Category: Mental Game (page 1 of 2)

Five Things To Practice To Improve Your Mental Game

I get a lot of requests to submit content for this site. They usually want to buy the space somehow, whether it’s a paid post or just links within a post. I always turn them down because of my policy to keep this site authentic and unpaid. The only advertising I offer is in the sidebars, and clearly marked as such. Recently I was contacted by Paul Bradshaw, a South African golf professional, who offered to write exclusive content for The Golf Chick, and offered a number of topics for me to choose from.

As someone who struggled to break 80, and a big proponent of the mental game being critical to playing better golf, I jumped on the chance to share his thoughts on the topic (unpaid). So I’m publishing this rare guest post in the hopes it will help someone else crack whatever milestone they’re trying to reach. There’s a lot to learn in this post, and I hope you enjoy it. And, for the record, the 5th tip in this post is what I believe tipped the scale for me when I finally broke 80.

Five Things To Practice To Improve Your Mental Game

by Paul Bradshaw

Embrace Tough Conditions

You arrive at the golf course and it’s freezing cold outside. Basically snowing. And miserable. All you want to do is stay inside the clubhouse and sip on a hot cup of coffee and keep warm! Well unfortunately (or fortunately) for you play has not been suspended and you have no choice. You’re going out.

This is your opportunity to get ahead of the game and your opposition. As Jack Nicklaus said “In torrid conditions half the field has already given up – so you’re actually only up against the other half”. You have to realize that scores are not going to be great in these conditions and par is your friend.

Play sensibly and don’t go for risky aggressive shots that you might usually do in calm conditions. You have a blow out on a hole and then you’re going to be playing catch up all day long.

Your aim is to churn out the pars and if a birdie comes along at any point then grab it with both hands as you’ve just beaten the field by a shot and a half on that particular hole.

Be Clear Cut In Terms Of Shot Ahead

This is where most amateurs and players in general are not top drawer. Too many of us get over the golf ball and almost forget about what their target or distance is when hitting their shot. This causes indirect doubt and doesn’t allow your body to put a confident swing on the ball.

Visualize this scenario. You’re playing a par 5 with a wide creek running through the fairway at 120 yards from the green. You’ve got 300 yards left to the hole. You realize that taking out a fairway wood and trying to clear the water is risky as if you don’t catch it you’ll be penalized. You need to take the correct club in order to fully commit to the shot, but still end up short of the water. If you were to take a long iron you’re going to subconsciously doubt yourself and whether it’s too much club so you bail out of it and strike it poorly. You leave yourself a lot further away now and having to work harder than you would ideally like. And on top of this your mind is also now thinking about how poorly you did strike that last shot.

Establish yardage, establish target and establish wind direction and strength. And then commit yourself to the shot knowing it’s the correct club in hand.

Change From Result To Process Driven

This is so difficult to master, but you need to start trying to! We all want the best results possible for each and every shot and let’s face it. That’s just not going to happen. There are outside influences beyond your control that will also affect your golf shot. You have to accept that before you’ve struck the golf ball otherwise you’re going to fighting with yourself mentally all round long.

Create small mental goals/targets for yourself before the round and perhaps remind yourself of these along the way. Say things like “I will consistently execute my pre-shot routine each and every time,” and “I will execute each golf shot as best as I can,” and “Each and every club I get my hands on today I will love.” Things like that.

You keep doing the right mental things and those process goals will turn into successful results. Don’t put a time frame on that either and start putting pressure on yourself unnecessarily.

Visualize Each And Every Shot

Jason Day is a perfect example here. He stands behind every golf shot, holds his club and the end of his glove together and closes his eyes for roughly 5 – 10 seconds depending on the shot at hand.

He is visualizing the shot he ideally wants to play. Right from impact he visualizes the strike, the launch, the trajectory, the shot shape and finally the ball descending toward the target and coming to a stop.

I can’t tell you how often I’ve done this when I really needed to hit a quality shot in a pressure situation and my actual shot was basically a repeat of my visualization. And that feels so good! It gets your mind into the correct state when addressing the ball rather than still doubting certain things and not being sure if you want to draw it or cut it for example.

Implement this as soon as possible and build it into something that just happens rather than you consciously thinking about doing it.

Rather ‘Under Care’ Than ‘Over Care’

Now I’m not saying hit the ball on the walk or finish off your putts from 20 feet while your partners take their time over their shots. What I’m saying is that the outcome really isn’t the end of the world. If you notch up a high number one round and almost embarrassed yourself – don’t care so much!

