As a new year approaches and I near the end of my third year of playing golf, I'm finding it's time to reevaluate my goals and priorities and perhaps regain more balance in my life. I've made golf a big priority over the past 2 years, playing an average of 10 rounds per month and practicing once or twice a week while staying gainfully employed as a software developer. With my spouse working and both kids in college, my family commitments are minimal, so it's been rather easy to spend most of my free time playing golf.

I've kept up with my responsibilities at work, but I've admittedly let many of my tasks around the house go. I've got termites munching on our veranda, woodpeckers pecking on our chimneys, gophers feasting on our new landscaping, a lawn needing reseeding, dead trees needing removal, burn piles needing burning, fencing needing replacement, and of course, the never-ending honey-do list to attend to.


Balance in snow by Oilinki at flickr.com

Even activities that I enjoy have been set aside. I've only recently returned to playing hockey. I've barely made any trips to the mountains to go snowboarding or hiking. And my wife and I have hardly taken any weekend trips in our little motorhome.

I've continued to neglect my health and fitness too. With one more year before turning 50, I've never been to a gym, never exercised regularly, and only recently began stretching for a few minutes each morning. My back is better, but continues to limit my ability play or practice more frequently, and now a new shoulder injury threatens to sideline me from the game for a while.

I initially hurt my shoulder a month ago after purchasing a new driver, then spending the next 3 days on the range, hitting way too many balls trying to hit 'em straighter and longer - to justify the unnecessary purchase. I continued to play despite the pain and found myself in even more pain after each round. Last weekend I played in a 2-day match tournament and followed that with my weekly skins game on Monday and weekly roller hockey game on Tuesday. Now my shoulder is throbbing and affecting my sleep.

I'm certainly not complaining. I realize how fortunate I am that such a trivial injury is the only real challenge I'm currently facing. My family is healthy, my wife is happy, and my kids are doing well in school. I'm actually viewing this more as an opportunity to regain balance in my life. Or perhaps the injury is life's little way of telling me that I need to regain some balance. Either way, I'm eager to make some changes.

We've all watched friends make a religion out of something, whether it's golf, or fitness, or nutrition, or even work. It's important to maintain balance and put sufficient energy into all aspects of your life - family and friends, body and spirit, education and career, and travel and recreation. As we all know, golf can easily consume a lot of time and energy, taking time away from other important areas.

That said, I've also found that putting extra energy into a single activity for long periods of time is sometimes necessary and can even benefit other aspects of our life.

In my twenties, I put my career first. For the first time in my life, I applied myself at something. I put all my energy into my studies and my work. In the Navy, I gradually climbed from the bottom half of my class during my training as an Electronics Technician and Reactor Operator to finally graduating #1 in my class. I was rewarded with instructor duty, reducing my submarine duty to 2 years. I then continued this drive after the Navy, graduating from Coleman College with a 4.0 GPA, and was soon rewarded with a challenging and successful career in software development.

But over time, life seeks balance.

When I turned 35, I gradually started spending less time at work and more time with my family and having fun. I started coaching my son's soccer, baseball, and hockey teams. I learned how to snowboard while teaching my family how to ski, and I started playing roller hockey. I tried playing golf on two occasions, but didn't stick with it - mostly because my son and I were enjoying hockey together.

I loved playing sports growing up, but gave them up completely after our family moved when I was 12 years old. I got a job at a gas station in 7th grade, caddied during 8th grade, and worked and partied through high school. Then I joined the Navy for 6 years, got married 1 week after I got out, and found out my wife was pregnant 4 months later. Responsibility meant having fun had to wait.

But having met those responsibilities, I made a choice several years ago to leave a very stressful career and take a step back. Now, with a less demanding job and less family commitments, I've enjoyed the opportunity I've had to take up golf. And even though I've put a lot of time and effort into my game, perhaps at the expense of other responsibilities, this little obsession with golf has made me happier and has even taught me patience!

However, I think it's time I let go a little with golf and catch back up on other activities and responsibilities. I'm still planning to play golf on a regular basis once my shoulder heals, but with a different attitude and focus - one that makes time for hockey, snowboarding, hiking, friends and family, and my fitness and health!

I have one year before I'm 50... I'm planning to get there in better shape than I've been in since my 20's!

p.s. I'll still be posting here. I'm currently reading 3 golf books that you'll want to hear about.

Labels: About, Balance, Disciplines

My father-in-law passed away recently after a 15-year battle with Parkinson's disease, a disease that usually compounds its physical challenges with that of depression. However, my father-in-law, who often shared that "attitude is everything", showed us what that meant as he faced this disease. As he gradually lost the ability to do one basic function after another, while becoming more and more dependent on others, he demonstrated utmost dignity. He literally never complained and maintained his positive and humorous attitude to the end. He showed us how an old soul faces one of life's very difficult challenges.


Archie Bunker by Rexton at flickr.com

I think of my father-in-law often, even on the golf course. As trivial as golf's challenges are in comparison to something like Parkinson's, learning to meet them with a constructive attitude can help prepare us for those larger challenges we may eventually face in life. I have a pretty good attitude as far as attitudes go, but am nowhere near the stature of someone like my late father-in-law. I admit it, I catch myself complaining or getting upset about a bad break or a bad shot more often that I like. I try to remind myself that golf doesn't have to be about scoring. At its highest, golf can be about learning and transformation, along with enjoyment and recreation. Most of the time, I remember that.

Nevertheless, I still manage to measure my rounds a little too much by score. If I break 80, I'm happy with the round. If I don't break 80, I feel like I failed somehow. Putting too much importance on my golf game has even made me limit other activities I enjoy. I've avoided hockey and snowboarding over the past couple years, in part because I don't want to hurt my back, more than golf already does, and perhaps limit the number of rounds I'd otherwise play. To a degree, I credit the frequency of my play for my speedy improvement. If I jeopardize my ability to play twice a week, perhaps I'll loose the skills and touch I've worked so hard for.

Over the past couple months, I've become more aware of the over-importance I've placed on the quality of my game. This has become evident partly because my game has slipped recently due to my inability to practice as much, but mostly because I've been more aware of my attitude and have noticed more of those little complaints and frustrations. That's really not who I want to be on the golf course.

A particularly horrible finish to a decent round last week really helped me change my attitude.

I walked up to the 18th tee at 7-over. A simple bogie would insure I break my so-important score of 80 (par 71 course). In the heavy fog, my drive failed to carry a mound that encroaches on the left side of the fairway and I found my ball in a tiny little bunker cut into it's upward face. There was really no option but to punch the shot directly sideways back into the fairway. With my feet about 18 inches above the ball, I scalded it all the way across the fairway into a grove of trees. This time, my only option was to actually punch the ball backwards into the fairway. Now, finally in the fairway, lying 3 well short of my normal drive, I hit an iron slightly right of the green and got stuck in some long fescue on a hill bordering that side of the green. My first attempt at lobbing the ball unto the green succeeded only in moving the ball 1 foot forward. I shanked the next attempt 20 feet to the right, leaving me on the same shaggy hill. I finally put the next shot on the green and 2-putted for a quintruple bogie 9!

Although I've had big blowups before, I decided this time to make a permanent change in attitude. I really wasn't that upset about this finish, but I guess I'd grown tired of placing undue importance on breaking a certain score.

The first thing I did was accept an invitation a few days later to start playing roller hockey again, in a 30-over league with some old friends. I played my first game in nearly 4 years on Tuesday night, and although I could hardly breath - or walk a couple days later - I had a blast. I forgot how much fun it was. Committing to playing hockey has already reduced the amount of golf I can play. I was too sore to consider playing until yesterday, my first round in over a week. However, my attitude was much improved, and my game was just fine.

I got through the first 10 holes at just 2-over, but then bogied 5 out of the next 7 holes. Actually, I was pretty happy with some of those bogies. I made some huge putts to prevent recording a single double bogie all round. Like the prior round, I walked up to the 18th needing just a simple bogie to break 80! However, this time, I didn't pay attention to my score. I just looked up and admired some monsterous cumulus nimbus cloud formations building over the Pacific which were just turning red as the sun began to set.

Perhaps distracted by this beauty, but more likely just stiff and tired, I hit my drive so far left that the ball went out of bounds and hit the roof of a house - the first house I'd ever hit on my millions of rounds here! I teed up my second and managed to keep this one in bounds, but only by a couple feet. Now lying 3, well left of the fairway, I shanked my wedge all the way across the fairway to the rough on the right side! The thought of shooting another 9 definitely entered my mind here. But unshaken, I hit my next shot to the far right side of the green, hoping to catch the slope and run across the green to the pin in the back left. Unfortunately, I caught too much of the slope and watched the ball run left with too much speed to stay on the green. Then, all of a sudden, my ball hit another ball that was already on the green, just 5 feet from the pin. His ball moved a little right and my ball went right in the hole! I got my bogie from 80 yards out and broke 80!!

