Golf 101: How can I get better? (GolfWRX.com)
It may seem like a very general question, but in all honesty, there is a recipe that all great players follow. In my travels, I have heard three nuggets that glue all the world’s best together. It’s not a recipe of hit balls, work on the short game, or even video work with a great coach. It’s all done without swinging a club or input from another human being.
Wanna hear them?
Here they are.
Good golf tends to get muddied up in one box—hit it long, hit it straight, make every putt, and card a ton of birdies. Unfortunately, there isn’t a player on tour or in top amateur golf that thinks this…not even Bryson.
The goal is to get honest with yourself, pure and simple. Accept the things that you may never have, i.e. distance, magical touch, etc., and slowly work on them with the idea that they will only enhance your real strengths, not become the benchmark of your game.
For example, Charles Howell III is perceived as a great ball striker, but the stats would say differently. The things he has always done well are wedge it, pound it, and at times make a ton of putts. That’s the core of his game. Now can he grind with his coach to dial in his ball striking? Sure. The goal isn’t to become Ben Hogan though, it’s to raise that weakness to a manageable point where the things he does well can shine even more. Make sense?
So get out your journals, start tracking your game via Arccos or any game tracking app, and the data will speed up the process. Get to the core of who you are as a player. Protect what you do well and get the sore spots manageable.
How many times have you stepped on the first tee, put a peg in the ground, and just blindly smacked one. Sometimes, you get lucky and hit a good one, and sometimes you spray it. But what was the plan?
Yes, it’s the first hole, and you want to get the round started, but any great endeavor does require a road map. Golf is chess, not checkers. Even practice for most becomes mindless. So, to actually get better, every effort you make, whether it be a round or range session, think about where you want to finish and start planning how you will get there.
For example: When Tiger plays the Masters, his whole week is centered around his plan. The plan is not to win essentially, it’s to stick to his plan so he can win. Range sessions mimic shots he needs to hit on the course, tee shots and approaches are thought out to mitigate any risk and at times, increase the odds of a low number. At no point during that week is TW just winging it…so why would you? If you want to get better think about what you are doing. Make every action mean something.
Claude Harmon III told me this one. No matter what, you have to have a stock shot that you know you can repeat. Whether its thin straight, fade, draw, three quarters, whatever. You have to have a baseline shot to work off of to play well.
When I went to see him, he asked what my shot was. I told him a draw. We get to the range and the ball is fading. I start trying to get the draw back and he asked, “What are you doing?” He said, your shot today is the fade, you are fighting yourself already, and you haven’t even teed off yet. How many times have you been to the range and your ball flight shifts? And how many times did you spend an hour trying to get “it” back? The point is the “it” is what you wake up with. Open your minds, folks!
GOOD GOLF IS PLAYED IN A MILLION DIFFERENT WAYS. IF YOU WANT TO GET BETTER AND STAY BETTER….THINK, THINK, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING…(Caps are because I’m yelling).
Pokračovat ve čtení...
It may seem like a very general question, but in all honesty, there is a recipe that all great players follow. In my travels, I have heard three nuggets that glue all the world’s best together. It’s not a recipe of hit balls, work on the short game, or even video work with a great coach. It’s all done without swinging a club or input from another human being.
Wanna hear them?
Here they are.
1. Know who you are and who you are not…
Good golf tends to get muddied up in one box—hit it long, hit it straight, make every putt, and card a ton of birdies. Unfortunately, there isn’t a player on tour or in top amateur golf that thinks this…not even Bryson.
The goal is to get honest with yourself, pure and simple. Accept the things that you may never have, i.e. distance, magical touch, etc., and slowly work on them with the idea that they will only enhance your real strengths, not become the benchmark of your game.
For example, Charles Howell III is perceived as a great ball striker, but the stats would say differently. The things he has always done well are wedge it, pound it, and at times make a ton of putts. That’s the core of his game. Now can he grind with his coach to dial in his ball striking? Sure. The goal isn’t to become Ben Hogan though, it’s to raise that weakness to a manageable point where the things he does well can shine even more. Make sense?
So get out your journals, start tracking your game via Arccos or any game tracking app, and the data will speed up the process. Get to the core of who you are as a player. Protect what you do well and get the sore spots manageable.
2. Have a plan…
How many times have you stepped on the first tee, put a peg in the ground, and just blindly smacked one. Sometimes, you get lucky and hit a good one, and sometimes you spray it. But what was the plan?
Yes, it’s the first hole, and you want to get the round started, but any great endeavor does require a road map. Golf is chess, not checkers. Even practice for most becomes mindless. So, to actually get better, every effort you make, whether it be a round or range session, think about where you want to finish and start planning how you will get there.
For example: When Tiger plays the Masters, his whole week is centered around his plan. The plan is not to win essentially, it’s to stick to his plan so he can win. Range sessions mimic shots he needs to hit on the course, tee shots and approaches are thought out to mitigate any risk and at times, increase the odds of a low number. At no point during that week is TW just winging it…so why would you? If you want to get better think about what you are doing. Make every action mean something.
3. Pick a shot…
Claude Harmon III told me this one. No matter what, you have to have a stock shot that you know you can repeat. Whether its thin straight, fade, draw, three quarters, whatever. You have to have a baseline shot to work off of to play well.
When I went to see him, he asked what my shot was. I told him a draw. We get to the range and the ball is fading. I start trying to get the draw back and he asked, “What are you doing?” He said, your shot today is the fade, you are fighting yourself already, and you haven’t even teed off yet. How many times have you been to the range and your ball flight shifts? And how many times did you spend an hour trying to get “it” back? The point is the “it” is what you wake up with. Open your minds, folks!
GOOD GOLF IS PLAYED IN A MILLION DIFFERENT WAYS. IF YOU WANT TO GET BETTER AND STAY BETTER….THINK, THINK, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING…(Caps are because I’m yelling).
Pokračovat ve čtení...
