“Fun & Games” To Improve Your Game

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Fun & Games with Golf

Most of the time we think improving at golf is hard. I don’t think that it has to be. See, most of the time we are in the left side or the logical side of our brain. We ask ourselves questions like: Did I keep my left arm straight? Was my swing on plane? Did I take the putter back straight? And while all of these questions may be legitimate, we fail to ever practice golf in the right side or the reactive side of our brain. This is easier said than done because every time you open Golf Digest you are bombarded by tip after tip, keeping you in the logical side of your brain and over thinking. Well, I am here today to share with you a couple games I use with my students to get them away from thinking during practice and back to playing.

Game 1: No Flagsticks

This was a favorite of Jack Nicklaus. First, you will need to have someone stay a hole ahead of you and remove the flagstick. The objective of the game is simple. Golfers often get into trouble trying shots “above their pay grade”, like going after a pin tucked behind trouble. A golfer will save strokes playing to the middle of the green the vast majority of the time. Be sure to keep the ball in play off the tee and manage the course to give yourself good angles into the green. Aim for the middle.

Game 2: 3 Club Game

Golfers will select 3 clubs, one of which must be a putter, and play at least 9 holes of golf using only the selected clubs. It is highly recommended that a 3/4/5 hybrid, 8-iron/PW, and a putter are selected. When a sand wedge is chosen most golfers can’t reach the green when playing from the fairway and that it can be a detriment around the greens. Most players take 14 clubs out to the course and don’t understand club selection in a given situation nor do they understand course management. The 3 club game forces players to be strategic, thinking from the green back to the tee, avoid trouble, leaving the ball on the far side of the green, etc…

Game 3: Perfect Drive

Golfers will hit their tee shots and regardless of where their golf ball goes, they will then grab their ball and place it in the center of the fairway by the 100-yard marker. Golfers are always on the quest for more distance, a better swing, or better ball striking. What this game shows is that the reason for their scoring deficiencies is not their ball striking but rather lacking skills from 100 yards and in. More often than not, a player’s core will not vary much even after a “perfect drive” because their short game needs improvement. This is a great game to gauge where your short game is at.

Game 4: Eyes on the Hole

This is basically the Jordan Spieth game. Set up a small, medium, and large circle around 1 hole on the practice green. Once setup, select different distances between 15-20 feet. Then hit a series of putts from each spot while only looking at the hole. During pre-shot routine concentrate having eyes on the hole and after setting up, look only at the hole. This game yet again deals with reaction and not logic. It is a great drill for lag putting as you try to get the ball to stop inside the circles using simply feel. This is how Jordan Spieth hits most of his putts from 5 feet and in. He looks at the hole through the entire stroke.

These are four games that, for the most part, are easy to play and can have great benefit to your golf game. They are not swing tips and tricks but focus on the entire game of golf. They focus on course management skills and help to highlight areas in which we need to work on our game both on the course and in practice. Try them out sometime and please send a comment back to me on if you learned something or if it was a waste of time. I can assure you, it’ll be well worth your time.

 

What Does Tiger’s Comeback Mean For Golf?

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What Does Tiger’s Comeback Mean for Golf?

 

As I watched The Valspar Championship last weekend, I could not help but reminisce about the old Tiger. You know, the guy who won 14 majors. The guy who has 79 career PGA Tour victories. The guy who spent 281 consecutive weeks at World #1 and has sat atop that position for 683 weeks of his professional career. The reason that I felt that way and couldn’t help but think about “old Tiger” is because he looks good. His golf swing looks good. Short game looks good. Putting looks good. His attitude looks good. I am of the opinion that he will win again very soon and will ultimately win another major championship if not multiple.

I do not say that lightly as the competition on tour is greater than ever. Guys like Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, John Rahm, etc… are not simply going to roll over and let Tiger take the trophy. But at 42 years of age, and after how many surgeries, including a back-fusion surgery under a year ago, what he did last weekend in my mind is nothing short of remarkable. In a field with some of the game’s greats (just look at the leaderboard) Tiger recorded the fastest clubhead speed in the entire field at 129mph. He was also Top 30 in ALL major “strokes gained” categories and was 11th in the field in total strokes gained. It seems to me like he is back, and I hope for quite some time.

