Archives For Golf tips

How to choose a golf instructor

David Horne —  September 21, 2009 — 3 Comments

Golf InstructionRecently PGA.com posted the article “How to choose an instructor”,  giving the prospective golf student the criteria for selecting  a teaching pro.   Master Professional John Hughes’ advice is sound, highlighting compatibility, accreditation & experience, swing aides, video, follow up, and playing ability as the key factors to evaluate when choosing an instructor.

Golfers I know and meet, regularly ask me who they should take lessons from. Remember, the greatest teacher in the world is not the greatest for everyone. If  so then all of the men and women tour players would probably use the same person. What makes a coach the best for you is that they are the best for YOU.  My philosophy for choosing the right golf mentor is simple:

Goals

Your golf coach should be 100% committed to helping YOU achieve your goals. First, make sure they ask you what you want to accomplish with your lessons. Some golf pros have an agenda that is self serving or short term. Run from these. Your instructor should be about helping you get what you want out of your game.

Communication

It is important that your chosen one allows you to give feedback(communication is two-way) during the lesson. Pick someone that talks with you not at you. Make sure you and your coach speak the same language. It is important that each of you can get what the other is saying. Nothing is more frustrating than leaving a lesson and having no idea what the pro talked about.

Connection

Select a golf instructor that clicks with you. You like their style and their attitude. If you are low tech, maybe they are low tech.  You relate to their stories and analogies and they relate to yours. A coach that you connect with will pull the best out of you.

There is something special about a student-teacher relationship. It gives the student someone to perform for and the teacher someone to pour themselves into. Good luck finding your coach, I know the relationship will bare much fruit and help you reach your potential on the course.

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Putting: let’s get physical

David Horne —  August 3, 2009 — 2 Comments

photo credit: Fidelio García

Last week was the annual playing of the Gillespie Invitational. This was an anniversary of sorts for me since it marked my return to competitive golf a year ago. This year I struck the ball pretty well but putted terribly. Both days, I found myself very uncomfortable with the flat stick.

After a five minute conversation with my coach a few days later, I relearned a fundamental truth to consistent good putting. Focus on hitting good putts. Simple! I know! But I had been puting the emphasis on making putts for par or birdie etc… instead of on the execution of good putts.

This week I read the following post from Randell Mell’s chat with Morris Pickens. He is the sport psych to Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson, and Lucas Glover. I believe it will help you to grasp this putting axiom as much as it did me. (The day after my tournament I shot 64. Man, did this tweak of thought process make a huge difference.)

..A lot of people, every putt is for a result. The closer you get to the hole, the more you get score conscious. This putt is for a birdie, or to get up and down, or to get the lead. We try to take the putting “for” something out of it. Whether it’s a five footer for eagle or a five footer for double bogey, it’s still the same putt. That way you can make them all the same. It becomes a physical putt, not an emotional putt. The more you can make putting a physical act rather than an emotional act, the more you can make them all the same…

I have also included the link if you’d like to read the full article. Randall Mell post

I have also found we love to put emphasis on the results in life too. We are taught that each action we take is for something.

Closing a sale… Acing a test… Nailing an interview…

Why do we make these actions so emotional? We know what to do, we have trained, studied, learned, and mastered many of the things that we become anxious about. It is just a matter of physical acts which produce desired outcomes. Be free. Loosen the chains of restraint. No longer will the proximity of reaching our goals cause the pressure of execution to mount. We already know the outcome because we’ve prepared. The putts go in, we close the sale, we pass the test, we get the girl. Why? Because we’ve already won.

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Embracing anger for peak performance

David Horne —  July 10, 2009 — Leave a comment
hulk

photo credit: thewhitestdogalive

Unlike any activity I have participated in, Golf, can engineer an emotional roller-coaster second to none. Seemingly stable people worldwide turn into to the HULK from David Banner and back again. Moods in a round of golf can swing up and down faster than the Kingda Ka and many times for justifiable reasons. Bad bounces, poor decisions, duffs, tops, and three-putts are all grounds for a volcanic eruption of the Novaruptan order. Dr. Jekyll meet Mr. Hyde. I will not dare mention the Sh**ks (can’t bring myself to type it), which has been known to turn Norman Rockwell into Hannibal Lecter.

The thing is, anger is an emotion. Emotions give you an advantage if applied properly. If focused. How many times have you watched Tiger or any great athlete get mad after poor execution, then increase the level of their play. Every champion has done this in some arena. You have too. The anger doesn’t consume you, it heightens your abilities to bounce back. So next time use the emotions to excel. Here are 2 keys I’ve observed from watching great competitors translate rage into peak performance in golf and life.

1. Vent so you don’t explode. Release the rage and get it out of your system. My Grandfather used to cook the best roast with a pressure cooker. He would set the valve to release steam as the pressure would build so that the pot would not explode. The great thing is the valve let enough steam out to avoid catastrophe but not so much as to lose the effectiveness of the heat. Give yourself some release so the pressure doesn’t build to awakening the Tasmanian Devil within .  Note: there are ways to do this without profanity, damaging the course, or your equipment.

