Putting Guides – Part 2 of 5

December 16, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Back 6 forward 12! Now that you have made solid contact on the ball, where are you putting it too? There are many ways to line up your putt, determine the slope, the grain, hole location, etc. and we will talk about that in later posts. Right now I want to talk about hitting your line.

How do we consistently keep the ball on line? At SirShanksAlot.com, they talk about the difference between spot putting and line putting. Spot putters do not have to look at the hole and only focus the spot they are putting too. Line putters focus on the hole and take the whole shot into account. I remember about 30 years ago when Jack Nicklaus gave an interview and he talked about putting. He said that he picked a spot about 3 feet in front of the ball and putted to that spot. I took his point to heart (and if it is good enough for Jack……), but added my own little twist.

First thing I do is determine my line. Then I pick a point three feet in front of the ball. This is the point I must hit first when putting. Right now you are saying sounds simple; well here is my twist.

I additionally want to determine the speed of the putt. Therefore, I pick another point on my line (past the 3 foot point) that the ball has to go over to make sure I have enough speed on the putt. Additionally, these two points help make sure your putter head follows through on the intended line. I have found that if I hit both points, I one putt quite often and rarely three putt. This style really works for me.

It is a simple way to ensure consistency when putting!

It is snowing right now….looks beautiful. Only 4 months to go before golf season! I am a grateful golfer. See you on the links!

Putting Guides – Part 1 of 5

December 14, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 19 Comments

I believe that improving your putting will reduce your overall score by 10% or more. I can make this bold statement because experience has proven that when a person scores extremely well, they usually have putted lights out. Take the pros for instance, anyone who scores really low credits their success to chipping and putting. Personally, all of my low rounds have resulted from 27 putts or less per round.

There are many websites dedicated to improving your putting. These sites include selling attachments for your putter, a gadget to make your stroke consistent, how to visualize your smooth stroke, being aggressive, lagging your putt, being confident…..well oh my! There are many things that can help with your putting; but only you can decide which method will work for you.

I figured that I should provide my tips to success on the green. You will likely have heard of them before, but they work for me and I use them every round. So, here is the first of five suggestions that the average golfer can use without having to pay anything.

My putting tip from May 2012 is the first. It is very simple. Ensure your putter head follows through twice as far as you take it back. This will allow for solid ball striking and a greater chance the ball will travel on its intended line.

I know it sounds simple, but I can assure you that your miss hits (either by line or distance) will be significantly reduced because of the solid contact. Additionally, your lag putts will be close and chances of three putting will fade away.

Ultimately, I believe that if your putter head travels back 6 and forward 12, it will significantly cut your number of putts per round. Give it a try and let me know what you think! See you on the links.

What do you Listen to on the Golf Course?

December 12, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / Leave a comment

What do you listen to on the golf course? As silly as it sounds, this is a very important question. What you hear sets your attitude, focus and mental state. No really, it has a tremendous impact on your game. So what exactly do I mean?

You are on the first green and lining up your putt. The people on the tee box near by are laughing, joking and making lots of noise. You step away and start over. Your inner voice is saying how inconsiderate they are and you miss your putt because you lost your focus. You were listening to your inner voice and went to a dark place.

You are on the first green, the birds are singing, the sun is shining and you are totally focused on your game. Your inner voice is saying “WOW! What a great day!” You feel comfortable and your inner voice is sending you to a great place. You listen, play well and stay totally in the grove.

I know when I am losing my focus while playing. I talk to myself about what is going on, what I am going to do after the game, I wonder what is for supper…etc. When I catch myself, and believe me sometimes I don’t, I tell myself to focus and get my head in the game. I start to talk about my pre-shot routine and how successful I am going to be on the next how. The power of positive thought works for me most of the time, but sometimes…

Ultimately, your inner voice is something that we listen to all the time. It sets the stage for success or can lead us down into a deep dark hole. So the next time you are playing, think positive, listen to your positive inner voice and enjoy your time on the links! I am a grateful golfer.

Can I Play Through?

December 6, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

Experienced golfer understand that a round of golf should be played in 4 to 4.5 hours. This works out to be about 15 minutes per hole. This is not a written rule, but more of an etiquette thing. Playing behind a group who are taking their time….I mean taking their time is frustrating, tiring and hard to keep up your concentration.

I remember playing in a tournament about 5 years ago. It was the first round and the positions were not racked and stacked so strong players were playing with more inexperienced players. The group in front had two players who sauntered up the course, read their putt from 4 angles, waited until others played before even starting their shot routine, marked their score on the green by looking back at the hole and counting where their ball went and my favorite…..marking their ball on the green after each shot no matter how close the ball was to the hole. Our group, and the 6 groups behind us, were extremely frustrated when we finished. The group ahead was three holes back when they finished….aargh!!!

It was the first time in a tournament I asked to play through. I know…bad form…but I just could not help myself. And no they did not let us go through. What all the players did was lodge a complaint that a 6 hour round was unacceptable! Then asked where the marshall was during the round. The next day these two players (who shot in the high 90s) were warned to keep up or be assessed a slow play penalty. The next day they sped up to 5 hours….still to slow in my opinion.

After a bit of research I found three (of many sites) that talk about speed of play. They offer advice on how to speed up your play and how to play around in 4 to 4.5 hours that I think you may find useful.

TheGolfExpert.com says to not wait for others to hit their shots and then decide it might be time for you to find and prepare to hit your ball.

pgalinks.com advises to watch your ball land and select a spot in the distance to use as a visual marker when looking for your ball. Have others in your group watch each player’s shots. This helps speed up the time to find a ball that is not in the fairway.

Golflink.com suggests to take the clubs that you need for subsequent shots, including your putter, when you leave the cart for an approach (to the green) shot. You can then walk directly to the green, without having to return to the cart, while the other player moves the cart to the greenside parking area.

To answer your question – I like to play at 6 am. I can 18 holes by myself in 2 hours and 15 minutes. I aim to play a round as a four-some in under 4 hours all the time.

Ultimately speed of play is important for the everyone to enjoy a game of golf. So I ask you – is speed of play important?

Golf References and Recommendations

November 25, 2012 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Today the temperature was -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) on my daily walk. I try to keep fit by exercising and stretching everyday as a way to prepare myself for the next season. As I soaked up the sunshine and cool air, I realized that it was time to expand my golf reference material.

I did a quick search on-line and WOW! There is everything. I quickly was overwhelmed (for now) and decided to get back to it later. Having said that, I figured I would ask other golf enthusiasts for recommendations. Besides with Christmas coming up one of your suggestions may end up under our tree.

So the question of the day – Can you recommend any golf book, DVD, video, tools, etc that help me expand my knowledge and understanding of this great game?