Simple Works

As a young coach – in both golf and basketball – I was preoccupied with making sure my students knew how much I knew.  I filled all the available air space with jargon and instruction, convinced that each student’s improvement was directly tied to how many words I said to them.

Now, whether I’m teaching a fourth grader how to shoot a basketball or a fifty year old how to stop slicing, I frequently pare my teaching down to this: hold your follow through.  In this lesson, I’ll explain why this simple idea has so much power.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You want to improve your swing

You have too many swing thoughts

You want to learn about your swing flaws

The Many Virtues of Holding Your Follow Through

One of the primary virtues of “hold your follow through” is its simplicity.  Every player – from the seasoned, scratch golfer to the complete beginner – understands what it means.  We’ve all seen the PGA Tour logo.  Try to look like that when you’re done.  Simple.

Relatedly, this straightforward edict acts as an eraser for the litany of swing thoughts many golfers carry around.  If you’re thinking about holding your follow through, you can’t be worried about your wrist flexion at P2.5.

By erasing swing thoughts, this phrase also relieves a lot of psychological pressure.  All those swing thoughts build up a mountain of expectations: “I need to flex my wrist at the top of the swing so that I can square the face at impact.  If I don’t, I’m going to slice it and look like a hack, oh no oh no oh no.”  It’s no wonder some players get stuck over the ball.  When I ask them to hold the follow through, I’m taking on all the responsibility for the outcome.  If they hold their follow through, they did their job.  Easy.

One more benefit is that “hold your follow through” is an external cue.  Research on motor learning shows that, across sports, people make changes faster with external cues than internal cues [learn more HERE].  External cues allow the golfer to be an athlete and accomplish the goal without micromanagement.

When I ask a player to hold their follow through, a myriad of good things tend to happen.  They usually finish on balance with a proper weight shift into their lead foot and a full turn toward the target.  Typically, they finish the swing with their club over their lead shoulder.  And, often, they do a better job of “releasing” the club face and getting it square at impact.  Pretty good for a “simple” four-word lesson.

Succeed or Learn

One of my favorite things about holding the follow through is that it gives the player feedback that’s easily understood.  All of those benefits I listed a moment ago – weight shift, full turn, balance, “completed” arm swing – come with a clear indicator in the follow through.

If the student finishes the swing standing on their trail leg, we both know they didn’t shift their weight.  If their chest isn’t pointed to the target, they didn’t turn.  If the club isn’t over their shoulder, they may have made a tentative arm swing.  All of this feedback turns into a straightforward cue for the next swing.

This is in stark contrast to most internal cues which require video confirmation.  Needing video not only delays the feedback (a killer to learning), it makes the feedback harder/impossible to get when the student is on their own.  For more on why I hate filming golf swings, click HERE.

A Cue for Your Entire Game

Finally, while the idea of holding your follow through definitely has the most dramatic impact on the full swing, it’s an idea that you can use in every part of your game.  Personally, I find it most helpful in the short game.  I tend to get “stabby” with my chips and pitches, not shifting forward and completing the swing.  Holding that unpleasant, incomplete follow through is a harsh prompt to do better.

On the green, we’re not making dramatic turns or weight shifts, but there are still lessons to learn.  If you’re trying to make a flowing, smooth stroke, you’ll want to see that follow through get the putter head well past the address position rather than stopping at impact.  We can also watch the club face and feel the pressure in our feet for clues about why our putts are starting offline.

“Hold your follow through” isn’t going to make you sound like a PhD of Golf Swing Jargon, but it might be the fastest route to better results.

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Not Another “Easy” Fix

Across any endeavor – sports, fitness, personal finance, etc – the most common form of clickbait is advertising one “easy” thing that will make all the difference.  The allure is obvious: who wouldn’t want to see massive growth from one effortless change?

This lesson is different.  I’m going to suggest something that’s incredibly hard.  I think it’s worth it – it will dramatically improve the results you see from practice – but it’s not easy.  If you’re ready, read on.

Before I go any further, I want to credit the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown [check it out HERE] for inspiring this lesson.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You’re ready to get serious about improving your swing

You are a disciplined golfer

Get Focused

The uncomplicated but difficult message of this lesson is that you need to focus your practice on one thing if you want to see real improvement.

“What?  That’s it?  That sounds really easy.”

No, it’s really difficult.  It’s not complex, but it’s hard.  I’ll explain.

Let’s start with the first requirement: knowing the right thing to focus on.  To do this, you need to know what’s really hurting your golf game.  Thankfully, there are a couple ways to figure this out.  One approach would be to take a lesson and have a coach tell you the biggest problem in your golf swing.  That could be poor contact, poor club face control, etc.

Alternately, you can look at your shot tracking data [Shot Scope V5 review HERE] to determine which part of your game is hurting your score and drill down from there.  As an example, you might see that your short game is suffering, mainly 20-50 yard shots, and mostly due to poor distance control.

