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Do You Know The Problem in Your Golf Game?

We all want to improve our golf game, but do you understand what problem to work on first?

Everyone who plays golf hopes to improve their game. Whether you are a 30-handicapper looking to break 100 or the scratch player hoping to break par more often, improvement is always top of mind.

But are you able to point out the problem in your game?

Identifying Your Problem

The first step in making any improvement is to understand whether or not you have a problem. That may sound a little heavy, but it’s the truth:

If you don’t think your game has a problem, then you will not be able to improve.

Think about the last round of golf you played. Could you have scored better? Most of us will say “Yes”… but do you know why?

Begin by asking yourself a few questions, and be as specific as possible:

  • How many fairways did I hit?

  • How many greens did I hit?

  • How many putts did I miss inside five feet?

  • How many shots did I hit thin or fat?

  • How many bunkers was I in?

Asking these questions isn’t meant to remind you of how bad you are. Instead, it’s to ensure you have a good understanding of your biggest opportunities to improve. It’s important to not worry about “why” these common golf struggles are happening. It’s all about understanding the current state of your game.

Once you have an understanding of how many times you missed a fairway, green, or putt, you’ll have a measurable, easily-identifiable metric on which to improve.

Be Honest with Yourself

As in business and in life, taking an honest, hard look at one’s self can be uncomfortable. Nobody likes to look in the mirror and see those extra pounds we put on from the weekend. We’d very much like to blame something — or someone — else for our poor results.

But to really improve, we have to be willing to understand that there is something we can do better.

It will be difficult to remind yourself of all those bunkers you were in, or how many greens you missed. Nobody wants to think about that five-foot birdie putt we missed. We’d love to forget all those chunked wedges or topped hybrids.

As golfers, we are prone to ego. We prefer to tell stories of “the one that got away” rather than how we failed! This is natural, but it’s also a defense mechanism all people have to make themselves feel better.

In order to improve, however, you have to feel the pain. Otherwise, what’s the point of improving if not to alleviate that pain?

Next Steps

I will cover more ways to think about improvement in this series, but it all begins here: understanding that there is a problem in your golf game.

Notice that I didn’t type “understand WHY the problem exists.” That comes later; instead, focus on understanding IF a problem exists without jumping ahead to WHY… and certainly not to HOW WILL I FIX IT.

Stay tuned for more installments very soon.

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Adam Fonseca Adam Fonseca

Fix My Swing: Perfect Backswing Drill

Watch the second video of the Fix My Swing series to learn a drill to practice the perfect backswing in your golf swing.

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In the second video of our Fix My Swing series, I work on a drill to get my backswing on plane on the way back. Using an alignment rod on the ground laying along my target line, I focus on taking the club back so the clubhead "rides" the alignment rod. As soon as my golf club is parallel to the ground, I hinge my wrists so that the butt-end of the grip points down toward the alignment rod. This helps me shorten my backswing in addition to taking the club back on more of an inside path.

Watch the original video that taught me this backswing drill here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VivoVdUMjLE

Any comments or tips that can help me fix my swing? Send me an email at adam@golfunfiltered.com.

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Golf Mindset: 5 Mental Tricks to Instantly Improve Your Game

Golf is a mental game. A PGA Professional shares five mental tricks that can help lower your scores and keep you in the moment while on the golf course.

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Any golfing enthusiast will tell you - golf is a mental game. Physical strength counts for something – but it’s just one factor that goes into a solid game of golf. To succeed at golf, you also need focus, cool nerves, and sharp concentration.

The best golfers have a mastery of the mental game, which helps them sink a hole when it counts. But how can you attain that fortitude and mental stamina? When you want to improve your physical fitness, the solution is simple – do physical exercise. Improving your mental fitness can be a bit trickier.

Are you ready to hone your mental game? If you want to flex your grey matter on the green, try these five mental hacks.

1. No self doubt

If you want to win, first you must believe you can win. It’s healthy to admire elite golfers, but don’t hold them in such awe that you doubt your own ability to perform.

You may not win every time, but never lose faith in yourself. Self-doubt is self-defeating. The minute that you stop believing you can win, you’ve sealed your own fate – you won’t win.

Ever seen a golfer with a case of the yips? Pessimism and bad nerves can be very counterproductive on the green. Don’t let self-doubt cramp your style. Reassure yourself with affirmations before every game. Tell yourself: I can do this.

2. Hone your pre-shot routine

It’s common for nerves to set in between the time you select your club and start to swing. If you don’t have a consistent pre-shot routine, this is when your mind can wander, distracting your focus from the shot at hand.

Fend off nerves by concentrating on the present moment, thinking only about what you’re about to do. There’s no one-size-fits-all routine – you have to develop a process that works best for you. And hone your routine every time you’re on the golf course – whether it’s practice or play.

