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.