Once you’ve got the diagnosis, the hard work of focusing begins.  For the rest of this lesson, I’ll use the example of minimizing fat and thin strikes with your irons.  You buy a bucket and set up your practice station.  The first swing is good.  Then you hit one fat.  The next ball is perfectly struck, but it slices.  What do you do?  This is where most golfers lose the plot.  Rather than staying focused on their goal, they chase that slice like Dug in Up (“Squirrel!”).  The focused golfer pats themself on the back for the perfect strike, ignores the slice, and keeps moving forward.

The graphic above is a perfect encapsulation of this idea.  If you are constantly chasing squirrels in practice, you’ll get a tiny, tiny, tiny bit better at a lot of things.  If you focus on one thing, you’ll see real improvement.

The Phrase to Erase

A key to progressing on this disciplined path is eliminating the phrase “I have to” from your golf vocabulary.  This is a game that you decide to play; nothing about it is “have to.”

Instead, realize that everything within golf is a choice, so use the phrase, “I choose to.”  This change is powerful because it allows you to ignore all the squirrels.  You don’t have to fix the slice.  You don’t have to fix the toe shot.  You choose to focus on hitting the ball before you hit the ground, because that’s the most important thing for your game right now.

Not Everything Matters Right Now

Right now, the Dugs in the crowd are furious.  “Everything matters!  I can’t go out on Sunday and hit slices!  I need to fix that!”

They’re not wrong.  If you want to play good golf, you can’t have a wild, unpredictable slice.  However, you can only fix one thing at a time.  That’s why the first step – diagnosis – is so critical.  Find the thing that’s causing the most pain and address it.  I have an entire lesson on what the real focal points are HERE.

When it’s no longer a problem, we can move on to other things.  But understand that nothing gets fixed with five swings.  Your focus should not change within practice sessions.  Whatever you came to the range to fix, stick with it the entire time.  If you allow yourself to change within a session, you’re back to chasing squirrels.

The Feeling of Control & Accomplishment

Ignoring slices and toe strikes will create a certain amount of psychological discomfort at first.  You may feel like you’re embarrassing yourself with those “unfixed” slices.  Pro tip: no one cares, you’re experiencing the Spotlight Effect [learn more HERE].

That feeling of discomfort will go away after a time, and you’ll be left with a feeling of control.  You’re no longer running aimlessly after every squirrel; you’re systematically addressing the flaws in your game.  When you leave a practice session, you’ll have made real improvements which will show up on your scorecard.  It’s hard, but it will be worth it.

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“I’m Better Than That”

This is the biggest lie in golf, and it’s one that every golfer I know has told.

Some golfers tell The Lie out loud, trying to protect their pride by tongue-lashing themselves.  Others silently tell it to themselves after a bad shot.  But no matter how it’s communicated, it’s a lie.

In this lesson, I’ll explain why that lie is hurting your game and how you can play better with a healthy dose of the truth.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You get frustrated with your game

You want to shoot better scores

“You Are What Your Record Says You Are”

This line from coach Bill Parcells cuts to the heart of The Lie.  If you are the player who hit the bad shot, you aren’t better than the bad shot.  That’s not to say that the bad shot is all that you are or that you aren’t capable of better sometimes, but denying that the bad shot is part of your game is folly.

The full grown version of The Lie is the player who says, “Well, I shot 94, but…” and then explains how they actually shot 85.  It shows a detachment from reality that won’t help them improve.  Those nine extra strokes were not the result of the golf course conspiring against them.  The sooner they take responsibility for the mistakes they made, the sooner they will be on their way to fixing them.

Understanding Peak, Range, and Probabilities

Every player has a range of shots that they’re able to hit.  A 30 handicap can hit a solid approach shot, but they can also hit it three inches fat or slice it off the planet.  And those bad results are far more likely.

As we move toward scratch or Tour players, the high quality shots become better and the bad shots become less likely.  What’s important to understand, however, is that the chance of a bad shot is never zero.  Players on the PGA Tour can hit shanks or miss three-footers.

The Frustrating Middle

Being a mid-handicap player – someone between those two extremes mentioned above – may be the most frustrating.  As a 10 handicap, you’re an above average player.  You’re capable of hitting really nice shots.  But you can also hit terrible shots.  It’s not out of the question for you to lay the sod over a chip or duck hook your drive.

To stop telling yourself The Lie, you need to understand your peak, your range, and your average.

Peak Performance

This is the one that most golfers know best.  What are you capable of doing when everything goes right?  It’s the most fun element to think about, and it’s a key to good strategy.  If you have the horsepower to hit it 225 yards off the tee, you shouldn’t aim at the lake that’s 220 yards away.

That said, many golfers dramatically overestimate their peak.  This is the golfer who waits for the green to clear from 275 yards out after driving it 210.  Learn your actual peak – distances, shot control, etc – instead of playing on hopes and dreams.

Learn about your peak, range, and averages with these tips HERE

The Other Side of Your Range

Most sports psychologists would caution against negative thoughts, but it’s important that we’re aware of what kind of bad shots we hit.  I know that a snap hook off the tee is never out of the question, and I’m capable of thinning a routine chip.  That doesn’t mean I hope for those outcomes, but, if I’m going to operate in reality, I need to be aware that they exist.

