March 26, 2003

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Special Notice


Are there any topics you would like discussed or anything you would like information on in this newsletter? If so, just let me know and we will see what one of us can come up with.

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Quote of the week:

\"I try to learn from the past, but I plan for the future by focusing
exclusively on the present. That\'s where the fun is.\"

Donald Trump
Real Estate Investor and Author


Golf Quote of the week:

Actually, the Lord answers my prayers everywhere except on the golf course.
Billy Graham



I just had to send another \"thanks\" for the three tapes, especially body
golf.
I coach high school golf and we have a \"no-cut\" policy. This year
we have at least half of our 24 that have rarely played so we are having
to take them to the very beginning. Mark\'s double-club drill and the
Body Golf stuff is invaluable. We build a stance every day, then do
drills. After 4 days of that we went outside and actually hit some
balls. I noticed my actual players struck the ball much better than
last year, and a few of the new guys initially started off well, then
digressed as they became more ball bound. We will work on that.
We will be out again later today. We will start with the drills
building a stance, the turn, then the double club drills. Then the
balls will be passed out.
Again, thanks. Great stuff.
Jerry Greupner


One of Life’s Great Mysteries
by
Mac Stevenson
How can it be that on one day you putt beautifully, and the next you’re all but helpless on the greens?
Putting in golf is one of the most inconsistent skills in all of sports. Good putters usually putt well, but even the smooth strokers go into short or prolonged slumps.
Pros are fairly equal from tee to green, with a few notable exceptions like Tiger. It’s the guy or gal who putts well throughout a tournament that brings home the bacon.
Unlike the basics--golf setup, grip, and swing--putting is a world unto itself. There’s no right way or wrong way; it’s what works for you that counts.
Your putting grip is important, but what feels good and works for you might be a handicap for a fellow player. Check with some good putters and see how they place their hands on the club. It doesn’t hurt to experiment with new methods occasionally. The putter--as a club--is vital to your success or lack thereof. And it doesn’t have to cost $100; some of the prices for golf clubs have become ridiculous.
Foremost, you need a putter that looks good to you; that seems silly, but if you don’t gain confidence from your putter’s appearance, you won’t putt well with it. Clubheads on putters come in so many diverse shapes and sizes that just selecting one that seems right for you can be a chore in itself.
The weight is important, but only insofar as it feels right to you; almost everyone has a different weight preference for their putter.
Don’t hesitate to buy an inexpensive or used putter if you find one you think might fit your style. If you like everything but the grip, you can get that changed in a golf shop. And it’s not expensive.
If you have and old and trusted putter that has served you well and you’re slumping, try placing a new and different-sized grip on it. All of these seemingly insignificant changes can give your confidence a needed boost.
Don’t neglect your putting when you practice. But avoid becoming obsessive about it. If you practice putting over a long period of time, your back will begin to ache and your concentration will wander to greener pastures.
The majority of golfers ignore two important shots while practicing their putting: They don’t work on putting from the fringe. And that’s a shot that most golfers use frequently on the golf course.
Make sure you devote part of your putting practice to stroking approach putts from the fringe, both close to the actual putting surface and--depending on the texture of the fringe--as much as eight to ten feet off the green. A second troublesome putt that should be practiced from time to time is the dilemma that’s presented when your ball comes to rest on the putting surface against the first cut of the fringe. That can be a daunting shot if you haven’t practiced it. The key is hitting the top half of the ball while stroking the putter smoothly over the top of the fringe. If you try and chop down on this putt, it can have disastrous results. However, having said that, sometimes chopping down on the putt is the only way you can hit the shot if the fringe is fairly high. You have to experiment to find the method that works best for you.
Short and focused putting practice is better than long, tiring sessions that become boring. You can work on just about every type of putt in a 15-20 minute practice period.
Another key to good putting is to keep a journal of thoughts that work well for you when you’re going good. And, conversely, record what is wrong when you’re in a slump. It might be something that will recur--both good and bad--and if you have a journal to refer back to, you might head off potential problems at the pass.

Response to Nippy’s article on his system:

the newsletter refers to Nippy D.\'s par handicap system...it sounds
perfect for our 9 hole men\'s league matches.

I think Nippy\'s ideas have some merit. Do birdies count the same as one par or two pars? One of the reasons I enjoy this newsletter is to hear new ideas like this. I also enjoy the life-improvement concepts as well. Keep up the good work!
think \"Nippy D\'s\" system has a lot of merit!!!

There are far too many \"desert handicap\" guys that seem to go back north and clean everyones\' clock without every having their handicap go up. Seems they miss those short putts for bogey every time they don\'t need to make one.

I have heard that roughly 40% of the male golfers in the USA don\'t even post their scores. This, of course, could be corrected even on public courses if a round was played and par was posted for them if no card (or posting) was turned in. At private clubs, most of the pro shops will give par to a player if a score isn\'t posted.

