Back to Basics

This is a good time of year to get back to the basics. When it's cold outside you can practice three important fundamentals indoors.

1. Grip- Find something that allows your top hand to be in control (Lead with your top hand)

2. Posture- A slight knee bend- forward bend from the hips- flat back (use a mirror to help)

3. Alignment- Try and get feet, knees, hips, shoulders, and forearms parallel to your target line

Practice these three things inside during the cold months and you will be in better shape when Spring arrives. Another thing that can help if it's available to you is to get your swing on video. Find a Golf Professional or a friend to video tape your swing and then you can review what you need to improve upon.

Develop a Game Plan going into the New Year!!

Happy New Year!!
--Drew--

Do you have 10,000 hours??

I was recently reading the book "Outliers"by Malcolm Gladwell and he talks about something called the 10,000 hour rule. He basically states that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become truly great and have success in the field you choose. This started me thinking about how I got into my current profession and how I became successful. You could also say that to complete 10,000 hours of practice in anything would take about 10 years.

I ask you to think about your profession.

How long did it take you to become successful in your profession? Did you practice a lot? Did you spend roughly 10 years or so to get where you wanted to be?

Think about how you can apply this "10,000 hour rule" to your golf improvement. I'm not saying you need to spend 10 years of your life practicing golf unless you hope to play at a very high level. But, what if you spent a good 3 or 5 years putting a plan together in order to become a better golfer.

What could happen and how good could you get?

I think you might be surprised....

take care until next time. -Drew @ golfnut6468@sbcglobal.net

How to Improve at Golf

Do you want to get better at the game of golf? If you want to get better you have to put a plan together. Like anything else in life, getting better at something takes time, patience, and hard work. You don't become a professional at anything without putting in enormous amounts of time. You may be saying, yes Drew, I know this. My response and challenge to you is then don't get upset when things aren't going like you want. Ask yourself some thought provoking questions instead.

What can I do better?

Am I practicing outside of my lessons?

How much time do I have to devote to this game?

What are my realistic goals and where do I want to be in a year?

Each person will have different answers and different goals that they want to achieve. If you would like help improving at this game or would like to put an improvement plan together I am here to help. E-mail me at golfnut6468@sbcglobal.net with your questions and information about your FREE evaluation lesson.

SHOCKER!

What a Surprise...

"Get your paper here!!"

"Read all about it!"

"You will not believe it!"

What a Surprise...

Eliminate Thoughts

Do you have too many thoughts when you swing? Are you getting frustrated with this game? I bet you have more thoughts than you need. The golf swing only takes between 1.5 and 2 seconds to move the club back and through. To have conscious thoughts in this amount of time is difficult if not impossible. My goal for you is to leave your thinking for rehearsal swings. Check positions or swing techniques without using the ball. When you go to swing through the ball, get comfortable, stay relaxed, and in a snap the swing is over. If you hit an unsatisfactory shot, use your mind and try to think about what caused the poor shot. K.I.S.S = Keep It Simple Stupid

More Distance Anyone?

Everyone wants to know how they can get more distance. They don't really care if they're in the fairway, they just want to hit it far! So how do you do it? Well, as I always explain to students, there are multiple factors that go into achieving more distance. Here are my top three...

1) Build a solid foundation- You need a wider base to support your swing and to help create more arc. Feet should be positioned wider than shoulder width apart. If not, you are setting yourself up for a weak swing. Our legs and lower body is what creates this foundation and is a source for great power within a golf swing.

2) Club Head Speed- The faster you can swing the club the further the ball will go. Simple equation, right? Many people that I see swing the club very delicately and methodically. It's almost as if they're afraid to do something wrong. Let your swing gradually accelerate towards and through the ball to a full finish position.

3) Solid Contact- The more we can hit the ball in the center of the club face the better our distance will be. This happens by making sure our fundamentals are sound and that we don't swing with out of control rage.

Now to a degree you also need to have certain variables going on in your human body to achieve ultimate distance. You need physical strength, body flexibility, swing technique, leverage (length of the left arm), and neuromuscular coordination.

Obviously the more you have of these variables the greater your potential is to hit the ball farther.

Distance comes through strength and flexibility training along with improved technique.

Rule's Tip of the Day

The game offers more than just hitting a little white ball in a hole. To play the game correctly you must play by the rules. The only real way to judge your improvement in this game is to play by a set of uniform rules. The beauty of golf is that you are your own referee. To judge a man's character, just play a round of golf with him.

Rules Tip: Play the ball as it lies, play the course as you find it, and if you cannot do either, do what is fair. But to do what is fair, you need to know the Rules of Golf.

Chipping

Chip Shot- A low trajectory shot the lands on the green and releases to the hole

How to Chip

1) Feet Close together

2) Ball positioned in the back of your stance

3) Forward press the hands and club shaft towards the target

4) Open stance with more weight distribution on your front leg

5) Keep the club moving forward at an accelerating pace

The Mental Game

In my opinion this game is all in your mind. Don't get me wrong, you just cant think of playing scratch golf and it happens. You need to have strong fundamentals and a decent work ethic. However, no matter what level your at, having a strong mental attitude will help.

