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The Goofy Game of Golf Trying to Execute the Answer

This week the blog is coming from sunny San Diego, as I have just arrived. Only able to get in one round this week which was a pretty nondescript 77. Instead of writing about how to execute the answer, which there is plenty to write about, I thought I would go off on a bit of a tangent and discuss certain aspects of playing golf. First we must differentiate  between golfers and people who play golf. Golfers are much more serious about the game. Golfers usually only golf, and although they may really enjoy watching other sports do not participate in them.  Golfers will play golf in all kinds of conditions. For me it is 38 degrees and no wind. I do not mind playing in a drizzle, and if it starts raining in the middle of a round I will finish it, unless the course becomes unplayable.

Now, that we have define golfers, lets get to two  problems common to all golfers. I have played this game since 1958. I had one year off in 1964 and did not play in 1995. I had a time from 1971 to 1986 that I played very infrequent averaging about 3 times per month, during the golfing season. Since 1987 including  this year I have played quite a bit averaging about 3 times per week  and began having a handicap in 1987. This takes in about 28 seasons. For 96% of the time my handicap has been between 3 and 5. For brief times my index has been below 3 and my lowest has been 1.6. For even briefer times my handicap has been 6 to 7. Despite improved equipment, reading more instruction books and watching more instructional videos that I thought possible, I was not able to significantly make any improvement. This is without a doubt the number one frustration that all golfers go through.

The second problem golfers have, is how they respond to a bad round under different circumstances. Golfers know there are three kinds of golf. Golf where you are either playing by yourself, or with friends and you are just having a good time or practicing. Then there is golf with your buddies when there is a little bit of money on the line, the friendly wager, in other words the competitive round. Finally there is tournament golf. When you have a bad round in the first two types of golf, you may be a little disappointed but you usually shrug it off as on of those days, try to decipher the problem and move on. But when you have a bad round in a tournament, you become the scum of the earth. We all know the words, choker, bum, and the best, ” I was playing so well going into the tournament”.  Sometimes I think this post game melt down is more of a detriment to our games that the melt down that happened during the round.

My golf season is probably over for this year but this is what the answer is all about. Having a solid improvement in 2015 and being able to play in the heat, as the name I give tournament golf. I plan to play more tournament golf in 2015 and if I have indeed found the answer the above should be accomplished. The blog will take its College Football Bowl season hiatus and I will see you in a couple of weeks. GO BUCKS!!!

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The Goofy Game of Golf Trying to Execute the Answer

Another two round week, with the weather barely golf able. The rounds were not quite as good as the previous weeks but not bad. I shot 77 at Fort Cherry on Tuesday and a 78 at Scenic Valley. Both days the temps were in the low to mid 40’s and today there was a slight mist in the air. The wind was not bad on either day. The ball striking continues to be very good to down right excellent, but the short game and putting continue to be a problem for various reasons.

First, let’s discuss the good stuff , the ball striking. Going into each round with an open mind, and no  pre round mindset has worked extremely well. This has helped me approach each shot with an even more open mind, and my decision making process, while not perfect, has improved dramatically. It has allowed me to totally commit to each individual shot. Let me sight one example in todays round. The 8th hole at Scenic is a downhill par 3 of about 170 yards. Today the blue tee was up and the pin was on the front of the green. It was about 160 to the pin. It was cold and damp and what wind there was, was against. On a normal day this would be no more than an 8 iron. With the cold and the dampness I felt that even a 7 iron would have to be hit hard to get there. However I thought the 6 iron was too much club. Usually when you take too much club you have a tendency to swing too easy which ruins the shot. I did two things to manage the shot. I decided to take a 3/4 swing and to play the ball just a touch forward to get a little more height on the shot. My thinking was that by hitting the 6 iron a little higher, it would help shorten its distance even more with the wind in my face. The shot felt right, and I executed it well, and the ball hit  just past pin high, 15 feet left of the pin. As the day went on and I got colder, I went back to that flatter swing the last time I got cold, and continued to hit the ball well. This makes a couple of  good points. Looking for that day swing does not mean that you can not go back to a swing that was working before and then failed. Again you have to let this happen not make it happen. Secondly, you can make some changes in the middle of the round if conditions dictate it. That can be something that you had done previously. It really boils down to being open to what your body is trying to tell you.

Now putting and the short game is another story. I actually had a pretty good short game today, maybe the best, since finding the answer. The putting was mediocre at best and I don’t feel any closer to executing the answer in these phases of the game. I literally froze up today which led to a skulled wedge on 17 and a 3 putt on 18. I don’t know if there is going to be much playing time left this year. I am leaving  for San Diego on the 21st to spend  Christmas with the grandkids. There is an outside chance for some golf in the early part of the week, with temperatures getting close to 50 but it looks like this could be accompanied with a lot of rain. Even if I don’t get to play, there is still a lot to write about the answer, see you next week.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Trying to Execute the Answer

This week I am going to discuss how to try to apply the answer to putting and the short game. Originally this was just going to be a putting blog, but the weeks play changed all that. At first I thought I was going to write about how trying to execute the answer in putting and the short game could be different than trying to execute it  in the full swing. This week changed all that. I played two rounds this week. Lets look at each round in depth on how it applies to the answer.

