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18 Sep 2015 Corina Pelloni

JOURNEY THROUGH A ROUND OF GOLF

As my players start to enter tournaments, I try to get them ready for the mental ups and downs I know will surely happen. No amount of talking and teaching will sufficiently prepare them for the internal struggle. Everyone is different in that way, and an integral part of success is finding the frame of mind that allows us to compete and still maintain our composure. I many times tell them of the “four-hour journey.” During that four hours (a round of golf), there will likely be one hour of good golf, one hour of bad golf, and two hours of average golf. You must deal with each period of time in the most productive way. When you are in the good stretch of golf, it is important to take note of how you feel, not only with your swing, but with your relaxation levels, breathing patterns, and clarity with regards to decision making. This helps us build a zone, that force field that keeps negativity away from us. During the turmoil part of your round, you will be tested in every way:  “I’ve practiced hard and now I can’t remember any of my swing keys. My mind is spinning and everything bothers me. The ball doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. I can’t breathe. I can only think about when this round will be over. I am overrun with negativity and thoughts that have nothing to do with my round of golf.” You will then settle into a period of golf that doesn’t particularly present anything more than just smooth sailing, e.g., relatively straight shots and two-putt pars that advance the round along. Patience is important, because pressing for great results many times produce the opposite. Once you have played in enough tournaments, where everything that could happen to a golfer has happened and nothing surprises you, then you are ready to draw from that experience. Seve Ballesteros was famous for his lack of accuracy and ability to post good scores despite bad ball striking. When asked for his secret, he calmly replied, “I just suffer better than other people.” Tour pros are more likely to respect a player for their mental ability than their ball striking abilities. They know, statistically, that a round of golf means 4.5 birdies and 2.1 bogeys (for instance). They know this math will work out. It doesn’t matter to them when the bogeys or birdies come. If the bogeys come on the first two holes, they are likely done for the day with bogeys, and only good things are to come. They play in a weekly 72-hole round of golf. A mental ebb and flow is costly, literally, with big money on the line. Going back to the scenario of two bogeys to start the round, think of how many times you see a player turn the entire round into a meltdown because of the opening turmoil. It is a great moment for a young golfer (our tournament age, not chronological age) when we start a round poorly and finish strong.  I am always impressed when a tour pro (or anyone) can begin a tournament with a bad stretch of holes and then rebound to challenge for the victory. Pressure presents itself in many ways. It could be a tournament or something on a local level. Maybe it is just a round with your boss or clients. You would really like to gain their respect through great ball striking. The round begins and you are nervous. You play poorly until the back nine, when you finally say, “Who cares,” and then you play pretty well the remainder of the round. I tell my students that they will not be defined as a person by what their score adds up to, but it is still hard. When it comes to playing shots, the tour pro talk of divorcing yourself from the result. This is most commonly applied to putting. Expectation of the result clouds our vision and brings tension that affects the physical act. Saying it is better to “not care” is a concept that is hard for some, but thinking past the swinging of the club to the result of the swing is the wrong sequence. Honest self-assessment is a valuable tool in the building process. It begins with noticing that you are a little irritable that morning before the round. Then, your mind is racing during your warm-up session. You are impatient while putting, wanting to get the round started, so that you can get it over with. Immediately you are faced with a testing up-and-down or slick putt. How will you handle this? Maybe you don’t miss a shot but fly it over the green. You are technically striking the ball well, but that doesn’t always produce great results. There are many ways to fail. Tour pros are sure to tell themselves that they are playing well, and it is just a matter of time until the results will show up. You cannot guarantee you will play well today, because there are too many outside factors involved. In sports, you are a different athlete every day. For that reason, you will feel and see things differently each day. One day nothing bothers you and the next day everything is annoying. You can guarantee that you conduct yourself in a respectful manner. You will absorb whatever presents itself in your path and respond to it in a manner that allows you to play better later in the round. You can make sure that you are never a hindrance to a playing partner. You don’t want to be that person who goes silent and selfish, and then shows back up when things get better. Experience shows us that a round of golf is a four-hour journey with three periods of different levels of golf. As a student of the game, we must learn to make the best use of each portion of our round, if we want to produce the best, consistent result.

11 Sep 2015 Corina Pelloni

THE “SECRET” TO THE GAME?