Come back the following round with a character building low one and set the record straight. If you post another poor one – then keep reminding yourself it’s just a game. You’ve got to have fun more importantly than anything else. When you do that you’re going to start performing better as well.

By not phasing yourself too much with outcomes you’ve also got to stay in the present. Don’t even think one shot ahead and that is TOUGH! But it is so important.

If you get to a tee box and think to yourself “Man this is definitely a birdie hole”…you’ve already jumped the gun. You’re way ahead of yourself – slow down!

So there you have it! I hope you found this guest post useful. Thanks, Paul! You can find out more about Paul Bradshaw on his website: www.golfassessor.com.

Golf is a Man. He Abuses Me, But I’m Staying With Him.

July 12, 2012 / golfchick / 9 Comments

Golf must be a man, because he’s so frustrating! He pleases and punishes. Can’t live with him, can’t kill him. Just when I think we have one issue sorted out, another one arises. If golf wasn’t hard challenging, I wouldn’t be interested. As far as I know, there’s no shelter for abused golfers and besides, the way I’ve been playing, it seems more like I’m the abuser – but golf had it coming!

In my open letter to golf, I declared my love for him and many of the reasons I feel the way I do. It has been a torrid love affair since then. We’ve had our differences for sure, but there are few conditions that will keep me away from golf. I even appreciate a sloppy, wet round. When conditions aren’t ideal for going out, I always want them to be. I can’t think of a time I haven’t wanted to play golf or wished I could when I couldn’t! I recently experienced a new level of that obsession. Last weekend, I actually dreaded going out to play golf. Â It wasn’t the weather, which couldn’t have been more perfect, and it wasn’t a personal distraction or some kind of illness or injury. It wasn’t a mandatory business round with some kind of douchebag, it was with friends whose company I really enjoy. No, the whole reason I was sour for the entire 24 hours leading up to my tee time was because I was incredibly disheartened due to my own ineptitude. Yet there was no way I wasn’t going. I was still absolutely compelled to get out there, like the true sadomasochist golf has made me.

My newest golf training aid

State of the Union

For about a year now, I’ve been struggling with “The Process.” You know, the one when you make a swing change and nothing will ever be the same? I want to get better. The goal is to break 80. My scores ballooned and now I don’t remember the last time I even broke 90, and it’s a “good” day when I break 100. At first, I was okay with that – it was somewhat expected, though aggravating all the same. I had breakthroughs and saw improvement. I had hope. Even when I sucked or regressed, I was convinced I could power through and it would all be worth it. Then it became embarrassing. And infuriating. And counter-productive. Â Bad thoughts didn’t just creep in, they infested my brain.

I’m keenly aware of the mental aspect of golf and understand these thoughts are debilitating and feed on themselves. Like any golfer, I have plenty of reasons/excuses why this is happening, like my focus being challenged with stresses and my patience being sapped by other aspects of my life. But I know that’s bullshit. I know what I’m capable of and I take pride in my ability to adjust my mindset and change my mind with authority. But this was brutal. I was in a golfer’s shame spiral.

The last few times I’ve played, I’ve managed to hit a few shots that were decent enough to allow me to cling to hope. On the range, it’s been a different story. Perhaps it’s because the good shots don’t really show results, but they became fewer and fewer until I could barely hit a ball at all. Topping it, shanking it, yanking it, worm burning it, spraying it every which way — everything but even the hint of good contact with my irons. After all that work! I went to the course on Saturday with the intention of playing 18 if I could hit a few good shots on the range. I couldn’t. It was a complete nightmare. It finally came crashing down to destroy me mentally.

I have never felt less athletic or more uncoordinated in my life. Humiliated, defeated, and utterly disheartened, I was actually a little nervous at the thought of lifting my bag and carrying it to my car, in case this palsy would affect my ability to walk as well. I managed to make the walk of shame without falling or freezing up and drove home holding back tears. I know – there’s no crying in golf! But that’s how much it means to me.

Thank You, Sir, May I Have Another?

This is where the dread comes in. I had agreed to join my friends the next day for a Sunday Funday round. Though we never mentioned it, we all knew we would also be practicing for our club matches at the same course the following weekend. After feeling like I hit rock bottom (that better be the lowest!), I planned to arrive early enough to give myself a nice, unrushed hour of time on the range, with highest hopes of sucking less, and lowest pathetic goal of just making solid contact a few times to boost my spirits so I could be a fun golfer for my friends. I left home with enough time to carry out that plan, but an overturned semi on the freeway shutting down all lanes had a better idea for me.

