Tournament Practice - Taking a Break Playing a Golf Scramble Best Ball Tournament

I took a break yesterday from my regular practice to play in a scramble best ball tournament.

Every now and then you need to do something fun and enjoyable instead of steady focus on the work.

During the scramble I was paired up with a 3 gentlemen from a minor league baseball team franchise.  The neat thing is they were the General Manager, Director of Marketing and Directory of Graphics.   They played great golf and we enjoyed the communication of what goes on in their lives as professionals in the baseball field. 

During the tournament I still practiced though I didn't have to focus as much as I do when I practice and play in regular tournaments.

The warm up for the tournament I still used my same warm up drills as I would for a regular tournament.  Some things I don't change.

• Stretch
• 52 degree wedge half shots (warming up my body)
• 52 degree wedge
• full shots
• draw
• fade
• trajectory (different flight paths)
• 8 Iron
• full shots
• draw
• fade
• half swings
• 3/4 swings
• trajectory (different flight paths)
• 5 Iron
• full shots
• draw
• fade
• half swings
• 3/4 swings
• trajectory (different flight paths)
• hybrid
• full shots
• draw
• fade
• stingers
• 3 wood
• full shots
• draw
• fade
• stingers
• Driver
• draw
• fade
• 60 degree wedge
• full shot
• half shot
• flop shot
• low trajectory
• high trajectory
• fade
• draw
• Chipping around green
• pitch run
• chip
• flop
• Putting
• 25 foot range lag putting
• 6 foot range
• 3 foot range

This is my normal warm up for tournaments.  Some things I just don't like changing routine on.

One thing I have learned is that to have a good game and swing you have to learn to have the same routine for every practice and swing.  All swings should look and feel the same with no changes if possible.   

The more it becomes part of you the more it becomes intuitive.

Now for the Scramble Best Ball Tournament.  We had a wonderful time.  Everyone played fairly within their own strengths.  I enjoy these kind of tournaments for I can experiment  in different situations attempting shots that I have been practicing on and not worry if they go array.

As a group we ended up 7 under par and in third place.

Like I stated at the beginning, sometimes you just got to have fun and relax and take away from the focus and grind.

Until next time, take it easy and don't worry about the small stuff.......

Practie Continued - Practice Versus Playing

Playing a round of golf is fun, challenging and a great way to spend the weekend with your buddies.

As a golfer I have a lot of fun playing with my friends, co-workers, business friends and acquaintances.  I think it is the most relaxing part of the game.  You get to have great conversations, tell jokes, cut up, even sometimes shoot off a firecracker in their backswings.  After the round you sit have a few drinks and tell stories of how you did for the day.  That is relaxing at its finest.  It helps take your mind off the troubles of your life and worries of work for a few hours during the day.  Unless, of course, you have to bring that phone with you and ruin your game altogether.

As a professional golfer I still have those days stated above, but spend most of my golfing time at the practice range, chipping and putting area perfecting my game.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy practicing also, because I make games out of what I am practicing on.  This way I don't get bored and can practice for hours.

You see the way you look at things in your mind determines what you are doing is boring or exciting.  I think that if you are bored at what you are doing then you are more than likely truly not interested in this endeavor.  So my recommendation is that if you are bored at whatever you are doing than you have two options: change your attitude and perception of why you are doing whatever you are doing or, stop doing it.

I have enjoyed golf my whole life.  I have played and had a lot of fun over the years. A lot of good memories and a lot more memories still to come.  The decision I made to play as a professional changed my outlook on the game I love.  I still have fun at it, I just have to work more at it instead of playing just on the weekend, or a couple times during the week.  I choose to practice for hours an on my free time to compete at this high level instead of playing rounds upon rounds of golf. 

Now, as far as playing, I have found that a lot of times you go to the course with your buddies you don't have time to hit the range to warm up.  I recommend to at least do some good stretching and swinging of one of your long irons to loosen up before you hit that first shot.  You do not want to pull anything on the first hole except the ball.  With that being said I want to give you some of the new rules of golf I heard:

• You can take as many drives off the first whole as you want until you get the one you want, because everyone knows you don't have time to warm up before you start
• If you loose your ball in the high rough, trees you shouldn't have to take a penalty stroke because, eventually someone will find the ball and then it becomes a stolen ball and why should we be penalized for someone stealing our ball
• On the putting green if the ball roles over the hole then it is considered to be holed, because everyone knows that the rules of Physics out rule the Rules of Golf.

