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The Goofy Game of Golf Executing the Answer

This week I am going to delve into the full swing, and how to go about finding your that day golf swing. What is interesting is, that since I have found the answer, I have had very few really bad ball striking days.  I have had enough of an issue at times, that I think I have found a process that will get be back on track faster than usual. This process goes against some of things that have been said about how to manage a round. The standard advice is to play the mistake. In other words if you start out by slicing the ball, then you should just play the slice. Of course it is just the opposite if you are drawing the ball a little too much. Then the advice is just to aim a little more right to allow for the right to left movement. I have found many times, if I follow this advice I just wind up hitting a bigger curve. Let’s go back to two times my ball striking was not good.

The first one was about 6 weeks ago at Lindenwood and I started out the round by hitting everything high and to the right. Now there can be lots of reasons why you hit this shot. This is one of the most common misses we see on the PGA tour. I do not think it is important to know why this shot happens. Look, if Greg Norman and Butch Harmon couldn’t figure it out, who am I to try? It took me 8 holes to come out of my funk and what got me out of it? I tried to hit ball  from right to left and all of a sudden I started hitting the ball much better. Essentially what did I do? Even though I was hitting everything right, obviously in order to hit a hook  I started to aim to the right. In other words I was aiming at my miss and hitting a draw. Now I could go into a lot of swing theory here on why this worked, but who cares.

My next opportunity  to try out the theory was in my last full round at Benardo Heights Country Club in San Diego. I did not have my clubs and I was playing in a little best 3 out of 4 event and the first hole is a solid 400 yard+ par 4 that doglegs to the right. With the normal first tee chitters. I pulled my first drive left with not much hook on it, got a decent kick to the right and was still in play but about 230 from the center of the green. I only had a 17 degree fairway wood in the bag. I did not hesitate for one second. I aimed about 20 yards left of the green, took my “normal” swing, making sure I stayed down through the ball and hit this nice little low fade that rolled right up into the middle of the green. The next hole I aimed a little left again and hit the ball right where I was aiming.  On the next hole a par 3, I aimed left again and hit it left of the green, right where I was aiming. The rest of the round I aimed right at the target and hit the ball pretty straight all day. On my good shots I was aware of what my body was doing and did not try to change anything, even though at times I thought my swing was out of balance.

Let’s go though the process. You must approach the first tee with an open mind and no preconceived  swing thoughts. Picture your shot from behind the ball. Take the opening practice swing and feel the motion of your body. Get comfortable over the ball, pick out your target and make a swing being aware of what the swing felt like but not trying to control it. If the results are good, then continue with that feeling and do not over analyze it. If you hit it left then aim left on your next shot. If you hit it right then aim right on the next shot. I feel this is correcting the problem not playing for it.  We usually all have a basic shot. Some of us hit the fade and some of us hit the draw. For me it is the fade. So if I have to aim left of the target on my next shot then I feel that I will take a normal swing. But if I have to aim right of the target then I feel have to try and draw the ball. It should be the opposite for someone who normally draws the ball. I have not had a lot of time to further prove this process, so how I feel about finding your that day golf swing may change, but for right now I think this is it. So if you are in a golfable area give it a try and let me know. Next week I will discuss putting and the short game which I have had even less time to figure out but I think I may have something. Will also discuss some more things about the full swing.  See you next week.

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The Goofy Game of Golf Executing the Answer

The blog is back after a month, and a busy month it has been. Like all stories, lets start at the beginning. The last blog was when I had just arrived in San Diego, the Sunday before Christmas. The Christmas holiday was great and watching those grandkids opening their gifts was wonderful. Christmas is definitely for kids. On the Saturday after Christmas I got to play golf at the Bernardo Heights Country Club. What is wild is that I started the 2014 season there, and now I have ended it at the same golf course. Even stranger, I shot the same score, 76 both times. That however, is where the similarity of the rounds end. In my opening round of the year I hit the ball only fair at best but had a great day putting, making about 8  putts of 8 feet or more for par. The December 27th round I hit the ball beautifully but only putted so so, and missed some really good birdie looks, and shot the same score. I may have found the answer, but this does not make the game any less goofy.

I arrived back at the Burgh on December 28th, and got emerged  into the college football bowl season and watched all 39 bowl games. It was a wild and wooly bowl season with plenty of great plays and some pretty strange coaching decisions. The two toppers were the decision of the one coach in one of the lesser bowl games to ice the kicker on the extra point by wasting 2 timeouts with 50 seconds left in the game when a field goal would have won the game, when his team got the ball back. Needless to say the extra point was made. The team with only one time out could not get into field position to win the game, and then went on to lose the game in overtime. The other one, was where Baylor had a 41 to 27 lead over Michigan State with about 4 minutes left in the game. Instead of trying to milk some time off the clock, Baylor tried to get a “bigger win”, even going for it on 4th down on the MSU 45 yard line. This allowed MSU to come back and win the game 42-41. Of course, the big highlight, was my Ohio State Buckeyes winning the first college football play off and becoming national champions. I must admit, I didn’t think they would beat Wisconsin  in the Big Ten championship game, let alone go all the way. Even the third string quarterback didn’t bother me as much as the Buckeye defense. For whatever reason, that defense just came alive in those last three games. It was one great way to top off the bowl season. In the midst of all the football, I managed to play 9 holes of golf on January 4th in balmy 55 degree temperatures but with some very strong winds. Having my best putting day since finding the answer, I managed to shoot an even par 35.

And now for the big news. On January 16th 2015, Carson Michael Gloff, my third grand child came into this world kicking and screaming. After a brief visit to the neonatal ICU of 4 hours mom and grandson are doing great. I am truly blessed. As the blog will get back into the full swing, no pun intended,  I will discuss things I have done in trying to execute the answer. Some have been more tested than others, but I am going  to discuss them all.    I will discuss each facet of the game, the full swing, the short game, and putting. See you next week.

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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.