When Life Gets in the Way

January 25, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

Not making my living in the golf industry, I find that sometimes life gets in the way of life. Sound confusing, well I know what you mean. Life is to be experienced and enjoyed all the time. I love my job and would consider it a calling. As a military professional, the demands of my career sometimes reduces the time I have to dedicate towards my off hour activities (the fun stuff). I am not fussed when this occurs because I believe everything that happens for a reason. We are the architect of our own lives!

Sometimes we find ourselves running around like crazy working late, doing chores, running errands, taking our kids to whatever, or helping out a friend. This can translated into players speeding to the golf course, jumping out of their car and running to the first tee. They take a couple deep breaths and WHACK! They are off first tee for a run around the course. Usually, it takes three holes to really calm down and depending how they scored on the first three holes….longer.

Anytime we want to perform well, we generally schedule time to practice, prepare, and mentally focus on the task before starting. Golf is no different. Knowing that focus is very important to success on the golf course, I have a little trick I use to prepare for a round of golf when my life is getting in the way of my life.

When I arrive, I shut off my car, the radio, my phone and any other distraction. I close my eyes and focus on my breathing. I try not to think of anything at first; just my breath going in and out. After about 2 minutes (and 2 minutes is longer than you think when focusing on just your breathing) I go through my round of golf in my head. How well I am going to drive the ball; the accuracy of my wedge play; the confidence I have in my putter. I go through this part of my preparation for about 2-3 minutes. Then, just before I leave my car, I take a couple deep breaths and I am ready to play.

I find that this little 5 minute drill allows me to really focus on my game and enjoy my round of golf. There are many such techniques to get ready. Do you have any to share?

When to Step Back

January 12, 2013January 12, 2013 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

We have all seen the famous shots of Tiger Woods stopping his swing on the down stroke and stepping back from the ball. Something disturbed his concentration and he reloaded for another shot. Also, I have seen players of all kinds step up to the ball, then something has changed and they take a step back. Additionally, I have seen players step up to ball and say after their hit that they should have stepped back from their ball.

So when is the best time to step back from the ball? And what should they do next?

I have not found any advice out on the net, so I am going to offer mine. Generally, I step away from the ball for three reasons:

I have chosen the wrong club. I was in between clubs and changed my mind. Usually, I am not confident on my club selection and realize I better make a change. This does not happen often, but course conditions, the wind or yardage are the contributing factors to wanting to make a change.

Something disturbs my pre-shot routine over the ball. This could be anything from my foot being in a hole that forces me to loose focus, a loud noise, someone talking, I am hungry, or being attacked by mosquitoes! Regardless, my pre-shot routine was altered and I needed to start again.

I lose my aiming line. Sometimes while standing over the ball, what I have decided does not match what I see over the ball. This causes some confusion so I must step back and re-evaluate my earlier decision. Most of the time my initial choice was the correct one. However, I had to make sure.

Basically, these are the majority of times that will cause me to step away from the ball. Regardless of the reason, it is vitally important that after stepping back from the ball, you go through your entire shot routine again. By shortening your shot routine, you increase your chances of playing a poor shot.

These are the reasons for me stepping back from the ball; are there any others?

Putting Guides – Part 5 of 5

December 26, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 1 Comment

Reading the greens! This is the most difficult part of putting and why I left it until last. Reading the greens sets up your entire stroke. If someone cannot read the greens it is like playing darts with your eyes closed – you generally know which direction to through the dart, but that is about it. So here are my tips on how to read a green.

First, I pace off the distance of my putt. I know how to putt the ball from 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 feet with relative accuracy. This skill is honed by going to the putting green and placing a tee at each distance and practicing. Once I have determined the distance of the ball from the hole, I look at the slope of the green.

The slope of the green will determine if it the putt will break left or right. Additionally, it will determine home much. My general rule is 1 inch to one foot. For every inch the ball is below or above hole, I adjust my putting distance accordingly. So if the hole is two inches above my ball on a 12 foot putt, I will adjust my distance to 14 feet. It is something that I have used over the years with good success. This rule is affected by the cut and grain of the green.

If the green is playing fast (cut low), I increase my ration from 1:1 to 1:1.5 or 1:2 (inches of elevation to distance). Additionally, the grain is important, especially in the evening. The grass follows the sun, so this will determine if you are putting into the grain or with the grain of the green. Again, I adjust my putting distance accordingly. This leaves determining your line.