We can go a step further and consider what situations make those bad outcomes more likely.  Do you slice more when you’re under pressure?  Do you hit it fat when faced with a forced carry?

In practice, we can work on eliminating these poor shots.  When we’re playing, we need to know they exist so we can minimize the damage they can cause.  Here’s an example: if I haven’t played lately, thin chips are more likely.  That may lead me to use my putter around the green more often, especially if there’s trouble long.  I’m not throwing in the towel, I’m not giving up on the idea of ever being a good chipper, I’m just adapting my strategy to my strengths and weaknesses.

Averages

The most important thing to know about your game is your average outcome with each of your clubs.  This starts with distance.  You can’t score well if you’re constantly expecting to hit the ball your all-time best distance; play for your average carry.  Similarly, while we all love hitting a laser at the flag, those are rare.  Play for your most common shot shape.

And remember that with every shot, you are aiming your whole shot pattern, not a single point.  The size and shape of your shot pattern will change from club to club, and you need to think about getting the biggest chunk of that shot pattern into the best position possible.

Play the Odds

If you know about your peaks, ranges, and averages, what should you do?  Play the odds.  Most of the time you’re going to hit an average shot.  Pick a club, a shot, and a target that will give you a good outcome most of the time.  Give some consideration to the extremes, especially when there are stroke hazards involved, but play for the fat part of the bell curve.

Laugh it Off

Have you ever seen someone throw a tantrum when they find out their Powerball ticket isn’t a winner?  Of course not.  Everyone knows that most lottery tickets are losers.  You buy a ticket to have a laugh and a chance at something great.  When it doesn’t go the way you hoped, you give a wry smile and move on.  If it does come through, you can be elated.

We should treat golf much the same way.  Most of our shots are going to be average.  That’s fine.  Go hit the next one.  When one of the bad ones pops up, laugh it off.  Go hit the next one.  And when you’re lucky enough to get one of those shots from the top 1% of your range, recognize that it’s special and enjoy the hell out of it.

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The Trouble with Modern Greens

During my recent golf trip to central Oregon, I had the opportunity to play Tetherow Golf Club [review HERE].  This David McLay-Kidd design features very large greens.  This led me to an interesting question: do the large greens favored by modern architects negate the value of greens in regulation?

Get caught up on the first ten installments of the Course Management Basics series HERE.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You play courses with large greens

The King of Stats

Greens in regulation (GIR) is the king of golf stats because it’s the one that correlates most closely with handicap.  If you hit about 7 GIR per round, you’re likely to be a single digit handicap.  Hit 10 or more and you’re flirting with scratch.  But do the benefits of hitting lots of greens diminish when you playing on larger greens?

The Data

First, thank you to Shot Scope for providing the data for this lesson.  Their data is pulled from millions of shots hit by thousands of golfers of all handicap levels.  If you want to start tracking your shots and playing smarter golf, click HERE.

If we were to boil this down to one number, it would be 30 feet.  That’s how much closer you need to be to negate the benefits of being on the green.  Golfers who are 21 feet from the flag and off the green require slightly fewer strokes to finish (between 0.04 and 0.17, depending on handicap) than golfers who are on the green but 51 feet away from the cup.

What is the benefit to being on the green?  That depends on the handicap.  Comparing like distances – 21 feet from the hole – on and off the green, the difference in strokes to finish is 0.22 for scratch players.  For those with handicaps of sixteen or more that jumps to almost 0.5 strokes.  While this highlights how much better scratch players’ short games are, it also indicates what a massive advantage it is to be on the green.

Before moving on, let’s spell out the two obvious inferences.  First, if you’re off the green but more than 30 feet closer, that’s a win.  If 30 feet closer confers a small advantage, being 50 feet closer should give us an even larger advantage.  Conversely, if you can’t get at least 30 feet closer, just get your ball on the green.

Real World Application

Obviously, golfers do not get to stand in the fairway and decide between being 51 feet away on the green or 21 feet away in the fringe.  They need to hit shots that will have a variety of possible outcomes.  Because there are so many variables in play – the size and shape of the green, pin location, hazards, shape and texture of the surrounds, the player’s tendencies, etc – I can’t give you a single, simple rule for how to play.  Instead, here are a handful of things to consider so you can make the best decision for your game.

Note: these ideas are listed in order of importance.  If you’re a newer player, or simply trying to play smart for the first time, start with one or two.  When those ideas become second nature, add more.

“Shotgun, Not Sniper Rifle”

I’ve discussed this concept before, but it bears repeating.  Scott Fawcett, creator of the Decade Course Management System, is responsible for the phrase, and I think it’s the one thing that will make every golfer a better player instantly.

What he’s saying is that your golf clubs create a shot pattern that covers a certain area.  Depending on the club and your skill level, that pattern will change in size and shape, but it’s never a single dot.  You need to think about placing the entire shot pattern safely when you pick a target.  Keep this in mind from tee to green, and you’ll start making better decisions.

Eliminate Hazards

Whether we’re playing on big greens or small greens, staying out of hazards is essential to scoring well.  We need to be aware of OB, water, sand, and less obvious hazards like steep depressions or areas with tall grass where we might lose a ball.

