Category: Mind

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The Goofy Game of Golf Trying to Execute the Answer

Even though I have the answer and will reveal it tonight,  the answer can not overcome trying out a new driver and not taking your old one with you. Because of a very poor driving day, I failed to break 80, even though the conditions for November 23rd were just about perfect, with temps in the 50’s at the start and pushing into the 60’s, with very little wind. The answer applies to all three phases of the game. So without further ado here is the answer.

THE ANSWER TO PLAYING THE BEST GOLF THAT YOU CAN POSSIBLY PLAY, IS TO FIND YOUR “THAT DAY GOLF SWING, YOUR THAT DAY SHORT GAME METHOD, AND YOUR THAT DAY PUTTING STROKE” AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

Another way to think about this is to abandon that swing thought, before it abandons you. What is your that day golf swing etc.? I will discuss this in depth, about all three phases in furture blogs. For  now I can tell you, what it is not. It is not what you were doing in your last round no matter how good it felt, maybe. Notice I did say maybe, but more on that later.  It is the ability to find your game quickly in all three phases that determines how you will play that day. This in my mind will be the most fascinating thing in trying to play this goofy game. You will have to face each new round with an open mind and not rely on an anchor from the previous round or practice session. I don’t know why this is the answer but I know that it is. I will only have a few more times to play this year to try to execute the answer, but each blog will discuss what if any progress I have made. Next week the full swing up to this point.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Trying to Execute the Answer

The answer produced results this week, with rounds of 74 and 77, in some pretty tough conditions of temps in the low 40’s and some breeze, although the wind could have been worse. Both rounds were produced despite some mediocre to poor putting. The 74 round was highlighted by hitting the first ten greens in regulation. Its difficult to apply the answer to putting and the short game but progress is being made. Today I am going to write about some of the things the answer explains and some things that are gone forever from my golf game.

Like most of us, I take some notes after each round on some of the things that I thought I was doing well, and how they might help me in future rounds. Here are some examples of some of these notes. Hit the driver on the downswing. Shoulders must control the swing. Get balanced at addres. Keep the legs quiet. Full wrist cock on less than full shots. Keep swing on shoulder plane. Stretch the left side on the back swing. I will never write notes or similiar notes like that again, now that I have the answer.

For those of you that get to warm up before a round, one of four things can happen.  A good warm up and good play. A good warm up and bad play. A bad warm up and good play. A bad warm up and a bad play. The answer explains all this.

The answer can explain why scores flucuate so much from day to day, even on the PGA tour. Many blogs back I gave the example of Peter Lonard, when he won the Heritage, his only win on the PGA tour with rounds of something like 66, 74, 67, and 75. The answer can explain this.

The answer expains why you can’t take you game from the practice range to the golf course. I have explained this in another blog but the answer confirms this.

Sometimes we will finish a round very strong because of a  swing thought but when we try to  apply  the same thought to next round we fail miserably. The answer explains  this.

I have often questioned the value of the practice swing, but because of the answer the practice swing is absolutely necessary.

There are many other things in the game that the answer explains and I will probably discuss them in future blogs. Even though I said higher handicap players still will need more than just the answer, it will still benefit them. I will reveal the answer next week. I am revealing the answer next week, even though I still haven’t figured out for sure how to execute the answer, because I am sure this is the answer. I don’t know why this is the answer but I just know that it is.  Once the answer is revealed maybe someone else will find a way to execute the answer. My golfing season is winding down and will not have many more opportunities to try to execute the answer but spring is just around the corner. NEXT WEEK THE ANSWER.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Trying to Execute the Answer

Well, for a man claiming to have found the answer to the game of golf, the play was not very good for the week. I was able to get four rounds in this week but failed to break 80 in all four rounds. I have built in excuses already, from not feeling well on Tuesday to some very tough conditions on Saturday. Trying to execute the answer in the short game and putting is proving to be  much tougher than executing it in the long game. I probably struck the  ball better this week, than any time this year, but the short game and putting was so bad, that this killed any chance I had of having a good number. I do feel that I made some progress in this area but time will tell. This week it looks like I will be able to get in 9 tomorrow and 18 on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday but after that the weather is going to turn ungolfable for the rest of the week. While I am not going to reveal the answer today, I am going to write about what the answer is not.

The answer is not for someone with a handicap of over 12. The answer does not replace the fundementals of grip, stance, posture, and alignment. If your handicap is over 12 then you got some work to do in that area and in areas of the swing itself.

The answer is not the shoulder control swing that I developed. I still like this as a way to describe the golf swing and as a teaching aid but it is not the answer.

The answer is not, what I termed the mind body connection. The mind and body have to be in sync but it is not the answer.