On Wednesday under some brutal conditions, 38 degrees with a pretty good breeze and some periodic mist, I managed to shoot a 75, although it was from the white tees at Scenic Valley which is pretty short, but considering the conditions, this was a really good round. I developed a swing that day that was very flat, but got me turning well, even though my body was pretty frozen.  I had my best putting day, since finding the answer, by making some good putts on the back nine to birdie 3 of the last five holes, and even though they were wrapped around a double bogey, I shot one under on the back. I found a particular putting method that worked really well that day. There are two things that make putting different in trying to execute the answer. Putting itself, although relatively simple, can have dozens of ways to make a stroke. Lets face it, one of the things I am not going to do in trying to find my “that day swing” is to put my left hand low. Plus putting results are more black and white. Its either a miss or a make. If you recall last week when I started my nine hole round, I hit a 7 iron with a particular swing, and I considered the shot while not great, very acceptable. I continued to swing that way the rest of the round with good results. I also felt because putting is different, that a successful technique maybe tranferred from one day to the other.

Well today’s round proved me wrong. I had a horrible day putting and my short game was even worse, which led to an 81. The method that I had used on Wednesday failed miserably today and some preconceived short game ideas also were busts. My long game today was again pretty solid with a swing that found me making a solid move to my right side ala Curtis Strange. I did find a putting method on the back. that got me back to shooting a 38, highlighted by an eagle on the par 5 tenth hole.

What are the conclusions here?  You must allow all three phases of your golf game to  just happen, and not try to make them happen. This is much more difficult to do when it comes to putting and the short game. When you make a full swing there are many things happening to your body. You are turning, twisting, shifting, changing direction and cocking your wrists. All these movements can be felt and lead to you finding your that day swing. In the short game and putting there is not near the movement involved. So it is much more difficult to execute those aspects of the game with an open mind and not revert back to some previous technique. Its even harder to forget what was successful in the previous round. However, you must do this if are going to go into each round with that open and free mind that will allow all three parts of your golf game to function at its best for that day.  A very productive week and there is an outside chance for some more golf this week, as I plunge forward to execute the answer.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Trying to Execute the Answer

This week we are going to discuss the long game, and how to apply the answer. This was a perfect week to show how the answer works. I played 18 holes on Tuesday, 9 holes on Saturday and 18 holes today. I am going to take the week in chronological order and see how I applied the answer to each round with the full swing. Remember the answer is to find your “that day golf swing” as quickly as possible.

On Tuesday I had my first unique experience since finding the answer. I started off the round with some poor ball striking. I was hitting everything to the right and it took me until the 9th hole to find my “that day swing”. What got me back on track was to hit all shots, beginning on number 9, which was an uphill par 3, with a draw. That for me is unusual, because my basic shot is a fade. Once I started hitting everything from right to left, I hit some quality shots to play the last 10 holes 2 over par, and was able to salvage a 79. Even though it was tempting, I knew in my next round, that I would not start hitting shots from right to left or even try. This is the new key in playing golf. The problem with this round was that it took me too long to find my swing.

On Saturday I had some time to play 9 holes and the first hole is a par 3. I tried to get a feel for the day with the first swing. I hit a 7 iron and it was not a bad shot and found the green about 30 feet from the pin. I noticed with the first swing that I seemed to take the club a little back inside more than I usually do but since the shot was pretty good, not great, but acceptable, I allowed the club to take a similiar path on my next drive and proceeded to have a pretty good ball striking day and managed to shoot 39 with some mediocre putting. Again I walked off the 9th green knowing that this would not be my swing for tomorrow.

Today with temperatures in the mid to upper 50’s, and a moderate to gusty wind, I stood on the first tee with a helping wind, and just blistered the opening tee shot. What  I noticed on this swing, is that I had a full wind up with some pretty good wrist cock, maybe too much wrist cock, and a little bit of a pause at the top. I kept that feeling all day and had one of my best driving days of the year. I made a slight adjustment at address, during the round where I got my weight distributed toward the middle of my feet, and had a great ball striking day. With a passable short game and some decent, but not great putting I shot a one over 73. I know I will have to approach the next round with that same open mind and not try to dupicate the feel of this great round. I did not try to control the wrist cock today, even though at times, I think I over did it, but that little natural pause made all the difference in the world. I did not try to consciously do the pause, it was something that just happened today and I went with it, with great results. I know now to just forget about it for the next round. So there you have it, the answer in action. Obviously, if I get off to a bad start, I will have to find that swing quicker but I have some ideas on that. Maybe if I never get off to a bad ball striking day again, I won’t have to worry about it HAH!