Once you have perfected a pre-shot routine for every shot, you will operate on autopilot. If you watch the best pro-golfers, you’ll see that their routines never change. It’s the same every time - right down to the number of seconds it takes.

3. Don't forget to breathe

When you’re staring down the fairway and the pressure is on, your breathing pattern can make or break. Improved breathing techniques help to counteract the nervousness and loss of fine motor skills that occur in stressful situations.

Proper breathing has a calming effect, which reduces the mental and physical impacts of stress. On the golf course, a deep breath can eliminate nerves and tension, enabling you to concentrate and perform. It also reduces muscle tension, which improves your range of motion and muscle function.

Simple breathing exercises can help you clear your mind and recover from a bad hole. Take five deep and steady breaths: inhale slowly, count to three, and then gently exhale. This delivers oxygen to your brain, which improves your focus.

4. Practice under pressure

Your practice shouldn’t just prepare you for the physical challenges of the game. During a tournament, you have to perform under mental pressure - so you should introduce similar pressures to your practice.

Instead of repeatedly hitting for the same target, simulate golf course conditions. Set yourself score targets, to recreate the pressure of competition. Or do a quick burst of cardio exercises, to boost your heart rate and replicate the pressure you feel on the course.

In a tournament, you don’t have the luxury of putting away, without consequence – every shot counts. Approach your practice with the same discipline and focus that you will need on the green.

5. Keep calm and play on

It’s important to manage your emotions on the golf course. Disappointment and anger are natural reactions to a bad shot, but you must let go of those negative feelings. If

you carry them from one shot to the next, your whole game will suffer.

Find ways to resolve negative emotions. You might focus on your breathing; or try visualising another, more impressive shot that you have made; or choose a positive thing, place or person to think about, to shift your mindset – it may have nothing to do with golf.

And remember: patience is a virtue that can help you win. If your impulse is to make an aggressive play, opt for a more conservative shot. When you compete, the greens are faster and the rough is thicker. If you grow impatient, you will flounder.

Author Bio:

Kurt Linde is General Manager at Pacific Dunes Golf Club, Port Stephens. Kurt is a PGA professional and former touring professional, having golfed on the Australasian, South Pacific and Canadian tours alongside some of the most talented golfers in the world. 

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GOLF TIP: Golf Backswing Drill

Having trouble with swaying during your backswing? Today's YouTube golf tip from Chris Ryan offers a great drill to help you correct this flaw.

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The backswing might be the one part of the golf swing that amateur players obsess about the most. Swaying back away from the ball during this critical moment of the swing is one of the worst -- and most common -- swing flaws in the game. Today's golf tip video from PGA teaching professional and YouTube golf instructor Chris Ryan offers a simple drill you can use on the driving range to correct this flaw. All you need is a range basket and a golf club of alignment stick.

What are some of your favorite backswing tips? Share them down in the comments below!

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The Wide-Narrow-Wide Golf Swing Drill

Practicing this wide-narrow-wide golf swing drill can help you gain distance with all clubs with minimal effort. YouTube pro Chris Ryan explains.

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Like most amateur golfers, I struggle with finding distance in my irons. This is can be the result of a poor strike, but more often this is due to an improper swing sequence through impact. To get the most distance out of every swing, you should incorporate a "wide-narrow-wide" sequence. As the name of the sequence implies, your goal should be to start your takeaway in a wide arc away from your body by keeping your arms straight. The "narrow" portion occurs during your downswing as your swing arc moves closer to your body as your right arm reattaches to your torso. Finally, the last "wide" step focuses on driving through the ball and finishing with outstretched arms once again.

To illustrate what I mean by wide-narrow-wide, YouTube golf instructor Chris Ryan has a great golf swing drill for you to practice on the range. This is what I will be working the most on in my own golf swing for the next few weeks.

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The Best Golf Pre-Shot Routine Tips Ever

In order to unlock your full golf potential, you must first perfect your pre-shot routine. Some of the greatest minds on Twitter share their thoughts here.

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Hitting great golf shots is next to impossible unless you have an elaborate pre-shot routine. This is basically science and should not be disputed. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to grasp this concept despite seeing concrete proof from golfing savants like Keegan Bradley (h/t Adam Sarson): 12-07-13-keegan-routine

That man has a major. He also has horrific nervous tendencies, but OCD really means Officially a Cool Dancer.

Luckily for us, Twitter was invented for the sole purpose of providing helpful hints on how to play golf like a pro. And for sharing pictures of cats playing the piano. But moreso for golf instruction (which is why Twitter's icon is a birdie).

So for the low price of absolutely free, here is a list of the three best pre-shot routine tips from the greatest minds in the Twitterverse. Think well of me when you win your major.

