The Secret to Distance

"You must hit through the ball, not at it, with the sensation that the clubhead is still accelerating after it has made contact. This is the secret to distance"

'The way to perfect this sensation is to practice hitting the ball as easily as possible, then increase the force of the swingby degrees, practicing each degree until it becomes a habit. The time will not be wasted. Perfecting each degree will teach you to play half shots, pitches, and chips. The easiest degree will help your putting.'

Taken from the book, 'This Golfing Life' by Michael Bamberger.

Passage written by Seventeenth-century Scottish golfer, Thomas Kincaid.

Golf Quotes: Part 2

"Every shot you take is once in a lifetime. After the shot, that moment is lost forever. Have no regrets and make something of it."

–Anonymous

"The secret, the answers (to golf) are in the dirt."

–Ben Hogan

"Go hit 10,000 balls."

–Ben Hogan

"Confidence is playing with your eyes."

–Dr. Bob Rotella

"Swing slow, ya make the dough. Hit fast, ya don't last"

–Gary Player

"It's not who hits it the best, but who misses the least."

–Jeff Ritter

Saying to a boy on a range, "I don't like your swing, but I like how your ball goes."

–Seve Ballesteros

"A golfer must discover his true gravity if he is to play to his capabilities."

–Shivas Irons

"Anyone who needs a psychologist shouldn't be playing golf. Confidence comes from inside you, not from somebody else. My confidence is my game."

–Carlos Franco

"A golfer is a gentleman."

–Davis Sezna

Round: D.W. Fields

2 Players (Me, Geoff)

Pre-round practice: none

15 holes
Golf in December! Better believe it. At the beginning of my first season, I would of thought it ended by October. The sun was out and with the tee rates lower, it seemed like a good excuse to play. So, I started off the round to the right, big slices, then by the fifth hole, everything was back in the fairway. This has been a reoccurring condition towards the end of the season, which makes me think that the colder weather is the contributing factor. Once I get loose, warmed up, I tend to get back into form. This is something I should make note of heading into next season. I had some great tee shots with my 3 metal, with one, reaching just about 280 yds!! (thanks to the cement cart path). Another notable, was my 7 iron tee shot on #17 that fell within 15 ft. Missed the birdie putt. The focus through the end of the round was Geoff's dreaded duck hook. (something he's been dealing with all season) I tried looking and his swing and even took a few videos, to see if anything faulty stood out. I'm no expert, that's something he'll need to figure out.

Notables
Tee shots, putting

Practice
Short game with new 58 wedge

170 yd. tee shot. Birdie unconverted :(

Excerpts from the book, "Golf Is A Game Of Confidence" by Dr. Bob Rotella

With temperatures hitting just about frigid, here in the Northeast, I can surely say that my 2010 season has come to a close. Looking back, it's been nothing but an enjoyable learning experience, with lots of highs and lows. Now as we enter into hibernation for the next four months or so, I turn to the reading material. This book by Dr. Bob Rotella was a great quick read, that really stresses the importance of the 'right mind' while playing. I can honestly say, that I've fallen victim to many of these great excerpts, especially #4. This has probably effected my potential throughout the season. Lots to work on!