The answer is not visualization and only thinking of your target. We all hear of stories of players getting in this mode and shooting a great round but why doesn’t this work every time. It’s simply is not the answer. However, visualization and being target oriented, may be a step in getting to the answer.

The answer is not something new or earth shattering and is quite simple. It will require an open mind, particularly when it concerns your own golf game. Once you accept  this as the answer it will rid your mind of many golf thoughts, that you have clung to for years.

Next week I will write about all the things that the answer explains in this goofy game. Hopefully I will find even better ways in executing the answer.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

Its been three weeks since the last blog even though I intended to blog on a weekly basis. Since the last blog my rounds have been 79, 75, 79, 75, 80, 75, and 71. The 71 was a one over par, so I have yet to have an even par round. Even though there is more golf to played in the Burgh this year, there will be no more scores to turn in. Despite being unsuccessful in obtaining what I considered the ultimate mind body connection my handicap went down from 4.1 to 3.7, after reaching a June high of 5.8. I have already played my 100th round of the year for the third consecutive year.

I have good news and I have bad news. Now, ususally when someone says that, most people want the bad news first. I am going to give the good news first because the bad news won’t make any sense. The good news is, and it is very good news, that I have found the answer. The bad news is that I haven’t figured out how to execute the answer. So because I have found the answer the blog will have a new title. It’s going to be called “The Goofy Game of Golf Trying to Execute the Answer”. Am I going to reveal the answer today? NO! Am I not going to reveal the answer because I am a no good S.O.B? I am a no good S.O.B. but thats not the reason. I have two reasons that I am not going to do it today. I am 95% sure this is the answer, but since I just discovered it, about 10 days ago, time will tell. Secondly I would like to be able to find the best way to accomplish the answer before I reveal what it is. Naturally, if I am right about this, my scores should reflect that the rest of the year, and into next year. Now if I feel this is the answer by July 1 2015 but I am no closer in finding a way to execute the answer, then I will reveal the answer. I may do this even sooner if I am totally stump, but I feel now, that I want to try through June of next year.   This has already freed my game up immensely and I will be even going back to practicing but for a different reason. As weeks roll by, I will discuss certain aspects of my game, and how finding the answer has changed them, hopefully for the better. There is about 2 to 4 weeks of golf left in the Burgh and maybe more, so we will see how I do in the coming weeks. Maybe I will find the how to the what faster than I expect. I should be able to play 2 to 3 rounds this week and we will see how it goes.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

Back after about a 2 and 1/2 week hiatus. My play has been interesting if not spectacular. Of my last 19 rounds, 15 of them have been between 73 and 77, with the other 4 being 78, 79, 80, and 81. Most of them have been between 75 and 77 with the last three, being 77. I know there are some people who would die for a “streak” like that, but I am feeling frustrated. I have not shot a par round this year and I haven’t felt like any one part of my game has been all that solid. I did go through one stretch when I hit my irons really well, but other than that I have had my usual problems. But I have been able to rake it around, and shoot in the mid seventies pretty consistantly. I don’t have any conclusions drawn from the last two weeks of play, but that’s just the way it has been.

We, as golfers, are always talking about how hard the game of golf is, for various reasons. Rather than say the game is hard, I think we should change the wording, and thus the thought process, from hard to complex. Lets give a prime example. We all talk about how important it is to know how far we hit each club. This is true only to a certain degree. I hit my 50 degree wedge 110 yards. Sounds simple enough doesn’t it. So if I am 110 yards from the middle of the green I should hit my 50 degree. However, there are 80 combinations of the way the ball is lying on the ground, and in the grass, and the conditions that we are playing in, that will affect how far that ball will travel. I am not going through all those combinations now, but trust me there are that many, especially here in Western Pa. It is our awareness and how we evaluate those conditions that will dictate how successful we are in executing a good shot. We are talking about conditions that can make a difference of 20 or 30 yards on a shot of only 110 yards. It is even more so on longer shots. So pay attention and think complex not hard.

Finally and maybe even least, Tiger Woods is going to  swing number 5.  A quick review. Swing number 1 won the Masters by 12 shots.  Swing number 2 won 7 majors and 20 sum odd tournaments. Swing number 3 won 6 majors and 20 sum odd tournaments. Swing number 4 gave him a dominate 2013 where he was player of the year, again No. 1 in the world, but alas no majors. You noticed I haven’t mentioned any names. I don’t think the names are important. But who will guide swing number 5. Will he go back to one of the old swings. Highly unlikely. I know I am in the minority but I think Tiger will come back full blast and even past Jack Nicklaus. Of course there is one big if. He has to get healthy. If his back and knee continue to be a problem, then he is done. He may win one major on just talent and guts, but he will never be a force unless he has all the physical tools. So what will swing number 5 be like. Maybe he will swing like Lee Trevino. I think he should swing like Annika. Was there ever a better more fluid swing in the last 50 years. That premature release of the head should take the strain off the back. So Tiger, go find Annika’s coach, and make swing number 5 the most fluid and stress free swing since Sam Snead.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answere

I haven’t blogged for about 2 and a half weeks for various reasons. My grand kids were in town for a week and golf took a back seat for that week. But most of all just not a lot of progress made on finding the answer. The scores the last two weeks have been about the same with most in the mid 70’s and a couple of 80’s tossed in just to make sure that I know I haven’t found the answer. There has not been a lot of stimulus to write, but today I thought I would like to discuss a subject not directly related to golf, but with some of the things that I am doing right now, it may have more meaning, if by some flukey chance, these things turn out to be successful.

