Showing posts with label novo's golfi adventures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label novo's golfi adventures. Show all posts

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Stop Trying To Hole Putts!

- Do This Instead... Stop trying to hole putts. Isn't that what you're meant to do? Well, yes and no. When you're putting your goal should be for the ball to go in the hole. But here's the thing... 



Have you ever hit a putt that you thought was perfect but for some reason, the ball didn't fall in? So what happened -- didn't you try hard enough? Maybe if you tried a bit harder the ball would have gone in. 

Obviously, that's stupid thinking. But when I watch a lot of people putting, they are trying really hard! I'm not pointing fingers either, because recently I've been guilty of this too. Everyone knows with putting that there's luck involved. You can hit a perfect putt and the ball may not go in. You can hit a putt that you swear was going to miss and it goes in. So why do we steer putts? 

When you watch the pros on T.V, very rarely do you see them steer putts. They put a nice stroke on the ball, hold their finish, and watch the outcome. But most "average" golfers stroke the ball, never hold their finish, and are trying to guide the ball into the hole with their putter and body. Or in other words, trying too hard. 

Look, when you putt you shouldn't overemphasize that you are trying to hole the putt. You shouldn't say things like "I need to hole this" or "come on, try really hard to hole this". That sort of thinking creates tension. And when you're tense while putting, for some reason the ball does not fall in. Instead, here's what you should do. 

Pick a line and pace for each putt and focus on hitting the putt along the line you've chosen with good speed, then let the outcome take care of itself. Instead of trying to hole the putt, you should be trying to do the task of putting as well as you can. Then, again, let the outcome take care of itself. 

What I'm talking about is focus. Focus on something you can control, e.g. your putting routine, your putting stroke, your mental attitude, your line, your speed. Don't focus on something you can't control, i.e. trying to hole the ball. Do this the next time you putt and you will hole more putts without trying. 

The concepts of tension and focus relate to every shot you play. For example,  if you're overly tense and steering your putts, you're more than likely going to be overly tense on your drives, your iron shots, your pitch shots, your chip shots, bunker shots, etc. 

If as you're reading this and thinking about your golf game, you may see yourself steering your shots and feeling tense at the end of your swings, then this is a major problem for you. And the only way you're going to improve your golf game is by learning how to hit shots with ONLY the necessary amount of tension. 

The Excessive Tension Test 

If after your shots you feel really tense or are moving your body around trying to steer the ball, then you've swung with too much tension. You will never enjoy playing golf or play up to your true potential if you continue to do that. 


The Golf Swing

The golf swing.

It's probably the most analyzed, dissected and debated movement of any sport.

One person likes Tiger Woods' swing, another person hates it.

One person likes Sergio Garcia's swing, another person hates it.

One person likes Ben Hogan's swing, another person hates it.

So is there ONE perfect golf swing?

Well, it depends on how you define a perfect golf swing.

If you look at the aesthetics of a golf swing then no, there is no perfect golf swing, because everyone has a different opinion.

So let's look at this in a different way.

Imagine this if you will...

You go to the PGA Championship driving range, which has arguably the best field in golf. And you go to the practice range to watch the best golfers in the world hit balls.

If you did that you would quickly notice that all of them hit it great.

You could have Jim Furyk hitting shots next to Rory McIlroy, and although Rory will no doubt be hitting it further than Jim, you'd notice that Jim hits it straight, far and consistent.

So would you swap your golf swing for Jim Furyk's?

If you just looked at the swing without seeing the result, most people would not swap their swing. But when you see the result of the swing, any amateur golfer would happily swap their swing with Jim's.

What I'm saying is that the results matter, not the way the swing looks.

But here's the problem for the average golfer when it comes to the golf swing.

Jim Furyk has hit thousands of balls to groove his unorthodox swing so that he hits the ball long and straight. Equally, so has Rory McIlroy.

There would NOT be a player on the PGA Tour that hasn't hit thousands of balls. So you could reasonably say, to hit the ball consistently long and straight then you need to hit thousands of balls.

That's a fact (but there is a shortcut, stay tuned for that).

The amount of balls pro's hit is common knowledge. And sadly a lot of amateur golfers wrongly think they need to just hit more golf balls too. But they're wrong. Because if you were to just hit more balls you would not get better, and in fact, you would probably just get worse.

Why?

Because by practicing more you would just make your bad habits even more ingrained.

You see, for the pro's, even though some of them have funny looking swings, they have figured out what it takes for them to return the club to a good impact position time after time.

If you haven't figured that out yet, then just beating balls is not going to help you.

Instead, if you really want to improve your ball striking you need to change your swing and then practice more (again, I have a shortcut).

To change your swing you need to.....

1. Have a clear idea in your mind as to how you want to swing, and

2. Groove that swing over and over again.

The fact is, if you want to improve your ball striking you need to change your swing, so that you get to impact consistently in a great position so the ball goes long and straight,

consistently.

Then you need to groove that new swing over and over again, so that out on the golf course you just automatically swing great. So there is a perfect swing for you, you just need to find it. Everybody is an individual and every swing is individual. A perfect swing for someone else will not necessarily be a perfect swing for you. So there's not 'one' perfect swing, but there is a perfect swing for you.

I'm sure this all makes complete sense to you, but there's a couple of big problems.

The first is how are you meant to change your swing so it's perfect for you? And the second is how are you going to find the time to hit thousands of balls in order to groove that swing into a habit?