2. Channel the fury into focus. Use the intensity of your emotions to better concentrate on your next shot. Notice Tiger’s eyes the hole after he gets angry. It is almost Jedi-like the way he can focus and execute what he needs to do to bounce back better than had he not messed up in the first place. This ability is in each of us. Channel the energy into hitting your next shot instead of  letting the energy combust like white phosphorus in the veins.

Enjoy this final thought, courtesy of a Top 100 teacher  Charlie King, instructing you on proper throwing techniques for when all else fails. Feel free to leave your own techniques in the comments section.

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What we can learn from Roger Federer

David Horne —  June 9, 2009 — 2 Comments

Yesterday was an amazing day in sports, particularly for golfers. Specifically you. Why? Is it because Tiger mounted another comeback, birdieing the final two holes

trophy

of the Memorial Tournament and changing our lives? No, but because Roger Federer won the French Open, teaching us a vital ingredient to win in life and how to lower our scores. I know what you are thinking.

Please, let me explain. Federer won his 14th Grand Slam tennis title. With this conquest, he ties Pete Sampras’s record for the most victories of all time. He also won the final leg of a career grand slam which only five other men have accomplished. All of these are great feats that none of us (save Tiger who also has 14 major titles) can even comprehend. However, the lesson in this achievement is the fact that since 2004, Roger has reached 20 straight Grand Slam semi-finals and 19 Finals. The success principle lies in consistently giving himself a chance to win.

In golf, lowering your score is all about giving yourself a chance at Par, or Bogey, or Birdie, or whatever level you play to. Consider this, a bogey golfer that gives himself a putt for par on all 18 holes will not be a bogey golfer much longer. If you want to break your career best, don’t focus on the number of strokes, focus on giving yourself the opportunity to make birdie.

This perspective allows us to look at what we need to improve to accomplish this. Do we need to drive it in play more or work on our putting and chipping more (these are the most common culprits)? Work on those things and you will give yourself more chances to break through.

Its funny, living a successful life is much the same recipe. Whether its your career, relationships, or dreams, putting yourself in position to triumph on a consistent basis is where we win. Too many people get wrapped up in the event, The French Open final for example. They are looking to succeed instead of being successful.

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Caddy Tip #106- Pull the pin

David Horne —  August 29, 2008 — 7 Comments

This past Tuesday I played in a qualifier for the NC Mid-Amateur golf tournament. It is one of the Carolinas Golf Association Majors, and there are several qualifiers throughout the state to complete the field of 100+ players. It is being held this year at Sedgefield CC , which was host to the PGA Tour’s  2008 Wyndam Championship. I am eligible this year since I have been reinstated to the amateur ranks and have celebrated the 30th year since I took my first breath. I guess they call it “Mid-Am” for mid-life, because we are too old to compete against the teens & 20 somethings (protect ego), and too young to tee it up from the Gold Tees(50+ crowd). I am just getting warmed up! 30 is the new 20! At least that is what I tell myself even though my body seems to argue sometimes.

Back to the tournament

I played the one day shoot-out against 88 other guys for 20 spots in this year’s championship. The qualifying round was contested at Chapel Hill CC. The course was stretched to approximately 6,850 yards, and the par 72 Gene Hamm layout was in perfect condition. The bermuda rough was up (about 1.5″-2″) and the greens were rolling true and quick (that speed where putts can get away from you easily). The weather was soggy, humid, and rainy as three other gentlemen from the Greensboro and I strolled the fairways. Also joining us was Justin, my caddie. He is a great friend, and said he would be my looper (he once caddied for the the Lama I am told, but that is another story).

I am a pretty low maintenance golfer as far as caddying goes. My main expectations are:

  • keep the ball and clubs clean
  • keep the grips dry
  • help with yardage from time to time
  • provide extra pair of hands in wet conditions (holding the umbrella, etc)
  • be a sounding board and security blanket for decision making

That is pretty much it…Oh! one more thing, pull the pin when I putt.

Justin learned this, Caddy tip #106, on the ninth hole as I putted from about 60 feet.  Justin was a little startled as all four of us yelled PULL THE PIN! in chorus as my putt rolled end-over-end towards the cup. Fortunately, my ball rolled over the left edge of the cup and all was well. Had it struck the pin while putting on the green I would have incurred a two-stroke penalty. Whew! That was close.

Other than that incident, the round went well. Justin did a great job, even though he was annoyed I did not let him do his job sometimes when I pulled clubs from the bag myself. I played well, carding two birdies, one eagle, and a bogey to finish with a three under par, 69, to take medalist honors. I believe 74 made it through the cut. It is now off to Sedgefield in mid September for my first NC Mid-Am Championship.

Wish me luck!

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