I am really enjoying coaching junior golfers and helping them to understand the nuances of the game.  When you are a young golfer there is a thought  in your head (at least there was in mine) that one day when you get on the PGA TOUR your game will just be good and good all of the time.  You think you will find some formula the best players have and poof you’ll be on tour and winning tournaments until you want to stop playing.  Yes, the best players have a formula but it isn’t something you wake up with one day. 

The formula is developed by practicing smart and learning how to trust your golf swing and game.  The formula is keeping it simple and working extremely hard on those simple things and applying the coaching philosophy of Tony Dungy that in order to be great work on what you do well and perfect those things.  We don’t want to neglect what we don’t do well, especially if we can improve our short game, wedge game and putting.  But if you have a bad tournament or stretch it doesn’t mean to start over and change your philosophy, look for a new swing coach and think a new swing is the answer.  Your focus should be on how can I make what I do and my strengths even stronger and put myself in position to maximize those skills.

As our golf games develop we invariably deal with expectations.  Expectations to play well because of how we have been playing, what others think we should finish, or a great round the day before the tournament starts.  Every golfer must keep their expectations in check.  I have found the best way to accomplish that feat is for your goal to be anything but your score.  Create simple goals within your round that are measurable but do not involve the outcome.  Let them involve the process; your ability to pick out good targets, to walk and talk with confidence and to keep an even keel throughout the round regardless  of where your shots end up. 

The more attention you can pay to working on parts of your game that will impact your score the more confidence you will take with you into competition and the better you will be able to deal with adversity.  Golf is a game of misses.  We don’t hit many shots exactly how we pictured.  Byron Nelson, one of the best ball strikers of all time used to say he would only hit about 5 shots just like he wanted in a round of golf.  The great players manage their misses the best.  They putt with great confidence and speed control.  They have excellent distance control with their wedges and know how to flight the ball.  Above all, they swing with abandonment and let it go.  They trust themselves and know the more they can swing freely the better results they will get even if that means the occasional loose shot. 

I urge all parents to be mindful of potential expectations you put on your golfers.  Children want to please their parents and it is natural that they would want to shoot good scores to make mom and dad happy.  What is important is that your expectations for them involve things other than score.  I encourage you to watch your golfer and see how they handle themself throughout the round.  Is he or she up-beat, smiling and walking with confidence?  Are they staying focused and patient during the course of the round regardless of the outcome?  These are a few things to start measuring or judging them on.  If you can start to make these your goals for them, both golfer and parent will enjoy the journey more.

Remember, golf is a game, a game that mirrors life.  In our professional endeavors we don’t have parents and loved ones looking over our shoulder at the office critiquing every presentation we give or judging us based on every phone call we make.  Even in school, every project or test isn’t analyzed with a fine tooth comb.  The teachers give us a grade and if we didn’t do well we are told to study harder for the next test.  If we apply this type of behavior on the golf course the game will remain fun and the scores will be the best they could be for that day.  Golf is great because it always starts over every day.  We have another 18 holes to go play.  We have a 1st tee shot to hit and a last putt to hole.  If we can get a little better each time we go out, our games will be where we hope when it’s time to pick a college or make a decision about playing professionally.  Remember to play the game and enjoy the walk!

What is all the commotion about the long putter? We had our first Major Champion with the long putter in Keegan Bradley.  Adam Scott won the WGC event with a long putter.  You hear whispers of people saying the USGA should ban them.  

My thoughts come from a player who has used a long putter for 9 years and the psychological roller coaster that begets to switch or not to switch and will your ego let you do it? This commentary comes from my heart and these thoughts and opinions come from deep within my soul.  A golfers soul who is continuing to search for the best method to play the game, physically and mentally.

I went to a long putter Ala Adam Scott at a mini tour event in Florida after I was struggling with my putting.  It instantly made me more consistent and fresh mentally.  I can tell you from experience though that there isn't a week that goes by that I don't think about going back to a short putter. I actually went back to the short putter for a small stint on the Nationwide Tour in 2008.

As golfers, we are always looking for ways to be better to gain a little more confidence. A big key in putting is letting the putts go, being free. The allure of the short putter for me is it was how I hit putts growing up.  How you putt as a kid is what we all strive for; being creative, seeing the putt, hitting it without a care in the world.

The long putters put a great roll on the ball. It is more sound mechanically as proven by Dave Pelz.  The challenge is to be as free as you can with a more mechanically sound method. The short putter allows a lot of play so you can manipulate the path and face for good and bad.  I challenge you to find your method and if it is a long putter feel as if you're using a short putter and the freedom you had when you learned the game!

To sum up my commentary on all this talk about the long putters, pick a method you trust, be confident and free and remember it's just a game. Let it go be a kid and watch yourself make more putts and shoot lower scores.  

Until next week, find your putting method and enjoy the walk!

