Here are some thoughts on how to manages your game and get around the course in as few strokes as possible:

• Try not to have any swing thoughts out on the course, just lines and distances and concentrate on being fresh and ready to hit each shot.
• Have lines off the tee.  You want to make sure you have real specific lines, so you know where you’re going to hit it ahead of time.
• And spots to each hole location, so that if the pin is back, you want to know if it would be better to miss short-left or short-right.
• Try to have lines that you pick, so you can make aggressive swings on somewhat-safe lines.

When you examine these thoughts from a very young player, you quickly realize you’re not thinking mechanically, but rather plotting your way from shot to shot, and making sure that those lines provide optimum safety. This is a good lesson for all of us.

Good luck with your game this weekend.

Source Roger Schiffman

What is the biggest mistake that seniors make in relation to their body and golf?

Most senior golfers try to get fit through golf and very few for golf. Many senior golfers will play more golf per week then when they were in their thirties and forties however they do not invest in physically preparing their body for the increase in golf that they play. A good anecdote, is imagine driving your car 4 times further every week without giving it service or an oil change. The difference is that you can replace your car not your body.

Am I too old for this?

No, you are the right age for this program.

Our bodies get weaker and stiffer with reduced balance and posture as we get older. This means reduction in our overall function which reduces our overall ability to perform on the golf course.This aging dysfunction process may result in reduced participation in golf as you get older which can result in you being incapable of playing golf.Most senior golfers are highly successful and have worked hard throughout their lives to play good golf but are unaware of golf specific training. Many senior golfers will spend thousands of dollars on new clubs and equipment but have spent no time in, investing in the actual machine that is behind the clubs and that is your body.

Why should I do this golf fitness package when I am already working out in the gym?

A Golf specific program is unique in that it customises your golf specific exercises with your body and your swing to maximise function.Most gym programs are generic and not golf specific. Some of the general exercises are detrimental and may even harm your swing. Eg. bicep curls / sit-ups etc.

Source Ramsay McMaster

We live in a fast-paced, impatient society where instant gratification is often the norm. When we want something we want it now. Taking this sense of urgency into our golf game can be disastrous. Developing a patient attitude full of acceptance is our key to improved golf and greater consistency. What does that look like?

We can begin by asking ourselves a few questions: Continue Reading→

SAM PuttLab – The Ultimate Putting Training System

Before you pick up a bucket of balls, choose a spot on the driving range and take out a club, think about why you are out here in the first place. The obvious answer is to practice. But by practicing what do you hope to accomplish? Yes you want to play “better.” But unfortunately for most recreational golfers, a trip to the driving range rarely results in effective practice and game improvement. For most recreational golfers hitting balls on the driving range may be little more than exercise.

For many, it becomes an opportunity to further reinforce and practice a misguided swing or an ineffective strategy.

This doesn’t have to be the case, even for recreational golfers. If you are willing to examine your mindset on the range, practice with a purpose and, finally, be sufficiently disciplined to stick to a practice plan you can begin to build an important foundation to begin to play well. Below Continue Reading→

Hank Haney recently said that when he was teaching Tiger Woods he would continually practice “The Nine Shots” on the driving range, a practice drill that is highly effective in mind and body synchronization and increasing your repertoire of shots, which are crucial in lowering scores.

So what are “The Nine Shots”? Haney would have Tiger hit a high fade, a mid-height fade and a low fade and then do the same hitting a straight shot and with a draw, making a total of 9 different shots (not necessarily in that order).

This forms the basis of a great practice or warm-up session. Over time this will give you heightened mind-body awareness in that you are instinctively aware of what your body needs to do to play a shot you are visualizing. There is no conscious control of your swing. The more you can learn to play and practice using visualization and feel, instead of having technical thoughts and letting negative interferences in, the better you will become.

Next time you are on the range, work on The Nine Shots. In addition to increasing your visualization and feel, it will tell you a lot about your swing. E.g. If you are having trouble hitting it high, or hitting a fade, try to figure out why.

Give this drill a try this instead of working on numerous swing drills and hitting to the same target and I’ve no doubt you’ll see the results on the course.

Source Golf State of Mind

There are no shortcuts to getting better. You’re going to have to put in some work. That’s the bad news. The good news is: If you follow my advice, the things you have to do to improve–and make that improvement last–can be fairly simple. I’m a big believer in working on one thing at a time. So to help you get started, I’ve broken down the swing into five segments. Within each segment I’ll give you a single element to focus on. If you work on any one of them, you should begin to see positive changes in your swing.  Continue Reading→

Biggest Practice Mistakes ….and what to do about them

Practicing only swing technique
Solution Use other types of training: competitive, routine, shot shaping, and mental skills.

There is nothing better than the feel of a well-struck shot or the sight of a drive soaring through the air. Striking the ball correctly is one of the most impressive aspects of the game, especially when you are the one doing the striking. Perhaps this is the reason for such a preoccupation with the golf swing with both players and coaches.

A constant focus on swing technique, no matter how justified it may seem will be detrimental to the overall development of your game and the ability to transfer your practice to the course.

In order to create a more seamless transfer Continue Reading→

Good abdominal muscle group tone protects the spine and promotes good coil and recoil, thus producing power in the golf swing.

If you work these muscles in harmony with the lower-back muscles (latissimus dorsi and the glutei muscles), you will succeed in rotating just above the pelvis and maintain good lower-body stability in the swing. This will also result in more power being generated through the lumbar pelvic area.

The majority of golfers who play intensively have tight hip flexors. Prior to carrying out abdominal exercises, golfers should stretch their hip flexors to ensure these muscles are not used instead of the abdominals. These muscles also help to maintain good spinal angle throughout the golf swing. Dysfunction in this area will result in a reverse pivot and, possibly, a sheering or jamming of your back at impact.

Source Ramsay McMaster

How many times have you witnessed the heartbreak of an athlete faltering at a crucial moment?  The painstaking drama of the moment can be excruciating to watch, particularly when the athlete is at the height of their career or even worse, an athlete you coach.  At these times, the terms choking or panicking are thrown around loosely to label the underperformance of the individual or team.  But what do these terms mean?  Is there a difference between them?  And can anything prevent an athlete from choking? Continue Reading→