For the 40 years that I have played golf, I have been hearing about the so-called “Secret to the Game.” I suppose golfers consider this secret to be the shortcut to scratch golf, a pearl of knowledge that trumps all else. Ben Hogan told us to “dig it out of the dirt.” To me, this means don’t be so foolish; just practice hard and create your own method or “Secret.”   If you examine the method of any great player, some things are obvious. If you look at the way the best players hold the club (grip), there are many subtle variations that allow for great ballstriking. No two players have the same golf swing. When watching golf on TV, you’ll see everyone’s swing is different. There are quick, slow, short and long backswings. Finishes high or finishes low and left – both have been employed to good use.   There have been at least two ball position theories for as long as I can remember: 1) Move the ball back for the short irons and move the ball forward as the clubs get longer; 2) Leave the ball in a constant position (depending on whether it is on the ground or on the tee) and widen or narrow the stance with the right foot only.   Realizing that Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Byron Nelson all agreed with the second ball position theory, I think we have a chance there to start to find a real pearl. Nicklaus played the ball near his left heel and Hogan a little farther back in his stance, but they kept it constant after settling on a basic position. So, with so many things about the swing differing or negotiable, what is the something that all good players do, or that might be the “Secret”?  All good players touch the ground in the same correct place when they swing the club. They can make the club hit the ground in the correct place, from the correct direction and at the correct depth with every club. That place is near the left heel. A correctly swung club bottoms out just behind a teed driver and just in front of a ball on the ground. I watch people make practice swings and they hit the ground well behind where they intend to put the ball, or they hit the ground someplace different every swing, or they hit the ground in the same place, but it is the wrong place (back by their right foot, for instance).  I’ve had new students tell me they have never made a correct divot in their entire golfing career. When I am working with a student, I explain to them that until they can hit the ground up by their left heel, there is only a limited number of clubs they can hit (short irons) and they will probably never be consistent with their irons and driver on the same day. Their irons will be good and the driver bad and the one day the driver is good, the irons go south. This happens a lot to the person who thinks they must move the ball all over their stance.  Think about it. They hit a drive to start the hole (left-heel ball position), and then they hit a 9-iron out of the back of their stance. Then they hit a driver again and then some other iron and this goes on the whole round. These people end up with a favorite club, which is the one club they get the ball position and stance width correct.  The point is, they are never putting the club into the ground in the same place two swings in a row. They think golf is a major “hand-eye move” and search for the ball with their hands on every swing. I teach my students to hit the ground in the front of their stance with all clubs. They learn that their weight must be on the left foot where the divot will begin. Most times the swing will bottom out where their weight is. So, at impact, your weight must be where you want the divot to begin. Either you shift your weight there or you begin with your weight there (wedge play, pitching and chipping). If, every time your students make a practice swing, they touch the ground lightly by their left heel, they have gone a long way in striking solid golf shots. When they are getting ready to play an iron shot out of the fairway, they should see the practice swing hit the ground lightly, just in front of the ball they intend to hit. They shouldn’t go to the ball until they loved that last practice swing. Then, when playing the shot, they are only trying to reproduce what they felt seconds earlier in the practice swing. By focusing on touching the ground in the same correct spot, the player learns to find the correct width of stance with each club. If their stance is too wide, with a given club, then it will be hard to get their weight past the ball over to their left foot. So, it really doesn’t matter how much attention you pay to other aspects of the game if your students can’t control where their swing hits the ground. When giving a lesson, I know a student is ready to hit balls when they can show me swings that consistently touch the ground correctly. When all swings, with any club, can deliver a square clubface past the left heel, then good shots with any club in your bag is a reality. Sometimes the real “Secret” might be so simple that we look past something that is obvious. Ask your students to understand and focus on touching the ground in the best spot and this “Secret” can become something that should be common knowledge.