I had to credit my luck to my newfound artful attitude - thanks Dad ;)

Labels: Attitude, Disciplines, Rounds

I continued a streak of extraordinary rounds today, shooting a 75 at Monarch Dunes Golf Club (70.7/135) in a Travel League I play in. My score came in good enough to win 1st place net and 2nd place gross. Six of my latest rounds have now come in between 73 and 76! This is a real breakthrough for me. Although I've scored in the low 70's plenty of times before, I've never done so as consistently or with as little effort. I'm really learning to just play and not try so hard anymore! I've even become a good putter, the part of the game that I've struggled with most. In fact, I've been playing so well that several golfers have asked me recently how I got so good so fast!


Tiger celebrates a chip-in birdie on the 16th at the 2005 Masters

My standard answer to this question has always been that I started getting better when I simply began playing more than once a week. But, although more frequent play does help develop and maintain better touch and perhaps even consistency, it doesn't necessarily result in better scoring. I've met plenty of golfers who expected to become better golfers once they retired and finally had the time to work on their game and play more, but who actually got worse.

I've also replied that the game came pretty naturally to me, coming from playing hockey. Hockey has a complimentary swing. I've found that hitting down on the ball is much like taking a slapshot. But again, although my natural ability and a natural swing may have reduced my learning curve, it only took me so far.

Another factor I share is that I learned quickly by coaching myself instead of taking lessons and filling my mind with too many swing thoughts and techniques. I've learned to simply relax, quiet my mind, focus on the target, visualize my shot, and swing. I just trust that my body can do what I visualize it doing. I've never seen my swing or had it analyzed. However, after taking my first and only golf lesson just a couple months ago, I can see where getting help from a pro on occasion could speed up the process of improvement even more. I just wouldn't become dependant on one.

What I realize now is that my improvement really began when I changed who I am on the course. Golf is a great teacher, and I was eager to learn from it.

My biggest breakthoughs came when I let go of scoring and winning and learned to just play and have fun. I learned to appreciate the beauty of my surroundings. I learned to enjoy playing with friends and meeting new ones. I learned to be patient when I was struggling. I learned to accept my mistakes. I learned to let go of doubt and fear. I learned to trust myself. I learned that my next shot, my next hole, and my next round could be extraordinary. I learned the "Art of the Possible" from Fred Shoemaker, who shares in his book Extraordinary Golf, to use our time between shots "to put the past in the past, create a future that is powerful and full of possibility, and live into that future."

So, while I take a moment to celebrate my recent breakthrough, I also give thanks to those who have shown me how to play a game, and live a life, that is full of possibility and excitement.

Labels: Disciplines, Extraordinary Golf, Fred Shoemaker, Rounds

"The golf swing, no matter how memorized, is a creative act born out of the conditions of the moment, no two of which are ever the same. Whereas you can reduce the swing to it's individual pieces, you cannot reduce the game to science. It is an art and you are the artist." -- Lynn Molhan

If in fact, there is a secret to playing artful golf, I'd have to say that it's taking the game one creative shot at a time, while letting go of all expectations and judgments before and after each shot. I finally got back in that mindset for a short time this week. After struggling lately to even break 80, I realized I was simply trying too hard to regain my past success. I decided to let go of expectations and just play the game. Better results followed immediately.


Artful shot by konderminator at flickr.com

During my 9-hole Tuesday night league this week, I was matched against a scratch golfer, 20 years younger than me. He had to give me 2 strokes. We both missed the green on the first hole and left our chips too far out to expect par. I 2-putted for bogie. He lipped his second putt and gave me the first hole. The next hole was a long par 5 which I've never seen anyone hit in two. My opponent missed doing so by hitting slightly left of the green with a 3-wood after an absolutely huge drive. I got on in three and 2-putted for par. His chip went a little long and he missed his birdie putt. Still up one. I stroked on the next hole which we both bogied. Up two. We both missed the green on the following par 4, but my pitch from behind the green ran past the pin and went off the green on the other side. He had a slippery downhill putt for par. I chipped in from 15 feet for par! He missed his 10 foot putt and bogied. Up three! We both parred the next par 3. Still up three.

My driver kicked into gear on the following par 4. I hit a 300 yard drive to 60 yards out. He followed with a huge pull left. He got on in three. I put my second shot about 15 feet beyond the pin, leaving me with a difficult breaking putt, but an easy par. He was looking at a makable par putt. I aimed about 3 feet outside the hole and watched the putt trickle in for birdie! I'd closed him out - up four with three to go! We finished the round since we also compete for strokes. We both bogied the next par 5 and parred the following par 4. On our final hole, the course's most difficult, I stroked again. He led off with a monster drive into the wind, leaving himself with a 130 yard approach. Rarely does anyone get inside 160 yards! I surprised all of us with another huge drive and was amazed to find myself only 5 yards behind his ball when we arrived in the fairway. We both made good shots in and 2-putted for par. I won 5 holes to his zero and shot 38 (net 36) to his 42.

The next day, I took the afternoon off to play another local course to practice for an upcoming tournament this weekend. I started off like I left off the night before. I chipped and 1-putted for par on the par 4 1st. I managed a sandy par on the par 3 2nd by sinking a 30 foot putt. My drive on the par 5 3rd went behind a tree. I punched out, but landed a fairway bunker. I left my third shot short and left of the green, but again, I chipped up and made a 10 footer for par. I parred the next 3 holes to remain even par after 6. Then I birdied 7, 8 and 9 to go 3-under on the front, shooting my first-ever 33 for nine holes! I did it with only 12 putts and 5 GIRs.

I started the back nine trying to stay present in the moment and not start thinking about the potential outcome. I missed a 10 footer for birdie on 10 and a 15 footer for birdie on 11. Still 3-under after 11. I hit a good drive on 12, then hit a wedge quite a bit left of the pin to avoid going right over a deep bunker guarding the right-side pin. My long lag putt stayed right on line, but went past the hole about 4 feet. On the front nine and during my round the night before, I sunk every putt within 5 feet. That streak ended on 12 when I 3-putted for my first bogie of the round. Still 2-under.

I got greedy on the following par 5 and tried to get on in 2 with a 3-wood after hitting a long drive. I landed the frontside bunker. The pin was back, so I took a big swing from the bunker, but didn't take enough sand and ended up well past the steep sloping green. I pitched on and barely missed my 15 foot putt for par. Another bogie and back to 1-under. I pulled out a par on the par 4 14th after missing my first fairway on the back. On 15, I hit an incredible drive, leaving me with a short pitch to the green. The pin was back behind a mound which I barely failed to carry. My ball ended up near the top of the mound, leaving me a pretty good chance for a 2-putt par. But while I was walking up to remove the pin, my ball rolled back down the hill about 10 feet! Still, I made a good putt over the breaking mound, leaving another 4 footer for par. I missed. Now back to even par!

With 3 holes to go, I started thinking a little more about what I needed to do to come in even or better. The par 4 16th is the hardest hole on the course, but 17 always proves to have the highest scoring average during tournaments. However, I can usually reach the par 5 18th in 2, providing a nice birdie opportunity. So, I guess I let my mind start getting ahead of the shot at hand and began to focus on the desired outcome. Regardless, I parred 16, then landed the par 3 17th with a nice tee shot. However, I left my 1st putt short and gave myself yet another 4 footer for par. I missed one more time and went to 1-over. I still had my birdie opportunity at 18! I hit another great drive and landed the green in 2 as planned. But again, I was left with a difficult putt over a huge mound. I picked a good line, but came up 3 feet short. I lipped out my birdie putt and 3-putted for the fourth time in last seven holes!

I'd ended the front nine 3-under with 12 putts and 5 GIRs, but managed to go 4-over on the back with a whopping 22 putts after hitting 8 GIRs! Nevertheless, I really had fun during my last two rounds and am excited that my game is going back in the right direction!

One artful shot at a time! One artful shot at a time! One artful shot at a time! Okay, I think I got it.

Stay centered in the current moment with the current shot. The past has slipped away, the future will take care of itself. Remain centered in the artful now.

Labels: Centeredness, Disciplines, Rounds

I've been in a bit of a fog lately and have just played horrible, gradually working up to my worst score in a year last week, shooting 88. My lack of confidence reached such a low last week that I finally seeked professional help and took my first golf lesson. Fortunately, the lesson was more of a coaching session, and I found it very helpful. My shoulders are more square to the target and my posture has improved. In my horrible round following the lesson, although I played poorly, I hit 4 drives further than I've ever hit a drive before! Just incredible. I'm pretty sure I can work the changes I made with my driver all the way through the bag.


Fog no Itaara Golf by Claudio Marcon at flickr

But my swing isn't the root of my stuggles lately, it's my attention. It's transferred from simply taking aim at a precice target to just trying too hard to get my scores back down. Fortunately, I ran across a helpful article by Chuck Hogan this morning titled "Energy follows attention", which I hope inspires my play today. I've shared an excerpt from his article below.

When you are playing golf, your attention is supposed, and meant to be on ball-to-target. Now those are NOT three words! That is one comprehensive image. And the image includes, by definition, the hit, the trajectory, flight, landing bounce, roll and completion. This is NOT for study by the conscious mind. This is NOT visualizing as the industry has suggested. This is NOT for figuring out. This is simply a look at the ball, target and conditions and LETTING your experience do the figuring for you. You do the same thing in walking, driving, typing and a million other things. Simply allow your attention to do the doing. You do want to deliver this ball to that target don't you?