Best Laid… Plans

After taking a back way through a winding canyon, I made it to the course right at tee time, checked in & raced to the tee just as my friends finished their drives. So, with nothing but the practice swing of my drive routine, I started my round. Decent drive, just off the fairway to the right, about 150 uphill left to the flag. With an easy swing I made the green with my next shot and two putted for par. What. The. Fuck. It was as though I forgot that I couldn’t play golf. The rest of the round had its ups and downs, much like a normal golf round, not a disastrous one. I made some really good shots, several hard pulls (which had been my primary miss until I started not making contact), and some irritating short game shots including at least 4 3-putts, but was more than pleased with my round of 92.

On the last four holes, I hit three great drives up the middle and 4 solid shots onto the greens. I really felt like I had something figured out on those iron shots. When the round was over, all I wanted to do was go hit another golf ball, and another one after that, but Sir Vito was waiting for me.

We Can Work It Out

I am encouraged, and am holding onto these positive feelings! In case I’m stupid enough to start thinking again, I hope that the simple swing thought I used on those last four holes continues to be effective. Sometimes I can successfully fake my brain out like I’m too naive to the game to understand what’s happening but I think it’s time I give up that tactic. I’m not falling for my own shit anymore. Golf is a man. He tries to act like he doesn’t care about me but I know he doesn’t want me to leave him. Now we’re both mature enough to know that if we want it to be, and I’m patient enough, this partnership will be amazing. If we can get through this, we can get through anything.

Golf can be an asshole, but I’m in love. And I’m not going anywhere.

Next post.

Breaking 80 Golf Game Progress Report – Getting Closer!

August 2, 2011 / golfchick / 20 Comments

After I posted that last video of my swing when I thought I had a real breakthrough, my swing coach, Jay Lim, left me some notes in the comments for things to work on. At first glance it seemed like a whole lot to think about and change and I felt a little overwhelmed. But when I started to implement it I realized it was pretty much all the same thing – setup. Nothing to feel deflated about. In fact, as soon as I took those ideas to the range and called Jay to clarify his meaning about tilt, it started working right away. In fact, it made the other things I was doing even easier to repeat. Brilliant. I continued practicing it throughout the week and, once again, was eager to go try it on a golf course.

On Friday afternoon I rushed to a local course and since I wanted a good chance of finishing my round before dark, I skipped my warm up. As a result, my first few holes were disastrous and it took a few more to really get the feel of my new swing anywhere near comfortable. (I also had some trouble holding onto the club – details at end of post if you’re interested – but as this is something I’m just going to have to deal with, it is not something that I will allow to account for a poor swing or score.) I played alone for the first 5 holes until another single jumped a foursome and joined me. My swing improved a bit but never really got in the groove. My new walking buddy was impressed but I felt down and frustrated as I posted my 102! (White tees, 6000 yards, ratings 75.6/132.) It’s the identical score to the last two times I played there earlier in the month. Where’s the improvement? Can’t even break 100? How long until 80 now???

Then I soothed my mind and body with a nice relaxing bubble bath and a couple giant martinis. I got my head right, found my smile and shook off any discouragement. I would play the next day and try again, but this time with the right kind of warm up for my swing and mental game. I decided to try the little executive course where I played my first 18 hole round when I took up golf. I figured it was a great place for me when I was just starting out and since I’m essentially doing that again, maybe I can recapture some of that mojo. I hadn’t been there in years. I was excited!

golf chick warhol

Getting Closer!

I stretched, hit a small bucket of balls and my swing was feeling good. Did a little chipping and some ninja putting drills and hit the course. I played the back tees, which are only 4961 yards (par 67, 68.4 CR/112 slope). I went to the first tee alone and could see the foursome approaching the green up ahead on this 293 yard par 4. My tee shot went straight up the middle and I waited in the fairway 70 yards from the flag while the 4 guys finished. I stuck the green and two putted from about 8 feet for a ho-hum par. That was the only green I hit on the front nine, but with 15 putts I salvaged a 41*, making me 6 over at the turn. A twosome joined me on the second hole and we ended up playing through those guys in front of us and joining another single on the back nine. On the back I had two doubles, 3 bogeys and finished with 4 pars, which felt great and totaled 40. I posted an 81. *After I got home I realized I had forgotten to give myself a penalty stroke for moving my ball off a tree root in an effort to save my wrist. I should have posted an 82.

