Want to maintain your golf performance? Or perhaps improve in the off season? Try one or two of the following :
1. Begin a daily stretching regimen - increased flexibility will allow you to swing more smoothly with a better chance to get "wound up," before you "unwind" in your forward swing.
2. Putt and chip in your house. Put down a swatch of carpeting if you need to, and practice keeping the club low through the ball. Brush the carpet on chips!
3. Watch a professional tournament. Look for common denominators in the leader's swings.
4. Play your favorite course in your mind. Close your eyes and imagine each shot. Make sure that you shoot at least par. :)
5. If you have a consistent playing partner, whose game and opinion you respect, ask him/her what he/she sees as your main weakness. (Better chance of being able to receive this information when you are not close to a club).
6. Use this time to correct any "Set-Up" flaws. If you need to adjust your grip, stance, posture, ball position, weight distribution at address, now is a good time to force yourself into the correct position. Grip a club while watching American Idol...or the Super Bowl. If you have an inflammatory personality, you better skip it while watching football. When you're changing into your pajamas at night, take a golf stance while looking in the mirror. Better to look after your PJs are on. Don't want to be distracted with bodily imperfections. :)
7. Go to an indoor facility and leisurely hit a few balls. Don't worry about where the balls go. Try to feel a consistent rhythm and hold your finish. Regardless of ball outcome, see if you can keep your balance.
8. If you want to stay in a higher gear, take lessons and work hard on improving your physical motions. Find a teacher that you trust and then FULLY trust him or her. Ask lots of questions, but be determined to fully appropriate the directions. You are always free to change course (pun intended), but be 100% in for at least a minimum amount of time. Be sure about your choice and then choose to be sure about the instruction.
Just a few suggestions FORE YOU, Sue
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Haven't Missed A Shot All Year!
Love the New Year! Another fresh start is upon us. For some of you, this means waiting for spring to hit your first shot of the year. For hearty others, your shot will come while traipsing through the snow with an orange ball. And for those of you in warm climates, you may have already hit your first shots of 2013!
My wish for a happy new year, holds the exhortation to FORGET last year and start fresh. Look back to evaluate and set a new course, (pun intended), then "fore-ge" ahead. Be realistic and have high hopes as well. Golf gives us heights and depths all in a 2-4 hour period. A slice of life. Know that the lousy shots will come, but approach every shot with hope.
Keep moving forward and don't get discouraged. Steady forward progress is what you are looking for. Is there anything in your golf game, that you are repeating, just because it's all you know, or all you've ever done? Be courageous and be willing to let go of your mediocre, but safe habits and routines, and venture out into new territory.
If you are an "elderly canine," (old dog ), you CAN learn new tricks. Keep shooting for strong and sound fundamentals. True, there are a lot of ways to hit a golf ball. But all very good players, do many things the same. Get to your foundation and if it hasn't been built on the right cornerstone, opt for rebuilding. It will take some work, but it will serve you well for the rest of your golf life!
Happy New Course and Year!
Fore you, Sue
My wish for a happy new year, holds the exhortation to FORGET last year and start fresh. Look back to evaluate and set a new course, (pun intended), then "fore-ge" ahead. Be realistic and have high hopes as well. Golf gives us heights and depths all in a 2-4 hour period. A slice of life. Know that the lousy shots will come, but approach every shot with hope.
Keep moving forward and don't get discouraged. Steady forward progress is what you are looking for. Is there anything in your golf game, that you are repeating, just because it's all you know, or all you've ever done? Be courageous and be willing to let go of your mediocre, but safe habits and routines, and venture out into new territory.
If you are an "elderly canine," (old dog ), you CAN learn new tricks. Keep shooting for strong and sound fundamentals. True, there are a lot of ways to hit a golf ball. But all very good players, do many things the same. Get to your foundation and if it hasn't been built on the right cornerstone, opt for rebuilding. It will take some work, but it will serve you well for the rest of your golf life!
Happy New Course and Year!
Fore you, Sue
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
What Christmas reminded me about golf.
Moaning about how swamped and sleepless I had been, getting ready for Christmas day, my niece told me something she had heard about procrastination. Funny how she seamlessly connected my exhaustion and this problem with poor planning. She said that someone told her that the good thing about leaving your tasks until the last minute, was that they only take a minute. : ) Although my upper body was angled like the Tower of Pisa, against a very poofy couch pillow, a chuckle popped out of me, like a cork out of a bottle. I love when humor is used to lubricate the known malfunctions of ones lifestyle.
Anyway, after all of the preparation and "minute to finish it" tasks, I was able to sit down...or recline slightly sideways, and take in the people with whom I would celebrate Christmas. Sometimes, I don't appreciate how things are, because I am busy thinking about how they aren't like the perfect picture in my head. I miss loved ones that aren't with me, I long for favorite dishes that I used to eat as a kid, I lament not believing in Santa anymore, and I don't want to worry about gaining weight!
