to slow their pace of play down. I have a friend, Mike, who has an entirely different solution.

Mike is a ball magnet! He can walk into the most conspicuous of locations and walk out with a handful of golf balls.

Mike Ball Hawking

Only 17 golf balls this time!

Mike is not your ordinary ball hawker, he is the best I have ever seen. For an example, over a month ago there was charity tournament at our local course. Two days later he played a round of golf with his brother and walked away with over 100 golf balls! Yesterday, we playing and he walked away with two dozen balls. It seems no matter where he goes, golf balls stick to him like glue.

Having said that, Mike sometimes takes ball hawking to another level! He walks into the rough (or deeper) and the next thing we know, he is blazing a trail along the Amazon Valley picking up ball after ball! He never holds up play and he definitely shares what he finds. I find it quite amusing and laugh when he walks out with a handful of white gold!

There are plenty of ways to spend time on a golf course. Ball hawking is just one way to pass the time while waiting for the group ahead to play. For those that are wondering, my normal group (including Mike) play 18 holes in about 3 hours and 10 minutes. We play quickly and at a pace we all enjoy. So playing behind a group who plays in 4+ hours affords us extra time to talk, practice various shots and ball hawk.

So back to my original question, How do you fill in your time when playing golf?

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

 

 

A Winning Mindset in Golf

/ The Grateful Golfer / 10 Comments

GrowthI was having the round of my life! As I walked towards the par 5, 18th hole at Laurentide Golf Course (par 71), the realization that an eagle would help me shoot the lowest score of my life…a 68! Positioning ball on the tee box, to avoid the bunker 255 yards out to the right, put my mind in the proper state to execute the required shot. Going through my pre-shot routine, I hit the ball down the left side of the fairway into the first cut, but with a great lie. As I thought about my second shot, I decided the risk – reward is worth pulling my three-wood and going for the green. With a sand trap in the centre of the fairway 25 yards back from the green and a water hazard on the right about 75 yards from the green, the probability of me staying on the elevated green from 240 yards was remote. But, my short game was on fire that day, so I was confident that an up and down birdie was the worst that could happen! I went through my normal pre-shot routine, step of the ball and made solid contact.

The confidence from playing well on that day continued to grow. My ball landed just before trap, took a big bounce and stopped 10 yards from the green at the bottom of elevation. After realizing that my ball was lying in a good spot for my next shot, my thoughts turned to how to navigate the elevated green and sink that chip for my 68. I select my club (56 degree sand wedge) and went through my pre-shot routine. With confidence I hit the ball cleanly, landed it 15 feet from the pin, and watched it roll towards the hole.

As my ball continued to track towards the hole, my excitement started to rise. The ball took the proper break and what seemed like an eternity, everything looked awesome. As my ball struck the pin, I heard what I thought was a clap of thunder! My ball hit the pin, bounced back towards the lip of the hole, bounced forward and hit the pin again! I was yelling “GET IN, GET IN!” Well my ball stopped on the lip of the hole, disappointed and elated at the same time I tapped it for a birdie and a low score of the year a 69!

The ability to perform under pressure is a skill all golfers desire. As you can see from my adventure above, the pressure to hit a great shot on the last hole of an awesome round continued to mount! But, my ultimate success did not start on the 18th hole or even the first hole of that round. It actually started about three weeks before; when, after analysing my performance to date, I realized that I was not improving. I was just treading water!

I decided to change two things in my game. The first was the amount of time I spent chipping and putting. I decided to adopt the 80/20 rule. So I practiced my short game for 80 percent of my practice time. Of that, I divided my time 60/40 – 60 percent chipping and 40 percent putting. During my original 20 percent, I mixed up my clubs on the range with a majority of my focus on the 3, 4, and 5 hybrid. This practice regime significantly improved my up and down percentage and quickly increased my confidence around the green.

The other thing I changed was my attitude! I decided that ‘close’ was not good enough. I tried (and still struggle with from time to time) to eliminate all doubt when swinging a golf club. I decided that: a positive mental attitude, that I could hole every chip, and that all putts would drop, was the way forward. Combine this approach with my new expectation that any score over 75 was just not good enough help expand my winning mindset in golf! This approach helped shape my future successes and over the past 3 years, my handicap has continued to drop. Albeit slowly, it still continues to drop.

As I continue to prepare for the 2015 golf season, I will expand my winning mindset. I will increase my off course mental preparation through visualization, mental imagery, and a positive “I can do anything” attitude! This may sound silly, but everything I have read lately seems to point in this direction. Who am I to turn away from this message of success!

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

Driving the Golf Ball Under Pressure

/ The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

“Let the big dog eat!” or “Grip it and Rip it!”  How many times have we said that. It usually happens when trying to express the importance of our next tee shot. The driver is the most difficult club to hit in any golfer’s bag. Sometimes it has a mind of its own; other times it is just possessed! Through the years, my fickle driver and I have fought to decide who was the boss on the golf course and I am not afraid to say that I have not always won that battle. The most challenging time for players with an inconsistent driver is when they need to hit the fairway. The pressure grows and grows to a point where negative thoughts control their mind.

When hitting the ball well with my driver, there are some things that I do with boring repetition. It is not rocket science, but I know if I do these fundamental things, pressure is never a factor in my golf swing. Here is what I must do to make sure I hit my driver consistently and accurately under pressure:

  • Proper pre-shot routine. Sometimes I rush my pre-shot routine because I have played my home course over and over. I know exactly which club I need at which tee. When I choose my driver, I sometimes walk to the tee box, tee up my ball and hit. I do not take time to align anything! As a result, I sometimes pull the ball into the rough or push the ball into the woods. Actually, by not following my pre-shot routine, anything can happen!
  • Keep my head down. After I make contact with the ball, I count to one, before I raise my head. This slight delay allows my right shoulder to force my chin up and helps keep my swing sequence correct. Keeping my head down helps me extend my arms along my intended swing path. Lastly, it prevents me from over rotating my hips, thus I generate more power and control.
  • Keeping a positive mindset. Staying confident and focused so that I can hit my driver well (or any club for that matter) is key to playing under pressure. Keeping a positive mindset helps me stay focused on the things I must do to execute a good swing. Additionally, being positive helps guide my mind to using proper course management. If I am positive, I rarely feel any pressure on the golf course.

Here is what Phil Mickelson has to say about driving the ball under pressure:

Hitting the driver while under pressure can be challenging. Try some of my tips and you may be surprised at how little you notice that dreaded pressure. If you have any favorite techniques, please share. We are always looking for new ideas on how to lower our score!

I am grateful golfer! See you on the links.