If I had broken 80 that day, I would not have counted it as achieving my goal (though I would have awarded a prize to Billy D, who chose that date in my Break 80 pool). I want to achieve it from the white tees at a regular “grown up” course. However, my personal best score is an 82, the same I shot on Saturday, and itÂ occurredÂ to me Â to look up the length and ratings on that course, since we played the red tees. Turns out it was only 4799 yards, par 71, 66.5/111 rating. I count that as my previous personal best! Should I? Should I reconsider allowing myself to feel like I accomplished this goal if I break 80 from the red tees? Does it matter? In golf, everything matters mentally, and you know I believe I can do whatever I think I can. The really good news is, I felt like I easily should have broken 80 on this course and shot my 82 with relative ease. Friday’s disaster and realization was merely the stumbling block I needed to make mental adjustments and try a different route. I am beyond encouraged. Nice try, Friday! (c:

Video Update

The video here includes a couple of my honey badger practice swings on the range on Thursday as well as my tee shots on the last two holes of this round (two of my pars – the par 3 17th (pitching wedge) and the par 4 18th). Sorry – it had a cool tune with it but was disabled for copyright snags. Maybe I can get Big Head Todd to approve it. Meanwhile, hope you enjoy the silent movie.

The details I promised about my grip

I think I have mentioned the aggravating pain in my hands and wrists that hasn’t really bothered me since I was a kid but has returned. It’s actually not always painful per se. Sometimes it’s just more of a discomfort with irritating spasms, locking up certain fingers and joints in odd positions and making it difficult to hold onto things. After the week of practice, my right hand was really getting frisky on Friday (in previous weeks it was more my left). My buddy Jay over atÂ Jaysgolf.com has a better understanding of such challenges than I do and we joked together about the “death grip” we subsequently put on our golf clubs, tearing through gloves and creating callouses faster than rolling O’s.

I understand the more I keep exercising the joints in the manner that aggravates them, the less they will hurt over time. Kind of hard to believe the morning after I’ve played golf and I can’t even grip my toothbrush but golf is certainly better than no golf so you know I will find out if it’s true! Meanwhile, I’m primarily treating the pain by deciding not to feel it or care, along with over the counter and over the bar medicine, and trying to control the spasms with my ninja mind. I don’t have insurance.

Next post.

Mesquite Amateur 2011 / Golf Chick Wrap Up Part 1

June 9, 2011 / golfchick / 1 Comment

I had been eagerly anticipating the 2011 Mesquite Amateur golf tournament since the last day of the 2010 Mesquite Am. This year, as one of the sponsors of the event rather than just a player or media participant, I was actively involved in promoting the tournament and wound up with 69 people signed up to play with the Golf Chick group, plus the 13 guests of theirs who came along for the alternate daily activities and prime time parties. I could not have been more excited when the day finally rolled around for me to go and meet them all! Mesquite rocks and this is a long-ass post. And it’s only volume one. Don’t worry, I’m including bold type, italics and pictures for the children busy people.

Almost There!

My drive on Sunday from Southern California to Mesquite NV was physically uneventful but mentally strenuous as I prepared for my dual roles of hostess and competitor. I thought I was pretty well prepared for the former and concentrated primarily on getting in an aggressive mindset to conquer the field in golf. After all, I packed a championship round outfit and everything for Friday! My mind kept wandering to tasks I would need to accomplish onsite to ensure good times for my Golfchick peeps then would snap back to visualizing familiar golf holes, great golf shots, and beautiful putts. It was a roller coaster that had me fairly exhausted by the time I arrived that afternoon. I handed off the GolfChick swag and prizes to the tournament director and met back up with my personal items in my room where I proceeded to unpack my substantially overpacked bags (that happens when one drives), have a couple cocktails and plan my golf outfits for the week. Why do I bother that last part – I change my mind every morning anyway. I went down to the casino and played some blackjack where I ran into a media friend from previous trips here – Mike. We both walked away from the tables ahead that night. Things were looking positive.

