While Tiger Woods was rebuilding his game and life after his 2009 scandal and the departure of Hank Haney as his swing coach, every golf pundit Readmore
By: Ben Bryant, WGCA contributing writer
Seven years ago, while I was attending the University of Florida to earn my Master’s degree in Education, I attended the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual conference in Sarasota, Florida. It seemed like a good idea to get involved in an organization dedicated to what I was about to jump head first into – teaching high school social studies. Furthermore, the supervisor of my program, Dr. Paul George, had made it a requirement to attend, so all in all, it was a good idea. The weekend-long event was not only a lot of fun, it was also wonderfully useful. I was able to meet hundreds of people who had spent their lives doing what I was about to start. I was able to network with individuals who were involved in all aspects of education, from current and retired principles, textbook sales representatives, current and former teachers, and also dozens of other young men and women who, just like me, were about to begin their teaching careers.
For me, the NCSS conference was a lifeline. It was a confirmation that I had made the right choice in my life, confirmation that you can only get from an auditorium full of people who already do what you want to do. Ever since then, I have belonged to NCSS as a member. During my especially tumultuous first year teaching, I relied on that organization heavily as an indelible source of information, not only from their publications and emails, but also from the camaraderie and confidence of belonging to a national organization.
After my first year teaching, an opening came up to coach my school’s golf team and I jumped at it. Golf has always been a primary love of mine and I’ve been around the industry my whole life. However, I soon realized that unlike high school teachers, golf coaches, who I define as those who help golfers compete at the game, did not have a national organization to help guide them. There was no National Council of the Social Studies for golf coaches. The first few seasons I had to figure things out for myself. When it came to organizing a team or conducting drills and practices, I had to glean what I could from a hodgepodge of books and YouTube videos. In other words, I had to go it alone.
I muddled through. After many matches and a couple of seasons, I figured things out. Much of it was trial and error. By far, the best resources I used were my fellow coaches from other teams. They were the ones who clued me in on what to do and not do. But, it was all piecemeal. I was not able to learn from coaches outside of my school district, or talk to state championship coaches to pick their brains and see what worked. I felt a sense of isolation and that there was a great hole in my knowledge of the profession that I might never be able to fill.
Not anymore. The World Golf Coaches Alliance (WGCA) now offers the support that I and so many other coaches in my position long for. Belonging to a worldwide organization like the WGCA provides us with the opportunity to combine our efforts, to learn from each other, and to provide that confirmation for those about to follow in our footsteps: Yes, you have made the right decision. Just like the NCSS did for me nearly a decade ago, the WGCA offers specific golf coaching information and has become a home for golf coaches from around the world. Most importantly, it provides the confidence that we no longer have to go it alone.
By: Gregg Steinberg, WGCA contributing writer
Kevin Streelman stated that his mental strategy for this past week was to not think about winning and let go of results. This ironic approach worked as Streelman won the Tampa Bay Championship presented by EverBank by not worrying about winning.
Thinking about outcome, such as your score or winning a tournament, creates higher levels of anxiety in our games. Take the analogy of a construction worker who works 1,000 feet in the air and must walk across a plank to get from one site to the next. If the construction worker looked down and thought about how high he was (the outcome), he would get extremely nervous and be more inclined to fall. However by focusing on placing one foot in front of the other (the process), the worker wouldn’t get nervous and could easily walk the beam.
Streelman stated that his focus on the process and not the outcome gave him a sense of peace on the course. His mental approach allowed him to navigate the Copperhead course and the “Snake Pit” with a calm state of mind. A sense of peace and a calm demeanor are essential ingredients to performing your best under pressure.
While you may never be in the hunt in a PGA TOUR event, this “letting go of results” strategy can apply to your golf game. How many times has your score affected your emotions on the course? When your score was terrible did you get upset or frustrated? Or, on the contrary, when you were playing amazingly, did you begin to get nervous because you were thinking about your best round ever?
Like Streelman, you will find peace on the course and gain greater control over your emotions when you let go of results. Here is my mental game recommendation in this regard:
Play a round of golf without keeping your score. Your task is to think only about the shot at hand, not to be concerned with how many over or under par you are at the time during the round. At the completion of the round, you would then recall your score on each hole. Or better yet, play with a friend who keeps your score.
You will find that this approach helped you to keep your emotions and your game under better control. Once you have tried it once, begin to incorporate this approach as a regular strategy.
Yes, it is very difficult to not think about your score. Yes, it is fun to play for a score. But if results-oriented thinking is giving you too much anxiety and frustration, then this is the approach to implement into your game. When this happens, you will begin to find your peace on the course as well as your best game.