Love him or hate him, what Tiger does for the game of golf is undeniable and unmatched by anyone. If you watched the tournament, you saw his gallery on Sunday. It was massive! Guys about to win major championships often don’t create a gallery that massive. He single-handedly helped NBC grab the biggest non-Masters TV audience since 2015! Everyone, including myself, tunes in to see what Tiger is doing. He has a draw similar to the likes of Michael Jordan or Muhammed Ali. He is simply not one of the greatest golfers ever, but one of the greatest athletes.

It has been a long time coming, but last weekend Tiger provided us a glimpse of who he once was. He provided a glimpse to many young golfers, some of which were too young to remember the Tiger of the early 2000’s who won every time he tee’d it up. But that is the Tiger that I know and cheer for. He provided a glimpse to me, of those Tiger moments from long ago. The moments where he does the unthinkable and cements what makes him so great. The putt on 17 was a perfect example of that. He may look different in doing so, but I’ll say it again, I believe he is back. And in my opinion, that is really good for the game of golf.

He certainly gets people talking about the game. He convinced me way back when that it was cool to pick up a golf club instead of a baseball bat. He made the Nike swoosh popular in golf and not just basketball and football. Most importantly, he tore down a lot of walls and stigmas that golf was only a “Rich Man’s” sport. He did not do all of this alone, but he helped lead the charge. I’m not saying that you need to like the man, he’s made his fair share of mistakes, but if you have time research a little on what the Tiger Woods Foundation has done for underserved youth.

Tiger is scheduled to play this week at Arnold Palmer’s Invitational, an event that he has won 8 times before. I for one know that I will be watching. I’ll watch and hope to see another one of those “Tiger Moments”, with the understanding that he is drawing attention to our game, and maybe inspiring another young boy or girl to pick up a golf club and go play.

Getting Your Junior Started In Golf (Part 2 of 2)

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Getting Your Junior Started In Golf (Part 2 of 2)

Last week I wrote about exactly how to get your junior involved in golf. I wrote about junior camps as well as junior coaching programs, and if you have not already read it, I recommend you do so by visiting The Daily Press website or our website or Facebook Page.

For part 2 we are going to really focus on exactly why these two systems work, and the nuts and bolts of what makes them so effective. For starters, we know most young golfers will not make golf a profession. So, we strive to teach the nine core values highlighted by The Frist Tee in order to make these juniors champions in life, not just on the golf course. The nine values taught in all of our programs are Honesty, Integrity, Sportsmanship, Respect, Confidence, Responsibility, Perseverance, Courtesy, and Judgement.

With those nine core values providing the foundation of everything that we do, we’ve created an Improvement System for juniors that simplifies things and makes the game fun!

Our Junior Improvement System

We created the hat system to give both our juniors and their parents a clear path to improvement like you have in martial arts. The hat system is based on having our juniors focus on the parts of the game they can master at their age & strength level. All players start at a White Hat Level, which is based on scoring from 100 yards from the hole and in. This the most critical part of golf, and the part that juniors can master and play to a level way beyond their age and strength level. They are unable to hit the ball 250 yards physically, but they can play to that equivalent level in their chipping and putting. If we want our juniors to love the game they have to be able to see improvement, have success, and be on a path to mastery.

Junior Developmental Tour

For a junior to advance in our hat system they will play in our Junior Developmental Tour where they play 9 holes with their teammates from weekly sessions on a Sunday afternoon with a parent or grandparent caddying. This gives them the opportunity to compete, which unfortunately in the past was not an option for beginning junior golfers. Unlike other sports where you play matches, games, and scrimmages right away (baseball, football etc), golf has been set up that you only play tournaments when you are a “good golfer.” Well, how are you meant to get good if you can’t play tournaments? So, this is why we created a junior tour for 2018 where our players can learn how to play the game with their friends with very little pressure on a course they can succeed with lots of fun and prizes.

The Hat System:

In each hat level, we have stars,

Level 1: White Hat (100 yards and in)

Play a tournament – 1 Star Pin to add on junior’s hat

Shoot 50 or lower – 2 Star Pins to add to junior’s hat

Shoot 45 or lower – 3 Star pins to add to junior’s hat

Shoot 39 or lower – Advance to Yellow Hat

The Progression then follows to Yellow Hat once a player shoots 39 or less & progresses all the way to The Blue Hat Level. As your child advances through the Hat System, they advance in our programming getting additional coaching time, skill development and mentoring.