Without doubt, the golf instruction industry has lead golfers down the road of incessantly interfering with your attention. We golfers are the victims of our own "smart" minds. We somehow got the idea that bringing every nuance of the swing, chip, pitch, sand and specialty shot to the attention of the conscious mind is going to help. In fact, it is the highest form of interference.

Every golfer of experience knows that the best scores and shots "just happen" and "I didn't even think about it". The misinterpretation is that we didn't think about it consciously. The fact is that we temporarily forgot to think consciously and turned the "thinking" over to the subconscious to play the shot (instead of all the concerns of the conscious mind) and low and behold, energy followed the subtle directions of the subconscious. A golf shot was born.

Labels: Articles, Attention, Chuck Hogan, Disciplines

I just began reading Every Shot Must Have a Purpose by Annika Sorenstam's coach Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, cofounders of GOLF54, rated as the #1 golf school by Golf Magazine.

In the little I've read so far, I've learned that, like me, they don’t believe in prescribing the same stance, grip, and swing to everyone. They believe we are each unique, that golf can be simple, that we all have extraordinary golf within us, that we can become our own most reliable coaches, and their success has proven to them that a great game begins with a great vision.


Golf Stream by swatzo at flickr.com

They share that, "you don't need a new swing, you need a more defined sense of purpose. You have hit good shots with the swing you have." They focus on teaching you how to make those shots more often by improving the way you approach the game. Essential to this approach is the notion that you should only concern yourself with the things that are under your control. Not only should every shot have a purpose, but every action should have a purpose as well. And the purpose of golf is to get the ball in the hole. To get the ball in the hole as efficiently as possible, you must channel your energies only toward those things you can influence, what they refer to as "controllable goals". Your score, winning, bad bounces, and bad weather are not under our control. Keeping your mind centered on the shot at hand, and swinging free of tension, are controllable goals.

The core of their philosophy is that extraordinary golf begins with great vision. Without vision, we tend to set our expectations too low and limit our potential. Our vision must stretch us and expand the beliefs we have about ourselves. Nilsson and Marriott tell us to "imagine the impossible, and then figure out how to make it happen." They suggest as an example, envisioning that we can shoot a birdie on every hole in a single round! You may not be able to achieve a score of 54, but you can stay committed to a process that can make it possible. The commitment to the intention of shooting 54 is the secret.

Whatever you envision for yourself, they urge us to "dare to be as good as we are, believe in the potential of yourself and others, stay open to possibilities, and remember, your past is not your future." Sounds a little like something Fred Shoemaker would say!

For some inspiration in finding your vision and following your dream, make sure to listen to Steve Job's commencement speech at Stanford University, made available here by John Richardson at Scratch to Scratch.

Pia Nilsson, Lynn Marriott, Steve Jobs, and John Richardson have inspired me to step back and rededicate myself to playing extraordinary golf. I've drifted a little lately because I've lost focus on my original vision and goals, resulting in practicing and playing without purpose. Look for that to change!

Labels: Books, Disciplines, Every Shot Must Have a Purpose, Lynn Marriott, Pia Nilsson, Purpose, Vision

Although I try not to place too much focus on scoring when playing golf, I do enjoy keeping statistics to track my improvement (or recent lack thereof). I didn't keep track of all my scores during my first 9 months of playing golf in 2005, when I played weekly, but have recorded every score since. I began to develop a handicap towards the end of 2005 and lowered my index to 10.4 by the start of 2006. Since then, I've been averaging 10-12 rounds per month and reduced my index to a low of 3.3. After enjoying 6 months in a row now with an index under 5.0, I've drifted back up to the high end of this range in the past month due to a lack of practice.


Handicap history for past 12 months

After only breaking 80 twice in all of 2005, I began to break 80 in 1 out of every 8 rounds in the first quarter of 2006, then 1 out of every 5 rounds in the second quarter of 2006, then 2 out every 5 rounds in the third quarter, and improved to better than 1 out of every 2 rounds by the last quarter of last year! Then, during the first quarter of 2007, I began breaking 80 in 2 out of every 3 rounds! I've also avoided a single round in the 90's for over a year.


History of scores for past 16 months

But in the past month, I've regressed to where I was late last year, and am back to shooting in the 80's in half of my rounds. Due to what I hope is my recent lack of practice, all parts of my game have lost consistency and it's costing me strokes. I think I know how I'll spend a few more lunch breaks this month!

Labels: Disciplines, Practice

"The more I practice, the luckier I get" -- Ben Hogan

Peter Nomm, General Manager and Head Golf Pro at Minocqua Country Club in Wisconsin, recently posted some great advice for your practice routine at his golf instructional blog. He suggests that instead of hitting dozens of shots with one club, then dozens more with another, then perhaps holing 100 3-foot putts in a row that we approach our practice routine more like we would for other sports or activities such as basketball, football, baseball, and even piano. A basketball player wouldn't go to the gym and spend five minutes shooting 5-foot jump shots, then 10-footers, 15-footer, all the way back to a bunch of three-pointers. Can you imagine a concert pianist practicing by striking the same key over and over?


I think I'll take a mulligan, by bensargent at flickr.com

Using basketball as an example for a new approach to our golf rehearsals, Nomm shares that, "usually the first few minutes of time is devoted to the warm-up. Randomly shooting short shots, long shots, and throwing in a lay-up or two - basically getting a feel for the ball as the body loosens up and get's ready to go. This is a great way to begin our golf practice session - hit some chips and pitches, high-and-low shots, and vary the distance of each. Focus on getting the feel in your hands: re-connecting your body with the game enabling your natural ability to take over. Eventually you will want to lengthen the shots so that you are swinging fully, but continually change from driver to iron to wedge and so on. Like a basketball player, every shot you'll face on the course will be different. Get your body ready for this... our focus should be getting us confident enough to be able to hit the shot on the course. Finally, when the warm-up is completed and the drills are done, usually the rest of the time is devoted to real game simulations. In golf, it means GET OUT ON THE COURSE. Practce out there. You don't have to play an entire round - it could be four or five holes. And like a coach observing a practice, if the team messed up a play, he may require them to do it again. If you're on the course for the purpose of practice, allow yourself to hit the occasional second try. However, if you have a recurring problem with a certain club or shot, note it to yourself and if time allows, spend a few minutes back on the range when you are done."

I think this is excellent advice! I have incorporated a similar practice philosophy and make a point to mix up my shots and putts as much as possible during practice sessions to better simulate conditions during a round. When I'm not working on a particular new shot or technique, I limit every shot I'm practicing to two shots. I call this my "Mulligan" practice routine. I'm sure we've all missed a shot or putt before during a round, then dropped another ball and tried again, just for practice. Chances are you nailed it the second time. I use this to my advantage when I practice. I hit one shot or putt and gauge conditions such as wind, break or speed, then hit or putt my mulligan ball, attempting to improve on the first shot. I know I only get two chances to hit my target or hole my putt, so I make the most of each attempt. I find that golfers who drop a whole bucket of balls down and hit or chip the same shot over and over again with the same club seem to loose focus. They think they're working on developing muscle memory, but the routine lacks the mindset required on the course.

On the practice green, I use my two balls and practice up and downs from varying locations around the green. I'll practice a random rotation of holing putts from various distances, lag long putts, chip from off the green, and lob over imaginary mounds and bunkers, then hole the resulting putt. I keep track of how many strokes above or below par I am, with each shot being a par 2. For me, this makes practice fun and I never tire of doing it. If my back didn't start hurting from bending over for so many putts, I could go on for hours.

Yesterday, inspired by Peter Nomm's practice advice and eager to experiment with Chuck Hogan's insights, I headed out for a lengthy practice session before my Tuesday night 9-hole league round. What I discovered is a new variation to my "Mulligan" routine.

On the range, I picked a very precise target (usually a single ball sitting on the range), then visualized my ball traveling through the air and landing on that spot. I then looked down and took my swing, doing physically what I'd just rehearsed in my mind. I then did it again with the same club, then moved on to another club. I didn't concentrate, I just looked out at the range and observed the conditions and visualized my desired shot. I was amazed by my accuracy.

I then moved to the practice green and rehearsed my shots in the same manner. I casually observed the break of the green, visualized the ball landing and rolling to the hole, and picked a very precise spot on the edge of the hole where the ball should drop in. I then simply took the wedge or putter back and performed the stroke I'd just rehearsed. I never chipped or putted better.

What I discovered is that I was using my rehearsed "virtual" shot as if it was my first practice shot, then treated my actual shot as if it were my "mulligan" shot, which we all know is always an improvement over our first shot, because it's approached with that invaluable "non-caring" attitude. As I expected, I nailed that "second" shot every time. I already knew I could do it since I'd just done it "virtually".

Once the match began, I maintained my "soft eyes" and calm demeanor out on the course and continued to rehearse my shots, sensitive to the conditions of my surroundings, but without concentrating or trying. I simply trusted that I'd make the "mulligan" shot to the precise spot I'd just rehearsed visually.

I succeeded on nearly every shot and won my match. I holed every putt within 8 feet and shot a round of 2-over, even with a 2-stroke penalty for an out-of-bounds due to poor club selection. It was a very windy round and I miscalculated the wind direction on a long approach shot, thinking I had more headwind, when in fact it was mostly a crosswind. I ended up taking too much club and landed 1 foot past the OB marker beyond the green. I double bogied that hole and bogied 2 others, but managed 2 birdies to capture a great round under some difficult conditions.