When I got back to my room I got a text from none other than Tony – of Hooked On Golf Blog (HOG) and The Golf Space – someone I’ve “known” since practically the inception of this golf blog back when it was still on blogger (about 6 years ago) but had never met in person! He said he had just arrived so I spun around and went back down to the lobby where he said he was. We had a long overdue hug and headed to the lounge where we fell into a natural conversation like we’d been hanging out in person all these years. Relaxed and authentic, Tony is a great guy and someone I consider a true friend.

I think I got to sleep before midnight, and I know I woke up at 2:15, never to get back to sleep that night. My mind just would not shut down. I kept thinking of golf shots and trying to let the smooth tempo of my imaginary swing lull me to sleep like a metronome – to no avail.

Memorial Day Practice Round

The Mesquite Am occurs the week of Memorial Day. Monday isn’t an actual tournament day, but the day everyone registers and either just arrives, plays a practice round or participates in the organized skins game. I haven’t done the skins game yet but plan to next year (Hi George)! For the last three years my routine has been to dress in a red, white and blue golf outfit and hit one of the courses for a leisurely practice round and this year was no different. I planned to play with an up and coming LPGA hopeful but she flaked on me got a flat tireÂ (kidding, KyLee!), and the twosome they paired with us also didn’t show. Â I called Mike from the night before and he met me on the back nine. It was a nice round overall at the Oasis Canyons course. I’m a flaming patriot and thought of all the sacrifices of our troops and their families many times throughout the day. I also honored another kind of hero we recently lost – Seve Ballesteros – with my choice of the navy blue golf top. As you can see from the photo, I’m so patriotic I went for the lady liberty look with my hair. No, those aren’t just unplanned flyaways. Really.

Each year I go to Mesquite I mention to someone in charge how nice it would be to see US flags on the flagsticks like I see at home on other patriotic holidays. Kind of disappointed. Hear me, Mesquite?

Registration hadn’t opened before I left for my round so I headed over there directly when I was finished playing. The place was packed with golfers just coming back from their respective rounds to check in. The Golf Chick table looked awesome with all my swag giveaway goodies and prizes on display. Â I met a few of my peeps and chatted with the volunteers who were running it. These people are amazing all week long. Always smiling, always helpful and always ALWAYS just happy to be there. I hear there is a waiting list to be a Mesquite Am volunteer. Incredible job they do! Here is the Golf Chick Mesquite Am 2011 swag bag and its contents:

Golf Chick Mesquite Am swag bag

And some close-ups of the smaller items…

The magnetic ball-marker “chicky charm” necklace! These were SUCH a hit! These were originally Inspired by Putterflys but took on a life of their own. When you remove the magnetic ball marker, the smashed bottlecap backing also displays the adorable (if I do say so myself) Golf Chick logo so you’re not bare while you putt! I have had a lot of people express interest in these so you may see them for sale here soon. Let me know if you’re interested in these, the hats or anything other Golf Chick logo merchandise in the comments section!

Many thanks to Bella Luna Foods for providing the gorgeous bottles of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to all the Golf Chick participants. A very generous donation that was well received and appreciated! You can also like them on facebook here.

And here is the bag tag – front and back. This is a blank, but Golf Chick registrants had their names pre-printed instead of the blank line there.

Next year I think I have to find a way to play a practice round and still be at the registration table the whole time to meet everyone when they first check in. I felt like I missed out on getting to know so many awesome people!

After registration, I headed over to catch the end of Demo Day at Casablanca Golf Club. I ran into some friends from previous years there and met some fun new peeps. I competed in and lost the long drive at the Callaway booth to Mesquite local, Janna, the obvious front runner from the start. She beat me by 30 yards (keep that in mind for the next Mesquite post if you can). I snapped this shot of some fun boys in LoudmouthÂ Golf shorts only to find out later that they were Golf Chick players – they totally busted me for tweeting that pic when they saw me later at the casino. Fun guys!

After a quick shower, change and compulsory (and compulsive) facebook session, I headed over to the big tent in the parking lot for the welcome dinner… the first prime time party of the week where all the golfers get together for the first time for a themed dinner. The Golf Chick Group had reserved seating, taking up half of the front row tables. I met some great folks that night from my awesome group of peeps (what else do you call golf chick people? Hah!) I also had the pleasure of finally meeting Patricia Hannigan of Golf Girl’s Diary – a blog about the fun, fashionable side of golf. She was super sweet and I was impressed to see her there to compete in this event since her reputation has been more as an advocate for social golf, pro tour appreciation, and social media than for keeping score, let alone competitive playing. Sadly, we didn’t get to talk long before I was swept away. I saw her again later … but you’ll have to stay tuned for the next post for that!