Keeping the ball out of trouble sounds obvious, but it requires discipline.  When the flag is on the side of the green near a hazard, you need to move your whole shot pattern away from it.  That can be tough, but it will pay off in the long run.

Here’s another stat from Shot Scope that will help you stay on the disciplined path: 0.52.  That’s the average penalty, across all handicap levels, for hitting into a greenside bunker.  Keep in mind that number does not assume that you’re getting a GIR, simply that you stayed off the beach.  Bunkers, especially for higher handicap players, are a major driver of higher scores.

Green Undulations

Generally, these big greens that we’re discussing are also full of sharp undulations and steep tilts.  They also tend to play firmer and faster.  This has a couple implications.  First, you need to hit your approach high and soft or plan for some amount of roll out.  Second, the ball is likely to move once it’s on the ground.

This second point is my focus.  Consider the green above.  This is an upside-down saucer or turtleback green that runs off in every direction.  The day this picture was taken, the pin position on the front was fairly friendly – a little long is fine, and short leaves you a simple chip.  But what if the pin was near the back edge?  The average golfer would play the flag number, hit a “good” shot, and then watch their ball run off the edge of the world.

Before hitting your approach shot, consider where your ball is going to land and where it will roll to.  If certain landing spots will roll into hazards or end up miles from the pin, try to remove those landing spots from your shot pattern.

We can also consider using the green’s slopes to our benefit.  The green above is #18 at Sedge Valley [review HERE].  You can see how it has friendly banks on both the left and right side of the mouth of the green.  This is a smaller green, so those banks won’t impact where we place our shot pattern.  On a larger green, however, these features could allow us to pick a more aggressive target, knowing that a shot that’s a little left will be shoved back toward the middle.

Evaluate the Surrounds

Whether the greens are big or small, we should also take a look at the undulations in the surrounds.  On small greens, we should consider this because part of our shot pattern is likely to be off the green.  With larger greens, we should think about the surrounds because they might be a better place than the far reaches of the putting surface.

As a general rule, we’re thinking about the same things that we did on the green: if my ball lands in a certain area, will the slopes make things better or worse?  Where will my ball finish?  Will this lead me to a hazard, closer to the pin, or farther away?

Let’s look at a couple examples from Tetherow to illustrate.  In the photo above, we can see that the green is heavily segmented – any long putt is going to be tough.  But are any of the surround areas better?  No.  Closest to the flag, the surround falls away steeply.  The same is true on the right side (from our perspective).  There is some fairly safe space on the far side of the green, but it’s narrow.  In this case, we’re better off playing for the center of the green and accepting that we might have to navigate some challenging putts.

In contrast, the green above has a very mild surround, with the exception of the bunkers.  With the flag all the way back, the center of the green is probably the best play.  However, if the flag was in the front or middle, we should take advantage of the flat surround on the front side to eliminate the sand from our shot pattern.

Is Flag Hunting Good Again?

“Flag hunting” or “pin hunting” are terms used to describe aggressive play and, often, poor course management.  In the amateur context, I use them almost exclusively negatively, talking about players who shoot the flag with their rangefinder and play that number with no regard for anything else.  But, with larger greens and our 30 foot rule, is flag hunting the way to play?

The short answer is, “No.”  As we’ve just discussed, there are a myriad of factors we should be considering before picking a target.  So while the flag may end up being a good aiming point, it’s never a good idea to aim at the hole without regard for anything else.

Is the Middle of the Green Ever Bad?

Again, the short answer is, “No,” but we can offer a little more depth and nuance.

The average green is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 square feet.  If we assume a fairly normal shape, that’s about 70 feet on each side.  From 85-115 yards, the average 15 handicap has a dispersion that’s around 90 feet left-to-right and front-to-back.  All that to say, with a wedge in their hand, a 15 handicap should probably aim for the middle of the green and be happy with any GIR.  That’s why many pros and coaches have said some variation of, “The middle of the green never moves” or “The middle of the green is never bad.”

It gets a little more complicated when we get to large greens or greens with unusual shapes.  Take the boomerang-shaped green at Mammoth Dunes (above): should we be aiming for the skinniest part of the green because it’s the middle?  For most pin positions, the answer is probably no.

When you’re in doubt about the value of the middle of the green, remember what we’ve discussed here.  Consider your whole shot pattern.  Avoid hazards.  Think about what the ball will do when it lands.  Follow those three steps, and you’ll see your scoring improve.

Find more Course Management Basics HERE

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Solving Other People’s Problems

Humans tend to be really good at seeing solutions in two situations: 1) hindsight 2) when the problem belongs to someone else.  In this lesson, I’ll explain how we can leverage that second skill to become better golf strategists and shoot lower scores.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You need to improve your course management

You mentally “zone out” during rounds

You want to shoot lower scores

Undercover Golf Coach

The next time you’re playing golf, secretly take on the role of coach for another player.  Let me stress the “secret” part of this plan – you’re not going to say anything about this to the other player.  No one likes unsolicited advice.