I do believe that no matter what level of golfer you are that practice is an important part of your game.   The better golfer you want to become the more practice you should be doing.  As far as instruction to get better you have to do three things.

1. Gain more knowledge in the game
2. Get lessons from a qualified Professional
3. Practice what you have learned and have been taught

Along with practice the other big area of interest in improving the game of golf is course management.  I will be talking about that later on.

Until next time, If you find yourself getting frustrated in what you are doing, stop and do something else for awhile......

Getting Ready for Tournament - Short Game

It was a beautifully hot day today for practice.

Today was a good day to work on my short game from 100 yards in.

The golf course I practice at just modified the range to be able to work on this part of your game easier.

They placed yardage markers at the hitting area giving you distance to each flag.  They adjust it daily as they move the tees.  The markers are set to color coded flags that they also just put in.

So today I was able to start my drills for the short game shots 100 yards in.

They have three flags situated at 100, 75 and 50 yards:

Below is my workout:

• Warm up
• stretch
• Hit half shots with 52 degree wedge
• Hit full shots
• 10 balls with my 60 degree
• 10 balls with my 52 degree
• 10 balls with my 9 Iron
• 10 balls with my 6 Iron
• 10 balls with my 3 Iron
• 10 balls with my Hybrid 3
• 10 balls with my 3 metal wood
• 10 balls with my driver

After my warm up and going through the full shot routine I am loose and have my swing feel.  At that time I start to work on my short game.

• 50 yard flag
• Work on shots with slight draw
• 60 degree
• 56 degree
• 52 degree
• pitching wedge
• Work on shots with slight fade
• 60 degree
• 56 degree
• 52 degree
• pitching wedge
• 75 yard flag
• Work on shots with slight draw
• 60 degree
• 56 degree
• 52 degree
• pitching wedge
• Work on shots with slight fade
• 60 degree
• 56 degree
• 52 degree
• pitching wedge
• 100 yard flag
• Work on shots with slight draw
• 56 degree
• 52 degree
• pitching wedge
• 9 iron
• Work on shots with slight fade
• 56 degree
• 52 degree
• pitching wedge
• 9 iron

By working on the 100 yard in shots with these variety of clubs helps me work my swing tempo for 1/4 swing to full swing.  This also, aids in learning distance control with a variety of clubs.

The main reason you want to learn to hit different shots to different distances with different clubs is that the rules only allow you to carry 14 clubs (one of which is a putter).  By practicing the shots above you have now increased your club count from 14 to 23 without adding any more clubs to your bag. 

You never know what the conditions of the course are or the weather.  Therefore by having the ability to use 14 clubs in your bag in a variety of ways increases your chances of scoring lower on the course.   It will also assist you in getting out of trouble when your ball goes off line.

The practice today went very well.  Along with completing the drills above, I also worked on my putting and chipping around the green.

Until next time, remember that the game of golf is 10 percent skill and 90 percent mental, so always be thinking of different ways to help your self out......

Getting Ready for Tournament - Chipping Practice

Well, my finger is getting better and the tournament is getting closer.  I have just over a month to get in form for the next qualifier.

Since I broke my finger just over a month ago at a qualifier for the Champions Tour in Georgia, I haven't been able practice until about a week ago.  I was informed that I can start putting as long as it doesn't hurt or cause discomfort. 

The putting went well, so I have now started practicing chipping.  I am working on my short game around the green improving my timing and control.

So what I have been working on is  20 yard chip drill with my 60 degree wedge.

• Start with stretching exercise
• Place 4 tees three feet around hole
• Using Hinge Hold technique

• open stance
• open club face
• back swing hinge wrist
• forward swing keep hands ahead of club head
• focus on spot you want to land ball on green
• watch how far ball rolls
• adjust landing spot with roll distance to get within markers around hole

• Goal

• 20 chips in a row inside marker area

This is a drill you can do all the time.  This drill help you develop a short lofted shot that will allow your ball to land near the hole with little or no role.

On my next blog I will share with you another chipping drill I am currently practicing.

Until then, keep your head still and your finish smooth........

Understanding What You Need to Practice

I was talking to a fellow golfer the other day and he asked the question what he should practice the most on his driver or another part of the game.  I asked him why he thought it was important to practice with his driver.  He stated, so he could have more accuracy and keep the ball in the fairway to give him a chance to get to the green better.