It looks like I'll be practicing and playing with mulligans from now on!

Labels: Articles, Disciplines, Practice

"Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher." -- William Wordsworth

An anonymous reader of my last entry shared a link to Chuck Hogan's website. I mentioned Hogan in a previous post about the "zone", but at the time didn't know who he was. It turns out Hogan has worked for years with golfers of all levels, including several well known PGA and LPGA Tour players, helping them enter the "zone" using a combination of mental and physical disciplines. He provides several fascinating articles at his website, one of which provided insights that I haven't really considered in depth before.


Early morning round by Deano8 at flickr.com

Most fascinating is Hogan's observation that, unlike golf, we perform activities like brushing our teeth, tying our shoes, and driving our car without any thought of how we are doing the doing. He notes that the number of motor skills required for shoe-tying is far more complex than something as simple as the putting stroke. Once the skill has been learned, all that is required is intent to perform the task, and with little attention to the intention. What appears to make golf different from these other activities is that we attach "caring" to its outcome. Hogan suggests that its the caring that blocks the doing.

I've observed that in each of my par or near-par rounds, I was playing without expectations, with my attention focused less on my game and more on my natural surroundings or golf partners. I was "playing" golf. It didn't require intense concentration. It didn't require trying. I didn't experience tension.

Hogan claims that the mainstream philosophy that we must concentrate well to play well may be flawed. He submits that tension is too often associated with concentration and concentration is too often expressed as trying - with a hard, glaring, squinted-eyed stare. Instead, Hogan suggests that "soft eyes", eyes of engagement without tension, are part and parcel to the "zone".

These soft and engaged eyes are sensitive to all of it's surroundings, allowing us to be, as Hogan teaches, entirely free to consume the target and all of it's conditions, such that the golfer is less "hitting the ball to the target" and more "having the target elicit the ball from the golfer."

That sounds like something Shivas Irons would say!

Chuck Hogan warns us to "be careful of descriptions of how it is done. The descriptions of how one person plays great golf may be exactly how you would play your worst golf. Be careful of how it is supposed to be done and become a great student of how you play extraordinary golf. Have your way. You have specific ways that you play your worst and best golf. Become a student of how you work. Notice the subtle ways that you hit great shots and lousy shots. Assume nothing! Be a student of your own process. Know thyself! It might just turn out to be the most fascinating pursuits of your entire life."

With all senses engaged, come forth into the light of things surrounding and creating each shot, and let golf become your teacher.

Labels: Articles, Chuck Hogan, Concentration, Disciplines, Learning

"We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner of doing it." -- William Hazlitt

In the early 1970s the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was puzzled by an intriguing question in human motivation: Why do artists and other creative people forego the common rewards and enticements of everyday life-food, sleep, sex, comfort, status, and the like-in the single-minded pursuit of their craft? In a series of studies, Csikszentmihalyi examined the motives of creative people across many disciplines. He found that creators across varied fields report the same quality of experience, and that this enjoyable experience in itself motivates them to seek new challenges.


Let's "Play" Golf

Taking his cue from rock climbers, Csikszentmihalyi adopted the term "Flow" to capture this experience. Flow denotes a state of immersed concentration in which attention is centered, distractions are minimized, and the person attains an enjoyable give-and-take with the activity. In this state people report they lose track of time and their daily problems; forget hunger, pain, and fatigue; and pass from a stance of control and "efforting" into a mode sometimes described as "active effortlessness."

Golfers love the zone. Love to be in it. Love to observe when others are in it. Love to wonder when it will happen again. Golf's mystery lies in the fact that in a game where time and a stationary ball seem to give the player the most control--to plan, to rehearse, to adjust--we seem to find the zone the least. "The moment you think you're in it, you're out of it," goes the zone conundrum.

It's the game's cruel joke that the closest the fearful, ego-driven and brain-locked golfers get to the zone is when, immediately after a poor shot or missed putt, we reflexively drop another ball, and with our mind on nothing else but where the damn thing should have gone in the first place, stripe it down the middle or into the hole.

Interestingly, with all we've studied and learned about the zone, Dr. Fran Pirozzolo, a neuropsychologist who works with professional sports teams and individual athletes, believes the experience is less frequent in sports than ever. He shares in an article, The Future of Golf by Golf Digest, "I look at Sam Snead, an intuitive genius who played for the intrinsic joy and yet had the discipline to develop his skills. Sam was built to enter the zone, probably quite often. But our culture today has taken the concept of play out of high-level sports and replaced it with a photocopy of work. At the same time, there is a drive in our culture to make things easy. The most important condition for entering the zone is a high-challenge situation with highly developed skills to meet the challenge. Without the enjoyment of play, and without high challenge and high skills, you don't have the zone. And I think we have less of those things today."

Peter Jacobsen says he achieved the zone in winning the Greater Hartford Open at the age of 49. He shares that, "The key is to create your own reality on the course. Down the stretch at Hartford, I just kept saying to myself, Be who you are, and the golf shots will be easy."

Phil Mickelson went through a similar process in achieving his "different feeling" at the Masters. Like Jacobsen, Phil said that, "I just decided that I had come so close trying to be so focused and so intense, but that's not really the way I am normally. I enjoy having fun, and I wanted to carry that into my play. And that brought out my best game."

Chuck Hogan, who after 35 years of pursuing the zone from all angles, has come full circle and now believes that "The zone is all about play. It's the simplest bypass to all the things we do to screw ourselves up. The whole reason we play is to find that primal joy we once had. We know it's in there, and it becomes its own reward. The way to the zone is your own."

Psychologist Jon Skidmore shares steps he teaches to help young musicians attain flow to overcome anxiety and enjoy themselves on stage in an article, Putting the 'Play' Back into Performing by the American Psychological Association. These steps translate perfectly to helping us play golf with less anxiety and more fun.

Relaxation on demand - Stepping in front of an audience excites most people, says Skidmore, but musicians can keep their heart rate from skyrocketing by breathing deeply while tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups. The psychologist advises performers to master this technique in their practice room-perhaps while taking a needed break from playing. However, other musicians may experience the opposite problem-not being excited enough about a performance-says Skidmore.

Preperformance preparation - Skidmore recommends that musicians take five minutes before stepping onto the stage, using the minutes to relax and focus on their performance goals. During workshops, the psychologist helps musicians discover their own trigger words-words that capture how they want to perform. One student, for instance, uses the words "outrageous" and "bold." As he breathes out, the pianist says those words to himself and then steps onto the stage.

Attention control - Good performances happen when the musician can let go of all thoughts unrelated to the music itself, says Skidmore. To that end, performers can practice tuning out mental noise–thoughts about dinner, about one's family and even about particularly difficult passages–and focus completely on what is happening in the moment.

Performance enjoyment - Letting go of anxiety and outside concerns frees up a musician to have fun, and that really comes out in the performance, says Skidmore. "It's not called 'playing' for nothing," he notes. During his workshop, the psychologist attempts to redefine the stage as a place for fun, perhaps by asking performers to act like animals or make up impromptu performances with noisemakers. These unusual performances help performers identify and conquer what Skidmore calls their "imaginary rattlesnakes"–concerns that are making their stage a dangerous place to play.

Constructive criticism - All too often, musicians mentally rehash every mistake they made, Skidmore says. Instead, he teaches performers to take a few minutes and debrief themselves about their performance. During this time, the musicians look at their recital as objectively as possible, congratulating themselves on successes as well as noting what they would like to have done differently. Skidmore guides musicians to think about what might have contributed to mistakes and then brainstorm ways to overcome those obstacles in the future.

After just one weekend with Skidmore, a student reports that he completely redefined the way he approached live performances. Instead of seeing the audience as a group of people passing harsh judgment, he began to view them as "playmates".

Labels: Articles, Disciplines, Play, Zone

I've experienced some dreadful rounds in the past couple weeks. One of the leagues I participate in plays 9-hole team matches every Tuesday night. Two weeks ago, I shot a 44 after getting off to a good start, but then 4-putting on my 5th green. This week, I went out early to play 9-holes before the match with one of my teammates so we could get in a little practice and to check out the pin placements. I shot a 51, my second worst nine in my entire 2 years playing! I lost 2 balls on the first hole and another ball a few holes later! My putting was horrendous too! But worst of all, I was duffing shots with some of my favorite clubs. My game completely unraveled for the first time since I can remember.


Peaceful Reflections by brunosmi at flickr.com

When we finished our practice round, I learned I was matched against the best player in the league for the upcoming 9 hole match. My handicap has improved so much recently, that I also found out that I didn't even get any strokes. We were both playing as 4's. Honestly, I just don't see myself as being in the same league as this guy. He's at least 15 years younger, in a lot better shape, and simply kills the ball. He has the smoothest swing I've ever witnessed. I strike the ball pretty well, but I can't even come close to keeping up with this guy. I played a round with him last year, and on a 185 yard par 3 where I take a 6-iron, he takes a 7-iron and even goes 8-iron at times. He makes it look effortless, like a pro. Although we both share a background in hockey, he's played golf since he was a youth. I've been playing seriously for just over a year.