Now, silently, think of what you’d be saying to the player throughout the round.  If your paycheck was riding on their performance, what would you tell them before a shot?  What club and type of shot would you have them hit?  What things do they need to consider – wind, temperature, elevation, hazards around the target or landing area?

I think you’ll find that you’re a pretty good coach.  Not too much is slipping past your notice.  You’re recommending sensible plays.

Part of the fun of this game is seeing how often the player follows your plan.  Are they ignoring that howling wind?  Are they taking on low probability shots around the green?  If they’re making mistakes, can you learn from them and play better?

Not Just What But How

Something else to consider is how you would talk to this player.  After they hit a bad shot, are you rubbing dirt in the wound or lifting their spirits?  When they have a challenging shot, are you giving them words of encouragement, helping them focus?

My guess is that you’re being very positive with this player.  You might consider taking that approach with yourself, too.

Short Term Benefits

Being an undercover golf coach can have immediate benefits on your game.  You’ll see the game from a new, detached perspective.  When it’s your decision, it’s easy to think, “I’ll just hit this 8I a little harder.”  When you’re coaching, you can see how silly that is, because your ego isn’t involved.  This new perspective should lead to better decision making.

Undercover coaching can also keep you engaged between shots.  While there can be value in relaxing or switching your focus after a shot, it might also lead you to miss important information.  If you’re focused on coaching, you’ll pick up on more of the information that’s available to you on the course: wind, temperature, elevation, and the nuances of the course design.

Perhaps most importantly, coaching another player forces you to articulate your thought process.  When you’re coaching someone else, you can’t just shrug, “Yeah, it’s like a 4I.”  You need to consciously explain the decision: “It’s 185 yards to the middle of the green, but long is better than short.  The wind is in my face, and there is no elevation change.  I should play this closer to 200 yards.”  Doing this forces you to check all the boxes on every shot.

Long Term Benefits

If you’ve ever played golf with an experienced coach, you’ve seen the benefits of this exercise firsthand.  Not every golf coach hits the ball beautifully, but most score well relative to their physical talent.  They’re calm on the course.  They don’t compound their mistakes.  The ball tends to get from tee to green without too many detours.

The reasons for this are fairly obvious.  If you’re constantly telling other golfers to take more club and factor in the wind, you’ll start doing those things, too.  Coaches get free experience in decision making from other players, so they level up faster.  Start playing their role and you’ll see your scores improve.

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Learning From Others

One of the biggest mistakes that many golfers make is thinking that golf is unique from other endeavors.  One of my favorite lessons I’ve written is what chess taught me about golf [read it HERE].

In that spirit, today’s lesson was inspired by a video from a volleyball coach.  Check out the original video HERE, then keep reading.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You change your strategy after bad shots or holes

You want to play golf with more freedom

Get Out of the Hole

Too many golfers play with a “debt” mentality.  This comes from either their score or the quality of shots they hit.

Players who keep a running score in their head are prone to get tight the minute that their score is out of line with their expectations.  A golfer trying to play bogey golf may get tense as soon as they make a double, thinking only about how they’re “behind” and need to make a par to “get square.”

That same indebted feeling can be created when you hit a couple bad shots.  Let’s say that you’re having a great day off the tee and are consistently driving it to your 9I distance from the green.  If you don’t stuff your approach shots – or, worse, if you pull one or hit one fat – you can spiral into the mindset of being “behind.”  The next time you have that tasty 9I shot, you might make a tentative swing trying to avoid another mistake or bunt an 8I when that’s not a shot you normally play.

There is no “debt” in golf.  The golf ball does not know what happened on the last shot nor where you stand in relation to par.  The “debt” only exists in your mind, but it can become real when that negativity bleeds into your game.

Don’t Change

If you’re trying to play your best (and I think that’s all of us, whether that means score or something else), don’t change how you’re playing because of mistakes.

First, there is no “don’t”.  Your brain doesn’t understand “don’t” or “not;” it requires positive, affirmative instructions.  If you’ve sliced a couple tee shots, you can’t “not slice.”  What you can do is make a positive swing and hit it straight.  Trying to avoid further “debt” won’t work.

Second, changing mid-round leads you to try shots that aren’t in your bag.  Most golfers have one stock shot that they’re able to play.  The middle of a round is not the time to try to invent a conservative 3/4 motion.  Even on an “off” day – perhaps especially on an “off” day – you’ll be better served by sticking to the shots you use regularly.

Finally, good strategy is good strategy.  If you’re a regular reader, you know the fundamentals of good course management [check out my 10 Commandments for Better Golf Scores HERE].  Those don’t change just because you made a double bogey or two.  Stick to your plan.

“Well, Actually”

For all the people who feel it necessary to assume the worst when someone is trying to help, let me be explicit about a couple things.

First, I am not endorsing bad strategy.  This article assumes the player is using good strategy and smart club selection.  If you don’t know how far your clubs go or how to aim at anything other than the flag, those are problems you should correct that are unrelated to the “debt” mentality.