1. To play golf as well as he can, a player must focus his mind tightly on the shot he is playing, in the present.
2. A player who is committed to the process of hitting good shots will never draw a club back until he knows where he wants the ball to go and believes that the club in his hands will send it there.
3. Nearly all golfers would be better off if they forgot about the score as they played.
4. A golfer cannot score as well as possible if he is thinking about swing mechanics as he plays.
5. A golfer has to train his swing on the practice tee, then trust it on the course.
6. In putting, the challenge is to make a free stroke to a specific target. Guiding, steering, or being too careful with a putting stroke are faults bred by doubt.
7. A golfer's brain and nervous system perform best when they're focused on a small, precise target.
8. The right choice is the decisive choice.
9. Acceptance is critical after a bad shot. An angry player can't really execute a pre-shot mental routine.
10. As long as the rules reward getting the ball in the hole on the fewest strokes, golf will be about playing well with the wedges and the putter.
11. Sometimes, golfers forget that the object of the game is not to have a great swing, but to put the ball into the hole.
12. The disease called the yips doesn't exist, except in the mind.
13. Every individual goes through periods when he does a lot of the right things—practicing efficiently, thinking well—and gets no immediate tangible results. This is the point at which successful people people bring to bear the powers of faith, patience, persistence, and will. Faith is the ability to believe without any tangible evidence.
14. A conservative strategy joined to a cocky swing produces low scores. Reckless boldness joined to a doubtful swing is a formula for disaster.
15. Athletes who become self-critical perfectionists are flirting with trouble.
16. The best remedies for a golfing slump are putting things back in perspective, dwelling on the positive, looking for something good to happen—and rededication to the short game.
17. It's not very important where you've been. Life is about where you're going.
18. The optimal state of mind is something a player must work on patiently every day.
19. It's not what happens to golfers, but how they choose to respond to what happens, that distinguishes champions.
20. Which comes first, confidence or winning? The implication, in some minds, is that you can;t win until you have confidence, and you can;t get confidence until you've won. But if that were the case, no one would ever win for the first time. The fact is that the confidence required to win can be learned.
21. The best way to introduce a kid to golf is casually.
22. A child of almost any age can't spend too much time playing golf and practicing. But children burn out if they're doing it because someone requires it and they're not having fun.
23. A golfer has to learn to compartmentalize. The happiest players are the ones who do.
24. If you can win the battle with your mind and emotions and play your best game, then you can't really lose.
25. Most dreams are attainable if the dreamer is ready to devote consistent, intelligent effort to them.
26. The difference between a dream and a fantasy is commitment.
27. To improve, a player must practice in the right way, working on both his swing and his mind.

Ball Striking

Can't stress enough the importance of ball striking. Especially with amateurs like me, how much of a difference it makes when you make flush contact with the middle of the clubface. For me, I hit it square maybe two to three times a round. Which is pretty depressing considering I usually end up with no less than 95 strokes a round. But, man, it is a fantastic sensation when solid contact is made, you can feel the ball compress against the clubface and then explode off into the distance. What is tough for me and most amateurs is judging our clubs by distance. From my experience, I somewhat know how far I can hit each club. I'm around where I should be, but I know It's based on my satisfactory mis-hits. When I do happen to smack a crisp shot, the ball seems to fly an extra 20 yds than expected. It can be frustrating at times, when you've hit a drive in the fairway and have a 100 yd approach shot, and you hit your PW flush and over shoot the green by 20 yds. I've done that a few times this season, which unfortunately has resulted in OB penalties. NOTE: IMPROVE BALL-STRIKING

Dreams of playing in the spotlight

I think we all have our moments, when we dream of competing in the professional spotlight. Since watching this year's major championships, I can't help but fantasize about being on the big screen. The classic scenario of coming down the stretch on a Sunday, ahead by 1 stroke, with two holes to play...

Putting Quotes: Part 1

"As for trying to two putt: When Michael Jordan got outside of 15 feet, was he just trying to hit the backboard?"
–Dr. Bob Rotella

"You can only read putts and develop touch by putting a lot. There’s no shortcut.”
–Hank Haney

"Visualize a tiny tack sticking out of the back of the ball–then just drive the tack into the ball with the sweet spot.”
–Bobby Jones

"Read greens by imagining where the water would run off”
–Hale Irwin

"Look at the hole when you make your practice stroke.”
–Dave Stockton

"Keep your eyes down until you hear the ball with your left ear drop into the cup.”
–Butch Harmon

"If you’re gonna miss ‘em, miss ‘em quick”
–Sam Snead

Round: Rockland Golf Course

2 Players (Me and Erik)
Pre-round practice: 5 min. putting

Par 3 / 18 holes
60 degree weather in mid-November! Felt nice and loose compared to the last few rounds playing in 45 degree weather. Started off with tee shots to the right again. The swing sequence feels great, but its the clubface that's open at impact. So, I added more grip pressure with my bottom three fingers on my left hand. This would enable me to secure the angle of the club, all the way through impact. This tweak proved to be beneficial, and I began hitting the ball straight and at the flags. I ended up having three birdie putts, all unconverted, four pars, and mostly bogeys. Didn't keep score, but probably my best round at Rockland.

Notables
Solid ball-striking. Online 200 yd. tee shots with fairway metals.

Practice
Chipping around the green.

Hole #7 - 1 of 3 birdie looks. None converted :(

Round: Braintree Municipal

4 Players (Me, Erik, two Weymouth residents)
Pre-round practice: 15 min. chipping/putting

45 degrees weather on Veteran's Day. Managed to squeeze in 16 holes before complete darkness. Hit the ball solid, but left many to the right. This has been an issue in the last few rounds. It seems my clubface is slightly open at impact. This is destroying my score especially at Braintree, because of such narrow fairways. Almost every hole is out-of-bounds to the left and right side of the fairways. Managed to complete GIR on all four par 3s. Played the first 5 holes well, pars and bogeys. Mid-round resulted in errant tee shots and multiple OB penalties. Began to get frustrated which surely affected most of my following shots. Fun round overall.