Dr. Gregg Steinberg is the author of the best selling golf psychology book, MentalRules for Golf. He is a regular guest every Tuesday on “Talk of the Tour” heard on the Sirius/XM PGA TOUR radio. Dr. Gregg is a tenured professor of sports psychology and has been the mental game coach for many PGA TOUR players. You can see more about him at www.drgreggsteinberg.com, and you can e-mail him atmentalrules24@msn.com for any comments or questions about your mental game.
By: Gregg Steinberg, WGCA contributing writer
One of the hardest mental skills to possess is to stay motivated to practice and compete, day in and day out. Tiger Woods has had this skill since he joined the PGA TOUR in 1996.
How does Tiger keep that fire inside him to burn so brightly?
One of the main factors is his pursuit of the golden idol: He wants to break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors. However, another key ingredient to his amazing motivation is his mastery orientation. Although Tiger wants to be the best in the game, he also relishes improvement. He constantly tinkers with his game in his continually pursuit to get better.
Case in point at this week’s World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship: Tiger worked with Steve Stricker on his putting mechanics (who ironically finished second at the event). Stricker told Tiger to square his stance a bit and weaken his left hand so that the hands would be farther ahead of the clubhead. It worked wonderfully. Woods not only won the tournament, but also had a career-low 100 putts for a PGA TOUR event and rolled in an amazing 27 birdies.
Tiger has intuitively hit upon what sports psychology researchers have already discovered. Mastery oriented golfers are more likely to enjoy their sport, be less anxious, be less likely to burn out, and ultimately perform better.
Does your fire burn brightly for continual improvement, or are you satisfied with your current scoring ability?
If you want to develop a greater mastery orientation in your golf game like Tiger, here are some of my mental game recommendations:
1) Don’t be afraid to get worse before you get better. A lot of golfers are not willing to tinker with their game because it may hurt their scores. Let go of the “score mentality” and develop more of a “learning mentality.”
2) Evaluate your mistakes on the course as learning opportunities. Begin to see your bad shots as a roadmap for what to work on in your next practice session.
3) Let go of your golfing ego. Allow yourself to look a bit foolish when you are a trying a new shot or technique. Don’t worry what your friends will think as they won’t be laughing when they see all your great improvement.
Be Like Tiger and enjoy the journey of a continual pursuit of excellence.
As we look towards the Masters and the opening of the golf season in the northern part of the country, I think now would be a great time to set some goals about your golf game and to learn a few lessons from four of the great players of all time!
Recently, I have been able to spend some quality time around some of the game’s best older players like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Lee Trevino. What I took away from my conversations can be a great asset to most players. Some of what I heard has nothing to do with the swing or technical part of the game, but more of what they believe made them the best players they could be. Here is what I took away from four of the greats:
Arnold Palmer – Play with integrity and develop a strong work ethic! Mr. Palmer is a worker; he was successful at golf and business because he works. He is also a person of the greatest integrity. If he says he is going to do something, it is done. These attributes helped shape his golf game and his career. Many times, all of us say things like we are really going to work at something, but we give up and don’t finish what we set out to do. As with life and golf, we have to set goals, stick to our goals, and work hard.
Jack Nicklaus – Do what you do and get good at it! For many players, the perfect swing is not always the goal to playing good golf. As many of you know, Jack did not have what the modern golf gurus would call a perfect technical golf swing, but it sure worked. As with all players, we all do some things really well, and we all have some things that we have to work on. You have to learn to play to your strengths as you continue to work to improve your weaknesses. If you naturally hit the ball high like Mr. Nicklaus did, then play to your strengths. Don’t spend all your time trying to figure out how to hit it lower. Do what you do!
Gary Player – You have to be fit to play well! Gary Player has been the fitness model for professional golf for 50 years. If you ever get the chance to be around the man, you will be amazed at his energy and his fitness. What I took from Gary is that if you want to be a good player, you have to maintain a good level of fitness and flexibility. If you can’t do a push-up or touch your toes, it is highly unlikely that you could maintain a good posture or golf swing for an extended period of time. As we all look at our own games, pay more attention to fitness. As we get older, we have to work harder at keeping our bodies in shape to play good golf.
Lee Trevino – Pay attention to ball and clubface at impact! Lee Trevino may be one of the greatest ballstrikers to ever play the game, and even in his later years he can still hit the golf ball solid and on-line like nothing you have ever seen. I had the chance to watch him hit balls, and he took out his driver and proceeded to hit 125-yard little draws to a green on the range right at the flag, then started hitting 200-yard cuts, right next the pin on a different target, before hammering out rocket tee shots that were so straight that you could tie a line to the shot. All the time, he was talking and laughing! His comments were so simple: Learn where the clubface is in relation to the ball. Too many times we focus on the mechanics; we need to focus on the ball. If you can’t square the clubface at the ball at impact, then everything else is useless.