We do this with golf. We picture playing golf with pleasant partners, (that we always beat), decent weather, well hit shots, putts that fall in with ease, a score about which we can be proud. We forget the simple blessing that we are able to play...that we can swing a club and walk down the fairway and interact with some friends or even strangers. We forget that our identity and worth is not in our golf scores...or swings...or nicely appointed golf attire. :) We forget to appreciate what we have.
This Christmas, I was able to appreciate each of the people with whom I shared the day. I embraced the menu, (which I happened to prepare on Christmas morning), felt the magic, and ate freely. The next time I go out on the golf course, I hope to I take this experience with me. Maybe you can too.
Enjoy your playing partners, anticipate new experiences, have unusual optimism, and don't worry about outcomes! Here's to a year of appreciating what you have, while pursuing what you want.
Fore you, Sue
Anyway, after all of the preparation and "minute to finish it" tasks, I was able to sit down...or recline slightly sideways, and take in the people with whom I would celebrate Christmas. Sometimes, I don't appreciate how things are, because I am busy thinking about how they aren't like the perfect picture in my head. I miss loved ones that aren't with me, I long for favorite dishes that I used to eat as a kid, I lament not believing in Santa anymore, and I don't want to worry about gaining weight!
We do this with golf. We picture playing golf with pleasant partners, (that we always beat), decent weather, well hit shots, putts that fall in with ease, a score about which we can be proud. We forget the simple blessing that we are able to play...that we can swing a club and walk down the fairway and interact with some friends or even strangers. We forget that our identity and worth is not in our golf scores...or swings...or nicely appointed golf attire. :) We forget to appreciate what we have.
This Christmas, I was able to appreciate each of the people with whom I shared the day. I embraced the menu, (which I happened to prepare on Christmas morning), felt the magic, and ate freely. The next time I go out on the golf course, I hope to I take this experience with me. Maybe you can too.
Enjoy your playing partners, anticipate new experiences, have unusual optimism, and don't worry about outcomes! Here's to a year of appreciating what you have, while pursuing what you want.
Fore you, Sue
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Lost in the Transition!
What kind of progress, or "di-gress" have you made this year? Maybe you have "transitioned" into the B flight, from the A flight...or even from the championship flight (for those of you unfamiliar, when amateur tournaments are played, golfers are often grouped into categories of like abilities. It's no fun to be excited about shooting 95, and be beaten by twenty shots by the guy or girl who shot a 75. The championship flight is the group for the lowest scoring players, and then flights A,B,C, and sometimes even D follow. These categories are used to allow the competition to be more fair and enjoyable. In theory, everyone has a chance to win a trophy).
Nobody likes to move down in "flights." We all want to move toward the championship flight. The golf season is now over in the midwest, and you have a chance to evaluate your year. If it was lousy, you probably don't ever want to relive it, even in your memory. But this is a necessary step for you to improve. Take a deep breath and really think about why your score increased. Was it because of errant tee shots? Terrible bunker and chip shots? Is your putter slightly bent, from slamming it on the ground after all of those missed putts? Where is your problem? And what can you do about it?
It can be discouraging to look back on pain, but hope can be apprehended, when you use the pain to improve...whatever the circumstance. Determine from where your added shots came. Then work on that part of your game in the off season. I'm a fan of getting good direction. Find a golf professional that you can trust and understand, and devote some time to changing what is driving you CRAZY!
Speaking of transitions....I was hoping to make it easier for you to interact with me, by transitioning to a wordpress blog. I don't think it matters and I ended up not writing any posts! I don't want the blog to get LOST in this transition. So let's just do it this way...if you want to respond to my blog, and are having difficulty here, email me a question or comment at sue@getacquaintedwithgolf.com. I will respond here, to your Q & C there. Okay? No more "loss" in the transition. Transition over.
Fore you, Sue
Nobody likes to move down in "flights." We all want to move toward the championship flight. The golf season is now over in the midwest, and you have a chance to evaluate your year. If it was lousy, you probably don't ever want to relive it, even in your memory. But this is a necessary step for you to improve. Take a deep breath and really think about why your score increased. Was it because of errant tee shots? Terrible bunker and chip shots? Is your putter slightly bent, from slamming it on the ground after all of those missed putts? Where is your problem? And what can you do about it?
It can be discouraging to look back on pain, but hope can be apprehended, when you use the pain to improve...whatever the circumstance. Determine from where your added shots came. Then work on that part of your game in the off season. I'm a fan of getting good direction. Find a golf professional that you can trust and understand, and devote some time to changing what is driving you CRAZY!
Speaking of transitions....I was hoping to make it easier for you to interact with me, by transitioning to a wordpress blog. I don't think it matters and I ended up not writing any posts! I don't want the blog to get LOST in this transition. So let's just do it this way...if you want to respond to my blog, and are having difficulty here, email me a question or comment at sue@getacquaintedwithgolf.com. I will respond here, to your Q & C there. Okay? No more "loss" in the transition. Transition over.
