Editorial

7 Feb 2013 Corina Pelloni

Lower Your Score by Working Back from 100 Yards

I wanted to share with you a great way to get your game sharp in a hurry.  This is one of the games that we play on my golf teams in Florida. Find a course that allows you to practice on a hole, or find a golf center that has practice holes.  Start at 100 yards with your 100-yard club and use five golf balls.  Your goal is to hit the middle of the green with all five balls and two-putt.  If you miss the green, you have to get up and down.  You goal is to make three shots on four out of the five balls.  If you make four out five from 100 yards, you can move back to your next club.  If you start with a wedge at 100, your next club would be a 9-iron. The idea of the game is to keep working back until you reach a point where you cannot hit the green, and/or get up and down with the consistency of four out five.  If you can’t take three strokes four out five times at 100 yards, then you need to take a look at your swing and your short game.   Keep working on your swing and short game until you can get four out five. The best part of this game is that you will consistently work on short game.  As you move back, you will notice what clubs need more work, and maybe you need to add some hybrids or more fairway woods.  As you develop your game around this scoring game, your driver will become your club to set up your yardage on par-4 holes and on par-5 holes. You just get to hit an extra shot to set up your scoring. Keep at this and your scores will drop dramatically.  

7 Feb 2013 Corina Pelloni

Boost your student’s mental games with situational similarity

Aaron Baddeley came out blistering hot in the first round of the 2013 Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation to shoot a 64 (eventually finishing T27).  It was an amazing start for someone who has not played competitive golf for three months, and for most of that time was just playing Mr. Mom to his children because his wife was pregnant and under bed rest.

To get mentally ready for his first competitive round, Baddeley arrived to the tournament site a week early and played highly competitive games with his mate, Geoff Ogilvy. These high stake games were getting him mentally prepared for the intense pressure on the PGA tour.

In actuality, Baddeley was getting mentally tough by practicing what sports scientists have deemed “situational similarity.” Put simply, situational similarity is when practice mimics real life competition, and the closer it does, the better your game will transfer into pressure-packed situations.

Golf Digest did a survey a few years back and discovered that one of the biggest complaints amateurs have is their inability to bring their best swings (and game) from the range to the golf course.  I am sure you hear this complaint a lot from your students, as well.

To remedy this problem, I would recommend incorporating the principle of situational similarity into your students’ practice regimens. Here are a few tips to help your students transfer their best game to the course:

1)     Create pressure on the range.  Instead of just blasting one driver after another into the huge area of your range, create an imaginary fairway that is half the size of your tightest hole on your course. Then, bet your friend a friendly wager to see who can hit the most drives out of 10 into this fairway. (You can do the same type of practice solo as well). This increase in pressure on the range will help you to make better swings on the course.

2)     Create pressure on the putting green. Place 10 balls around one particular hole, all three feet away. You need to make all 10 in a row. If you miss one, you will need to start over. You will find the pressure mounting when you try to make the last few balls, and this will help you to better handle the pressure of making those 3-footers on the course.

Practice the principles of situational similarity to boost to your mental game.

Dr. Gregg Steinberg is regular guest every Tuesday on “Talk of the Tour,” heard on Sirius/XM’s PGA TOUR Network.  He is a tenured professor of sports psychology and has worked with many PGA Tour players.  You can see more about him at www.drgreggsteinberg.com, and you can e-mail him at mentalrules24@msn.com

7 Feb 2013 Corina Pelloni

True potential

How many times have you heard, “I play 14 holes really well, but there’s always four holes that kill my score”?  Or, “If I could only play to my full potential.”  Even better, “My mulligan shots are so much better than my first shots.”  We’ve even felt that way ourselves.  There is always something to improve upon during a round: A misplayed chip shot, wrong club selection, or even where we left our ball to play the next shot.  One way to learn from these mistakes (among others) is to play a three-ball scramble by yourself. By playing a “solo” three-ball scramble, your students learn from their mistakes: Poor swings, bad course management, and wrong club selection.  If you are able to accompany your students while they are playing the scramble, you have an opportunity to consult after each shot, figure out what can be improved upon, and plan the next shot.  Normally, I go on the course when it is not busy and I will have the student play nine holes. We all make bad swings, but there are always things to learn from them.  It could be a poor swing path, bad posture, or too quick of a tempo.  Being able to hit three shots will help your students learn from their mistakes and help them grove their swings.  One of the most important lessons they will learn from a solo three-ball scramble is proper course management.  Being able to see a poor result due to lack of concentration is helpful, such as laying up in front of a bunker and being forced to hit a flop shot versus laying up away from the bunker, giving them more green to work with and helping them get up and down.  For many students, the lessons they learn from the course management areas will benefit their scores beyond what swing mechanics will. It is not uncommon for a 15-handicapper to shoot in the mid-70s or for a 5-handicap to shoot a few under par.  By having your students play a three-ball scramble, you can show them what their true potential can be when they have awareness of their performance.