Determining your line is not as difficult as one may think. Once you have applied the above, it comes down to speed. Picking a line has much to do about confidence. Once you have decided that the ball breaks a specific amount, be confident and go for it. Something to keep in mind, the softer you hit the ball, the more break you must play! If you play the ball 2 inches outside the right edge, but you are putting down hill with the grain and you barely have to hit the ball to get it to the hole. You will need to play about 3-4 inches of break. The softer you hit the ball, the more break you must play.

Lastly, except in rare instances, if the ball is within 3 feet of the hole, forget the break and hit the ball into the hole. Most amateurs, myself included, over-think short putts. I have found that if I just hit the ball into the hole, I will make 9 out of 10. So on short putts, think less and bang the ball into the hole.

Well that is it for me on reading the greens. I will say that I am going to try and plumb-bob this year because it might come in handy on the difficult greens. Ian Hardie at golfhabits.com explains this skill very well.

I hope you are having a fantastic holiday season! I wish you all the best. I am a grateful golfer!

Putting Guides – Part 4 of 5

December 20, 2012April 3, 2024 / The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

“As regards stance and manner of hitting the ball, it is for the individual to discover on the green the means that suit him best with the club that gives him most confidence.” Harry Vardon – How To Play Golf

Any building, bridge, tree or person have one thing in common – a strong foundation. In golf, a strong foundation starts in the legs and hips. This is where power is generated and where a smooth consistent swing starts and ends. Well putting is no different, except it has less moving parts in the upper body. So our next step to consistent putting deals three important aspects of putting that will improve your game.

Everyone is shaped differently. So it is very difficult to tell you exactly how to stand. Additionally, some people have physical challenges that prohibit certain motions; so do what you can and what you are comfortable with. As you go through the various tips, make sure you are comfortable and standing with complete control of your body. Here we go:

Eyes – I always start with my eyes. I stand with my dominant eye over the ball. I believe it is the best way to line up the center of your ball with the two marks you have chosen 3-feet in front and the further. Golf.com talks about your dominant eye and putting. The article is very good and will help explain the importance of your dominant eye when putting. It is very important to keep your eyes on the ball when making contact. Additionally, I count to two before following the ball on its path; this ensures you follow through on your line and focusing on initial contact.

Posture – Once your dominant eye is over the ball, bend your knees slightly so if you drew a line from your right shoulder to your toes and your knee are touching that line. Now, straighten your knees so you are standing comfortably. It is impossible for anyone to tell you how to stand, but your stance should be comfortable and allow a smooth shoulder movement.

Building a Triangle – The putting triangle is not unique. Virtually all the resources I checked stated that the triangle between your shoulders, arms, head and hands is the key to good putting. I agree. Once you have formed your triangle, it is important to keep it solid through the entire swing. It is the foundation to a great putter. When putting your elbows and wrists must remain locked in position and the swinging motion is completed with a shoulder turn with very little lower body movement. This is something that is different for every player, but the mechanics are the same.

Well that is it! These three points are my keys to putting success. The mechanics of putting is different to every player and unique to their skills. If you follow these three tips, I believe your putting will significantly improve.

While researching putting, I found a few websites that may be helpful – Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P60F_wu1pBk&list=UUuXIBwKQeH9cnLOv7w66cJg&index=16 – Lots of golf videos – Putting Triangle Drill is very good.

http://www.golftipsmag.com/instruction/putting.html – Golf Tips Mag has many tips and an extensive putting library.

http://golfhabits.com/ – Ian Hardie has many tips on putting and other aspects of the game worth reading.

I am a grateful golfer – see you on the links!

Putting Guides – Part 3 of 5

December 17, 2012January 29, 2017 / The Grateful Golfer / 1 Comment

My next putting tip has to do with how aggressive you want to play. Many advisers, coaches, pros, and friends have varying views on this topic. It is very difficult to determine what is best and when.

Many will say that if the greens are playing tough to lag putt outside of 15 feet. Others will suggest to always attack the hole. Dave Pelz at Scoregolf.com says that for putts 35 feet or longer to image the hole is 6 feet wide. This lag putt will hopefully cut down 3 putts.

Chris Czaja from Golfinstruction.com states that “One basic rule I have golfers follow is that if you are outside four paces from the hole, just go for a two putt.” He is also a strong supporter of practicing you putting stroke for 30 minutes a few times a week.

Ask yourself, when you have to make an approach shot or long putt….how often are you short of the hole? I would suggest that you are short most of the time. As a result, here is my view:

100% of short putts don’t go in!

I never intend to lag putt. I believe that by trying to sink every putt is the only way to play golf. I know that many players will not agree with my view, but I think that most players need to be more aggressive when they play and it starts on the green.

What do you think? Is lag putting the way to go or is being aggressive a valid alternative?