After some more socializing and meeting peeps, I headed to my room for a relatively early night considering my lack of sleep the night before. I organized myself for the next night’s Golf Chick duties and went to sleep visualizing my best round ever. Same course I played today. Could almost see every ideal shot. Let the games begin. After I sleep…

To be continued…

Next post (Part 2)

Warm Your Golf Balls – Great Test on Video

January 10, 2011 / golfchick / 11 Comments

The guys at Cleobury Golf Club are putting out some entertaining and informative videos for us all to enjoy (and learn something).

If you’re an avid reader of all things golf, you’ve likely seen studies and comparisons of different golf balls, their construction and performance. If you’re an average (and typical) golfer, you probably ignore most of the data and just think you MUST have the Titleist ProV or ProV1. Well you’re free to spend your clams however you like. I won’t even mock you for it. As you may know from other posts here, I’m a believer that golf is mostly a mental game, and if you THINK you play better with the most expensive golf ball used by so many Tour players, you just might. (Here is an article with lots of information on different golf balls, if you’re interested.)

That being said, if distance is your priority and you’re a mid-handicapper with a slower swing speed (whether you admit it or not), you’re better off with a 2-piece ball. Plus, you’ll save a lot of money. The video here from the Cleobury guys shows the difference in distance of 2- and 3-piece balls by just such a player. But what I found more interesting was the test on the temperature of the golf balls. I’d heard that if you keep your balls warm, they’ll perform better but I can’t recall ever seeing a video test or even reading any research on it (not to say it doesn’t exist). I think I may have even heard it from an LPGA player – Paula Creamer, perhaps. Great to see the distance theory proved here.

These guys obviously have fun making these videos, which you can see more of on their youtube channel.

Another one I particularly like is “How to Repair a Pitch Mark Correctly.” Not funny, just informative. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen people do it wrong and correct them. Don’t pull UP (the guy in the vid even messes up his first pull in the “do-it-right” segment but corrects it nicely). I’m a big advocate for taking care of greens.

Keep the videos coming guys, and good work!

Next post.

Tiger’s Dominance Is All About His Mental Game

February 2, 2008 / golfchick / 3 Comments

Yes, it’s another post about Tiger Woods. I’m just so in awe.

I have always enjoyed rooting for underdogs when I don’t have a favorite player or team to support in any given contest. However, I also appreciate excellence. I love seeing Tiger dominate so thoroughly just as I want to see The Patriots win the Super Bowl and have the perfect season. I’d be happy to watch Tiger win every tournament he plays this year (and he sure looks like he could pull that off).

It just seems impossible for anyone to be so consistently good at a game with so many intricacies that he outplays his peers every time. It’s to the point that he doesn’t really have peers. He’s in a flight all his own. For anyone who has ever played this crazy game, Tiger’s performance is beyond impressive to the point that it’s almost unbelievable.

I contend that the difference between him and every other golfer in the world is purely mental. Any one of those guys on Tour can train with coaches, work hard and perfect their swings so they can execute most of the time. The difference is maintaining the mental state to execute it more frequently. And keep maintaining it on the putting green. Hole after hole, round after round, tournament after tournament. Only Tiger has shown he can do that.

Is it in our genes?

I have the ability to focus at times, but I know my nature and how easily distracted I can be. There’s only so much “zone” my brain will allow. So, is the ability to have that kind of mental game in our DNA? I think so. Oh, we can work on it and train our minds and improve, but I think our potential in this capacity is hardwired. The thing is, we don’t know what we’re capable of so we can just keep pushing and trying. And when we hit a wall, we can go get new equipment because there must be something else going on. (If we “upgrade” from the latest driver to the greatest driver and it helps, it’s probably a placebo effect anyway.) Oh, don’t you love this game?

Demonstrating how the USGA can play all the games it wants and it won’t bother him, Tiger recently commented on the meaninglessness of par (I agree). Talking about how the USGA makes changes to par for certain holes and tournaments, he said:

“The USGA just thrives on that … Par is just a number. What I mean by that is that Pebble could set up for a 72, and I would have been what, 16-under par? So under par doesn’t really matter that much. It’s just going out there and shooting a number.”

It’s just going out there and shooting a number, people! Sure, mine’s (way) above par and his is below. Eh… Par, shmar.