Needless to say, I was a little apprehensive and doubtful about my chances after coming off a 51 on the same nine holes we were about to play!

Now, my bad play of late didn't just appear out of nowhere. I've spent the last two weekends ripping up tile and carpeting and installing new flooring at my wife's retail store. My wife's partner's husband had already repainted the store, and I helped him install new wood-like flooring. In addition to all the bending over that's required, moving all their displays back and forth really did a number on my back. As expected, I lost my swing and gradually lost every other part of my game.

So, without an ounce of confidence, I took this guy on.

He starts off with a 300 yard drive on a par 4, leaving him with a short wedge in. He gets it up close and makes his birdie putt. I on the other hand, hit my drive into a hill covered in long fescue. I managed to hit the fringe on my approach, but left myself with an Augusta-like, curving downhill putt with sprinklers in the way. I chipped to avoid the sprinklers and was left with 15 feet for par. I made the putt! Although I lost the hole, I made a great up and down.

I had decided before the round to limit use of my driver because it had gotten me in so much trouble during my practice round. But on the following hole, my opponent hit his drive so far, he only had an iron in to the par 5 green. I pulled out my driver to at least give myself a chance to get close in 2. I then hit my favorite 5-wood left, into some wood chips below a grove of eucalyptus trees. To my amazement, my opponent then missed his approach right. I was still in it. I hit a full lob wedge from the chips that cleared some huge bunkers and landed the green, which was out of my sight, some 25 feet above me. My opponent chipped up, but failed to clear a mound and rolled back off the green! I lagged to 2 feet. He chipped again, this time up to about 4 feet. I missed my 2-footer. He made his. We halved the hole. I had thrown away a perfect chance to take the hole and get back to even.

It turns out that my poor play began to rub off on my opponent as the round continued. On the next hole, I 4-putted after struggling to even get to the green, but he then 3-putted on the following hole. By the time we reached the final hole, I'd pulled to even in the match, and was only 1 back in our stroke play. Unfortunately, I chunked yet another tee shot and lost the last hole with a bogie. We had both played terribly. I shot a 45, he shot 43. We're both looking forward to redeeming ourselves the next time we play against each other.

I finished the round just wanting to quit playing for a while. As hard as I tried, I had a hard time enjoying myself. I felt like I'd regressed all the way back to being a beginner.

Luckily, a good night's sleep changed my attitude.

After work the next day, I headed over to another course to hit some balls on the range. After a few swings, I decided to play with my grip and ended up going a little stronger than my normal neutral grip. Immediately, everything felt better and I reduced the severity of my natural fade. I took out my driver and started hitting some pretty long and straight drives. Then, as I often do at the end of my practice session on the range, I hit a few "Happy Gilmore" drives. I have an uncanny ability to hit some awesome drives by standing back about 10 feet from the ball, then walking up and swinging with everything I've got. It's great practice for hand-eye coordination. All the golfers from the local high school team happened to be on the range with me. Before long, about a dozen of them turned around to watch this "Happy" spectacle. Effortlessly, I sent these "Happy" drives, one after the other, to the ends of the range! One guy commented that my drives were "tight" ;).

I finished my bucket and went up to the clubhouse for a beer, where I ran into a fellow x-submariner friend who lives on the course, is retired, and currently plays to a 3. He asked if I wanted to play 4 or 5 holes with him after we finished our Firestones. Eager to try out my new grip out on the course, I obliged. We played 14 through 18. I hit every green in regulation and only missed one fairway by a few feet. After I hit that one drive a little left. My friend suggested I try strengthening my right hand too. Apparently, I'd strengthened my grip with my left hand, but my right hand was still neutral, causing me to come over the ball and pull it left. I tried his suggestion on the next hole and got immediate results. On the par 5 18th, I hit another booming drive, but still had about 220 yards to the back left pin. I decided to see if I could get a little extra out of my 5-wood with my new and improved grip. I hit it perfectly and cleared the lake protecting the entire green and landed nice and soft with an easy 2-putt for birdie. What was most rewarding about this shot wasn't the extra distance and accuracy I'd discovered, but that this was the very hole I collapsed on the last time I played it, shooting a quadruple bogie after putting 2 balls in the lake during a Men's tournament, after fighting back to get to even par after a poor start.

Now back to the title of this post. I made an artful discovery. However, I'm not referring to my new grip. Yesterday, I snuck away from my computer about 2:00 in the afternoon to go back to the course I had just shot that 51/45 round. I went out as a single. My goal was to get a little more practice in with my new grip, without the influence of the beer or two I experienced the day before.

I was told in the clubhouse that they were starting off on the 10th and that nobody was in front of me for several holes. Perfect!

But when I walked up to 10, I found I was behind 2 young guys that just teed off and were now hacking the ball from one side of the fairway to the other. It wasn't pretty but at least they're giving it a try. After I wait for them to get out of range and tee off, then start walking up the fairway, another twosome comes up behind me, glaring at me with their hands on their hips. I wait in the fairway for the hacker twosome to clear the green, while these other 2 guys are still waiting on the tee for me to get out of their way. I hit a poor 7-iron short of the green, chip up and 2-putt for bogie.

I then get up to the 11th tee and see that another twosome has just let the hacker twosome play through. I wait about 10 minutes for both groups to finish this par 3. While I'm waiting, the twosome behind me catches up and joins me on the teebox. I then learn why they're irritated and why this supposed empty course is all congested. It turned out that the hacker twosome and irritated twosome weren't told to start on 10, so they had just finished the front nine and now run into those of us just starting our round. What a mess. We decided to join up as a threesome. We warmed up to each other quickly and they started smiling again. Finally, the green cleared and we all hit good shots that landed the green, but ended up on the upper tier above the hole. We all 3-putted for bogies.

I bogied the next par 5 hole too with another 3-putt, but didn't care since I was striking the ball so well. After all, I was just practicing with my new grip. I wasn't focusing too hard on my putting or worrying about my score. But then I birdied 13 and started thinking I might as well try to play a good round. I bogied one more hole and finished the back just 3-over - the same nine I'd just shot my 51 and 45! I was feeling good and happy that I didn't actually quit golf like I told myself I would a couple days prior!

My newfound friends left after we finished the back since they'd already played the front, and I continued on as a single. I hit some trees on my approach to the first green, then left myself about 15 feet above the hole after my wedge in. I lipped out on my par putt and made bogie to go 4-over. Then on the par 4 2nd, I overswung and hit another tree. I decided to pull out another ball just for practice and hit it right down the middle. The ball that hit the tree had bounced way back, but into the fairway. I hit a 7-iron to about 50 feet from the pin. Just for fun, I played my other drive too and put a wedge to about 20 feet above the hole.

For anyone who decided to keep reading, this is where my artful discovery comes in!

I took a long look at the 50 footer and decided it broke left and was downhill - a putt that could easily run away from the hole, making for an easy 3-putt. While I was standing over the ball, I got this feeling that I just wasn't lined up right. I started moving my putter alignment further and further away from the hole, then all of a sudden, I just got this feeling that I was now lined up right. Since I didn't have much confidence in my ability to 2-putt from here anyway, I decided to trust this feeling and just putt. As you might have guessed, I sunk the putt and made birdie! I then decided to go ahead and see if I could recreate this feeling with that other ball, sitting 20 feet above the hole. I hardly spent anytime looking at the putt, just enough to get a general idea of which direction it would break. I then stood over the ball and turned my putter until something just felt right. It's not a feeling I can describe, but some type of intuitive knowing. While turning my putter head to change my alignment, I got that feeling again. With total trust (I already had my birdie), I took the putter back and sunk another birdie putt! A double birdie! I was now back to 3-over.

I continued to try out this new putting method for the rest of the round. Although I didn't keep sinking all my long putts, I did leave all my lag putts within inches of the cup for easy tap in pars. On one hole, I even tried this new discovery out with my lob wedge. I was about 70 yards out with an uphill shot to a hard-to-stick green. I waited for this feeling while standing over the ball, then swung. I landed 3 feet out and putted for birdie - now just 2-over!

I missed a curly little downhill putt for par on the 8th, but made an impressive par on 9 to come in just 3-over. I'd shot even-par since those first 3 holes where I wasn't really trying to putt or score well! Shooting a 74 right after those dismal scores I'd shot the other day certainly lifted my spirits!

This little discovery of a feeling or intuitive knowing while putting has me excited! I have no doubt that after my eyes have looked over a putt from all angles, my body has all the information it needs to make the putt. I just need practice working with and trusting my intuition to guide me. Being a naturally left-brained analytical type, this will be quite a challenge for me, but I have a deep sense that what I experienced yesterday wasn't just a fluke. I really did "feel" something different when my putter was lined up correctly, even though the analytical side of me was convinced I was now aiming too high or too low.

Golf can be quite an adventure in self-discovery! If anyone has any insights or experience of their own using intuition in golf, please share.

Labels: Disciplines, Intuition, Rounds

In an article by Golf Digest, they investigate why putting so difficult for so many golfers. As I suspected, the problem isn't the mechanics of the stroke. Our bodies have little trouble learning how to hold a putter and hit the ball. The difficulty lies in using your eyes to detect the right information about distance and direction at the right time, then using your mind to relay that information so you can consistently make the ball go in the hole.