So, this season, as you set your goals for your game, and the golf games of you students, think about what these great legends think about the game. I hope it helps you with your game.
I am looking to hear your comments. You can post your comments or questions on my BLOG at http://arlenbentojr.blogspot.com/
Arlen Bento Jr. is an award-winning golf professional, golf business owner, golf instructor and golf coach. He is the former head golf professional at PGA Country Club at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and former director of golf at Eagle Marsh Golf Club in Jensen Beach, Florida, and is a USGTF Master Teaching Professional. He currently lives in Jensen Beach and can be reached via his business website at www.abjgolfsales.com <http://www.abjgolfsales.com/> or via facebook at www.facebook.com/arlenbentojr <http://www.facebook.com/arlenbentojr>
As we get ready for the spring season, I think now is the time to start working on your swing and getting your lesson plans prepared to start teaching golf. Over the last few weeks, my attention has been placed on the secrets of developing more distance and power in the golf swing.
Ever since I started playing golf, I have been able to hit the ball a long way. People have always asked me how I do it. For the longest time, my response was simple – swing hard! Now, that I am a little older, I don’t have the same speed that I had in my 20s and 30s, but I still hit the ball a long way, so I decided to start writing about getting more distance.
There are three things that you have to do if you want to get more distance:
#1 – You have to optimize your equipment. If you have not been fit or tested with your driver, you should. You have to be able to optimize your swing data with all your clubs. There is a simple formula for distance: Increase ball speed, find your proper launch angle, and lower your spin rate. If you are not optimizing these important factors, you are giving up distance.
#2 – You have to have good technique and be physically fit for golf. If you have swing flaws, if you can’t deliver the club into impact on the correct path with the proper face position, you are giving up distance. With technique, there is also an element of strength and flexibility. If you can’t do a push-up or touch your toes, you are definitely not going to hit the ball father. Take a good look at your swing. If you have flaws, seek help. Take a good look at your body. If you are not flexible and you do nothing for exercise, then you are giving up distance, so find a gym and/or a golf exercise program. You won’t believe how quickly you will see results.
3# – You have to learn to trust speed. No player, that hits the ball a long way is worried about where the ball is going. Look at John Daly, who lives by the motto “grip it and rip it.” You have to trust your speed and learn how to play with speed. You have to get out and practice and play with speed. Try to turn up it up while maintaining form and technique. Ever seen the movie Happy Gilmore? You have to push yourself to swing as hard as you can without losing your balance, and then find the effort that allows you to hit the ball in play but sill pushing your self to swing faster.
I am looking to hear your comments. You can post your comments or questions on my BLOG at http://arlenbentojr.blogspot.com/
Arlen Bento Jr. is an award-winning golf professional, golf business owner, golf instructor and golf coach. He is the former head golf professional at PGA Country Club at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and former director of golf at Eagle Marsh Golf Club in Jensen Beach, Florida, and is a USGTF Master Teaching Professional. He currently lives in Jensen Beach and can be reached via his business website at www.abjgolfsales.com <http://www.abjgolfsales.com/> or via facebook at www.facebook.com/arlenbentojr <http://www.facebook.com/arlenbentojr>
I was watching one of the recent tour events on TV and couldn’t help but notice all the golf commercials touting how great a particular club was. One club hits it farther than any other on the market, or so the claim. Phil Mickelson says his driver is a game changer.
Seems modern equipment is all you need to tool around the course under par, and not one mention about whether any skill is required when swinging said utensils. I have been around golf a long time. I have never seen a club that did not require the individual to have some proficiency regarding proper technique. Remember when they created the offset driver and fairway woods that were guaranteed to cure the average person’s slice? Seen any of those clubs lately?
One of my golf buddies just bought the new white head driver. I thought he was hitting the one he had pretty well, but he marveled at how great he hit the new club the first time he used it. On the first tee last week he had his old driver out. Had to work the kinks out of the new one a little more, he said. Wow, how can that be? This was supposedly the be-all of golf clubs.
It is amazing how easily people fall for hype. Few want to believe that golf requires effort and that equipment can help, but it won’t compensate for poor fundamentals. I don’t have a problem with manufacturers discussing the research and features designed into their clubs. I do have a problem with saying the club does all the work. What I would like to see from golf companies is a message that says this equipment along with practice and good instruction will do wonders for your game. I don’t think that is too much to ask for.