Anyway, I have to wonder what goes on in Tiger’s mind during a round. Not par. Not comments from wishful rivals. Is it the number? Certain swing thoughts? Is it like a chamber of silence?

Is it possible to be hyperbolic when discussing Tiger?

Is Tiger approaching a singularity to transcend even his own biological limitations? Someday, will there be a chip we can install in our brains that will allow us to do the same? Am I totally geeking out right now? Will I ever be able to write anything besides a question again? Is it time for a martini?

Play Golf and Boost Your IQ

January 4, 2008 / golfchick / 4 Comments

Here’s an excerpt from this interesting post from Dr. Ellen Weber I found on Brain Based Business:

From that first shot off the tee … golfers capitalize on kinesthetic intelligence and naturalistic intelligence. The game also adds brain chemicals for sharper focus. A growing body of research suggests how the links hold mental benefits for business brains … beyond what most golfers realize. Perhaps more even than rich alliances and friendships gained on the course, golf keeps players in top mental form.

With the importance of the mental element of the game and golf’s demands on a person’s focus, it doesn’t surprise me at all that playing golf would sharpen a person’s faculties. Golf has so many business benefits, and I bet Mr. Business Golf already knew that increasing your business IQ was one of them. Did you? golf brain

Here’s another tidbit:

Sit in a lecture or staff meeting and you’ll use less than 3 percent of your brainpower. Mentor another golfer during a game … on the other hand … and you use more than 90 percent.

I didn’t even know humans were capable of using 90% of our brainpower!

Get smarter and play better by “getting stupid”

Here is another fascinating post by the same author on the importance of kinesthetic intelligence in golf.

Enjoy!

Next post.

How is your memory of golf holes?

January 3, 2008 / golfchick / 5 Comments

Mine stinks. Unless there is something remarkable about the hole – like how it looks or how I or someone in my group plays it – I generally don’t remember it until I’ve been there at least a handful of times.

Sometimes I don’t even remember entire golf courses! For example, I was visiting my family in south OC over the holidays. We got a foursome together to play the only course around that could give us a tee time at such short notice. Oh, we probably could have gotten on at one of the more ritzy and spendy courses but two of our players (Mom and my Faunt – that’s faux aunt if you were wondering) were beginners and we were just going to play a fun scramble so we weren’t going to break the bank on this outing. Our fourth player is a good friend and neighbor and has some skills even if he doesn’t use them all that often.

We chose to play Shorecliffs in San Clemente and I was pretty sure I had played there before. Sounded familiar, anyway. And I thought I remembered seeing it on my list of courses played. I checked out their website, which doesn’t say much but I found another site that mentions the narrow fairways and small greens (as well as it being Richard Nixon’s home course). You’d think that would help stir my memory. Incidentally, I’ve seen some great websites by Cybergolf, and I don’t know how long they’ve had the contract for Pacific Golf Enterprises, but they really need to add some more content there!

Anyway, even as we were driving to the golf course, I was wracking my brain to recollect whether or not I’d played there before. I could vaguely remember going there before because I think we took a wrong turn or something. Then it happened. I pulled into the parking lot and I vividly recalled one of the golf holes there! The 19th, to be specific. Yes, I remembered the people we met and even some of our conversations. I even know we talked about our respective rounds that day, just not the details to help me remember the course. I remembered the grizzly-but-fuzzy-underneath bartender. I remembered the practice green & range, the layout of the bar and restaurant and how it connected to the golf shop. But I still couldn’t remember the golf course.

Shorecliffs golf hole Here’s a photo of one of the golf holes at Shorecliffs I found on the site I mentioned above. This is an example of a hole I remember when I see it because of what happened there. And probably only because it happened so recently. Obviously, it’s really narrow up there but it also slopes severely to the left. Since we were playing a scramble format, we chose the “best ball” off the tee for our second shots. On this hole, that happened to be mine, but it wasn’t ideal, either. I actually hit it on the right side and thought it was going to be good but it rolled all the way down to the left and wound up in the far end of that waste bunker. That, I remember. But I still couldn’t tell you what hole number this is. I see the bluff on the left and recall there were some homes in danger of coming down with a landslide where it gets steeper up by the tees. Seems like I read somewhere they had landslide damage on #6, so maybe that’s it. Oh dear, and it’s supposed to rain a lot starting tonight. I hope they’re braced if not moved out. There I go on another tangent… demonstrating how we remember that which we observe most.

