2020 May

The more I read about golf the more I realize that our Positive Mental Attitude is the reason why we have streaks in our games. That’s right streaks of great shots and pars or streaks of poor shots and bogies or doubles. Poor shots happen. The winners in this game know how to block the bad shot memory and move on to the next shot. Ben Hogan said that “the most important shot in golf is the next one”.

I realize that I am a temperamental golfer so I rationalize why I made a poor shot before I can move on to the next shot. I notice that some pros like Jim Furyk will execute the perfect practice swing after they make a poor shot. They know the swing required to execute every shot so they use their practice swing to build that mental corrective action.

Moe used a single plane swing with both arms straight.  He also used his cocked wrists to create lag and power.

Moe Norman’s Philosophy of Golf
There was a wonderful Golf Digest article about Moe Norman, the autistic Canadian golfer. He used a full hip and spine rotation in his backswing but with both arms straight from setup to impact. It limited the arc of his club head but it gave him and amazing accuracy. He looked like a windmill. It was not a pretty swing and not extremely long but it was perfectly accurate.

I’m not suggesting that we should duplicate Moe’s swing but I do believe that if we limit our backswing, every recreational golfer will improve accuracy. As an autistic person he was noticed for his shy nature and his seemingly silly quirks.

Moe learned to ignore others and golf within his own mentally focused world. He constantly said “Golf is to have fun. What do you have to lose? A lousy ball, that’s all. If you lose yours, grab another one out of your bag and hit it.” [A great suggestion for beginning golfers or when you play a none competitive round of golf.] “That’s what the game’s about. Most golfers don’t see the bright things. All they see is the bad. But if you see the bad things, that’s where your mind will take you.”

“If you drive a car down the road and look at the sidewalk, where do you think you’re going to put the car? It’s the same thing on a golf course. People see only trees and water. But I don’t. To me, they are only there as an ornament. They are there to make the course look nicer. All I see is the tee, middle of the fairway, and middle of the green. That’s golf. I hit my 18 fairways and 18 greens, and go on to the next day.”

The interviewer said, “It must be boring for you.” Moe replied, “Like heck it is. That’s fun”

The golf season has pretty well opened up across North America (in spite of COVID-19). This is a good time to play with safe social distancing and to drop an extra ball when you miss a shot. Learn from your mistakes and create a new attitude for your game. You can also visit Pclubgolf to have fun. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to improve the consistency of your swing. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com

Golf Truism #8: If your driver is hot, your putter will be ice cold; if you can hit your irons, you will top your woods; if you are keeping your right elbow tucked in, your head will come up.

Golf is not a sport that you learn without putting a lot of effort into the game. Anyone who learns to play golf tries to apply the basic motion learned with a baseball bat or a cricket bat. Unfortunately that swing does not apply for the ideal golf swing and its different with each of your golf clubs. That’s why golf can be frustrating for so many golfers.

Ideally you can start playing golf with any strength and equipment that you have. If you try to learn golf by watching others at a driving range, hitting some balls and heading for a golf course, you will most likely end up frustrated and never become a good golfer. If you missed any of the following steps I highly recommend that you go back to the basics:

This is definitely not a baseball swing. Controlling your backswing and your downswing requires new patience and skills.

1/ Take lessons from a PGA Golf Pro: You will never appreciate how poor your swing is until you get instruction for the basics in swinging a driver, an iron, a wedge and a putter. A group session will be helpful but one-on-one instruction will help you progress much faster.

2/ Practice at a Driving Range: It will help you understand how difficult it is to hit a ball consistently with each of your clubs. Knowing the different setups and the distance that each club hits is critical for your success.

3/ Take Notes: Check out the internet or buy some books to help learn the finer details of hitting with every type of club. Write down brief points that you should apply for grip, setup and balance for every type of club. Each club performs best with its own unique formula.

4/ Practice and Exercise: You will only build confidence in your swing when you learn to hit consistently and when you build up the power in your swing. Many of the pros start their practice with short light shots to wake up their muscles and create consistent hits with each type of club.

5/ Enjoy Golfing with Friends at a Similar Skill Level:  Patience is crucial.  Don’t play this game if you can’t see this as a challenge to improve your skills as well as improving your mental attitude. Learn from every mishit or go back to your notes or your books or back for more lessons. See golf as a way to learn to control your mental outlook and your newly found skills.

Example of Chipping and Pitching Notes: (It’s more than a putting stroke.)
1/ Stance: Feet open and almost touching, ball is off your leading foot instep and shaft forward.
2/ Swing: Equally back and forward with acceleration to the same height.
3/ Loose Knees: Pivot around your leading leg to a forward balanced finish (don’t lock-up).
4/ Pressure is 55% forward: Helping you swing through the ball and up your target line.

You can’t learn this game without practice and patience to develop consistency. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to help you overcome the 6 critical swing faults. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com.

Golf Truism #7: If you want to be better at golf, go back and take it up at a much earlier age.

Over the past few weeks I have been emailing with one of our subscribers about professional golfers who bend their leading arm in the backswing. Gilles allowed me to share our discussion as it is so relevant for many recreational golfers.