I was a head case at one point in my golfing career. I was easily frustrated with bad shots and not playing up to my standards. I broke clubs, threw clubs, swore frequently, and was not fun to play with. Then I realized I'm not getting better by practicing these bad habits. I started reading a lot of mental golf books. As I began reading these books, I began to understand why I was at a plateau with my game. My mental game was awful!

To make a long story short, these books I read changed the way I play golf and to an extent the way I live my life. Once I stopped dwelling on each shot and each round I noticed my scores getting better. I cant control what happens after I strike a golf ball. All I can do is prepare to the best of my ability and accept the outcome. Once I started playing golf this way it was amazing what it did for me.

It doesn't matter what you want to improve at, whether it's a sport or life in general, having a strong mental approach will take you new places. Sometimes all it takes is getting out of your own way (your mind) and letting your preparation, mentally and physically, take care of itself.

Suggested Reading...
Putting Out of Your Mind -Dr. Bob Rotella
Every Shot Must Have A Purpose -Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott
Fearless Golf -Dr. Gio Valiante
Zen Golf -Dr. Joseph Parent
The Golfer's Mind -Dr. Bob Rotella
Extraordinary Golf -Fred Shoemaker

The Saga Continues...

The story just doesn't seem to end. The Tiger Woods story that is. This is the weekly update on the latest and greatest within the Tiger world. Or, not so great you might say. About a week ago there were reports of Tiger and Elin playing tennis and going to dinner, even (wait for it) kissing and hugging. Oh My! Sounds like they were on the fast track to leading that "wonderful life" from Pre-Thanksgiving. Then Elin remembered something. He slept with PORN stars! That would be easily forgettable. Not!

Tiger returning to the golf course seems inevitable and could possibly happen at the Master's Tournament with record breaking T.V. ratings. We're talking on the scale of President Obama's inauguration speech. Seriously!

All we can do is wait, because who really knows when he will decide to play. So, get your candy and popcorn ready and plop yourself down in front of the television when it happens.

Spring Cleaning

As we move into spring you should dust off the rust by focusing on the basics. Keep this sometimes fickle game as simple as possible. Focus your attention to your Pre-Swing setup and on keeping your body calm. Remember to breath, which helps keep your muscles relaxed.

Attention towards: A) Grip, B) Alignment, C) Posture

With a solid foundation and strong fundamentals you can begin to focus on ball flight corrections.

Don't neglect the putting and chipping part of the game either. As this consists of of 70% of your entire game!

Putting Well = Happy Golfer

A golfer is happy when the putts are falling. Why? Because when putts are going in on stroke 1 or 2 your scores will no doubt get better. The equation is simple. Less putts per round = Lower scores overall. So, how do you improve your putting? Figure out how to accomplish these following 3 items and you will see your golfing happiness improve!
1) Learn the basics
2) Practice (Get out on the green and develop your own stroke)
3) Use drills and games to make practice realistic to the way you play

How to Bring down your score Quickly

If you're looking for that secret fix to improve your scores you have come to the right place! While nothing in this game comes without a little time and patience, I can show you how to get the most out of your time. The secret I'm talking about is the short game. To improve rapidly, improve your pitching, chipping, and especially your putting. I don't hit every green when I play golf, on average maybe ten per round, but I still shoot in the mid to low 70's. I can shoot those scores because I figured out how to chip and putt a long time ago. The great thing is that anyone can become excellent at this part of the game. The short game isn't glamorous, I'll be the first to admit that. With challenging and exciting improvement drills, I can help you stay motivated and in turn see you scores go down... Improve Today!

Who really cares that Tiger is practicing!?

I sure don't! I stopped caring about anything he does when he stopped being a role model for our society. As soon as you think someone is worth telling your kids about, BAM, they end up sleeping with 14 different women. While married, with a kid on the way, not to mention. Who would have guessed. I really have no concern if Tiger is hitting balls and has been seen working with his "swing coach". If the man is preparing for the Master's or for a country club scramble, who really cares! His sponsors, or shall I say lack there of, sure don't. Minus Nike who has stuck by their man and the PGA Tour who needs Tiger back for obvious reasons. The PGA Tour is sure preparing for the STORM that will blow into town when the guy returns. Until then let's just live our lives and stop worrying about what other people are doing. www.facebook.com

Your 2010 Golf Season

What do you want from this great game?

This is a question you have to ask, and put some thought into, for yourself.

Getting better at this game doesn't come by hoping or praying. It involves time, patience, practice, and professional instruction.

Time, Patience, Practice, Professional Instruction

No secrets.

We can all improve at this game with the correct plan put into place. With the correct plan, nothing in life is impossible.

I am here to help you put that plan together.

Enjoy the Process!