I asked him how many drives do you hit in a round.  He thought about it and stated 18.  I explained to him that in reality you only hit 14 drives.  He asked, what happened to the other 4 drives.  I stated that those are par threes.  Most par threes for average golfers are only 150 yards or shorter, therefore, you wouldn't hit a driver.   He stated he never thought of that.

Then I got into percentages.  I stated that the higher percentage of practice should be based the higher percentage of shots that will be taken in the course of a round of golf. 

If par is 72 and you only hit 14 drives that is only 19% of your score.  Even if you hit 18 drives that is still only 25% of your score.  Putting is the highest percentage of your score in golf.  In 18 holes of golf the par for putting is 36, which is 50% of your score.   The remainder of your score after the tee shot is 25-31% depending on the number of drives you consider as 14 or 18.  So what is your area you want to practice most, drives or putts. 

With the information in previous paragraph, you want to spend most of your time on putting, then chipping and pitching and working on 150 yards in which will be at least 75% of your scoring.  Then the remainder of the practice you want to work on is your swing technique, tempo and yardage control.  The least amount of time should be spent on your driver. 

In the mathematical scheme of things, Drives are the only constant in the game.  You see, there only 14-18 holes to which you would probably hit your driver.  So you will not hit less than 14 and no more than 14 shots with your driver (not including par threes).  That is the only constant in the game.  You cannot go up or down it stays 14.  The rest of the game is what truly determines your score.  If you had a 400 yard hole and you hit a 1 iron 200 yards that gives you 200 yards left and you hit the 1 iron again.  You will either be on the green or close to the green depending on your accuracy.  So you have to either chip close and one putt or two putt for a par.  Any additional strokes is what makes your score add above par. 

With all this being stated above it comes down to the game of golf is a mathematical percentage that determines how close your score will be to par.  Mathematics determines what you need to work on and how you need to play the game.  The old saying of 10% skill and 90% mental is truly not an understatement.

I know that is a lot of math, but, I just wanted to get the point across that golfers should spend most of their time putting, chipping, and working on 150 yards and less into the green. 

The other practice should be on swing technique, tempo, and balance. Not smacking the driver over and over on the practice range. 

Until next time, go to the range and practice area with a purpose and your score on the course will get better........

Rainy Day Sunday Cont'd - Things To Do Indoors 3. Working with your Swing

The third area I want to work with you is your swing. 

This will be a little more difficult indoors unless you have a high enough ceiling and plenty of room that you won't break your wife's (or husband's/Mom's, or Dad's) special glass pieces or TV.  If you have a garage and you can move your car into the rain to give it a good washing then that is probably what you want to do and you can kill to birds with one stone so they say.

There are a couple things you can do indoors to work with your swing but I believe the most important would be working on your tempo.

If you can get your tempo to be consistent and smooth then you can apply it to every club you use and it will help lower your score on the course.  Golf is about tempo and timing.  If you have that in place then you can easily observe the distance each club carries the ball in the air and you can have easier determination on what club you will use for each situation.

To work on your tempo the following is what you need:
  

•  have proper posture

• feet at least shoulder width apart, spine angle about 8 degrees (depicted on left of picture to right). 
• knees slightly bent

• back spine straight at angle below.

• Balance.  The weight of your body should be reflected on the inside ball of each foot. 
• Rhythm.  this should be smooth going in your back swing as going through to your finish.
• Tempo.  This is the movement like a grandfather's clock pendulum going back and forth.

What you want to do while indoors is to make sure all these are being done correctly.  This will allow you to work on tempo of your swing to keep it consistent throughout all shots.  Get to know what this feels like so you know when your tempo is off. 

Of course you don't have to wait until you are stuck in doors to work on this you need to work on tempo all the time.

Tempo is not enough, all though, with tempo and balance you can have a few swing quirks that can be hidden.  Follow my blog and later you will find swing techniques on helping improve distance and power without swinging hard.

Until then, with a smooth and steady tempo, your game can become consistent no matter what level player you are.......

Rainy Days Cont'd - Things To Do Indoors 2. Putting

The Second area of interest you can do indoor I want to cover is putting.

Putting you can do just about anywhere.  Putting is 50% of a par 72 score.  Think about it, if you consider two putts a hole per round a par for the greens, then you have a total of 36 strokes which is half of the par of 72.  Therefore, 50% of your game is putting.

