I was just sitting drinking a coffee this morning and just think about the golf season here in Poland. The season is coming to a close soon as the weather is now turning cold and I presume we will start to get our first covering of snow by early December and this can normally last through until at least February.

For many amateur golfers have a season (Spring through to late Autumn) and they play their years quota of golf during this period.

But now they way the professional tours are set up a pro golfer can play year round golf in a warm climate, now of course that is really nice, their is nothing better than playing 18 holes with the sun on your back.

But……….. what does all this golf do the physical well being of the pro golfer. It has been intersting to see some of the top young golfers struggling with injuries over the past few years. If you take Justin Rose, Luke Donald (Who missed the Ryder Cup) and another Brit David Howell who just a few years ago was looking like a world beater until injury took it’s toll and he had to cut down is schedule.

At least Howell is on his way back to some sort of form resembling his game a few years back and that is great to see.

But it still begs the question??? Is their too much golf.

I for one have really missed watching Tiger Woods this season and again it seems like too much golf has taken an effect here.

Would love to know your comments on this.

All the best

Richard

I thought about writing this post for a couple of days but just had to do it now rather than wait.

Firstly i must say that all golfers everywhere have probably been touched by the golfing monument that is “Seve”

For me reading the stories as a young lad about how he learned his golf by hitting 3 irons off of the sand and the way in which he has always played his golf (and his life) in that swashbuckling style is the reason that I, and i believe many people actually took up the game of golf.

I am in my forties so anybody in that age group can probably testify to watching Seve on TV, and i believe he was instrumental in bringing a whole new dimension to golf then and also when he bacame a victorious Ryder Cup Captain.

I for one was certainly gripped by the game after watching the way Seve played. He makes it look like fun and that of course is what golf is. a really fun game for everyone to get involved in.

If you have not had the priviledge to see Seve play then you should really get down to your local DVD store and hire out some videos because if that cannot inspire someone to play golf then nothing can.

All our wishes are with Seve at this time as well as with his family and we hope to see that famous punch again soon.

Richard

Now that the dust has settled on yet another amazing British Open and the plaudits have rung out for a true champion in Padraig Harrington we now have to go back and look at the actions of one of my and many golfers past champions.

Sandy Lyle did the unthinkable and QUIT. It was sad day indeed for golf and not something that helps young golfers.

Today young players have all of the wealth and adoration that goes with an increasingly popular sport and some of them will never win a tournament but will retire from the game multi millionaires.

But golf in it’s purest form is about winning. Winning against your opponent, winning against yourself, winning against adversity when you are not on your A Game.

But winning in any WEATHER conditions.

The Open Championship is a heritage to the game of golf and in one fail swoop Sandy Lyle lost all sense of pride and dignity by just plainly “Giving Up”

I was amazed when i saw this, a man who has won major championships who still has the  right to play in a tournament yet gave no effort whatsoever.

I feel for the guys who went through qualifying and missed out on a glorious opportunity but i also feel for the everyday golfer who would love to be able to make aliving doing something he/she loves.

I do not know if Sandy Lyle had an injury or other reason but whatever happened he has gone down in a lot of peoples opinions including kids who watch the game at grass roots level.

Please leave a comment and let me know your views.

All the best

Richard

Today I want to ask you if the mental part of the golf game is important and maybe at the end of the post you could leave your comments and tips for other readers of the blog.

Today i want to give you a mental golf practice routine that you can use on your home course to more or less guarantee a par on the long holes.

I want you to visualise the first Par 5 at your course and write down the easiest way to play it. Now please take note i said “easiest way to play it” and not the way you would usually play it

I’ll give you an example…….the first hole on my home course is a 490 yard Par 5 with a tee shot over water of about 170 yards to find the fairway, this would be followed by a shot of about 180 yards to leave you a third shot of about 140 yards (again over water) to a nice big green.

Now when you read that it sounds quite easy apart from the water.

Lets break it down:

Shot 1 170 yards (4 or 5 iron) Everyone usually takes a driver
Shot 2 180 yards (4 iron or 5 wood) A lot of people are already in the water or in rough because the shot with the driver has gone AWOL
Shot 3 140 yards (7 or 8 or 9 iron)
Shot 4 Putt
Shot 5 Putt

There you go!!! A nice Par to start the round with and I didn’t need to take a driver.

This is just a mental thought!!! Does a tee shot mean you take your driver out of the bag every time? It does not have to.

Sorry for rambling but this golf lesson and instruction will help you lower your scores without a shadow of a doubt.

I want you to do what I have done above and write out for every hole the easiest way to reach the green in regulation by breaking the hole down into small pieces (One shot at a time)

If you then plan your game around this i guarantee you will shoot your lowest round. I can say this because other golfers who have subscribed to my free mental golf drills course have had the same results.

