2017 April

The movie “Moneyball” helped us understand that knowing the right player stats in baseball can help baseball teams make the better player selection decisions. Getting a walk is almost as important as getting a single.  After all, getting on base is the only way you can score runs. The same applies in golf. Driving to the fairway, Greens in Regulation (GRI), chipping for 1 putt are the most critical factors in lowering your score. You just need an easy way to record your progress to lower your scores.

Of course your score for 18 holes is one way to measure your success but it doesn’t tell you where to focus your practice for your next round. The pros are hiring “stats guys” to advise them. Mark Solda is the chief executive and president of Every Ball Counts. His evaluation of one player revealed that the tour average of making 3 foot or shorter putts was 99.42%. Solda showed the player that if he improved from 98 percent to 99 percent from that distance, he would increase his earnings by $412,000. Amazing fact!

You are not a pro. The pros have amazing stats recorded for every tournament round that they play. Hank Haney talked about the best stats are “strokes gains” for the pros which take into account the weather and competition. Those stats will never be available for your game. Hank suggests that you focus on a step-by-step improvement plan.

Diagnose your weaknesses by analyzing your stats in three key areas:

Plan where your ball will land before you hit it. She looks committed to this shot.

1. Long game: Land in the fairway in a good position to hit the Greens In Regulation.
2. Short Game: Avoid 2 chips, 2 pitchers and 2 sand trap shots. Get on the green.
3. Putting: Avoid 3 putts by landing closer to the hole and learning to read greens.

HOW do you easily keep track of all of this data?

SOLUTION: Code your score card with a letter as you enter your score after each hole.
M– Mishit: Not hit in the center of the club face and lost distance.
R– Rough: Hit the ball into the rough or behind trees or in an avoidable location.
S– Sand: A good approach shot, pitch or chip should miss the sand.
P– Penalty: Water, Lost Ball or Out of Bounds are the dumbest penalties to take.
# of Putts: Almost 50% of your strokes are putts so you need track your 3+ putts and total your putts.

At the end of your round, total up your mistakes and pay attention to your problem areas. For example if you are mishitting your driver or fairway clubs: set a plan to minimize the problem.

1. Your primary focus is to consistently hit every shot in the center of your club face.
2. Increase your length of drives with proper body rotation and wrist lag.
3. Swing in control so that you finish your swing in perfect balance for 3 seconds.
4. Control the direction of your hit for draw or fad to land in the fairway.
5. Plan to avoid hazards by hitting short of them to allow for your perfect chip to within 6 feet of the hole. Eliminate the blow-up holes and possibly save a par.

GOLFSTR+ is a training aid to help you correct the position of your arm or wrist for 6 swing problems. Sort out your big miss and then fix it with the correct swing. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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GOLFSTR+ was designed and manufactured by a golfer who was anxious to improve his game. That would be me, Will Curry. My distributors encouraged me to share my story with you. After all, I am an aging golfer with an aging body (just like you) who wants to avoid the problems that cause the occasional round over 100. My goal has always been to shoot every round in the 80’s and occasionally get into the 70’s. This seems to be the goal of every golfer I know.

I write these weekly blogs based on my experiences with friends, comments by professional PGA golfers and observations about successes and failures in golf. I have released 236 of these weekly blogs to build an awareness for GOLFSTR+ and to help me improve my game. The social awareness has helped me sell a lot of GOLFSTRs. If only I could apply every thought that I publish. I have my wonderful rounds but my consistency always needs work. My aging body, which is hitting another milestone on May 4, is constantly recovering from historic back injuries and strained muscles from too much tennis.

Again we wintered in Florida at a golf and tennis community where the weather was perfect and the comradery was wonderful. I was really looking for an excuse to share this amazing photo of Old Glory over our practice putting green. I’m not sure how the cloud was formed in a circle but it was an awesome moment when I looked up.

I work from Florida so I only have limited time for tennis and some golf. The golf course view from my office window was like watching the Golf Channel version of “Groundhog Day”. I watched the tee shots on a par 3 which has water on the left and trees up the right to a well trapped green. It was fun to see that only about 30% of the golfers hit and stayed on the green. About the same as my game.