Calm your nerves by any means necessary

 

Not only is this suggestion completely inappropriate to good health, it's also important to playing great golf. Alcohol has been as big a part of the game as mashies, sand bunkers and smearing deer urine on your hands.

whiskey

 

In addition to starting your day off with a substantial pull from your family's bottle of Jameson Whiskey, be sure to always carry a minimum of one gallon of the beverage in your golf bag at all times. Any proper pre-shot routine includes swallowing an ounce of the Irish nectar prior to every swing. Following this method is guaranteed to lower your scores dramatically as you are forced to minimize your strokes lest you experience instantaneous liver failure.

Daydream like a crazy person

 

If I've said it once then I've said in a thousand times: take every opportunity to escape from reality while playing golf.

One such way is by staring off into another dimension for the purpose of accidentally noticing a premonition on how the future will unfold. Experts in this technique include those of incredible mental prowess, including:

  • Tiger Woods (before 2009)
  • Jack Nicklaus
  • Miss Cleo

miss cleo

Visualizing your shot is imperative to proper course management and instilling within yourself an extreme level of confidence. Take a few moments to will your next shot to its target by way of subjectively wishing yourself to death.

Placate yourself like you were your own mother-in-law

 

The power of positive thinking cannot be overlooked. It's very much like the power of the positive leads on a car battery: placing your tongue on its surface may seem like a bad idea, but you'll be shocked at the results.

The greatest golfers in the world never allow negative thoughts to enter their minds. This is likely accomplished by years of brutal self-discipline, monk-style flogging and repeated viewings of Johnny Miller shooting 63 at Oakmont. In time, the very notion of a negative thought is instead met with an avalanche of positivity and an immediate release of the bowels.

Focusing on nothing but positive encouragement prior to every shot is, arguably, the most important element of a pre-shot routine.

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Have You Applied the Antifreeze to Your Golf Game?

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(The following is the first training installment from Top 50 LPGA Instructor Maria Palozola for ChicagoDuffer.com. Visit her website at My Golf Instructor today.)

BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE...

Yes. Yes it is cold, but that doesn't mean you need to let your game freeze this winter. Something that just breaks my heart as a caring instructor is when I see my students working hard and making progress over the summer, only to let it fade away during the off season. I often think they must feel like a rat in a wheel. It breaks my heart yet at the same time it is so furstrating, because it just doesn't have to be that hard. After putting in hours hours hitting practice balls, working on your short game, spending money on rounds and taking lessons, it's wise to have a game plan that will prevent your game from unravelling in the cold months. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to prevent that from happening.

Living in a northern climate doesn't mean golf has to stop. I lived and taught golf in Chicago for a decade before settling back in my home town of St. Louis. Interestingly enough, St. Louis is much more seasonal when it comes to golf because of a lack of facilities in general, but especially in winterized golf facilities. Chicago on the other hand has many ranges prepped for the cold weather as well as indoor opportunities. I was the first Director at the Links & Tees Golf Dome in Addison and when that opened it was a game changer for me. I kept my lessons going, but also kept my game in good shape.

1 STEP FORWARD AND WELL 2 MORE STEPS FORWARD

You don't have to back track with your game just because it gets a little chilly. There are several options for honing in your game over the winter:

  • Work on indoor drills for every part of your game. You don't even need to hit a ball to accomplish this. On my game improvement site http://www.mygolfinstructor.com I have 30 indoor drills listed with videos demonstrating how to do each. That's just the tip of the iceberg too, as there are many more. I share one of my favorites with you below.
  • Hit outside at a covered/heated range. With heaters and wind blockers, many ranges offer you the opportunity to hit and be sheltered no matter what the weather. Be sure to dress appropriately with knit caps, long underwear, Under Armour, layers and even hand and foot warmers. You'll be surprised how warm you get once you start swinging.
  • Go to a golf dome like Links & Tees in Addison, IL. Not only can you work on your full swing, but many of these facilities offer short game areas as well for putting, chipping and bunker play.
  • Find an indoor hitting bay. There are indoor facilities where you can't see the ball fly like in a dome, but rather just have you hitting into a net. These are just as good and sometimes better as you can become to outcome oriented when you see your ball flight. It's much more important to focus on what's going on in your swing and your contact than where it's going in the off season. If you must see where it's going then check out simulators at restaurants and entertainment centers in the area. Some even offer leagues.
  • Learn. Read articles and watch videos. Work on a game improvement site like http://www.mygolfinstructor.com. and spend time watching your favorite players on television. The point is to keep your mind in the game and keep you thinking about good golf.
  • Get a net and hit in your garage or basement. If you have the space, for just a few hundred dollars you can set yourself up with a golf net and mat so you can take a few swings whenever you have a free moment.
  • Just swing! Whether you hit in the back yard or a nearby field or simply just swing in your living room, do what you can so that you don't lose feel for your grip, your posture or your swing. The ball is not relevant at this point. Just keep the feel going.
  • Last, but definitely not least, work on your golf body through a solid golf fitness routine. I also have a vast number of fintess drills on MyGolfInstructor.com. If you are dedicated at all to this you'll most likely gain yardage over the winter rather than lose yardage.