Gilles’ Email: “I am writing an e-mail rather than using the “comment” section so as not to pass for the “smart ass” who attempts to bust your theory.” About the “straight leading arm” concept, which I must say I fully endorse. I saw Corey Conners (who swings with a bent leading arm) win a recent PGA tournament and place 2nd and 3rd in 2 others tournaments in 2019. He has a

Cory Conners won his first PGA tournament in 2019 with a bent leading arm in his backswing. It works because is able to straighten his arm in the downswing.

smooth, simple and efficient swing. He hits it pretty long too. Yet, he BENDS HIS LEADING ARM in the backswing up to about 45 degrees. How can he play so well?”

Will Curry’s Response: I also saw his bent leading arm. He is amazing but you will notice that his bent arm actually straightens as his lagging wrist releases. BTW Lee Westwood also has a slight bend at the top of his swing. However most pros play with a straight leading arm so it must be the ideal way to swing. However, I have seen many of the senior pros add a slight bend to their leading arm.

My wife had her neck fused at C3-4 after a car accident and got help from DWI Guys office in Albany to solve the case. She has this amazing golf swing with a BENT leading arm and drives consistently about 190 yards. A pro at our Golf Club told her that her “arm is naturally straightening out during her down swing so at impact she is in the perfect position.  Don’t try to change it.”

I created GOLFSTR after I saw the video of my swing lesson with a bent arm, swinging over the top and slicing across the ball. Practicing with GOLFSTR, I have improved my swing dramatically and I know that I often have a slight bend. Habits are hard to break but my best shots are with a straight leading arm.

Rory is the #1 golfer in the world because he commits to every shot with full power (and a straight leading arm).

Reply from Gilles: “I use my GOLFSTR but I must admit that I am not using it as often as I should. It does provide mental training to stop going too far back. I found that the tendency to over rotate, using the bent arm, is due to a subconscious thought that “further back equals a longer shot”. Of course, I need to fight this faulty reasoning and this is where the GOLFSTR helps. I’m finding that what appears to be a limited rotation with a straight leading arm produces more distance with added control. And, as you mention, “habits are hard to break”.

By the way, I always read, and appreciate, all of your blogs. I find they provide a fresh, and summarized, view of the golf swing. Somewhat like a “Readers Digest” of all the instructions in circulation. And God knows we can drown in this flood of golf tips coming from everywhere. It’s refreshing to have you give us a “layman’s” point of view, in a condensed form.”

Will Curry’s Response: Your understanding is exactly what I want you to feel about these blogs. I am always looking for that nugget of knowledge that will improve my game and then share those points. GOLFSTR+ is a training aid that reminds you to limit your backswing and limit your bent leading arm. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com.

Golf Truism #6: Don’t play with anyone who would question a 7.

How many thoughts can you cram into the instant of time that it takes to swing a golf club? The more you try, the worse it gets. The best solution is to take your BRAIN out of your swing. Ideally you want your subconscious mind to take over with the right feeling for every swing in your game. The trick is to change from a mechanical swing to the feeling for a perfect swing.

If you have played this this game for 1 year or 40 years, you know that your game has its ups and downs. As it turns out, it’s all driven by your emotions. Your best shots are effortless and seem to come out of nowhere. Your goal is to bundle those shots every time you play.

Jason Day seems to go into a trance as he  visualize each shot.  He and Jack and Tiger can see their shot and lock it in their mind.  You can do it too.

Turn on Your Subconscious Mind
I was recently reminded (by the 2 best golfers who have ever played this game) that you will never be a great golfer until you shift your knowledge of the mechanics to visualization and feel for the swing that you want to execute.

Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods both been asked to described the reasons for their success. Of course they talk about their hard work but at the moment of truth they “zone into their swing”, they visualize flight of their ball and the target they want to hit. They change their focus from the mechanics of their swing to the “feeling” of the swing needed to launch their ball on the right path to their target.

Every successful professional golfer knows that they have to take their mind into a zone where they ignore the CLUTTER IN THEIR MIND (noise, a recent poor shot, personal problems and the pressure to win a match). Brooks Koepka says that he has no thought in his mind when he makes his shot. What he is actually trying to say is that he knows the feeling and swing path that he needs in order to execute each shot. His total focus is on launching his ball with the right shape to land on his target.

Bad Thoughts Create Bad Shots
Years ago, Dr. Bob Rotella had an article featured in Golf Digest that basically said “Your muscles have no capacity to remember anything.” Memory resides in your head. Muscle Memory does not exist. It doesn’t matter how much you practice or even how great your swing may already be. Great shots are created with positive thoughts and the right visualization and feelings for each shot.

The Solution:
Clear your mind by choosing your target, distance, club, line-up and grip. With that positive mental attitude, stare at your target to burn that image into your mind. Make a practice swing to FEEL the right swing. Relax your shoulders & arms to execute the right swing with the FEELING and mental image that you know will hit your target. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to develop confidence with your mind to let go when it counts on the course. Buy one today at www.GOLFSTR.com.

Golf Truism #5: The only sure way to get a par is to leave a four-foot birdie putt two inches short of the hole.