7 Feb 2013 Corina Pelloni

USGTF – Stewards of the game

I have a bone to pick. It’s with us, the golf professionals. There was a time when we were the stewards of the game.  The first golf professional, Alan Robertson of St. Andrews, was the best player of his era, although his young apprentice Tom Morris was not far behind.  Mr. Robertson ran St. Andrews and a clubmaking company. “Old Tom,” as he was to become known, took on a position at the newly-formed Prestwick Club upon being fired for playing the new guttie ball. His boss was manufacturing the feathery and obviously did not take kindly to his young assistant embracing technology. It was at Prestwick where Tom plied his trade and became the true founding father of the modern game. He designed, laid out and maintained the course, ran events, offered instruction, ran a club and ball manufacturing company and merchandised his equipment. He was a true steward of the game who later brought his trade back to St. Andrews, where he was instrumental in growing the game, mentoring future professionals, modernizing greenskeeping, and mentoring an up-and-coming course designer named Donald Ross. Other than a few whose stars shone bright, back in the day the golf professional was looked down upon as a second-class citizen. If you have been to Great Britain and particularly Scotland, you will notice how the pro shop is separate from the main clubhouse, which the professional was prohibited to enter. His shop was his domain for golf operations, ranging from starter to clubmaker to even his domicile in some cases. The clubhouse was for amateurs who could afford the extravagance of golf.  The golf professional’s role, however, of being the steward of the course and the game was not diminished. He was the person solely drawn upon for advice with all things golf, and this has held true until sometime in the 1980s. We are diminished folks, and I think it’s time we take back our stewardship. There is a reason I am writing this article, in which I will get to momentarily, but I must digress. The game grew throughout the ’80s and was becoming big business.  Golf carts, guest fee percentages, golf club storage fees, and sometimes the merchandise operation were stripped away from the professional as club management renegotiated contracts.  Smaller retainers and commissioned sales rates were offered for managing day-to-day golf operations, while the professional maintained all revenues derived from teaching and club repair. Moving forward, the business of golf today, although big, is specialized with thinner and thinner margins in all areas of the game. Competition for the golfer’s dollar is cutthroat, what with today’s difficult economy. Reinventing oneself to capture today’s audience, which is always looking for the latest and greatest while not discounting value for dollar, is no easy task.  Golfers are putting out their dollars in four distinct areas today: green/membership fees, equipment, instruction,  and travel.  Where do we fit in? If you’re not part of golf course management and are working within the “traditional” role as a golf professional, and I use the word traditional very lightly, you are earning a living with merchandising, and maybe travel, but more so instruction. Now, how competitive is the instruction market? Everyone and their uncle call themselves a golf instructor, and with all the free online video tips capturing an audience, it is not so easy. You know what makes it worse? It’s what spawned this article. FACE PAINT. That’s right, face paint! I’m sure you’ve seen the Taylor Made commercial and ads with various pros with their faces painted like warriors. To set the record straight, I have nothing against Taylor Made or their clubs. However, is this what the game has come to? Is this what we, the former stewards of the game, have let it become? Understandably, the golf professional no longer manufactures equipment, nor does he repair clubs, excluding the odd shaft replacement, lie and loft alterations, and changing grips. Golf professionals today are much more specialized, whether we like it or not.  We run tournaments and merchandise for a pittance and we teach. The problem is we are no longer perceived as stewards of the game, and we have no one to blame but ourselves.  We are no longer leaders; we are followers.  We grew the game from its infancy until we got run over by economics.  It was bound to happen. Many professionals went the route of club manager for a better paying position, and who would blame them? Now, there are but a few leaders in the industry to which the golfing public adhere: golf course operators, the media, and equipment manufacturers. Let’s get back to face paint, shall we? Golf professionals have become sheep following the herd. The manufacturers now dictate what the golfer needs. The golfer now believes that to play better he needs the manufacturer’s latest and greatest. The manufacturer tells the golf professional he/she needs to carry their clubs because of demand. The golfer demands the manufacturers clubs. The golf professional must carry the manufacturer’s clubs or he/she will lose a sale or a possible future client for lessons (maybe).  The golf professional’s margin on high-end clubs is razor-thin, but they are a loss leader. Without them in his/her shop, there is no hope of a client. What is wrong with the aforementioned picture? Simple: The manufacturers, starting with Callaway in the early 1990s, have dictated what the golfer needs. This is not to say they haven’t played a large role in improving the game via technology, but face paint?! Seriously? Are golfers now that stupid? Have we let them become that stupid? Are we that stupid for letting it get this far? Sorry for being blunt, but the short answer is a resounding yes! Business people with a vision placed the equipment manufacturers as the leaders within OUR industry. This IS our industry. WE started it, and through vision and passion built it. The real question that now confronts OUR industry (when I say OUR industry, I mean the industry of playing golf) is do we have the vision and the guts to become the stewards of the game once again? The almighty dollar is manipulating the perceptions of the amateur golfer.  We, however, as a like-minded group know better or at least should .Our role is to teach and not dictate. Our role is to lead and not follow. The future and integrity of our profession depends on us becoming stewards of the game once again.  I have a vision. Where are you, Old Tom? I’m calling on you.