About 70% of the female golfers had no idea of the concept of creating lag in their backswing. I guess the women don’t want their husbands telling them how to improve their game so they continue to swing with 2 straight arms in their backswing and hit their drives about 75 yards. The same problem applies to about 30% of the men. Aren’t these people taking lessons? At least they should be buying a GOLFSTR+ to help them train for wrist lag in their backswing. They just don’t understand the concept of creating lag with their wrists in the backswing to unleash the power of the club head through the ball. LAG, RELEASE, WHOOSH and BINGO for double the distance.

We golf to enjoy the exercise and friendships but each course has its own beauty. In Florida the course layouts through forests and ponds are spectacular. The wildlife is also an interesting addition. Sure there are plenty of birds but when you see a pelican grabbed from below by a lunging alligator and all that remains are floating feathers, you know that golfers should beware. After a few months of watching our friendly alligator (Herkimer) we heard that he was feasting on local cats and small dogs. His capture took 2 days as he broke the line from a 3 pronged fishing hook on their first try.   I thought you might like to see the video of his capture on our front lawn.

I thought you might like this break for a week from your GOLFSTR+ SWING TIPS. I just wanted you to see that I’m like any other golfer who enjoys the game and all the fun that comes with it. I hope you are getting ready for your summer golf season by practicing with GOLFSTR+. Buy one for yourself or a friend, who may want to improve their game, at www.golfstr.com

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The only difference between you and an Iron Byron, the golf ball testing robot, is that you have emotions and adrenaline to change the consistency of your swing. You know what you want to accomplish with every swing but your mental state, physical condition and levels of adrenaline will affect every swing that you make.

Bobby Jones, the founder of The Masters at Augusta National gave us the quote that was plaguing Sergio Garcia: “Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course… the space between your ears.” Sergio’s win at the Masters tells us that he finally mastered his head and his adrenaline.

Sergio Garcia has finally found confidence with the new love in his life. Try CALM and RELAXED when you golf and let it all out when you win.

YOUR GOAL IS CONSISTENCY: We all hit great shots for a percent of our hits using every club. Your goal is to repeat that swing with each club. So why is it so difficult to repeat that swing?  You have to swing with the same emotional tempo. When you are excited or your adrenaline is pumping, you are a different person than the person who is confident, relaxed and just trying to layup a perfect shot.

How often do you say to yourself “Just swing easy”? Then you step up to the ball and try to knock the crap out of that ball. What were you thinking?

I recently played in a tournament where I stepped up to the first tee and felt like it was the tee-off at the Masters. Adrenaline?  You bet!  I topped the ball 100 yards down the fairway. After this embarrassing start I proceeded to swing harder to catch up to my competitor on my next shot. Too bad, same result.

SOLUTION: RELAX, PERFECT PRACTICE SWING and PERFECT HIT
1/ When you make a poor shot, accept the fact that you may bogie the hole. You need to change your goal for that hole as if you are playing against yourself to avoid a double bogie.
2/ If your shot puts you in a poor position behind trees or in the rough, accept the fact that you may bogie the hole. Select the right club to get your ball back in play on the fairway. Avoid the blow-up hole.
3/ Whether you are on the tee at the first hole or hitting from a poor location or you are headed for a bogie, you need to calm your mind. Relax your body. Accept the fact that your next shot is the only shot that matters.
4/ As you prepare to setup for your next shot mentally say the words “calm and relaxed”, drop your shoulders and make the practice swing with the exact tempo that you plan for your hit.
5/ In your practice swing, relax your arms to ensure that your wrists are loose to allow your club enough time to reach the perfect lag position in your backswing (as your weight shift from your trailing leg to your leading leg). Hear the whooshing sound when you execute the release of your wrists.
6/ You know how to swing from the inside to up the line. Once more, mentally say “calm and relaxed” and duplicate your perfect practice swing as you hit the perfect shot.

RELAX, PERFECT PRACTICE SWING for the identical PERFECT HIT

You can’t be successful in golf unless your mind is focused on the perfect swing and your adrenaline level is low. Practice with your GOLFSTR+ at the driving range before you play to get the feeling of the perfect release [without killing the ball]. Learn to lag with your wrists in your backswing so that you can create a whooshing sound as you whip the club head through the ball. Buy a GOLFSTR+ TODAY for 6 swing fixes at www.golfstr.com

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