It looks like there is a chance to get one or two rounds in next week. Even if I don’t, next weeks blog will be, how to apply the answer to putting. Things get a little tougher there. See you next week.

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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

Have been back in the the Burg for about 12 days and the game just continues to motor along at about the same level. Despite having a slight cold and some windy weather I shot the last four rounds 76, 83, 77 and 78. This has been a generally frustrating season but I think I have learned some things, which I will pass along during the off season and discuss some of my futile attempts to connect the mind and the body.

But tonight’s blog will be focused on the big bad Ryder Cup. I think this Ryder Cup has been more controversial after the matches, than during, thanks to Phil Michelson’s ridiculous and inappropriate remarks at the post Cup press conference. The Americans have not won a Ryder Cup in Europe since 1993. The Europeans have won the last 6 out of 7. The reason they have dominated the Cup for the last 20 years is they are simply better. Thanks to the PGA, and them coming up with the Presidents Cup, here is living proof. The Presidents Cup has been around for almost 20 years, and who has dominated those matches, the American team, by retaining the cup all but once. It has nothing to do with who the captain is, or using some pod method, or whatever the hell Phil was talking about. The American team is simply better than the International  team. So the question should not be who to pick for a captain or how we pick our team, the question should be, why is the European team better and they have been better for a long time. They rode the underdog role, thanks to the American press, about 2 cups too long. I think there are 2 reasons that the Europeans are now better. One happened awhile back when the smaller British ball was taken out of play. In the 1960’s when Jack and Arnie came over to play in the British Open they changed over to the smaller ball. In 1974 the British ball was not allowed in the British Open but it wasn’t until around 1990 that the ball was banned from all European events and so now everybody plays with the same size ball and this made the European players better ball strikers. The second reason the Europeans are better players is that they play in tougher weather conditions and on courses that are not in the pristine condition that the United States courses are in. They also seem to play on courses that have more terrain and slopes. Therefore the Europeans have to manufacture more shots. In fact when the AT&T tournament had a pretty bad run of weather over some years, there was talk of even changing the date of the tournament to improve the conditions for our poor PGA players.

I think the only way the Americans are going to get competitive in the Ryder Cup is they are going to have to play in more overseas events or the PGA is going to have to  play a little riskier venues where the weather is not always going to be perfect. I hate to even have to put this down in print, but by the way Phil when you lose 16.5 to 11.5, its not the captain. See you next week.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer

After about a month’s hiatus the blog is coming from San Diego where the golf game is taking a little hiatus, as it is fun and good times with the grandkids. The golf game continued on a nice run for 2 more rounds with a 72 and a 77. Then I went into a real tailspin, with rounds of 84, 82, 87, 77, 81, 80, and 81. These were played on some courses that were not even that hard. On September 17th I played 36 holes. The first 18 was at Village Green and I shot 81. Then on to Indian Run,  and I bogeyed  the 1st hole, bogeyed the 2nd hole and double bogeyed the 3rd hole. Now the 3rd is a pretty short par 4 with some trouble on the right, which of course I found, which lead to a chip out and the subsequent double bogey. Going to the 4th hole, needless to say, I was in a state of frustrated despair. I just made that up “frustrated despair” but I really like it. Any way from that point on, something just clicked in the other direction and I played the next 15 holes 2 under par and shot 73. I followed that up with a 75 at South Park and another 75 at Scenic Valley. The 75 at Scenic Valley was a grinding 75 where I made a double bogey, 2 bogies, a birdie and 14 pars. I  hit a lot of mediocre shots and missed 2 short putts but managed to shoot a pretty descent round. So what happened. How did I go from an 80 shooter to playing the next 51 holes 4 over par. Without any detailed explanations, here are the highlights.

Ball position seemed to be a key factor on the physical side of the game

Maintaining a calm demeanor

Better shot evaluation during the round.

Playing the proper shot

Making final adjustments before executing the shot.

Being instinctive

Its only 51 holes and time will tell if any of the above will keep me scoring and avoiding frustrated despair. How did this all come about after the 21st hole on Wednesday September the 17th. I have no idea. I won’t get back to the golf groove until October 1 and right now I am just enjoying this beautiful weather and being a grand parent.

I know the Ryder Cup is coming and I will be watching it, but I must say that I don’t get as excited about it as I once did. I think some of the luster came off the Ryder Cup, when they started the President’s Cup. I think more interest would be created if we went back to every other year and all three teams would play each other at the same time. You would have to tweak the format a little bit by doing only alternate shot and singles. I think best ball may be a little time consuming. Maybe they could do a scramble. Just think how great the strategy might be. Your ahead in one match but behind in the other match. Do you gamble to catch up on the one side or play more conservatively to maintain the lead in the other match. Having a three team match would be great and the Americans would only have to play every other year like everybody else. See you in about 10 days.