11 Sep 2015 Corina Pelloni

MY TOP-THREE LIST OF THINGS THAT HAVE DAMAGED GOLF

Golf is a great game that would even be greater, in my opinion, except for three things that cause me angst: Number 3 – the Stimpmeter.  I actually have friends who call ahead to golf courses to find out what speed the greens are rolling, and refuse to play if not to their satisfaction. When I was growing up, no one gave a hoot about green speed.  Most greens were rather slow, but all we cared about is that they were smooth.  It was rare that balls would roll to the hole and then trickle five to six feet past. All speed has caused is interminable delays as people mark their third and fourth putts. Number 2 – distance.  That’s all we hear about now.  No one thinks about strategy.  All we see in advertising is that this is the longest driver, this is the longest ball, or these irons provide maximum distance.  Isn’t the object of the game to shoot the lowest score? Distance hasn’t made the game better, because to counter it, courses have become longer with more hazards.  The time to play has increased and maintenance costs have been driven up.  Maybe it is time to take note that most of the courses that have been closing in recent years are the so-called championship courses built in the last 20 years. Number 1 – golf carts.  Where to start? From concrete paths that ruin esthetics, ruts and skid marks, to inebriated dopes drag-racing down fairways.  Just when you think you’ve seen it all, the back end of a cart shows up barely visible in one of the course lakes. Those issues aside, what carts have done is obliterate the thousands of caddie programs which benefitted young people in so many ways. Caddying was one of the best learning experiences I ever had.  I witnessed firsthand how adults interact with each other, both good and bad. I learned about rules and discipline.  I saw the nuances of the golf course and how the same could be so different from day to day.  Looking back, carrying those bags all summer was some of the best mentoring I could have ever gotten, not to mention an opportunity to play and grow the game along with thousands of others like me. All of the above were done with good intentions, but let’s not forget where that road can lead.

2 Sep 2015 Corina Pelloni

THE GAME IS ALWAYS BIGGER

“No one is bigger than the game.”  This is a famous quote from sport that is highly recognized amongst many who have devoted their lives to golf.  Then, “Hello world” appeared on the scene. As Tiger Woods played the game for a period of 7-8 years at a level perhaps higher than any predecessor, we were not only witnessing greatness, but history. He had no competition when he was playing his “B” game, let alone his “A” game. Yes, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson conquered occasionally, but suffice it to say their respective stars and legacies would have shone far brighter be it not for Tiger’s presence. “Tiger-proofing” golf courses came in style; purses and TV ratings went ballistic; Nike launched  itself into the golf industry the moment Tiger donned the swoosh, and golf became cool from kids to great-grandmothers.  Nary would a minute pass without a Tiger update during tournament telecasts. Then, his public fall from grace, only to be followed with less than “Tiger-like” results, to serious signs of Tiger will never be the same. If Tiger is not the same, how will the game remain healthy?  Tiger is golf. The Golf Channel is even referenced as The Tiger Channel by some.  Sponsors’ dollars will dry up, purses will drop, and tournaments will be forced to dissolve. Tell us it isn`t true! Fast forward to 2015…the year that saved golf?  Or, in other words and punctuation, the year that saved golf!  One could argue Tiger`s 2000 season with three major wins and nine overall victories is the best ever.  One could also argue no one has ever come closer to winning the modern Grand Slam than Jordan Spieth this past season.  One could also make the claim 2015 is/was a defining year in golf. First there was Old Tom, then Harry, Bobby, Byron, “Slammin” Sam, The “Hawk” – otherwise known as Ben – Arnie and his “Army,” Jack, and finally Tiger.  These were the icons of the game. Yes, there was a supporting cast with other excellent players, with some in between generations.  However, these players helped define the game.  What they all held in common was they were actors on a stage. We will never see another Jack Nicklaus, or, who will be the next Jack?  Then Tiger came along.  Few have ever asked who will be the next Tiger, because no one thought it possible, probably because Tiger’s talent and exploits had never before been seen or even fathomed.  Once again, enter 2015.  If Tiger did anything for golf, it was to develop a mindset and confidence amongst the youth of today that has instilled the following attitude: “If he can do it, so can I.”  Athletes are flocking to golf; hence, the journey toward greatness for our present and future stars continues and always will. We are at the dawn of a new era.  The fourth Great Triumvirate. First, there was Harry Vardon, John H. Taylor and James Braid, followed by Byron Nelson, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan.  Later, we were spoiled with Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.  Barring injuries, we will see Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Jordan Spieth become the next holders of this unique title. Every player has their respective place within the game, their legacy, their grandeur and stories of folklore, yet no one is irreplaceable.  Golf, the gentleman’s game, trumps all.  It’s just too beautiful a stage with a forever-changing and compelling play.