The \"missed putt\" (or whatever) is a different story altogether. Most players know who those people are that \"cheat\", but rarely does anyone say anything about it. That issue could be corrected by a mail dropbox at any golf course wherein anyone could drop various paperwork (scorecards, payments, letters to the board, comments, NAMES OF CHEATERS WHO NEED WATCHING, etc., etc.) The top of the drop box should note that \"The names of handicap offenders are accepted here also.\" This will also send a message to those who are intentionally keeping their handicaps high, that they have become \"fair game\" to all other players who wish to have the game of golf remain an honorable game.

Nippy D\'s system certainly covers all of the rest of the offenses and gets my vote.

George Spada

Dear Richard,
My reply to Nippy\'s suggestion:
Raise a toast to a Golfer who\'s put his thinking cap on !!!!
Nippy\'s point of \"fudging\" is very relevant on quite a few courses as the
carding -in is solely dependant on the individual concerned..therefore, you
see a lot of \"skewed\" handicaps whilst the person truly drives/pitches &
putts like a champion.
We MUST take cheating out of the game and I would implore you to take up
Nippy\'s methodology,verify it, and ensure that the authorities pass this as
a permanent RULE !!!
Well done,Nippy...we need more thinkers like you on this newsletter!!!!
Are you a Mensa with an IQ of 170????
Richard...congratulations to you for bringing such issues to the fore.
Regards,
Shanks

I like Nippy\'s handicapping idea, but what about people like me? The last
time I played a round, I shot about what I normally shoot, 92. However, I
had a pretty good round except for the 3 triple bogeys and one quadruple
bogey. This was because of a tee shot OB, one in the water and I 3-putted
two greens. Based on his method, I probably would have a lower handicap
than I deserve. I like his idea, but I think it would have the same
problems the current handicapping system has...it doesn\'t work for everyone.


Michael R. Gabrysch



Another suggestion for article:
Hi,
How about an article covering the long irons. Almost 3/4 or more golfers I know can\'t hit these shots off the ground.

Thanks,
Norris Foret

Article by Joe DeLorenzo on Long Irons
Are long irons a problem?
Unless you happen to be a single digit handicap
golfer, long irons may be more difficult to hit
consistently than other clubs. In order to hit them
consistently, you must be able to hit the sweet spot
nearly every time. Of course, if you can do that, you
probably are already a single digit handicapper,
right? But what about the average golfer? By the
way, everyone has a different opinion on what is an
average golfer. Just for the sake of discussion,
let\'s say the average golfer shoots in the 90\'s. If
this is the case, what does this average golfer shoot
on a par 3 course? I\'m guessing an average of 4-5 on
every hole. If that is the case, you might do better
to work on the short game more than the long irons.

OK, OK, OK, you still want to know more about long
irons anyway. It could be that your clubs do not fit
you properly. Try to attend demo days and see if a
different brand of club works better for you, or maybe
a different shaft flex, or different design, blade or
offset styles, muscle-back or cavity-back.

It could be that your problem is in your mind. Try to
focus only on the leading edge of the iron without
worrying about the amount of loft on the clubface.
Hit down on the ball with the leading edge and see
what happens. Convince yourself that if you can just
strike the ball at the equator with the leading edge
(with a downward blow), the ball will spin up the
clubface no matter what the loft is.

If none of this works, try the new styles of utility
woods, which are designed to take the place of long
irons. They have a head design that is a hybrid
between an iron and a wood, and some people say they
are easier to hit than long irons.

To explore this any further, an instructor would need
to know more specifics about the nature of the
problem, is it consistently fat or thin shots, extra
hooking or slicing, or general wildness? Depending on
the answer, a swing change may be in order.

Joe DeLorenzo


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Richard’s Thoughts:

Watching Tiger Woods when he plays in a tournament is very inspiring to me. He seems to make every stroke look simple. Like him or hate him, he is a great golfer. And did it without the Body Golf Full Swing video…unreal! Ha!

Watching the pro’s play reminds me of the game of life. So I study to it to see what I can learn from the players. And what I have learned from watching Tiger is focus. When the camera is on him, look at his eyes. They don’t waver from his end result. They are focused!

Even when he has an impossible shot – he takes his time, looks at it from all angles, decides on a solution, takes a few practice swings, steps up to the ball, looks out to where he expects the ball to land then hits the ball.

More often than not, the ball will land exactly where he wants and the announcers will say either “it’s a miracle, lucky or only from Tiger could that happen.”

I chuckle because they just don’t get it.

It isn’t a miracle, or lucky and the other golfers could do the same thing if they were as focused.

The next thing I noticed when Tiger is in his zone is his ability to be in the moment. There is no past, there is no future – just the moment of pure focus so the ball lands where he envisioned. These are the tournaments he always wins even if he is 9 strokes under going into the last day.

Now how does this affect your and my life? We aren’t going to be pro golfers but we do have our own “dream” of how we want to live. And, if we follow Tiger’s example and our focus never wavers on our end result, then the likelihood of winning what we desire is increased.

True, we might experience some challenges but if we look at all the options, decide on a course of action, take a few practice swings, step up and do what’s needed, then put it in action – with our focus on the end result – we strengthen our chances to win in the game of golf or the game of life.

Until next week…good golfing.



Richard Myers
www.thinkandreachpar.com
www.bodygolf.com


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