All the Best

Richard

Can Golf Be A Simple Game?

I have just finished reading a golf book titled “Golf Can Be A Simple Game”

When I first saw the website for this book I thought it would be a bunch of garbage like so many other golf products out there, however I decided to get the book as I do like to read different teachings on golf to see if there is anything new or different.

Now the book is over 90 pages in length and I will be honest, it is not an easy read, however it is an EYE OPENING read.

The first 5 sections cover the main issue with playing golf and that is the GOLF SWING. The Author of this has put together a resource which teaches the swing in 8 simple steps.

The first four steps cover the backswing and the next four steps cover the downswing and contact.

The way that he teaches and describes how you can get the perfect simple golf swing are really eye opening and this is a method I could see many amateurs being able to use to teach themselves without the expense of lessons.

I would certainly recommend taking a look at Golf Can Be A Simple Game.

All the Best Richard

Today I wanted to write something for our left handed golfers who read the blog.

Are You a Leftie? A little story for you

Do you feel left out in the cold? You can’t blame the big golf club manufacturers for aiming at their most lucrative market, which is right-handed golfers, but it is quite difficult if you are a leftie to find the selection offered to the mainstream players.

I know a couple of guys who made the change early on by training to play right handed but this is pretty unrealistic for most people.

You should be playing in the most natural manner possible and if that means left handed then so be it.

Unfortunately with everything these days it all comes down to economics and profitability and there just isn’t enough money to be made for many of the big manufacturers in the left-handed market.

The percentage of left handed players to right handed players is somewhere in the region of 8 percent so the market is quite small, although it is a niche market that some manufacturers are targeting albeit at more expense to you the golfer in most cases.

But there is always a silver lining to any problem that we might encounter.

At a recent after tournament function I was introduced to a senior golfer who has a low handicap and has had for a number of years.

During our chat he mentioned left handed clubs and that he had originally started playing golf as a left hander.

He hadn’t had lessons from a professional and had developed some bad techniques.

Eventually, due to frustration with his game and the inability to source the right clubs for his game, he decided some professional help was needed.

After much discussion he decided with the advice of the golf pro that he would try playing golf right handed and the golf pro would give him the necessary golf lessons and instruction .

It was a changing point he said. Making this change was effectively starting from scratch and he learnt how to play golf without any of the bad techniques that he had developed on his own.

The change from left to right, along with the professional training has held him in good stead for the rest of his golf playing life.

Sure, it was a major decision that most golfers wouldn’t make, but you can never beat a golfer at trying to improve his game no matter what steps they might take.

And this guy took that decision.

All the best

Richard

Today i want to emphasise the importance of Adding an element of Variety to Your Golf Practice Sessions at the driving range

Whenever I am at the driving range I always see most of the golfers there practicing the same shots over and over again.

“Big booming drives”

That’s alright if it is part of your game that needs some attention, and the more you practice a shot the better you will become at it.

Hitting these type of shots in practice will help your game but you should also think about the fact that variety will make you a better all round golfer.

The more shots and techniques you can master the better you will be on tournament day out on the course.

You can do this by testing new techniques when you practice.

Try hitting a three iron HIGH and an eight iron LOW. You should observe the patterns you get when you use different clubs or try different techniques.

Try closing the clubface to add spin, try a punch shot under the wind, choke down on the grip. Try rolling your hands to hook the ball

Even consider testing new golf clubs. As you improve then better quality equipment and golf clubs will add a little more to your game, you won’t want to be using the same basic clubs you had when starting playing and you will probably not want to be using the same golf balls either. You need to take into account compression of the golf ball as it has an effect on spin. A two piece golf ball is cheaper, made for distance but wont stop too quickly on the green

Better equipment will allow you to make shots that weren’t possible before, and take you to the next level where you can take advantage of this equipment.

Your practice time should also be a time where you allow yourself the opportunity to experiment and try to broaden your game. Mix up your practice with a few drives, more mid iron shots, even more short iron shots. But leave most of your practice time for chipping and putting, this where you will shave strokes from your score the quickest.

Think about this and put it into practise.

Good Golfing

Richard

I hope you enjoyed the Masters last week and what a tournament it turned out to be. I am sure you are raring to get out on the course and today i just want to share a thought with you about the need for Accuracy First and Distance Will Later.

Most golfers have one thing in mind, and that is to hit the ball as far as and as long as possible. For the tour pros this is now a good technique as they are capable of still getting to the green in regulation even if they are off the fairway.

A lot of golfers are so fixed on this that they try “Too Hard” and this is one of the main reasons why they will never get as much distance as they are capable of hitting the ball.