Golf is a game meant to be played.  We go to driving ranges and practice facilities and we see people hitting ball after ball.  We get into a little rhythm and rake another ball and hit it right at our target then another and another and you are saying to yourself yeah that’s me.  I hate to break it to you but that method of practice and that alone is not playing the game it is playing golf swing.  There is a time to work on mechanics and your swing but way too many people play the game in that mindset.  How many people do you see actually going through their routine on the range?   Actually standing behind the ball, picking out a target and hitting the shot as they would on the course?  If you want to be able to take your game from the practice tee and from your lesson with your teaching professional, to the golf course then you owe it to yourself to spend at least half your practice time like you are on the golf course. 

Towards the end of your warm up or practice session play the first few holes on the range.  Pick out the club you would hit off the first tee and go through your entire routine.  Wherever the shot goes and how you hit it imagine your second shot and the club you now would hit. Do the same for every shot and so-on.  Maybe you missed the green, I challenge you to pull out your wedge and hit a little pitch shot maybe over a bunker!  You get the picture; do this little exercise for a few holes.  The more you can use your imagination the more realistic and it will translate to better play when you get over to the first tee. 

We spend a lot of time on the practice tee working on our swings.  We read books that tell us to focus on the target when we are on the course and to not think about our swings.  If we don’t practice on the practice tee hitting shots without mechanical thoughts, or just focusing on our target how can we expect to do that on the golf course?

I challenge you to a little experiment.  For the next 30 days implement what I am suggesting into your practice regimen and see if it improves your play.  Then the next 30 days go back to your old way of practicing and see which one improves your handicap and most importantly your enjoyment of the game.

Until next week, Play the game and enjoy the walk!

Do you want a college athletic scholarship?  Do you have a son, daughter, family member or friend who is interested in playing a sport in college?  It can be a tricky process, but if you take a few necessary steps it will help immensely in choosing the best school for its academic prowess and athletic tradition.  Here are a few questions you must ask yourself.  What size school would I be most comfortable?  What type of degree is important?  Do I want to be in a big city or college town?  Does the coach need to be a supportive father figure or a Vince Lombardi clone?  Is team chemistry important?  Do I know the type of players on the roster?  Have I engaged them at all?

These questions are just a few to get your mind in the right place to make the most important decision in your life to this point.  A number of companies have popped up recently helping athletes with this important decision.  A good friend of mine started the firm Scholarship for Athletes a few years back.  I recommend highly their help in choosing the best spot for you.  Owner Ross Greenstein played tennis at the University of Florida and he has developed an excellent program for getting the athlete to ask the right questions and understand fully where he/she would be the happiest which in turn will make them the most successful. Former Golf Coach John Brooks of Red Numbers Golf has really developed a nice program for golfers that I highly recommend as well.

When I was the assistant golf coach at UF and would be recruiting student athletes rarely were they asking questions.  If they did ask questions they usually weren’t the right ones.  We also received hundreds of letters and resumes from players that wanted to play golf for UF and Buddy Alexander.  Very rarely were the letters creative and unique to catch our eye.  If you have a school dead set in your mind to attend and want to grab the coach’s attention, do you homework.  Understand what type of player the coach likes and recruits.  Does your ability match the other players on the team?  What will you add to the team and why would the coach have to have you?

I urge all parents and family members to be as objective as possible when evaluating their child’s talent.  I also urge you to encourage your child to play lots of sports in high school.  The better athlete they are the more impressive they will be to their future coach.  Always remind them it’s a game and to keep the proper perspective.  Getting a great education is paramount to their long term success and happiness.  Very few athletes go on to play their respective sport professionally.  Instill in them to live their life as if they will achieve their goals but to prepare for any and all outcomes.

Enjoy the process, it is a fun ride.  Please contact me if you would like an introduction to my good friend Ross at SFA or John at Red numbers Golf.  they know their stuff and have helped hundreds of student athletes find their perfect spot.  I’d love to hear comments of your experience with the process as a player and a parent.

In golf we are always looking for that tip or swing thought to finding our own holy grail.  After 30 years of playing the game at the highest level, I have realized that the only real key is total acceptance of the outcome of the shot before we hit it.  If we can develop that mindset we have the best chance to make our best swing at that given moment.

Golf is about staying in the here and now.  We hear TOUR Players saying that all of the time.  I was able to “stay in the moment or “I was really in the present today.”  One way we accomplish that is by fully accepting the result of the shot at hand.  We get so engrossed in the shot picturing our desired outcome but with the faith that we will be OK with the end result.  What is the worst that can happen? We hit a bad shot.  Do any of you feel that if you continue to play the game you will not hit bad shots?  Accept your golf shots all of them with the same commitment.  I challenge you the next time you are out to incorporate into your pre-shot routine that full acceptance of the shot, truly not caring about the outcome and see how much freer your swing becomes.

The best players in the world let it go!  They swing with abandonment.  If we can accept the result before we hit it we will start hitting more shots with freedom and abandonment.  In the process we will have a lot more fun on the golf course.

Until next week, enjoy the walk!