Well, I've discovered a massive shortcut to both of those problems. And I have put together a new program to teach you how to find the perfect golf swing for you, and then groove that golf swing over and over again in the minimum amount of time.

There is nothing out there like this new method of improving your golf swing. It's a revolutionary breakthrough in golf instruction. So if you want to FINALLY hit the ball longer, straighter and more consistently without the need to hit thousands of balls, go here to find out more.

Friday, February 12, 2021

 Reflections on a Golf Season!


Where to begin? 2020 was a difficult year for us all  - Covid 19 bashed many a dream. The plans that were made and not kept were immeasurable. The only bright side to any of 2020 for me personally was the fact that the golf courses remained open... 

The golf course served as a refuge for many of us. Sanity and fellowship with other human beings was a godsend. Now to say the fact that I was able to get out on the course made me a better player in 2020 would be a stretch, My handicap actually climbed about 4 strokes in 2020. Sure, I had some great rounds but there were those really bad ones as well. There were times when I was on the course just for the simple fact that there was nothing else to do. This is not how I wish to approach the game. There were other things that lead to the poor rounds that I endured. Things like losing my comfort in hitting certain clubs, injury, and general lethargy in my approach to the game I love so much. 

Well, the 2021 season has begun and I for one have set myself a couple of goals. Firstly, I want to continue to enjoy the game. Secondly, I truly intend on getting back in touch with the clubs that I struggled with at times last year. Third, I want to get the handicap back down a couple of strokes. I do have a plan...  

I've decided to practice with intention, paying a bit more attention to the short game. Additionally, I think I'll seek out the advice of a professional. It's been a while since I last had a lesson! I'm also going to take a good long look at my equipment.

I know for a fact that my grips on either set of my clubs are not in the best of shape. The attachment of the hands to the golf club can make all the difference in the world. Besides, I have corded grips on one set and dry tacks on the other. I really prefer the cords over the dry tacks, so why don't I have to on both sets of my clubs? I'm almost positive that the consistency of the grips will make an improvement. I'm thinking of changing my putter grip as well. The old Ping is begging for a regrip... 

One more thing that I have to do before we get too far down the road is getting the loft and lies checked. I beat the crap of many a golf mat last season. I'm sure that the loft and lies of my forged clubs are nowhere near the spec that they were built to are true. 

Enough rambling... What are your goals for the 2021 season? Do you want to lower your handicap? Be more consistent? Have you given it a thought? Setting goals can be fun and may bring about the change you are looking for. Until next, cheers!


Sunday, February 23, 2020

Novo's Golf Adventures: What's in Your Golf Bag?

Novo's Golf Adventures: What's in Your Golf Bag?: Having played golf for at least 40 years, one can only imagine all the different clubs that have been in the bag. Clubs ranging from Pin...

Do You Know How Far Your Clubs Carry?

Knowing how far your clubs carry may sound trivial, but it could make a difference in your game!

Have you ever watched a tournament on TV and heard the Caddy and the Player going over the distances for the next shot? It probably went like this... 151 front, 157 middle, 172 back. We need to hit a carry of 153 with the wind. How do the player and caddy know what club to hit? 

Every year the player goes through a process known as gapping. They know exactly how far each club carries and what most likely will be the roll-out of the ball as well, depending on the type of shot they hit. This process takes a lot of doubt out of the game for them... 

Below is an example of my gapping chart. While not as extensive as a pro's chart, it does give me insight into how far the ball will carry for me on a set of known conditions. It allows me to adjust to conditions such as temperature, wind, and rain. I know that when I'm playing into the wind or downwind what my perfect carry is based on known factors and how to adjust.  


Knowing your distances can save a lot of strokes in any round. The process of gapping does not take up a great deal of time. A couple of practice sessions at the driving range or on an indoor monitor is all it takes. But here's the deal, you have to be honest with the numbers to get true benefit out of the process.

If you notice in my chart, I have recorded three different categories - Normal, Weak, and Strong. I am not looking for the best number that I can hit the ball for each club. For example, I know for a fact that on a perfect day and with a perfect swing I can carry (actually fly minus rollout) a driver 285 yards. But how many perfect days and perfect swings do I have in the bag?

What I want to know is my true distances on average. This helps me decide what club to pull when there is a bunker or a creek setting out there!  I also want to base it on how I feel and how I'm swinging on any given day as well. This is called decision making and course management!

I can honestly say that since I started being true with myself on how far I can hit a ball on average, I pull the correct club more often, I swing the club better, and my scores have decreased. I would highly recommend that everyone go through the process.

If you want more information on the process, drop me a note in the comments section. I'll be happy to send you a bit more detail.




Thursday, February 20, 2020

Let's Get Started



Publishing the first post is always scary!  No matter what the topic is, there is always the thought that we might say something wrong or perhaps find a way to offend someone. Well, trusting in good judgment and a ton of experience as a writer of training materials for most of my adult life, perhaps we can avoid controversy.

Here is one premiss concerning the posts on this site that may give the reader some insight into who the author is - I am a golfer. I've been a golfer for a very long time. The one thing you can expect is that I will try anything to get better at the game- as long as it works! If it doesn't work,  I get rid of it! Additionally, I enjoy the game, no matter what my scorecard may reflect! Carpe Diem (seize the day!) is what I'm about when it comes to the game of golf.

But how do we seize the day, improve our skills and enjoy the game at hand?

Well, that's what this blog is about. Please join me in future posts on my adventure to improve and enjoy the game. Please feel to comment and add your own two cents. I look forward to our next adventure together.



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