With that being stated you want to practice putting as often as possible.  There are many drills out there that you can work on so I will just cover a couple that you can do in your living room.  I recommend that you use carpet that isn't shaggy, a rug that is relatively smooth, a smooth linoleum floor, or a putting pad when practicing indoors.

Drill one working on tempo and speed control:

•  Place a marker (size of quarter) on the floor of your living room carpet, rug (if smooth enough to simulate a putting green), or putting pad.
• Place another marker 1 foot behind first marker
• Place ball at least 6-8 feet away from the marker.
• Stroke ball attempting to roll over first marker while not letting it roll past second marker.

Drill two consistent short putts:

• Place marker on carpet.
• Place ball 2-3 feet away from marker.
• Stroke ball to just go over marker with firm stroke stopping just past marker.

This drill will build confidence on short putts with a firm, consistent stroke so when playing in that $2 Nassau you won't miss the much needed putt.

These drills are good to practice on putting green at any range or golf course.   Both will help in building confidence with your putting game.

There is no time limit to practicing putting either indoors or outdoors.  Since it is 50% of your score you want to spend as much time practicing as possible no matter how good you think you get.

Next we will work on the third thing you can do indoors - Practicing swing tempo and technique.

Until then keep your head down and listen for the putt to drop in the hole instead of looking for it......

Rainy Days Cont'd - Five Things To Do Indoors 1. Stretching

To start off Five Things To Do Indoors, the first I will present is stretching.

Stretching in Golf, I believe, is one of the most important things to keep your body and swing loose, tempo smooth, in balance, and from getting pulled muscles. 

• Wrist, Arm, and Shoulder Stretches

• Take right arm and place straight out putting your hand at 90 degree angle point fingers upward
• Take left hand and pull lightly back fingers to shoulder and hold for 10 seconds
• repeat at least five times
• Switch Arms and hands and repeat
• Using same technique only pointing fingers downward and repeat same as above
• Take right arm and place behind head grabbing wrist with left hand pulling gently for at least 10 seconds. 
• repeat at least 5 times
• change and do same with opposite arms
• Take right arm behind back around hip area grabbing wrist with left hand pulling gently for at least 10 seconds 
• repeat at least five times
• change and do same with opposite arms
• Take right arm in front of body grabbing elbow with left hand pulling gently for at least 10 seconds
• repeat at least five times
• change and do same with opposite arms

The above exercise will assist in flexibility.

• Find a broom stick or you an use one of your long irons or woods (be careful if using your clubs not to bend your shaft).
• Get in your address position and place in the following position:
• Take stick or club behind back and place inside each elbow
• Start with turn of shoulders going in movement of back swing motion which allows your hips to turn naturally
• once you obtain the shoulders at a 90 degree turn (or best turn you can) with weight shifting from neutral position to weight moving toward insight right foot start your down swing motion with weight shifting and moving to the  follow through finish.
• repeat at least 10 times with tempo you would use with normal golf swing.

The above exercise will assist in flexibility, work with tempo of swing, weight shifting, and balance.

Both exercises will also assist in warming you up before your round and practice on the range.  By continually doing these exercises and others you will find that your golf game can improve with increased flexibility, which increases your range in motion and assist in obtaining easier smoother tempo.

 To the right is example of several exercises that will help you loosening up your body muscles:

There are numerous other stretching exercises that you can perform these are just a few.

  By stretching and exercising regularly you will work through the pyramid below eventually achieving all levels:



Next tip will be on Practicing putting on indoor carpet or putting pad.

Until then keep your body loose and stretch often to help keep from pulling any unnecessary muscles.....

Rainy Days continued... Five Things You Can Do Indoors

Well it is another Rainy Day, I guess it really hasn't stopped.  Been raining now for about three days.  Fortunately, it has only been raining and not storming.

You just got your game the way you want it, or, close enough that you are feeling good about your swing and scoring.  You get a long delay for unknown reasons or it is just raining for several days that you cannot get on the course.

Here are five things you can do inside:

1. Keep stretching so you can stay flexible.
2. Practice putting on carpet or indoor putting pad.
3. If you have a room or garage that is safe to swing a 7 iron, you can practice your swing and work on your technique.
4. Chipping Drill Indoors
5. Work on Your Swing Balance.

Over the next few days we will go over all five of these tips.

So until you can get back on the course keep these in mind to once you do you won't miss a beat....