What do I observe?

Actually, my recall of most golf courses often revolves around the 19th hole, the pro shop and the practice facilities. When I try to remember a golf course, that’s where I start and try to work my way out from there. So many golf holes just seem to blend together. I do tend to recall them once I’m standing on the tee again but I sure wish it went beyond that. Is it because my golf mind is inexperienced? I don’t think so. I’ve played with guys who have about the same level of experience and they remember where the trouble is on a particular hole or what the ideal position is on the fairway. Maybe it’s because I played so many courses in such a short amount of time in my “formative” golf years. I don’t know.

Maybe my golf game would be better if I observed more like Greg

Greg’s golf memory astounds me. He doesn’t just remember the types of things I mentioned above – oh no. He knows them all by hole number, location and what we both shot there. Usually each shot, as well. And he doesn’t even have to be at the course to do it, either. We could be at a gathering talking about golf and he could describe any course he’s played, hole by hole. A guy could be talking about a round he played at a random course and the one hole that destroyed his score and just as he begins to describe the hole, Greg will light up and say something like “oh yeah, number 7, the par 4 with the elephant grass along the right… you gotta stay left off the tee and then don’t be long on your next shot or you’ll have tree trouble if the bunker doesn’t catch you…”

Don’t get me wrong. I actually enjoy the way my mind works. It can be frustrating but it’s also fun. I just think my golf game might improve if I had better recall of golf holes. Maybe this year I’ll work on paying more attention to holes, shots and trying to store those thoughts. The trick will be remembering to try.

How’s your golf hole memory?

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How to live with the Putting Yips – video

October 3, 2007 / golfchick / 10 Comments

Remember Neil? He is the friend I wrote about in an article for World Golf who has had the putting yips for years.

Neil has learned to live with his affliction and recently improved even more. I loaned him this book, which he says actually helped quite a bit. The biggest difference? He doesn’t care anymore. He always had a good attitude about it and handled some friendly ribbing from his golf buddies with grace. Now he just makes putts and doesn’t care how his stroke looks. Period. He doesn’t care.

He’ll ask his buddies on the putting green, “Do you want me to hook it or cut it?”

In this video, you’ll see his putting stroke in action from before the recent improvement. Keep in mind, this was taken on the practice green, where the putts don’t count. When we got out to the actual golf course and the putts were from within 6 feet, that stroke became more… spastic… for lack of a better term. There was a definite hiccup that appeared from time to time. I wish I would have taken some footage on the course but pace of play was more important at the time.
Music credit: Tom Waits, Jockey Full of Bourbon

Neil has some interesting coping methods. The putter he uses is completely flat so he can putt with it either right or left handed. He has learned to putt pretty well left handed and has a pretty normal stroke from that side. The close putts are the ones that really bring out his yips, so that’s when he’ll turn around and putt left handed.

He has tried many “remedies” over the years but what really has him managing his Yips now is his ability to relax. He says his grip on the putter is so light it’s like he’s barely holding it. He no longer cares about his stroke so he just relaxes and lets himself putt. Back and through, feeling nice and smooth. To the onlooker, the stroke doesn’t look as smooth as he says it feels, but that’s not important. And the hiccup almost never appears.

Big thanks to Neil for his open participation and willingness to share.

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The Dreaded “Y word” at Worldgolf

May 1, 2007 / golfchick / 5 Comments

Well, it’s that time of month again. No, not the time when I get all cranky and roll around in chocolate – my latest column is up at Worldgolf. Since their disaster of a new site design isn’t just ugly, but a navigational nightmare, you might want to use my link below if you want to read it. Hmm… maybe it is that time of the month after all. I hope I don’t get fired for voicing that opinion.

Anyway, the column is about understanding the bizarre phenomenon called The Yips. WAIT – hear me out: as a superstitious person myself, it was a daunting topic for me at first. But the more I learned about it, the more comfortable I was talking about it without fearing that I’d catch it.

Unfortunately, I have a small word count range in these columns so it’s difficult for a long-winded writer such as myself to turn in anything substantive. I plan to follow up that article with more about the topic here on The Golfchick blog. I have a very cooperative friend named Neil who is suffering from the putting yips and I hope to include video clips in future posts. I guess the column could be considered an introduction to what might become a series here. We’ll see!

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The Golfchick

That chick blabbing about anything golf related.

Category: Mental Game (page 1 of 2)