Second, I am not endorsing beating one’s head against a wall.  If you have a driver that exclusively produces sixty yard slices, you should work on that, and probably hit 3W in the meantime.  The point I’m making here is that you should not abandon your game because of a couple, or even several, unusual shots.

Free, Aggressive, & Positive

No one in the history of the game has shot a career round playing tentatively.  More championships and personal bests have been lost by players counting their strokes on the seventeenth tee or making panicked decisions after a single atypical shot.

Play aggressively.  Play free.  Play with positivity.  There is no debt in golf, only opportunities to be seized.

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Winning Your Way

The phrase “winning on your own terms” is generally used in a positive way.  It can describe achieving success without compromising your values or priorities.  In this lesson, I’ll explain why trying to win on your terms in golf may be a fool’s errand.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You’re trying to shoot lower scores but aren’t making progress

A Prefatory Analogy

I coach my daughters’ basketball teams.  Every kid on the teams says they want to win.  But when some are assigned positions where they’re more likely to set screens than shoot, they pout.  On the court, they’ll sabotage the team by doing what they want rather than what the team needs them to do.  These players don’t want to win – they want to win on their own terms.

Winning at Golf on Your Terms

In golf, this negative version of winning on your own terms can take many forms.

For the purposes of this lesson, let’s understand “winning” to only mean shooting lower scores.

The Clubs You Play

Many players are trying to win on their own terms before they even get to the course.  We all know players like this.

“I couldn’t possibly put (club that might help my game) in my bag.”

There’s also the failure to get fit, the refusal to play the appropriate shaft flex or weight, and playing eight different types of golf balls per round.

Whether your objections are aesthetic, financial, or something else entirely, you’re welcome to play clubs that don’t fit your game, body, or swing.  You can insist on playing the same shafts at 65 that you did at 24.  Just know that you’re making winning a lot harder than it needs to be.

Club Selection

The most cliched version of this disease is taking too little club.

“I want to hit that green, but only if I can do it with a club that has the same number on the sole as the one Fred used.”

If you’re a regular reader, you already know that the number on the sole is virtually meaningless.  There are no standards – OEMs can put a “7” on a club with 20 degrees of loft if they want to [more on irons lofts HERE].

This can also happen on the tee.  While the math supports hitting driver as often as possible, there are players who should stop hitting driver until they fix their 40 yard slice.  On the other hand, there are players consistently hitting less than driver because they’re convinced it’s the smart play and won’t be told otherwise by silly contrivances like statistics.

You can hit whatever club you want off the tee.  You can hit 8I into a 197 yard par 3.  Just don’t tell me you care about winning.

Putting

This one is going to ruffle some feathers: on the green, roughly half your misses should be short of the hole.

“I want to make putts, but I’m more afraid of people making jokes if I leave it short.”

Much like the guy who can’t tolerate hitting a 6I when Fred hit a 7I, this player is busy tending to their ego rather than their scorecard.  If you’re smashing every putt, refusing to ever leave one short, you’re wasting strokes.  But, in reality, you’re probably also scooping up that six footer, so you’re not actually playing to win anyway.

Shaping Shots

Every high level swing coach and golf strategist that I’m aware of preaches the virtue of choosing a single shot and playing it over and over.  Yet the game is full of delusional mid and low handicap players – and some truly delulu high handicappers – who think they need to work the ball in every direction to score well.

I’m not suggesting that the skilled ball striker shouldn’t occasionally flight the ball down.  I’m saying that the overwhelming majority of the time, you should play your stock shot.  And when you’re not going to play your stock shot, the one you choose better pass the 80% Test [more on that HERE].

If you want to play “all the shots” because Tiger does, feel free.  But you’re not Tiger Woods, and that strategy is not going to lead to winning.

Ignoring the Conditions

If you’ve ever felt the wind in your face and said, “It’s ok, I’ll just hit this harder,” you’re trying to win on your own terms.

Playing to win requires a lot of different things.  First, you need the mental discipline to be aware of the conditions on every shot.  Is it windy?  Is the turf hard or soft?  Are you dealing with elevation changes?  Second, you need the emotional maturity to take more club or play the conservative shot when it’s called for.  Finally, you need the social fortitude to ignore the eye rolls when you go back for a different club.  Just like leaving putts short may result in taunts, taking the time to get the right club and commit to the shot* may get you roasted by your friends.  But if the score is what you’re after, it’s what you need to do.

*This is not an endorsement of slow play.  If you’re consistently changing clubs, the conditions aren’t the problem, you are.

Practice Habits

If you’ve spent any amount of time on this site, you know about good practice.  You’ve probably read about tracking your practice [HERE], practicing with purpose [HERE], finding The Goldilocks Zone [HERE], and worrying about the things that really matter [HERE].  Also, being a smarter-than-average golfer, you know that you need to work on all aspects of your game if you’re going to score well.

If, in spite of all that, your practice routine consists of smashing the extra large bucket, primarily with your driver, at no particular target, you’re trying to win on your own terms.  Practicing putting and bunker shots may not be as much fun as hitting driver, but it’s what winners do.

Not Shot Tracking

If you’re not shot tracking, you don’t actually care about your score.

“I know my game.”