So why not change things around and go for accuracy first and foremost and concentrate on distance once you have mastered the art of control.

It’s not much point knocking the ball 270 to 300 yards if it leaves you with a tricky second shot into the green. All you will achieve in doing this is to make the following shots all the more difficult.

A drive down the center of the fairway, albeit 20 – 30 yards shorter, will set you up for a better approach shot and a lower overall score.

By playing with shorter, slower more controlled swings, you will gain control of your shotmaking sooner and you will then be able to gradually increase your driving distance.

You will be learning correct techniques that will hold you in good stead for the rest of your playing career.

By focusing on your accuracy first and starting with smaller swings it will be easier to train your body to develop the correct actions, and these actions will always be needed when you progress to the longer drives.

As your swing becomes repetitive, you can start lengthening the backswing knowing that you will have the correct control to hit the ball not only in the right direction but with increased distance.

So try this quick tip to help with increasing swingspeed and therefore your distance.

On the practice range tee up and hit two shots with each of your six, seven and eight irons. A normal practice swing is better that a full swing.

Now pick up your driver and hit two balls with the same speed and flow of swing you just used on the irons.

I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised because the slower swing will feel more relaxed, and this in turn will lead to a lighter grip, which will let the club head actually swing that little bit faster in the hitting zone.

If you find that your drives are going wayward, then it would be wise to focus on control, even if that means limiting your swing until you are hitting the ball straight.

Just give this one a try and leave me a comment to let me know how you go.

All the best

Richard

With Masters Week here you know that putting is going to be key at Augusta, so if the pros put in the time and effort on their short game then why shouldn’t you.

A Few Simple Putting Tips

How often have you been agonizingly close to sinking a putt only to come up short?

Or maybe you have just missed the hole and see your ball go sailing past adding a tricky putt coming back. A lot of games have been lost on the green and in most instances it has been due to bad distance control, rather than the direction of your putts.

Most players, even beginners get a feel for the direction the ball will travel quite quickly, even on sloping or tricky greens.

You’ve probably been in the same position yourself when a newcomer to the game places the ball within inches of the hole on a sloping green on a regular basis.

What you won’t see though is the ball stopping a few inches past the hole when they miss.

There are many factors that come into account when determining the distance a ball will travel on the green, from the slope, to the preparation of the green, the grain of the grass and the type of grass, all in all a lot to think about.

It can make a huge difference depending on the time of the day. Greens get much faster as they dry off in the afternoon sun and the grain turns towards the sun. This is important because your ball can turn quite dramatically when it slows towards the hole if the grain is going a certain way.

So reading the distance of a putt is what you really need to concentrate on to get your ball to drop in that hole.

Once again it all comes back to practice and there is no better practice than on the day of the tournament in the conditions that you will be playing in.

So here’s a quick tip

Take six golf balls and line them up a two feet apart starting from one foot from the hole and practice holing them, the first two or three will be easy but then four five and six will be much harder.

The idea with this quick tip is to get you judging the pace of the greens so that you can cut out any three putts. This will really help you to ‘dial in’ your distance.

I hope you enjoy this one and I hope you get achance to use it after you have enjoyed the weekends golf “Can Tiger keep up that irresistable form?”

All the best

Richard

You need to be able to balance your weight correctly on your feet, in the movement of your body turn and in your swing.

Balance goes further than just the physical aspect of the game though, you also need to have a proper mindset to play your best golf with your mind needing to be synchronized with your body.

You need to use a key mental thought and that is “only consider the stroke you are playing NOW” do not let your last shot or thoughts of that difficult next hole get in the way.

When we have golf lessons we’re taught about the distribution of weight on our feet and the weight distribution when we swing to strike the ball.

Golf, and good golf at that is all about practicing and developing actions which are effortless and natural.

Your balance should flow evenly with the movement of the swing in one fluid action to the striking of the ball and even after the ball has been hit with a nice balanced follow through.

It should be a natural feeling, just an extension of the arms and body which will become second nature with practice and a little bit of effort on your part.

Once you have found a balance both mentally and physically then you will be in the zone and will begin hitting consistently good shots. Without this it will be very difficult to find any consistency in your game.

Once you get your upper body correctly positioned behind the ball, you will find that you are naturally placing more weight on the back foot.

Try this quick golf tip next time you have a practice swing.

Stand balanced on your feet with no more pressure on the front of the foot than the back. Position yourself slightly behind the ball and gently swing through without making any effort to concentrate on the distribution of the weight on your feet.

You will find that this will come naturally with no effort at all and that is precisely how you should be feeling when you strike the golf ball.

If you are out this weekend then think about this quick tip and try to take your time and slow down.

Enjoy your Golf

Richard