I would like to discuss our perceptions, or the way we perceive things. In some cases this could be about a particular subject. Let’s take the example of Obama Care. There is one side that feels this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. The other perception is that Obama Care threatens the very existance of the American way. Each side argues passionately for their point of veiw and thinks the other sides perception is skewed or wrong. This ends up with neither side  coming close to convincing the other side to change their mind. I can tell you that that there are two areas where our perceptions are definitely skewed or wrong. This is in the area of time and speed. Time is a constant. A second is a second, a minute is a minute, an hour is an hour and so on and so on. But in your feeble little mind 5 minutes can seem like an eternity, if you are waiting for someone or standing in line. On the other hand if you are engrossed in a book or a video game, an hour can fly by in the blink of an eye. We look up from the game or book and say, “Oh my God where did the time go, I’m going to be late for work”.  The same thing can be said about speed. Most of us have to drive a little way through congested streets and neighborhoods to get to the freeway or interstate. When you first get on the interstate and get into the flow of traffic and hit the 55- 65 mph speed you really get that feeling that you are hip hopping right along. Before long however, as the traffic keeps moving you accelerate up to 75 and 80 mph and don’t even know it, because now that feels the same as when you were going 65. Then when you get off the interstate, maybe on a two lane highway, where the speed limit is 55, that will feel like you are just crawling. Even though the speed can be pretty much the same if will feel different depending on when and where you are doing that particular speed.

Now what does this have to do with golf. Your golf swing has these two components, time and speed. There is a certain amount of time you will have to take to make a golf swing. Your swing, and I am not talking about the amount of clubhead speed you can generate, will also have a certain speed. It will be your perception of the time and speed of your golf swing that will dictate how you make adjustments during a round of golf. My guess here, and I am dealing from my own experience, that these perceptions are wrong. I am not sure how they are wrong and they may not be wrong all time. I may have some conclusions on this in a later blog. Anyway, just food for thought, don’t let it give you indigestion. See you when I have something to write about again.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

Well this week was moving along quite nicely until today. It was a busy week with five rounds played. I shot 74 at Indian Run, 75 at Hartmans, 79 at Scenic Valley, 76 at Indian Run, and 86 at Highland Springs. Today was a complete mental meltdown. The bizzare thing I am doing is still working quite nicely as evident by the first four scores. The 79 at Scenic Valley was low lighted by 2 four putt greens.  My long game is doing well but my short game and my short irons today were horrible. In one respect I feel I have found the mind body connection with the long game. However I have not been able to apply this at least to the short game, and my scores have suffered.

Today was particularly bad, because on every shot from the fairway I felt that I had the wrong club in my hand. Needless to say the results of the shots were not good. The chip yips were back in full force and my putting was yippy and mediocre at best. This is where it gets, in my view, somewhat interesting. Even though my mind body connection is at its best right now on executing the swing, the other parts of my mental game are so bad that my scores were not as good as they should have been. Let’s go back to my statement that I felt like on every shot I had the wrong club in my hand. Most of the time I felt that I had too much club in my hand. Now, why didn’t I go back to my bag and get less club. I don’t know why. I am not about do go into what I am doing with my golf swing right now, but that does contribute to this problem. I could have easily corrected this, if I had gone back to my bag, and got less club. Right now I do not have an explanation. I must solve the chip yip problem and get better focused. It is amazing that you can score this badly and strike the ball this well. The week coming up the grand kids are coming to town so golf will be on the back burner this week with only one or two rounds being played at the most. I will have plenty of time to contemplate the problem and come up with some kind of a solution. The long game though is simply still exhilerating and I found the answer. Now we have to get it once we get close to the green.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

Well, this may be the most interesting week I have had since I started the blog, almost 4 years ago. Only time will tell if I have found the true mind body connection, but if this is it, then this game is goofier than even I thought it was. Played four rounds this week and began with an 82 at the easy Fort Cherry and was headed for an even worst round the next day at Scenic Valley until the 15th hole. From that point on I began to do something that I continued  for the rest of the week. I finished the final 4 holes 1 under par, but still only managed to shoot 81. Then at South Park, I shot 77 and at Buffalo shot a 75, and I can say all my drop shots were do to a lack of concentration. This lack of concentration was brought about by the fact, that what I have been doing the last 40 holes is so bizarre, that it is throwing me for a loop. I usually give things a longer trial period before I reveal what I am doing, but this week coming up will be it. I should be able to get in 5 rounds this week with the holiday, and if the weather co-operates.  If I continue to play  well this week, then I will discuss this in next Sunday’s blog.