Do you know your game better than a PGA Tour player?  No.  And many of them, perhaps most, employ statisticians and coaches who pick apart their shot tracking data to find ways to improve.

“Well, I’m not a PGA Tour player.”

Does it hurt your back to move the goalposts like that?  We know you’re not a Tour player.  But you asserted that you’re playing to win, just like they do.  If you mean it, you need to start shot tracking.  You are going to find weaknesses – and possibly strengths – that you were not aware of.  This gives you places where you can make quick, easy progress toward a lower handicap, and parts of your game you can lean on when things go sideways.

Two Roads to Success

I wrote this lesson with the hope of helping golfers.  I envision readers falling into one of three camps:

The first group is truly committed to better scores, and this helps them to see their blind spots.  After reading this, they understand that they can’t beat golf on their own terms, so they need to adjust something in their approach.

Another group will realize that they actually don’t care about their score that much.  This is a huge step forward for your enjoyment!  Now you’re free to play golf for whatever reason you choose: hitting the longest driver, playing the prettiest clubs, talking the most creative s*** to your friends.  To those that would rather play on their own terms than “win,” welcome to the club.

The third group thinks this doesn’t apply to them.  They’re smarter than me and math and everyone else who’s trying to help them.  By including this, am I trying to chide them into joining one of the other groups?  Absolutely.  Do I think it will work?  Probably not.  They’re too smart for that.

Regardless of which of those groups you fall into, I want to sincerely thank you for reading.

The post Winning at Golf on Your Terms appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

The Optimal Golf Experience

Tim Gallwey, the author of The Inner Game of Golf, describes optimal experience as having an equal balance between learning, performance, and enjoyment.

Golfers as a whole are never fully satisfied with their experience, and this is often because they aren’t intentional about what they are going for when they play.  This leads to things tilting heavily toward performance, which never gives us everything we’re looking for.

Now is a great time to do some reflection and planning toward having an optimal experience in 2024.  Take your time going through these categories, as the best answers are not always the most obvious.

Learning

Golf is a great teacher, but if we don’t pay attention, we won’t learn anything.  There are many things you can learn about yourself through your golf if you notice them:

• How your mindset changes when things are going good or bad
• How you respond to pressure
• How you respond when something feels too easy
• How you respond when something feels difficult
• The difference in how you treat people when playing good vs. playing bad
• Why do you really play golf

Performance

Performance appears to be the easiest of the three categories to measure.  You always can have a score at the end of the round.  But does the score always reflect your performance?  Here are some ways you could describe your performance in addition to your score:

• I controlled my ball
• I battled back
• I crumbled down the stretch
• I let the conditions distract me
• I had too many swing thoughts

Enjoyment

I often ask people how their round went, and they respond, “I had a lot of fun out there.”  This is usually a lie, and usually means they had a bad scoring round and do not want to admit the day was a total disaster.  Most people have their enjoyment connected to their scoring.  There is a more out out there to enjoy if you can find a way to separate it from your score:

• The feeling of a well struck shot
• The surprises
• The miracles
• The lucky breaks
• The flight of the ball in the air
• The sound of an iron shot

Learning, Performance, Enjoyment

There are many more things than those listed above that can contribute to your experience on the golf course.  If you can be intentional about having a balance of learning, performance, and enjoyment, you’ll find more and more in each category whenever you play. 

Instead of describing your round for the 100th time as “87.  Couldn’t putt.”  You could answer, “I really controlled my ball on the front 9, but then as the pressure increased in the match I couldn’t make any putts.  I hit a 7 iron on #6 that was so pure it felt like I hit a marshmallow, and it never left the stick.  I learned that I need to stop letting my mind drift to the future as I add up my score in the middle of the round and it distracts me.  And I learned I need to practice my putting.”

The post The Offseason Guide to an Optimal Golf Experience appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

This May Not Be What You Expect

I pride myself on not doing clickbait.  You won’t find headlines like, “Three Crazy Facts About Tiger Woods” on this site.  However, I fear that this article is not going to be what you expect based on the headline.  But expectations be damned, I think this is going to help you play better golf.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You are a golfer

Why All Golfers Should Lift Weights

This lesson has nothing to do with the physical reasons for lifting weights.  There are many, and I may discuss them in the future, but this is about what lifting will do for your mind.  Here are five lessons you will learn from lifting that will make you a better golfer.

Progress Is Not Linear

I’m always jealous of people who are new to lifting.  They get to experience “beginner gains” – that stage where every workout comes with new personal records.

But after that initial burst – however long it lasts – progress becomes harder to find.  You may stall out for a week or a month.  You may not see any substantial progress for a year.  If you’re not willing to change the work you’re doing, you may be at the same level for the rest of your life.

On a more optimistic note, you may also level up when you’re not expecting it.  After weeks of struggling with the same weight, one day it will feel like nothing.

For both good and bad, progress is not linear in weight lifting or golf.

Unexpected Gains and Letdowns

Just as progress is not linear, progress is not predictable.  There will be times when, after a week of stellar workouts, you show up and can barely lift the bar.  On the other hand, you may come back to the gym after a week of being sick, out of town, or injured and hit a personal best.