Iris by Ran at flickr.com

A scientist at the University of Calgary, Canada, is getting impressive results from testing and training players' vision, using eye-tracking and motion analysis technology to do so. Professor Joan Vickers, a specialist in kinesiology -- the study of anatomy and body movement -- has been researching the role of gaze and attention in sport for more than 20 years.

She has been developing the "Quiet Eye" technique since the early 1980s, in an effort to understand how vision can control and guide the body's movements.

The technique is a measure of visual focus, recorded with a variety of technologies, which, according to Vickers, gives an athlete insight into their actions. The "Quiet Eye" is based on key elements of data, which Vickers compiles during her research -- what the athlete sees and when, and for how long.

The first is the optimal location of the eyes' focus in space. For example, the best place on which to focus in golf is the back of the ball, while in basketball it is the front of the hoop. The precision of the quiet eye location often mirrors the precision required to perform well in a sport. In golf, precision of movement and precision of focus are paramount.

The second is the when the eyes begin to focus. The timing of focus is crucial, and varies depending on the sport.

The third is when the players' gaze leaves the "optimal location." In golf putting, for example, it has to stay on the back of the ball through the stroke and dwell for 200 or 300m on the green, after contact. Most golfers do not do this consistently.

The final quality is the duration of the quiet eye's period. It's about their ability to maintain a single focus even as all the motor activity is going on.

Vickers research backs up my philosophy that most golfers have plenty of physical ability and don't need to dwell on the mechanics of the swing or putting stroke, but simply improve their concentration and focus.

Trust your artful eyes. As this article states, "your hands are controlled by your brain, which gets valuable information about what to do from your eyes. As you putt, your brain needs to organize more than 100 billion neurons. These neural networks are informed by your gaze, and control your hands, arms and body as the stroke is performed. These networks will stay organized for only a short period of time; a window of opportunity opens that must be used when it is at its most optimal."

Article: The Quiet Eye, Dr. Joan N. Vickers, Jan. 2004

Labels: Articles, Concentration, Disciplines

Ever since my little mishap a couple weeks ago with the lake where I splashed 2 balls from 95 yards out to quadruple bogie the last hole after getting to even par, I seem to be having issues with water.


17th at Big Island CC by Achrisvet at flickr.com

A couple days later, I played a 9-hole event and skipped a 5-wood across the lake on the par 4 1st, but still got up and down for par. But I put another ball in the lake on the par 3 8th and double bogied. In a best-ball tournament last weekend, I hit a 5-iron into a lake on my 2nd shot on 9 after playing 8 really good holes, and tallied another double. And this week, I hit a drive that rolled into a lake on the first hole. I did manage to make a pretty nice up and down for bogie though.

I've played with many golfers who seem to think they'll always hit the ball in the water or who have a certain hole that always plaques them, where they consistently hit a horrible shot. But I've never experienced this before. I nearly always avoid water hazards, and give them little attention. I've always had pretty good success in focusing on where I'm trying to hit the ball instead of all the hazards lying in front or to the side.

I'm playing again today and I'm eager to see if I can face this apparent new fear and regain my fearless focus on the target! Golf provides so many opportunities to face small fears and to learn to rise above them by trusting in that higher artful self of ours.

Labels: Disciplines, Fear, Rounds

As I've already shared, in my quest to play to my potential in golf, I made a conscious decision to research and discover golf's inner and mental aspects instead of going the traditional route of getting instruction on swing technique. This video pretty much sums up why ;).



But seriously, even if you introduce only one of those swing thoughts, that's enough to interfere with your natural ability to swing a golf club. Instead of working on technique and depending on swing thoughts, I've found that the more effective I become at simply focusing only on the precise flight path and target I want before and during my swing, the more frequently the ball goes there.

While most golfers are taking golf lessons and spending time on the range working through a rigid pre-shot routine, lining up your stance, and placing the ball in the "correct" position, I enjoy simply experimenting and "playing" during practice. I do think if you're just getting started, a single lesson is useful to learn a proper grip and perhaps a couple other fundamentals. But this information is also available in tons of golf books. I found that standing in front of a mirror to check your grip, find a comfortable stance, and observe your swing is very helpful too.

I like to experiment with open and closed stances, weak and strong grips, and different ball positions in my stance when I practice. I try to hit the ball exactly where I want with these variations and observe the various ball flights they create. What I've found is that no matter how I place my feet or where I put the ball, I'm usually able to hit the ball pretty close to where I want, without thinking one bit about my swing. By simply focusing only on the desired target, my body seems to figure out how to get it there.

All it takes is a deep trust that our human bodies already know how to do something as simple as swing a golf club. You just tell it precisely what you want it to do through visualization. However, this is only effective to the degree that you free your mind from the interference created by thoughts introduced by fear and doubt. That's where trust comes in. The range is a perfect place to experiment with this since it's much easier to be free from these interfering thoughts on a wide open golf range with nothing on the line.

With practice, I've learned how to take this "care-free" attitude out to the course, visualize and create the shots I desire, swing freely, and let go of judgment about the outcome and move on to the next shot. I find I only get into trouble when I start "trying" to steer the ball or hit it too far, resulting in over-swinging and a quick tempo. I'm learning to slow down, be still, and trust my body to deliver exactly what I ask for.

I've used the same approach throwing a ball to 1st base, shooting a free-throw, swinging a bat, and taking a slapshot. Those simple actions don't require professional instruction. Seems as if putting and hitting a stationary ball shouldn't either. Give it a try.

Labels: Disciplines, Golf Lessons, Self Coaching

I know from past mishaps that there is a valuable lesson for me in my not so artful finish yesterday. I believe my willingness to meet and overcome failure has been the biggest contributor to my relatively quick improvement in golf, as well as other successes in my life. Finding the hidden lesson in my collapse on 18 yesterday will help insure I meet the challenge next time I get the opportunity.


Sunset Golfer by hugo on flickr.com

Last night I began reading The Cosmic Laws of Golf by Printer Bowler. In his chapter on the Law of Polarity (cause and effect), he challenges us to "trust that you are creating your experiences, as a way your soul has chosen to teach you about your choices and beliefs." He later explains that, "if you aren't getting the results you expect, take a gut-check to see if you truly want it because you always get what you accept and believe you are.

That pretty much says it all. Bowler is suggesting that I created my collapse, or sabotaged my chance to win, to teach myself who I truly believe I am. At some level, I wasn't ready to win.

I started playing competitively to further challenge and test myself. My intention hasn't been to win tournaments or be the best. However, I can't ignore the fact that I've improved to a point now where on any given day, I can win.

I worked harder than I ever have yesterday to make every shot my best, to make birdies, to save pars - up to the point of the collapse. Going 3-under for a stretch of 13 holes with no bogies is perhaps my best performance in a round ever. It took intense focus over every shot and every putt. I feel like I played to my potential for the first time. But I failed to finish it off. Not because there's still a part of my game that needed improvement, but because at some level I just wasn't ready.

I don't think my problem was so much a fear of success, but that I was simply unprepared to win or shoot level par in a tournament. This was new territory for me. Like anything else, you can rarely do something you haven't done before until you first try, and fail.

The second time I got to 3-under after 7 holes, I pared the 8th instead of quadrupling it. The second time I got to 17 at 1-under, I parred the round instead of finishing with a triple and double bogie. And the next time I get a low round in a tournament, I'll birdie 18.

Labels: Books, Cosmic Laws of Golf, Disciplines, Failure, Printer Bowler

Our artful self is always present, waiting on the sideline for its chance to play. All we have to do to invite it's artistry into our game is surrender our ego. Creativity only appears after we let go of the ego and it's urge to impress, control, manipulate, and cling.


Solitude by hb19 at flickr.com

Deepak Chopra discusses surrender when putting in Golf for Enlightenment when he states that, "Only when you give up and surrender to the putt does it start pouring into the hole as if drawn by a magnet or a string. Under those magical conditions, even distance doesn't seem to matter. A 30-footer will go in as surely as a 2-footer. If I couldn't control the magic, I could give in to it. So now, after taking my stance and gripping the putter the way I was taught, I take one look at the cup and inside myself I say to the hole, 'I'm giving my ball to you.' Only then do I hit it and just let go. I trust that there is always a string tied between the ball and the cup. The string isn't a mystery, it is a form of exact coordination that can be organized only by a higher intelligence. Putting is one of those deep riddles best solved by knowing you can't solve it. When you truly know that, the door of simplicity opens. You perform the necessary setup without worry, repetition, and fuss."

I've only had one experience where I completely surrendered my ego to the higher intelligence of my artful self.

I had just hit a great drive and lay-up on a long par 5, but left myself with a downhill lie in front of a large bunker protecting a raised green. The pin was tucked in front with very little green between the pin and bunker.

I decided to play it safe and just get the ball on the green, although I'd be faced with a slippery downhill putt back to the front of the green. I got tense and hit my wedge a little too strong and ended up on the back fringe, 70 feet above the hole.

I stood over the putt, confident that I had no chance of 2-putting from here. Any putt made to the hole would run down off the green's false front and back into the fairway next to the bunker. If the putt was short, I'd face the same dilemma on the next putt.