Notables
Solid Par 3 tee shots. 50 yd. approach shots w/ sand wedge. Putting

Practice
Left wrist suppination at impact.

Best photo ever?

Taken during this year's Ryder Cup in Whales. Tiger duffed the shot, which shattered the photographer's lens. Also, the 'Cigar Guy' on the right is the best part. Apparently, he has inspired hundreds of Halloween costumes, all around the world.

Golf Quotes: Part 1

"Perfect confidence and a calm mind are necessary for the success of every stroke."

"Imagine the ball has little legs, and chop them off."

"Feel the club head and let it swing you."

"Let go of the pressure of the outcome."

"It’s not about who hits it the best, but who misses the least."

"Hit the second ball, first."

Round: Green Harbor

4 Players (Me, Geoff, Lynch, High School Chem Teacher Rob)
Pre-round practice: 2 min. putting.

Stepped up to the first tee, hit a long, diving hook to the left. Rob approached me and complimented on my swing. I told him I’d been playing 6 months and his eyes were buggin'. Solid off the tee on front 9. Not so much on back nine. Hit only 25% of fairways. My putting saved my score. I tied my all time low with 37. My mentality was completely different from last week, I saw my line, stepped up and executed. My speed and control was great. My chipping and pitching was much improved from previous weeks. I had a lot of chip and pitch shots from within 30 yards and executed some nicely. My irons were better than last week, still chunking some, I need to work on rotating on my spine axis, this will prevent me from dipping on the downswing.

Score: 96

Notables
Green-side chipping and putting.

Practice
Ball-striking with irons. Less sway with my lower body on the backswing.

Round: D.W. Fields

4 Players (Me, Geoff, Erik, Club member)
Pre-round practice: Early morning wedges, 20 min chipping/putting

My body felt tight (my back) more than usual, starting early when I went out to hit some wedge shots. I hoped I would loosen up throughout the day, but I ended up feeling tighter. This effected my dismal tee shots (11% fairways hit). I just couldn’t get in the groove. My irons were solid, much better than the last few rounds. Alignment was another issue that cost me a lot of strokes. I seemed to rush my pre-shot routine and didn’t setup properly. My putting was the only thing that felt really good. Even though it wasn’t my best putting round, it was a break-through road in terms of feel. It almost felt easy :) I was clearly the best putter of the group, but the worst driver. The guy we paired with was hitting drives 300+ yds. It was the first time I saw a ball go so fast and far. His dismal putting and missed fairways dampened his ego for sure. Even though this was one of my worst rounds of the year, I still feel like I’m improving where it counts......SHORT GAME.

Score: 104

Notables
Putting. Ball-striking with irons.

Practice
Pre-shot routine. Alignment.
Improve correct ball position for multiple shots. Eliminate ‘standing up’ on downswing

Round: D.W. Fields

3 Players (Me, Joe, Geoff)
Pre-round practice: Short putting session. No full swing practice.

I set out hoping to break 90, and guess what happened. I shot a miserable 107, worst score recorded to date. I’m convinced the thought of breaking 90 stayed with me throughout the round and effected my every shot.

Note: Remove any thoughts of score during a round. 

Score: 107

Notables
Best round ever off the tee. Hit 80% fairways.
Consistent drives with driver, 3 + 5 metals.

Practice
Horrid ballstriking with irons. Chunking most shots (hitting ground before the ball).
Overswinging completely. Need to separate ‘sweeping (metals)’ swing and ‘steep, downward (irons)’ swing. Practice a nice, smooth, swing and let the club do the work.

Hole #1 - Birdie putt - Unconverted :(

Round: Ponkapoag Course #2

3 Players (Me, Joe, Bob)
Pre-round practice: None.

4th time played this course. Not much to report other than my shots off the tee are moving more towards the fairway more than ever before. Hit a few 240 yd. draw drives. Poor greens conditions, not much to comment on.

Score: 95

Unofficial Handicap: 24

Round: Presidents Golf Course

3 Players (Me, Joe, Tony)
Pre-round practice: 90 balls at driving range. Absolutely crushing the ball, dead stright, over the far hill in back of Four Seasons. The only club I struggled with was the 3 wood. I’m consistently hitting low, harsh hooks, with my driver occasionally as well. The repetitious swinging through 90 balls made my back ache and tighten up for my golf round. Next time, limit practice balls to around 40.