One of the things that has happened is that I have all new distances for my irons now, and that has been difficult getting use to. Plus my mind was wandering everywhere on certain shots today, which caused me to make some very bad shots. Despite this I still managed to shoot one of my better rounds of the year a 4 over 75. One of the big pluses is that the game has become more fun. The thing that I am doing now has had a positive effect on all aspects of my game and has improved my chipping immensely. Now, 40 holes is still way to little of a sample to say this will become the permanent way I will play golf, but it has been exhilerating non the less. It goes against all good teaching and advice but at least for now it has given me new hope. Like I wrote before, this game is even goofier than I have ever imagined. It will be most interesting to see what this week brings. Happy golfing, skip to the lou my darling.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

Its been a busy 2 weeks with lots of golf. Not very good golf but its good to play a lot. Here are the scores of the last 2 weeks, 78,82,77, 85, 88, 78, 81 and 78. Obviously I have not find the key to the mind body connection. I thought I was on to something many times, but each time I was just whistling in the wind. I will admit some of the high scores have been because of this search for the mind body connection, which have failed, or had some brief success only to  fail miserably. I have been putting pretty well during this stretch, with the exception of the 85 round where I had 5 three putt greens in a row.

Now I would like to discuss a couple of things about the recent U. S. Open. Now this is not to take anything away from the dominant victory of Martin Kaymer. It was a truly great performance. But missing the fairway in this Open was a lot different than in previous Opens. There was more of an element of luck involved. Lets say the Open would have been much closer and two players came to the 72ond hole tied for the lead. With Open pressure being what it is both players miss the fairway. One player winds up with a sandy lie where he can hit a pretty much normal shot. The other player only a few feet away end in a clump of whatever and can barely move the ball. With normal Open rough both players would have each had to punch out. I hope we don’t see any more Opens with this sandy off fairway grounds.

The other thing is something I heard a lot during this broadcast of this Open which reinforced one my beliefs that you can not really see the difference between a good swing and a bad swing. Many times I would hear” There’s a nice balance swing” and the ball would go in the rough or some other place of trouble. Just like it is hard to really see a good putting stroke. The difference is the result is much quicker, so the announcer always makes a comment on the stroke after the result of the putt not before. If he misses the putt it was a bad stroke. If he makes the putt it was a good stroke. I maintain you can not really tell. On full shots where the results take longer the announcer says good swing or bad swing before the results, and many times the results are the opposite of what you would have thought you would have seen, based on the swing comment. This happened a lot at last weeks U. S. Open. Even when they slow down these swings, I would love to see if these experts could guess right what the result of that swing would be.

This week I played 128 holes of golf with some 9 and 11 holes played until dark. The golf muscles are really in prime shape right now and I am feeling good. Now if I can just let my brain know that, I may finally find the answer. The search continues.

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The Goofy Game Golf Searching for the Answer

After a three week hiatus the blog is back. The game seems to be coming around with the last two rounds of 76 and 74. The last round I finished with 10 straight pars. My turn around can be attributed to the usual suspects, improved putting, better short game, and I am swinging with more rhythm. I am also working on something that may solve what I call the mystery of the wrist cock and so far this has really helped my game. Only time will tell if this is worth printing or this will be failed experiment 245. I am in San Diego right now, visiting grand kids and will be returning to the Burgh on Wednesday to continue the experiment.

Today I would like discuss a totally unrelated subject. Everybody is talking about how golf needs a shot in arm, and I agree. It was ten years ago that Annika played in the Colonial. Then Michelle Wie played in several PGA events and missed making the cut at the Hawaiian Open by one shot. I think there should be a series of about four tournaments through out the year where 10 LPGA touring professionals, play 10 PGA touring pros. The tournaments should be played on classic tracks like Colonial, Pebble Beach, and Congressional. The courses could be set up at around 6800 to 7000 yards and they would be 4 round events. I know the possibility exists that the women could finish 11 through 20 th in every event and how would the men feel if that didn’t happen. I think interest in these events would be at an all time high. Look how much talk is going on about the  2 Opens being played back to back and on the same course. If the powers to be want to create a new and needed spark into golf, this is the way to do it.

Hanging out with grand kids for the first half of the week, and hope to get some golf in this weekend. Speaking of getting a new spark, after a frustrating two months, the boys are back in town. See you next week.