Knowing this can keep you from getting too high or too low.  Keep your expectations to a minimum.  Give what you have every day.  Enjoy the ride.

Personal Bests are Rare

Once you’re “trained” – meaning that you’ve lifted for a while – hitting personal bests takes substantial effort.  Especially as you get older, you can’t expect to do the same old thing and see big gains.  This means you have two choices.

Option 1: Be content with your current workload and performance level.  There is nothing wrong with this, regardless of what your performance level is.  As I discussed HERE, you don’t need to be Arnold, and you don’t need to be good at golf.

Option 2: Commit to doing all the things necessary to improving.  Work out longer, smarter, and with more intensity.  Get your nutrition dialed in.  Focus on the thing you want and get it.

Personal bests are rare.  When they happen, enjoy them.

For more on breaking plateaus, read THIS

Building Brick by Brick

I know people who work out every day.  I know people who go through spurts of manic working out followed by periods of doing nothing.  The ones who work out every day are the ones who make gains.  Consistency is king.

Consistency is the most important variable if you want to improve.  Consistency is more important than having the perfect workout plan.  It’s better than having great equipment or cool workout clothes.  Consistency even trumps intensity and duration.  If you want to get stronger, be consistent.

Enjoy the Process

If you don’t enjoy being in the gym, you’re missing the point.  This is your time to focus on and do something for yourself.  Whether you’re hitting PRs or just grinding it out, appreciate that you’re lucky to be there.

The post All Golfers Should Lift Weights appeared first on Plugged In Golf.

The wildest par 3 I’ve played is the 4th hole at Shiskine Golf Club, “Crow’s Nest.”  It’s 128 yards and plays nearly 100 feet up a massive rock formation.  From the tee you can see a walking path and two aiming markers.  The marker on the left is a flag that is raised and lowered so you can tell if the green is clear.  The marker on the right is where you’re supposed to aim.  I struck the ball well, and it flew on my intended line.  The ball cleared the edge and disappeared. 

Time never moves more slowly on the golf course than when you’re waiting to see the outcome of a blind shot.  Was the ball on the green?  Long?  Could it have gone in the hole?  I was filled with hope as my two playing partners and I walked up the mountain towards the green.

Every spiritual tradition seems to bring up the theme of hope this time of year.  Anytime we have hope, we’re participating in something that’s been going on for thousands of years.  And golf is full of hope.  It gives us space to practice hoping, and can teach us about hope and the way it influences our scores and enjoyment.

The Value of Hope

When I played college golf, I was not a hopeful golfer.  Any hope I had was usually gone by the first hole.  If I started out well, I now had something to hold onto and protect.  If I started out poorly, I resigned myself to the fact that that was just going to be a bad day.  I never had any great or memorable rounds because I was not in a hopeful state of being.

As I’ve gotten older, I see that it only takes one shot for everything to turn around.  At the Vision 54 Academy, Pia NIlson and Lynn Marriott teach students to rate their shots as: Great, Good, Good Enough, and Needs More Information.  The “Needs More Information,” is getting at the idea that regardless of how poor the shot was hit, the hole isn’t over and you never know what might happen on the next one.  This is a hopeful mindset that keeps me open to seeing all possibilities.  By having this mindset I’ve seen scores go down.  Even better, the stories of each round have gotten far more interesting.  I no longer get stuck on the bogey train.  I don’t assume all my drives will slice after slicing the first one.  More often I follow up poor stretches with great stretches of golf thanks to this hopeful mindset. 

In the ancient traditions, people are reminded on a yearly basis of hope, but in golf we can be reminded of it each and every shot.  After each shot we have the opportunity to give up or to remain hopeful that the best shot of your life could be the next one you hit.

How to Hope

There’s a fine line between hope and expectation.  I can hope for a good score, but when I expect to post a certain number, it never works out.  If I go into the day expecting certain course conditions, pace of play, level of service, or amount of stimulating conversation, then I am always left disappointed.  I’ve found that I need to go into each day hopeful that I might experience or witness a miracle on the course and keep that hope alive the entire round.  

How else could you explain a 60 foot putt that goes in the hole, a hole out from the fairway, or the best drive you’ve ever hit in your life, other than a miracle?  Golf has taught me this balance between hope and expectation and showed me that the more I can stay hopeful regardless of the circumstances, the more miracles I will see, and the better scores I will shoot.

The Thrill of Hope

As the three of us reached the green, we saw two balls about 30 feet from the pin.  We paced quickly to see which two survived, and I was relieved to see mine on the green.  After a routine two putt we moved on to the next hole, which, to our amazement, was another par 3 hitting straight down the hill toward the ocean.  Our shots found the putting surface, and we descended the mountain, hopeful of what the rest of the day had in store.

I’m thankful for places like Shiskine that make it easy to play with hope and joy.  It’s experiences like this that have helped me focus on having this state of being as I play my home course or with my routine group.  The ancient traditions have it right: being hopeful is an important part of being human.  It’s truly a thrill that golf gives us the chance to experience it more often.

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