Fore you, Sue
Friday, October 5, 2012
Transition Time!
Hi All! I will also be posting on Word Press now. Blogspot allows me more color...I'm hoping that Word Press will make it easier for readers to comment. This is experimental. Will probably post in both places for a while.
Fore you, Sue
Fore you, Sue
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Countable Score
It's been a month now, since tryouts for the the high school golf team were held. My daughter made the team! (Most made the team - though you did have to show that you could intermittantly get the ball off the ground and keep it on the golf course).
There's quite a jump between whacking balls on a driving range, and actually "playing" golf on a course. There is so much to learn about where to stand, when to hit, what to do when you find your ball in water hazards, bushes and in neighboring yards. There are a LOT of rules!
But when you first start to play, you need a LOT of grace. You can't know, let alone execute, all of the directions in the rules of golf. (Just between you and me, even golfers that have played the game for many many years aren't able to follow the rules as they are written).
So it will take a while for you to have a truly "countable score" in golf. When you first start, you should do what they do on the high school team with the newer players. After 6 shots without being on the putting green, you pick your ball up and place it on the green and start putting! If you have made 10 efforts to get the ball in any given hole, your 11th effort should be picking the ball up and putting it in your pocket. The number that is placed on the scorecard would be a "circle 10," as my daughter puts it.
But stick with it. It is so gratifying to have a "legitimate" score on a hole...and then a "legitimate," countable score for an entire round of golf...either 9 or 18 holes.
Golf is very hard, but like I said in one of my first posts, quoting Tom Hanks' character in the movie, "A League of Their Own," "It's the hard that makes it great!"
Keep swinging and enjoy each new experience with a "Countable Score." Even if it's just one hole.
Fore You, Sue
There's quite a jump between whacking balls on a driving range, and actually "playing" golf on a course. There is so much to learn about where to stand, when to hit, what to do when you find your ball in water hazards, bushes and in neighboring yards. There are a LOT of rules!
But when you first start to play, you need a LOT of grace. You can't know, let alone execute, all of the directions in the rules of golf. (Just between you and me, even golfers that have played the game for many many years aren't able to follow the rules as they are written).
So it will take a while for you to have a truly "countable score" in golf. When you first start, you should do what they do on the high school team with the newer players. After 6 shots without being on the putting green, you pick your ball up and place it on the green and start putting! If you have made 10 efforts to get the ball in any given hole, your 11th effort should be picking the ball up and putting it in your pocket. The number that is placed on the scorecard would be a "circle 10," as my daughter puts it.
But stick with it. It is so gratifying to have a "legitimate" score on a hole...and then a "legitimate," countable score for an entire round of golf...either 9 or 18 holes.
Golf is very hard, but like I said in one of my first posts, quoting Tom Hanks' character in the movie, "A League of Their Own," "It's the hard that makes it great!"
Keep swinging and enjoy each new experience with a "Countable Score." Even if it's just one hole.
Fore You, Sue
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
BASICS 2 : Dogs, Ducks, and Divots
Time for another post written with the assumption that you know nothing about golf. I love these! Last time, we looked at the general layout of a golf course and the main purpose of golf. In this post, we will look at a few golf terms.
Dogleg - The term used for a golf hole that starts straight and then angles to the left or right up to the green.
Duck Hook - The term used for a golf shot, that gets in the air, but takes an immediate, violent turn to the left (if you're a right handed player - right if you're a left handed player). It's best to stay quiet, or look away after your playing partner hits this shot. Quacking would be especially bad.
Divot - The term used for the little chunk (sometimes large chunk) of turf that dislodges itself from the ground as a result of your club attempting to hit the ball. Accomplished players hit the ball first, and then the earth as they accelerate through their shots. Divots taken on poor shots are those that are a result of hitting the earth before the ball...like a drop-kicked football. :) If your drop kicking playing partner is good natured, you might exclaim compassionately, "Oh, you hit the big ball first, eh?"
Fore you, Sue
Dogleg - The term used for a golf hole that starts straight and then angles to the left or right up to the green.
Duck Hook - The term used for a golf shot, that gets in the air, but takes an immediate, violent turn to the left (if you're a right handed player - right if you're a left handed player). It's best to stay quiet, or look away after your playing partner hits this shot. Quacking would be especially bad.
Divot - The term used for the little chunk (sometimes large chunk) of turf that dislodges itself from the ground as a result of your club attempting to hit the ball. Accomplished players hit the ball first, and then the earth as they accelerate through their shots. Divots taken on poor shots are those that are a result of hitting the earth before the ball...like a drop-kicked football. :) If your drop kicking playing partner is good natured, you might exclaim compassionately, "Oh, you hit the big ball first, eh?"
Fore you, Sue
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