With a feeling of complete helplessness, I just closed my eyes and said to myself, "okay Artful Self, let's see what you can do". I surrendered completely. I opened my eyes and looked at the ball without looking up at the hole, took the putter back, and stroked the ball. I then looked up and watched as the ball rolled down the middle of the green, then broke left towards the hole, and finally slowed down - and dropped!

I've never made a putt anything like it since. It was quite a memorable birdie for everyone in the foursome.

As Fred Shoemaker shares in Extraordinary Golf, "When you disappear, Golf as Art shows up."

Labels: Books, Deepak Chopra, Disciplines, Ego, Golf for Enlightenment, Surrender

I've had a few bad starts in recent rounds, but kept the faith that better holes were coming. I remained patient and refused to give up. I was rewarded each time.


Golfers Don't Give Up by lolla_sig at flickr.com

I played in a men's tournament last Sunday on a blustery day and struggled to hit many greens in regulation. I only hit six greens! I missed a few too many fairways too. Just to make the day even more challenging, the greenskeeper gave us some pretty nasty pin placements too.

On the par 4 seventh, a golfer in my foursome with a 3 handicap got on in 2, then 5-putted! Any missed putt just wouldn't stay near the hole. On the following hole, the pin was placed on the upslope in the back-left corner of the green. I missed my 8 foot birdie putt by inches and rolled down the bank 4 feet from the hole. I barely missed my return putt, and rolled back to the same spot. I made my third putt for bogie. I added one more 3-putt on the ninth for a double bogie after getting my first birdie on the par 3 eighth.

For a stretch of seven holes in the middle of the round, I went 7-over. I went into fifteen 9 over par - not the kind of round I was hoping for, and certainly not in the running for a top-three finish. Still, I was pretty sure, the majority of the field was struggling for pars right along with me, thanks to the wind and challenging pin placements. I hung in there and pared the long par 3 fifteenth from off the green.

But I hit a horrible drive on sixteen, landing way right near some bushes, just a couple feet from a small shed. I managed to move the ball forward about 20 yards with a pitching wedge and ended up on the upslope of a huge mound in long fescue. The mound was so large that it obscured my view of the flag. I was only about 85 yards out, but knew I'd need a huge swing with a sand wedge to get the ball loose. I picked a spot on the top of the mound to fly over and let it rip. The ball flew so high up in the air, I knew I'd hit it pure. I ran up to the top of the mound to watch. It finally landed on the back fringe above the hole and rolled back to the middle of the green to within 4 feet of the pin. I made the putt for par! I made another par on seventeen. At least I was keeping the round under control.

Then I hit a bomb on eighteen, carrying a ridge about 240 yards out in the fairway with plenty of room to spare, allowing the ball to catch the downslope to run towards the green. I'd hit good drives here before, but this was among the best I'd seen. I got to my ball and found it about 20 yards short of the center of the green. I'd hit a 365 yard drive on this 385 yard par 4! I pitched up and made another 4-footer for birdie!

I came in with a respectable 8-over 79. Only 3 golfers in a field of 40 shot lower rounds that day.

Tuesday, I played the course again with my regular foursome. I started off worse than Sunday. The winds were even stronger and it was noticeably colder. My score reflected it. I finished the front nine 6-over after shooting 2 bogies and 2 double bogies. I failed to tally a birdie.

I made a good par on ten, one of the hardest par 4's I've ever played, hitting a good drive and approach into a strong headwind. I decided right there to keep at it. If I finished the back at 2-over, I'd still be able to break 80.

I followed with another par on the par 3 eleventh, another difficult hole with a strong headwind off the ocean, and one more on the twelfth.

I finally landed an approach close to the pin on thirteen and made the 5-footer for my first birdie. I followed that with great recoveries on fourteen and fifteen for pars. My first bogie on the back then came on sixteen after failing to hit the green from a fairway bunker. So far, I'd kept the back nine to even par.

After finally learning to finish strong in the past month, I knew I had it in me to come in with a good score, but I surprised myself on the next 2 holes.

I nearly hit a 300 yard drive on the par 5 seventeenth and hit the green in two with my 5-wood. Two putts later I had another birdie. I then hit another extraordinary drive on eighteen, just 10 yards short of the drive I hit on Sunday! I pitched this approach to 2 feet and made my second birdie in a row and third birdie in the last 6 holes, finishing the back 2-under!

This became my fourth-ever 75 at Monarch Dunes, second only to my one and only par round, which I shot just last week. I'm especially happy about this round because I didn't give up after such a poor start and after only hitting 8 greens and 8 fairways all day. The round also lowered my index to an all-time low 3.4!

Labels: Disciplines, Monarch Dunes, Rounds

I love to compete. I love to play well. However, I don't put undue importance on winning or loosing. For me, competition provides the opportunity to test myself, demanding my full attention, energy, and spirit. Compared to playing recreationally, competition exposes your strengths and weaknesses more fully. These strengths can be reinforced, weaknesses corrected.


Golf Competitors by gcoz7 at flickr.com

Whether I win or loose, I've learned the outcome has little meaning or lasting impact. If I happen to perform better one day than my opponent does, that doesn't have much significance. But how I respond to the challenges I face, when my opponent does his best to outplay me, provides plenty of opportunity for lasting learning and growth. By trying my best, I provide my opponent the same benefit. This perspective encourages me to always try to win, but without a trace of hostility and negativity - traits that often characterize competition.

Fred Shoemaker shares in Extraordinary Golf, that "people who compete well and don't get in their own way understand that the benefits of competition happen only during the event. These people seem to play very close to their potential and rarely tighten up. On the other hand, people who think that the benefits of an event come only when it is over will tighten up often. If you feel that the joy and satisfaction of competition can happen only when the game is over - the praise and status that you get if you win - I believe that you will always feel a tremendous amount of pressure and have a hard time playing up to your ability. As much as you try, you can't control whether you win or lose."

The real contest is not you versus another but you versus you. Competition provides a means for your old self to become your new self.

Dan Millman discusses competition too in Body Mind Mastery. He says that, "the natural athlete has a way of forgetting the game's outcome the moment it is over, but he remembers its lessons. The usual athlete learns no real lessons, because he's still stuck in the outcome. A natural athlete can't afford to revel or despair over the past. The ancient Olympic wreaths, made of laurel, reminded their wearers that fame is fleeting, and glory fades. The only lasting value in the competitive experience is the lessons we learn and keep alive."

He continues by sharing, "In the competitive arena, there will always be those more and less skilled than yourself. Some may be near the top of their own mountain; others are perhaps struggling up the first steep paths far below. As you continue onward, make use of competition to stimulate your efforts along the way, but be careful not to become too preoccupied with the peak high in the distance, or with those athletes who are far ahead. If you do, the pleasure of the climb may be lost in craving for the goal. Keep your own natural pace. Whether your path on any given day is clear or rocky, the real and only measure of your achievement can be found in the answer to a single question: 'Have I done my best today?' All winning, losing, titles, and fame fall into the shadow of that question."

The artful golfer looks to competition to learn about who he is and strive towards who he can become.

Labels: Body Mind Mastery, Competition, Dan Millman, Disciplines, Extraordinary Golf, Fred Shoemaker

My perseverance with putting paid off yesterday. I shot my first par round ever at Monarch Dunes Golf Course!


Monarch Dunes 15th by Aidan Bradley

As I shared last week, I've struggled with my putting over the past few weeks and have felt that my putting really hasn't improved since I started playing golf. I decided it was time to take action.

I spent time putting in my living room last week and immediately became aware that I was thinking too much. Instead of focusing only on the target and intended path, as I do before striking the ball, I realized I was thinking about things like taking the putter back slowly, taking the putter back on a straight line, and following through down the line I'd chosen. I also noticed that I decelerated through the ball when I was indecisive about the break, or when I lost my focus on the hole due to letting my mind think about the mechanics of the putting stroke.

It occurred to me then that I should try putting the way I take a snapshot in hockey, taking the club or stick back a short distance and then accelerating through the shot. I gave it a try. I focused on the hole, took the putter back slowly, then confidently stroked the ball down the line towards the hole. Right away I noticed a difference. Everything about my stroke felt better. I became confident with this putting stroke after only a little practice.

As if life was confirming my newfound (and rather obvious) discovery, I then received a comment to my recent post about my putting struggles from a reader, Alexis, who shared what she had learned in a lesson that helped her improve. She was instructed to "make sure your backswing is shorter than the follow-through. You should tell the ball where to go, by hitting it, instead of letting the putter head fall on the ball."

I got a chance to try out her advice over the weekend in my monthly Men's Club tournament. I noticed a vast improvement. Although I made a couple poor lag putts down the stretch due to some competitive pressure, I didn't miss a single short putt. I even made a 40-foot putt for eagle on the par 5 ninth! I finished with a respectable 5-over 77.

Yesterday, I got another chance to try out my new "snapshot" putt. My weekend golf partner had the day off work and asked if I'd play. I invited another friend who I play with during the week to join us. This was the first time I'd played a round with both my weekend and weekday partners, and the first time they'd met.

