2019 April

Steve Eubanks (Global Golf Post) wrote some wonderful observations about their success. We are all wondering why a country which is one seventh the size of USA and with a smaller population than Kenya, Africa can produce such successful golfers. Steve made these interesting observations:

-When Jin Young Ko was complimented about a 3 under par round she replied that “It should have been 7 under”.

-Ko, who won Rancho Mirage Tournament, finished her third round at 6 PM and was still on the practice green at 8 PM. Winners work harder.

Se-Ri-Pak with her Seoul Sisters. And the Korean winners continue to grow.

-Last year when Ko won Rookie of the Year, in her acceptance speech, she spoke about praying on the golf course, only focusing on the next shot, being happy, only thinking of positive thoughts and that only God knows her future.

-Another successful Korean, Lee6, who started golfing in earnest at 16, commented that she does all of her hard work to support her family who helped her get there.

It’s all about positive mental attitude, work ethic, belief in success and appreciation for family support.

Of course their success is a commitment to their future in golf. Weekend Warriors don’t really share the same commitment but we should learn something from the success of these young Korean women. We all want to be better golfers.

When your game is going in the wrong direction:
1/ Listen to your friends as they may see that you are making a major mistake. I recently understood that I was dropping my leading shoulder during my backswing. When I understood the mistake, it was easily fixed with one swing. Shoulder rotation with a fixed head location was the answer.

2/ Watch the LPGA pros on TV and duplicate their swings. It may sound silly but Weekend Warriors really should be watching the LPGA and learning from their slower swing speeds. You need to realize that the PGA is playing 7200 yards, LPGA is playing about 6400 to 6600 yard and most Weekend Warriors are playing 5600 to 6100 yard courses. YOU don’t need to swing like you are trying to hit 300+ yards.

3/ If your scores continue to go up, you are not only aging and losing power but your swing may be deteriorating. Take a lesson and learn some tricks to deal with your aging body or start doing more exercises to strengthen your arms and core.

4/ One private lesson is a great start to help you get your swing back on track. Take control of your swing for every club in your bag. Of course 1 lesson will just be a building block to get you started in the right direction to improve your game.

Fixing your drive and approach shots are critical for your future golfing success. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to correct 6 swing flaws for every club in your bag. It’s a great solution TO HELP YOU practice after you learn the correct way to swing. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

Your swing takes about 2 seconds to execute. You can’t afford to be focusing on 20 swing thoughts. You only have time to “feel” your swing so don’t let your mind mess it up. You should rehearse your swing with a practice swing and then go into the same mental mode for your actual swing WITHOUT cluttering your mind with swing thoughts or disturbing noises around you.

“Distract the Distractor”
That was the line that Martin Hall used on a Golf Channel blog as a reminder to block swing thoughts when you swing. He mentally repeats “1,2,3, 1” while he makes his backswing and his impact with the ball. His backswing takes about 3 times as long as his downswing so it helps him slow down his backswing and his transition while he blocks out any other thoughts.

I also use the descriptive words “Sweep in Pose” to block any other thoughts during my swing and to only focus on the 3 components of my swing. I sweep wider in my takeaway and loop my club back at the transition and up the inside slot on my downswing to a balanced pose. Mentally saying these words allows my mind to focus on my swing up the slot to a controlled finish. I’m just pleased to hear Martin Hall quote others that use the same technique.

Believe It
Try saying 2 different words in your mind at the same time.  You can’t do it. I agree that we can think of many things in a very quick sequence but you can’t say them in your mind at exactly the same time. That’s why your thought process can clean your mind during your swing. Just say your swing words with a smooth cadence and you will adopt a controlled feeling for your swing and your swing speed.

Stay in Focus
If your game is under control, it’s easy to keep your focus. Unfortunately when we make a stupid decision to hit a ball out of the rough with a 5 wood which you most likely will top, STOP and get back in focus. Use an iron to get out of the rough, suck-up your penalty shot and get on with your game. One bad hole is not going to kill your round of golf so start using your controlling “Swing Words” to cool down your hot head and get back in your game.

Believe That You Can

After 11 years since his last Masters win, Tiger knows how to focus on the shot that he needs to make! His focus was amazing.

Tiger was amazing at the Masters. Now at 43, he is within 3 Major Championship wins from Jack Nicklaus’ record which was set at the age of 46. Over a year ago I projected that Tiger would win again and now we can all see that he will most likely beat Jack’s record. It all comes down to focus, determination and commitment. Tiger never lost it and we all should learn from this as there is nothing we can’t achieve if we want it badly enough.

When your game is in trouble, make wise decisions to take your penalty and choose the right club to get out of trouble. Getting out of trouble may cost you a shot but you will at least avoid the blow-up holes. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to improve your cadence for every swing in your game. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

What’s the difference between making a practice swing and a swing at your golf ball? Exactly NOTHING! So what allows you to make a perfect practice swing and then prevents you from shifting your weight during your transition at the start of your downswing (as you swing at a golf ball)? When you don’t transfer your weight, you may be hitting 3 inches behind your ball or swinging over the top of your ball. You need a solution to stop hitting it fat, thin or topping it.

So why can’t you keep your mind and body relaxed enough to shift your hips and hit the ball before bottoming-out your swing? You can blame most of this problem on rushing your backswing.