15 Holes
1st time playing at PGC. The round started decent. Decent iron play, mixed results with the driver. Better driving day than last outing at DW. Putting was poor, no feel, rushed strokes, lost focus, not judging speed well. If there is any excuse for my poor putting it would be the difficult slope of the greens. Very challenging, hilly, unique course made things difficult for us amateurs, especially, it being our first time there. I basically stopped keeping score after the atrocious 15th dogleg right. I deposited 4 balls into the drink that ran along the entire dogleg. At this point in the round, we were exhausted from walking the course and our backs were completely fried. We decided to call it and headed to the clubhouse. Overall it is a solid, challenging course. We will definitely be back.

Estimated Score: 96

Notables
Solid ball striking with my irons, off the tee, especially on par 3s.

Practice
Lighter grip on putter for more feel and fluidity in stroke. Smooth, lighter stroke with my driver. It seemed I was swinging way to hard on most tee shots.

Reflection
Now that I own an iphone, I’m able to record my swing on video. So, I recorded my swing using a 6-iron and learned a lot about it. Technically, I’m pretty content with how far my swing has come, compared to the state of it a few months ago. The things that need addressing are: 

1. Shortening up my backswing
   A lot of rotation is not a bad thing, except it seems I have a really long backswing.
   My club shaft ends on an extreme downward angle, and it believe it should end parallel to the ground.
2. Premature lower body rotation
   I’ve been popping the ball up lately and it seems that during the downswing, my hips are well past the square position of the ball, at the point of impact. With that, I’ve wasted all the generated power from my hips, which makes my arms/hands play catch-up, resulting in a weak uppercut. I believe this b/c I was hitting my 6-iron, and the trajectory was similar to that of a pitching wedge. The trajectory of the 6-iron should have projected outward on a stiff line.
3. Head movement
   For 85% of the swing, my head remains motionless. It’s the last part of the downswing, right before impact, that I lift up my head and body. It’s almost as if I’m standing straight up from a sitting position. There’s a lot of tension and it could be another reason for the pop-up trajectory.

All this is speculation, of course. I’ve picked up Hogan’s Fundamental lessons once more and plan to re-read it. I think it can only help me target specific swing mechanics and allow to make a conscious effort to hammer it out.

Round: Rockland Golf Course

4 players (Me, Joe, Tony, James)
Pre-round practice: None.

15 Holes
BREAKTHROUGH DAY with my irons. Hit a ton of greens off the tee, and ball striking was better than ever. I felt that I comfortably reached optimal distance with my irons and can now judge distance better with my clubs. (i.e. last month, 5 iron: 145. now, 160) I can feel the difference at impact. Putting was a bit rough. I had multiple birdie opportunities, but misjudged every putt. I don’t think I’ve had a solid putting round at Rockland, in the 10+ times I’ve played there. I think I might have been gripping the putter too hard. I think if I have a light grip, I’ll be able to feel the putt better. I plan on playing another round at Rockland, this Sunday.

Notables
Solid ball striking with my irons, off the tee. Solid club choices in gauging distance.

Practice
Lighter grip on putter for more feel and fluidity in stroke.

On this day: Martin Kaymer wins the PGA Championship, 2010.

Round: D.W. Fields

3 Players (Me, Joe, Bob)
Pre-round practice: None

Tee time: 6:20 am. Woof. Stiff, no warm-ups. 1st hole off the tee, driver, 250+ yards. Every other drive was horrible. Pop-ups, massive slices, hooks, topped dribblers. Clubface was shifting often at impact. Must fix my grip and solidify a square face at impact. Weak irons on front nine. Wasn’t comfortable with swing and follow through. Back nine scored a 44 i believe. Much better performance with irons and putting. Putting was the only consistent part of my game. Kept most holes to 2 putts and even hit a few long 10-15 footer 1 putts. At the end of the round, scored a 96. Which is +1 stroke more than my best 95. Good news is that considering how bad I felt I played, my score was close to my best, meaning if I play any better, I could easily break 90, or even go low 80s. With almost 2 weeks in between my last 2 rounds, things can only get better with more play. I’ve got the Paul Jensen Tournament to work and look forward to in September. If I play once a week leading up to the tournament, I could do very well.