Example Junior Golf Path

Starting Point –

  1. Participate in a Camp (5days 1.5 hours per day)
  2. Join Golf Coaching (1.5 hours Once per week after school)
  3. Play in Junior Tour (parents get to caddy for a fun family afternoon out)
  4. Advanced Coaching (Player shoots 39 or lower from 100-yard makers) 2 Hours weekly & On-Course Coaching
  5. Elite – 4 Hours weekly (Coaching 2 hrs. on course + Skill development focusing on swing and short game 2hrs
  6. College Path – Adds mentoring 2 x per month to support your junior golfer in creating a path to playing college golf through college selection, tournament schedule/stat tracking, and more.
  7. Mastery Classes are in addition to these programs are Intensive Courses to fast-track a player in a certain area in which they most need to improve.

My goal in writing these two junior golf articles is to give you (the parent) a better understanding on not only where to start but to better understand all of the options for your junior, no matter the skill level. There is no right or wrong way to get started, but I’ve found that it hasn’t always been clear on how to even get started. I really hope these two articles provide that clarity.

Getting Your Junior Started In Golf (Part 1 of 2)

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Getting Your Junior Started In Golf

 

In prior articles, I’ve wrote to you about why juniors should play golf. For those of you who read weekly, you might remember an article I wrote called “PLAY Golf Young One,” in which I highlighted many reasons why youth should take up golf as a sport. To jog your memory a few reasons where that golf: “Promotes cooperative behavior, helps develop locomotive skills, promotes problem-solving behavior, aids in eye-hand coordination, promotes patience, promotes logical thinking, promotes self-development, develops competitive spirit, promotes sportsmanship, develops cardiovascular fitness, promotes group interaction, promotes physical development, and most importantly, helps to develop self-reliance and self-confidence.”

With that knowledge re-established, I wanted to write a more constructive article on exactly how to get your junior started in golf. I get the same question asked to me again and again, “How do I get my junior started in golf?”

So, how do you get your junior started in golf? Almost every golf course that I know of provides some sort of junior instruction but finding what is right for your junior golfer can be a bit trickier. While I can’t speak for every course, I can speak of some programs that I run here in Ashland. There are two ways to start, let me explain them both and then you will decide what best fits your child and current situation.

  1. Junior Camps: Camps give your child an immersion into the game, they are 5 days in length for 90 minutes each day and are based around games, challenges, and learning the skills needed to play the game of golf. Camps are age specific, so we create the appropriate games and coaching to ignite passion as your child sees that golf can be fun and easy to learn. Clubs are provided! All you need to do is drop your child at camp and the rest is up to us. Camps run all summer long. There are free camps and paid options… (Only difference being child to teacher ratio)
  2. Junior Coaching: Junior coaching is year-round (during the golf season), and your child can start at any time. The programs are in the afternoon and are 90 minutes each week. Your child can start at any time and their program is 12 weeks in length. The programs are based on age (5-8) & (9-12) are put in teams based on skill & experience. They don’t have to have clubs to start but as they start to enjoy the game we will suggest the clubs that will fit them best and best places to purchase them. The advantage to the junior coaching is the ability to start at any time and your welcome to come out to a free session to try it out!

You will notice one thing that is absent from the list of options, and that is private instruction. While private lessons have their place, I do not believe they do with junior golfers, and here is why.

The philosophy is based on the student becoming more independent after each session as they learn the 4 key areas of the game. They are leaning the mindset and mental focus for golf; this includes how to score and manage the course, how to analyze their play and create purposeful practice routines that promote long-term development, and skill development which focuses on the skill sets needed to accomplish their goals for golf.

We coach juniors as an Individual in a team environment. Each of our juniors is taught the skills and techniques based on his or her strength & mobility, their learning style, and their desired outcome. The team environment is so productive for several key reasons:

  1. It creates the right environment to learn the life skills and core values we teach
  2. It allows your junior to build friendships in an individual game
  3. It allows coaches to create competition and challenges that motivate the players
  4. It enables your child to take leadership or mentoring roles to develop interpersonal skills
  5. It increases the hours your child can spend with their coach while not increasing the expense
  6. Its reduces the chances of over-teaching & technical overload as we allow the child to apply what they are learning by experimentation and encouraging them to learn and ask questions rather than just be told what do to do.