I know that when I put extra power into my swing, I hit fat shots (hitting the ground first before the ball). I also see the same problem for most golfers when their game starts to fall apart. It’s so frustrating. Recently after watching my playing partner hit multiple fat shots, I describe his perfect practice swing before his “fat” swing at the ball. He confirmed that he knew that he was making this mistake and just could not bring himself to make the right correction to fix the problem. This has got to be the most frustrating problem in golf. And, it can happen for every club in your bag (except your putter).

Finding the Solution For a Perfect Impact on Every Swing:

Ernie Els is a great image to remember weight transfer starting during your transition.

1/ Stop Rushing Your Backswing: When you address the ball, you may tend to swing faster than your practice swing. You are try to put more power into your swing as you shorten your backswing and minimize the shift of your weight from your trailing leg to your leading leg. You may also tend to fall to the side or backwards when you finish your swing. Take more time in your backswing to allow your weight to shift forward during your transition from your backswing to your downswing.

2/ Are You Having a Brain Cramp? The weight and length of each of our clubs are different. That’s why we need to take a full practice swing before we address and hit each ball. You may also know that you often hit off the toe of one of your clubs and you need to compensate for that in your setup. Adjusting your grip and stance for a side hill lie is also a critical step in your setup. Don’t have a Brain Cramp and forget to correct for each of your clubs and the slope of your stance.

3/ Create a Consistent Swing (Practice and Actual): Our practice swing is often completed in a very controlled and deliberate swing at about 60% of our normal swing. That slower backswing gives us time to create a proper transition as our hips start to rotate for the downswing. When you execute your swing at the ball, everything changes as we speed up our swing. MATCH your 80% practice swing FEELING and SPEED with the same swing when you execute your hit. [DON’T SWING FASTER!]

4/ Try Setting-up with Your Weight Shifted Forward: To learn the feel for your forward weight shift you may want to try setting up with 60% of your weight on your leading foot to ensure that you impact your ball before skimming the ground. You may lose some distance when you do this but it will definitely improve your impact with the ball and avoid those fat shots. As your round progresses, slow down your backswing and create your weight shift during your transition to generate more distance.

5/ Andrew Rice Tip @ Revolution Golf: Another way to feel the transfer of weight from your trailing leg to your leading leg is to slightly lift your leading heel in your backswing and then drive it into the ground and as you shift your weight forward during your downswing. This is almost the opposite of point #4 but you do need to transfer your weight forward to get more power and to consistently hit your ball.

Golf is a game of consistency and mind control. It will NOT happen naturally. You need to understand what’s causing your mistakes and focus on corrective action. Practice your swing for consistency with GOLFSTR+ for every club in your bag. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com.

Is it possible to change your “self” into a “Golf Performer Self”?  Many books have been written on this subject and they all point to the fact that you CAN create a new self-image when you step on the first tee or a tennis court or any sport that you choose for that matter. You have performed your past successes and you can use that knowledge to transform your mind and body into a unique “Golf Performer Self”.

Elton John transforms into his own “Performer Self” when he steps on stage. That “Performer Self” is unique from the “self” that we have seen when he is off stage. This is just an example of the unique performer that you can also become when you play every round of golf.

We all know that it is a struggle to take our wonderful practice shots from the practice range to the golf course. On the practice range we are relaxed and hitting a number of shots with the same club to find a consistent rhythm for each club. You may have heard the phrase that “any idiot can hit their second attempt at the same shot better than their first attempt”. All you need to do is put your mind in the same frame-of-mind for every swing in your game.

How do you become your own “Golf Performer Self”  HINT: You have to work at this.
Choose a video of one of your favorite golfers on YouTube.com. Find a video of their full swing and then a slow motion version of their swing. I love to visualize Ernie Els’ swing because he never rushes his transition at the top of his backswing. Don’t throw this opportunity away. It’s your chance to step up your game.

Ernie Els has a wonderful golf swing.  His transition and finishing balance are so important:

Ernie Els’ Swing and Slo-Mo Swing (select and skip the ads to see a Golf Monthly video):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=322VsPIlnIo

Golf Is a Unique Game You Can Master
Golf is one game where you can practice your perfect swing before you swing at your ball. It’s one of the few games (like billiards) where your ball is not even moving. All you have to do is understand the wind condition, the lie of your ball and the right club to reach your target. Once you get those right, your practice swing will confirm the right feel for your swing (without over swinging and killing the shot). Turn your “Performer Golf Self” on and then deliver the same consistent swing that you know will deliver the shot you want.

Don’t Let Bad Thoughts Creep into Your Mind
We all know friends with a low handicap who can shoot rounds in the 70’s or 80’s but when they play in the club championship their game disappears during their final round. There are very few golfers and professional golfers who win golf tournaments. The winners can turn on their INNER CALM that allows them to find their “Performer Self” as compared to their “Real Self” AND YOU CAN TOO!

You have already turned on your “Performer Self” in the past. It happened when you played a round of golf that’s 10 or 15 strokes below your average round of golf. You have done this before and you can do it during every round you play. Just turn on your positive attitude and enjoy keeping every shot in the center of every fairway or chipping it close. Practice with your GOLFSTR+ to learn the right swing for every swing in your game. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com