Score: 96

Notables
Putting. Multiple par saves, consistent 2 putts, 10-15 footer 1 putts.
Strong irons on back nine.

Practice
Grip and alignment. Completing a full backswing.

Round: Strawberry Valley

4 Players (Me, Tony, James and his Dad)

Pre-round practice: None. Rushed to the course for tee time, stepped onto the first tee and swung away.

9 Holes
During the last week, I made some adjustments to my grip and hand position. Proving to be beneficial. Although there are still issues with my alignment and comfort level at address. Putting was rough in the beginning, started to get into a rhythm on last few holes. Felt warmed up by 8th :( The 9th is a great driving hole. It's a blind tee shot over a small hill that extends into the fairway, which starts sloping at 220 yds out. If you get your drive down the fairway it can get a serious roll, adding 30 yds extra distance. Good for the ego.

Notables

Solid approach shots within 150 yds to the green. Straight drive on 9th.
Decent chipping control around greens.

Practice

Alignment. Pulling the ball hard left. Need to swing through and down on the ball.

Round: Rockland Golf Course

4 Players (Me, Joe, Bob, Whitey)
Pre-round practice: None

It was 6:30 AM and Bob, Joe and I were heading to the first tee, when, Whitey pulls up into a handicap spot in the parking lot. I  knew he was a senior, bu I had no idea he was handicapped. He gets out of his truck and the dude looks like he needs to be in a wheelchair. He's got a mean limp and he looks to be in his 70s. My initial thought was, here we go, who invited the old guy? BUT...after the first hole, it was clear who were in fact, the handicapped. Whitey is a grizzled veteran who I'm sure has been playing for MANY years. Early on, he exuded this arrogant sensibility of the game, that in his mind, we were incapable of. In the beginning, he was very withdrawn from conversation, but eventually opened up and actually gave me some valuable tips. The round was off and on. I finished last of the group with a morbid score of 94, and your thinking, hey, not bad! but remember, it’s a Par 3 / 53 course (That sucks). I felt uncomfortable off 50% of the tees. Felt rushed the entire time, as if I was taking too long to tee off. Not the case, all mental. Need to forget about what others think and play my game and approach each shot to my comfort level. Although inconsistent, my ball striking was better than the others. I lost the round due to poor putting. 3+ putted most holes. Felt lost early, not feeling the greens. Lost confidence and focus. Distracted by thoughts of previous poor shots and others low expectations. Need to practice new approach of trusting the line and feeling the speed and keeping my head down.

Notables

Solid 8 iron over shot green 150 yds. Absolute beauty.
Short with new SW (90 yds) on 110 yd, 17th. Improved chipping control around greens.

Practice

Need to develop a consistent approach to each shot. Will help with consistency of comfort and results. Thinking of writing the acronym ‘GAP’ on my left glove. (Grip, Alignment, Posture)

Round: Bass River GC

4 Players (Me, 3 random dudes)
Pre-round practice: Driving range, 90 balls. Felt good. Hit my irons well. Driving felt uncomfortable. All slices and hard pulls to the left.

9 Holes

Felt uncomfortable off the tee. Missed all fairways. Harsh pulls to the left, very straight, good ball striking. Alignment/set-up way off. Possible grip issues. Closed clubhead on impact? Need to work on this. Kept worrying about the other players. Wasn't able to focus much. Putting was a joke. No effort b/c of how many strokes I had leading up to the greens. Need to get back in the zone. Regardless of how terrible the outing, had fun and stayed fairly positive.

Notables
Experienced co-player commented on my solid ball-striking.

Remember the 'Three Cs'

Confidence
Never be morbid. Hit every shot with conviction.

Concentration
Rid the mind of extraneous thoughts. Focus from shot to shot.

Control
Control your nerves. Keep 'cool-mad' —controlled tension.

Swing Keys (V1)

SWING SEQUENCE

• Breath before approaching ball.
• Relieve tension in arms.Tension delays square face at impact.
• Keep light grip pressure with all clubs.
• Rotate on shoulder plane.
• Turn your weight. Not shift.
• Stay down and through.
• Accelerate on the downswing. Never let up.
• Stay back and balanced through to the finish.

DRIVER

• Stay Loose.
• Grip and Rip
• Move ball inside left heel
• Stay down and through
• Slightly closed stance promotes draw.
• Slightly open stance promotes fade.

BALL STRIKING

• More 'steep' descending swing
• Brush grass with practice swings before shot.

Click here to view 'Swing Keys (V3)'
Click here to view 'Swing Keys (V2)'