To help you get started I'd like to share one of my favorite drills. Close to 20 years ago as an apprentice pro I used this tip when I got a one minute spot on Chicagoland T.V.. I thought hard on what drill I should give that could help golfers of all skill levels improve their swings. Without seeing your swing or knowing what you need to work on, I need to pick a universal drill than can help all players keep or get their swing in shape when they are away from the course. It's a drill I call Swing Plane Point Check and it has held true through the years to help beginners and professionals alike. The best part is it can be done indoors!

SWING PLANE POINT CHECK:

The first thing to note here is that at all times during your swing your club is either parallel to or pointed at your target line IF IT IS ON PLANE. That's the purpose of this drill; to see if your club is on plane at all the major check points.

Step 1 - Lay a club or shaft down on the ground pointing at your target and set up so that with the club you are gripping in your hands, the head is hovering over the shaft on the ground. Your clubface should be perpendicular to the shaft on the ground (Which represents the target line).

set-up

Step 2 - Swing back so that your club reaches the point of being parallel to the ground (1/4 backswing). Check to make sure it is parallel to your target line.

Step 3 - Swing until your left arm (for right handers) is parallel to the ground (1/2 swing). If you have cocked your wrists properly and your club is on plane it will be pointed at your target line.

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Step 4 - Finish your shoulder turn until you reach the top of the swing. Your club should again be parallel to the target line.

Simply repeat these positions on the way down and then mirror them on the follow through part of your swing as well. Just remember, the club is always pointed to or parallel to your target line at all the check points.

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KEEP THIS TRAIN ON THE TRACKS

Perform this drill every day for 10 minutes. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised come spring time at how on track your golf swing has stayed during the off season. It will also help keep your body golf fit by going through the various positions and holding them. 1 step forward and 2 steps back stops this year!

Maria Palozola has been a leading golf instructor for over 20 years. She has been a Top 50 Instructor with the LPGA since 2008 and is currently listed as a Golf Digest Top 5 Teacher in the State. She currently offers private golf lessons in the St. Louis area at http://www.stlouisgolflessons.com and offers online instruction at http://www.mygolfinstructor.com.

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Golf Confessionals: Struggle, Struggle, Struggle

Throughout the past two years I have covered a few instructors, theories, and mechanical tips regarding the golf swing and how I attempt to incorporate these teachings into my game.  I have shared my ups and downs with the process, especially during the span when I had no formal lessons or training... which is approximately 16 years of my life.  In fact, it hasn't been until recently when a golf pro has taken a look at my swing from an analytical standpoint.  I have learned a great deal from both instructors -- Brant Kasbohm and Greg Baresel -- in regard to swing plane, takeaway, release, and posture.  However, perhaps the most important lessons I learned during these two short sessions is that improving my game will take a little time and a lot of hard work.  At least, to get my game to where I can score below 80 on a consistent basis.

As of today, my handicap index is an 8.8; approximately a full point higher than it was when 2011 began.  I know this is technically better-than-average, however I will also make the argument that seeing improvement at this level is incredibly difficult to achieve in comparison to higher handicaps.  For example, it is of my opinion that a drop in handicap can occur more dramatically for players with an index of over 15-20 than for players under an index of 10.  This is primarily due to what I will call the "adjustment factor"; the amount of strokes that can be saved by making a fundamental change in a golfer's swing or mechanics.  For players of a higher handicap index, this adjustment can be something as dramatic as a complete swing overhaul aimed at helping the golfer establish fundamentally-sound mechanics (to fix a slice, hook, topping the ball, etc.).  For players of a lower handicap, however, this factor will focus more on intricate "tweaks" to a swing that may not yield immediate results on the course.

Short game is always something that should be practiced on a regular basis as most strokes are saved or lost on or around the green.  That much is certain, and this is a belief that I have established into my own practice routine.  However, I have become somewhat obsessed with the proper movements and theories involved in the full swing... especially involving iron play.  Making a divot after the ball at impact.  Starting the club back on the proper plane.  Making the correct transitional move from the top of your backswing.  These are all aspects of my game that literally keep me up at night.

As I continue my journey to "sub-80 Land", I will continue to post my tranistions and lessons-learned in the Golf Confessionals section.  Perhaps we can both learn something along the way in the process.

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