The windy round got off to a good start with 4 straight pars and a birdie on the par 3 fifth. My ball striking and putting felt solid. On the par 5 sixth, I missed my only fairway of the round, landing in a eucalyptus grove along the right side of the fairway. My only feasible shot was to aim between two large trees and try to carry a large lake to get back to the fairway. This would leave me an easy approach to get on in three. I hit a perfect 5-wood through the trees and carried the lake with 10 yards to spare. My wedge from 105 yards in landed about 15 feet past the hole. I made the putt for my second birdie in a row.

My good fortune ended on the par 4 seventh. I hit a good drive, but it faded slightly and a strong crosswind carried the ball over the fairway into a large tree. The ball luckily bounced 90 degrees left back into the fairway, loosing only distance. My approach from there landed the green about 15 feet from the pin, leaving me a decent chance for my third birdie in a row. I got the putt to the hole, but it ran about 2-3 feet past. I was left with a breaking downhill putt for par. I hit it firm to take out the break, but lipped out and ended up 4 feet below the hole. I missed the return putt and ended up 4-putting for double bogie. Instead of getting to 3-under, I was back to even. I learned a valuable lesson though - to aim inside the cup on a firm putt within 3 feet. I had aimed right at the edge of the cup, thinking it would at least break a fraction of an inch. A costly lesson.

I put it behind me and made a good par on eight and bogied nine to end the front 1-over. Even though I recorded 18 putts on the front, I putted well other than the 4-putt on seven. The ninth was the first green I missed in regulation. I landed the front of the green from 175 yards out, but it still rolled off the back.

I saved par on the long par 4 tenth, playing especially hard yesterday into a strong wind off the coast. I then parred the next 4 holes as well. On fourteen, I duffed my 3-wood off the tee, but hit it far enough to land the beginning of the fairway, leaving me 200 yards out. I hit my hybrid to about 12 feet and sunk the putt for my first birdie on the back. I was back to even!

After another par on fifteen, I hit a 300 yard drive on the short sixteenth to 50 yards out and made par. I followed that with my best drive of the day on the 480 yard par 5 seventeenth to 170 yards out - a 310 yard drive! I then struck a 6-iron to the edge of the green and rolled up left of the pin and 2-putted for birdie. Now 2-under on the back, I teed up on eighteen at 1-under for the round, my best ever round after seventeen.

I hit decent drive and left myself inside a full sand wedge to the green. But I duffed the approach shot so badly, the ball only traveled about 10 yards! I got on with one more try and nearly sank a 15 footer for par, but ended with bogie. I had shot my first-ever even par round at Monarch Dunes, lowering my index to an all-time low of 3.7!

This was not only one of my best ever rounds striking the ball, it was without doubt one of my strongest rounds putting. I made 4 birdie putts and only missed one short putt, which lipped out. For the first time I can remember, I felt relaxed and confident over every putt. What a breakthrough!

Thanks again to those of you who shared your valuable putting tips in my previous post!

Labels: Awareness, Disciplines, Monarch Dunes, Perseverance, Putting, Rounds

There is only one part of my game that hasn't improved, putting. I'm striking the ball and chipping and pitching better than ever, but my average number of putts per round hasn't gone down one bit in two years.


The final putt by Kevin Day at flickr.com

Over the past half-dozen rounds, I've tallied more than 20 putts for 9 holes twice. I've had more 3-putts than I care to admit. I even had another 4-putt yesterday. And what's frustrating me most is the number of 2-3 footers that I continue to miss - up to 4 a round. Although the course I regularly play has the most difficult greens I've faced, I've played them enough that there's no excuse for such poor performance.

My growing frustration and lack of confidence putting has reached a point where I have to take action. Yesterday, I shot a 78 with 21 putts on the front nine! Over the weekend, I shot a 73 with 4 missed putts within 3 feet. During a few rounds lately, my poor performance putting crept in to the rest of my game and I shot rounds of 84 and 87, among my worst in 6 months.

My first inclination is too seek help from a pro. However, I'm confident I can fix this the same way I've fixed problems with my swing - by looking inward and increasing awareness. I'll determine why I invite fear and doubt into the moment when I putt.

Fred Shoemaker asks us in Extraordinary Putting, “where do expectations, embarrassment, frustration, and doubt come from? The past? The present? The future? Obviously, they are historically based, from the past. At the moment you miss a shot, your mind goes into the past and recalls similar past events and projects those memories, in that moment, into a future (it will happen again). These past memories, now misplaced into the future (and believed to be the real future), create an upset. And the upset will last until we put something in the future that gives us new possibilities, ones other than endless repetition of an upsetting past. We put the past back in the past (where it belongs) and create a new future where anything is possible. We have the power to choose."

I've integrated this logic into the rest of my game and have learned to leave a bad shot behind me, in the past, and create a new future, but I've apparently chosen to project my past failures putting into the future.

Yes, I'm aware that there are some issues with my putting technique as well, such as the need to keep my head still, but the deeper problem lies with my subconscious belief at the moment I'm putting, that I'll miss.

I now choose a new future, of creative and artful putting. Stay tuned ;)

Labels: Choice, Disciplines, Extraordinary Putting, Fred Shoemaker

We've all heard of the 80/20 Rule, also known as the Parento Principle. Dr. Joseph Juran, the total quality management guru, developed the Pareto Principle after studying the work of Wilfredo Pareto, the Italian nineteenth century economist who observed that in most countries eighty percent of the wealth was controlled by twenty percent of the people. The Pareto Principle states that a small percentage of your efforts (typically around 20 percent) will create a large majority of your results (usually around 80 percent).

Today, the rule appears everywhere. Sales people will tell you that eighty percent of the sales are made by twenty percent of the sales force. Artists say that eighty percent of their productivity comes from short bursts of intense inspiration which happen about twenty percent of the time. Managers point out that eighty percent of the work is done by twenty percent of the employees.


Natural Swing by rgusick at flickr.com

In golf, it has been said that twenty percent of the game is physical and eighty percent is mental; twenty percent of players are avid golfers, and they play eighty percent of the rounds; twenty percent of golfers break 100 on a regular basis, while eighty percent do not; the average golfer spends about twenty percent of his time at address looking at the target, and eighty percent of that time staring at the ball (pros do the opposite); and that golfers spend twenty percent of their practice time on the putting green and eighty percent of that time on the driving range.

It's no surprise then that eighty percent of golfers don't break 100 on a regular basis if their efforts to improve are focused on twenty percent of the game.

Using the Parento Principle, it follows that the golfer should instead spent less time working on his swing and more time on those activities that improve scoring.

There is no prize for the prettiest swing. We've all seen golfers with some very unique swings, score well. Just look to the Champions Tour. I learned this for myself when I played a round last year with an 80 year old golfer with a short little swing that hit the ball about 180 yards off the tee - into every fairway. He outscored me that round with an incredible attitude and short game.

The artful golfer learns to appreciate his unique and natural swing, and uses his limited practice time working on the parts of the game that make the most difference in scoring - the mental and short game.

I've also found that the Parento Principle can be applied to the overall score I shoot for a round. I usually score well on eighty perfect of the holes (14-15 holes) and loose my round on the other twenty percent (3-4 holes), usually towards the end of the round.

Many years ago, I failed to get selected for a job managing a software team that develops a very popular financial program. I shared during the interview that my greatest strength lies is getting new projects off the ground, building teams, and doing the initial product research, specification, architecture and design - the first eighty percent of the project. And although I had prior success in seeing projects through to the end, I found the last twenty percent of the project to be less rewarding. I didn't enjoy the grind involved towards the end of projects. The company selected someone else, perhaps someone less frank.

Interestingly, I seem to carry this personality trait over to golf. I'm usually a good starter. I find myself shooting good rounds through the first eighty percent of the round, but seem to fail in the last twenty percent, when the need to grind it out is most important.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to play with three employees at my local course who are all good golfers and who play from the back tees. I'd played the back tees only two other times, never breaking 80, but still got off to my usual good start. I only had one bad hole through 15, and tallied 4 birdies. I missed a 2-footer on 16, putting me at a respectable 4-over going into 17. I can remember about a dozen rounds over the past few months where I had a great round going into 17, but only finished well on 2 of those occasions. I added to the number of failed rounds yesterday by finishing with a triple bogie on 17 and 3-putt bogie on 18. I did however break 80 by one stroke.

I think the reason for my failures lies deeper than a simple inability to focus for an entire round or from getting overly concerned about the outcome. Golf, which we all know reflects our personality, is perhaps exposing an internal issue I have with success, causing me to break down on the last holes, ruining good rounds. I can think of other examples of this in my life.

It appears I better take a closer look at what golf is trying to teach me here. My golf game - and life - may be better for it.

Labels: Disciplines, Failure, Parento Principle, Practice, Rounds, Success

When I took up golf regularly nearly 2 years ago, I decided to approach the game as if swinging a club were as easy as throwing a ball. I believe our body already has the natural ability required, we just need to learn to calm our minds and reduce its interference - interference that we introduced as we grew older.



The key, I think, is to rediscover that carefree and fearless attitude we once knew as children, an attitude that keeps the possibilities open and makes the game more fun. This video certainly shows us what's possible. We just need to relearn how to swing like a kid.

Labels: Disciplines, Freedom, Video