If you enjoyed this article, and want to learn more about golf for juniors, stay tuned for part two next week!

Play Your Best Golf In 2018 (Part 1)

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We’re Back! Play Your Best Golf: The ADDMATT Program (Part 1)

 

Hello everyone, and let me just say Happy 2018! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season and is off to a fantastic year. I took some time away from these articles to really think of some great content, and better articulate what it is I want to say to you (the reader). What I came up with are a few series of articles, mostly geared around helping you play your best golf in 2018. These are not blow your brain out of the water concepts, but simple concepts that are really going to challenge how you think, how you view your own game, and also how you view golf as a whole. I’m extremely passionate about these articles, and they tie into my coaching programs, and how I view golf instruction. No, not every article I write is going to be instruction related, but getting you to play your best golf is what I’m passionate about. If you think you can’t get better, that’s nonsense! I know you can get better, I ask you to believe in yourself the same why that I believe in you. So, cheers to making 2018 your best year yet, and without further ado, onto the column…

Let’s talk about why we are all “The 2nd Ball Pro”. You know what I mean, you stand over that birdie putt, read it ten ways to Sunday, and you miss it by a foot. You then drag it back one handed, and you knock it right in the hole. You’ve done it right? You’ve got your tee shot all planned out, a baby draw down the fairway that you slice OB. You grab a ball, don’t even think about it, and smash it right down the middle! Why is that? How do we get that second ball pro to come out on our first golf shot? That is a question everyone who plays has asked themselves.

What we need to understand is that on most golf shots we are in the left side, or the logical side of our brain. We’re overthinking! We’re trying to come up with the “How am I going to hit this shot,” instead of getting into the right side of our brain, the reactive side, that is simply able to process everything and allow you to execute it. Think of when you throw a piece of paper into the trash can at work. You simply crumple up the paper and throw it in. Until your buddy comes by, and bets you $5 that you can’t do it again… What do you do, you crumple it up then analyze, analyze, analyze, and then you miss it.

The thing is, practice makes what? No, not perfect, practice makes permanent. What you do more of, you get more of. Think about this, every time that you go out to play you are on the range thinking and overloading yourself, then why when you get on the course would you assume that you’d simply be able to trust it? You see on that second ball, the frustration leads you to drag that ball over, not think, and swing freely.

So what we need to do, is start to practice “letting go.” Practice freeing yourself up! What I want you to do is the next time you go to the golf course I want you to literally say to yourself, “I’ve already hit the first ball out of bounds.” Set up and let it rip. Feel like you’ve already missed the next putt, then just hit it and let it go. Start to realize that your best golf is inside of you, and you have to let it out. The 2nd ball is proof that it is inside of you. We must start to unlock your potential by cutting down on the thinking, and really starting to open up on the trusting, committing, and letting go. So try it out the next time you play, and stay tuned for Part 2 next week!

 

Jack Nicklaus gave Tiger Woods great life advice on his 40th birthday

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Wow Tiger is 40 now, we wonder if he can still catch jacks record of 18 Majors….

Jack Nicklaus hopes Tiger Woods has his best year yet at 40.

Tiger Woods turned 40 years old on Dec. 30, a birthday that causes anxiety for a lot of people.

Take it from the great Jack Nicklaus that your life, in fact, is actually just getting started at 40 years old.

Nicklaus sent a birthday tweet to Woods with some encouragement and a great bit of life advice:

Here’s the full text in the link included in Jack’s tweet:

“Happy Birthday @tigerwoods! Just remember that 40 is the new 30. I had one of the greatest years of my life when I turned 40, and so I not only send you best wishes for a Happy Birthday but hope for a terrific year. You have heard me say it before that I know you have a lot of great golf left to play and success to enjoy, and I hope it all begins this year for you. Lastly, I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year.”

Tiger may or may not have a shot to win four more majors and tie Jack for the most all time at 18, but count The Golden Bear among those who hope he’s still gunning for it.

Source: FoxSports.com