18 Jan 2013 Corina Pelloni

Teach your students to make every course be thier favorite course

There’s an old saying in golf: “Different horses for different courses.” Some players just think and play better on certain courses.  This mental game principle fits Steve Stricker to a tee. Defending his crown, Stricker raced to a strong second-place finish at the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.  Stricker stated, “This is a special place to start the year.” Clearly, his enjoyment for the Plantation Course at Kapalua has propelled his play to great heights. Even with a pain racing down his left leg due to a pinched nerve, Steve proceeded to shoot a 69 on Sunday, and impressively, hit every green in regulation. But Steve Stricker is not unique in having a playing affair with a certain course.  Ben Hogan played so well at the Riviera Country Club that it has been dubbed “Hogan’s Alley.”  Pebble Beach holds the same magic for Mark O’Meara, who won the U.S. Amateur and five PGA Tour events there. Many factors influence why a certain course provides great play for a particular player. One is that the layout of the holes just fits a player’s eye.  If most of the holes go left to right, and your bread-and-butter shot pattern is a fade (for a righty), then this would make you feel very comfortable over every tee shot. Another factor is that some courses get the juices flowing more than others. I heard “Bones” (Phil Mickelson’s long time caddy) say how much his player loves Augusta National and gets amped up to play there. Perhaps that is a big reason why Phil has worn the “Green Jacket” three times (once at a fast food drive-thru with his family, but that is a different story). On the flip side, consider all-time great Lee Trevino, who’s won every major except the Masters. Trevino has stated that Augusta National and he were not a good fit. If he felt the love as Phil does for that “old nursery,” then he may have won there (and at least finished higher than a T10). What about your students? Do they talk themselves out of playing well on certain golf courses? Do they talk themselves into playing poorly on certain holes? It is really that simple. Self-talk has immense influence over the outcome of our efforts. You must convince you students to like every course, and every difficult hole. Remind them to enjoy the course with its wonderful layout and great greens. In that case, they will enjoy the course even more because they played so well. When they make every course their favorite, they will find their scores improve in return. Bio: Dr. Gregg Steinberg is a tenured professor of sports and has been the official sports psychologist for the United States Golf Teachers Federation for the past 15 years. Dr. Gregg has been the mental coach for many golf teams including the University of Florida 1993 NCAA Men’s Championship team. He also enjoys helping young golfers to “think better scores.” Golf Digest ranked him as one of the best golf psychologists. Dr. Gregg is the author of “Mental rules for Golf” and has appeared many times on Golf Channel.  You can see more about him at www.drgreggsteinberg.com and if you have any questions about the mental game, please e-mail him at mentalrules24@msn.com.

18 Jan 2013 Corina Pelloni

Play the front tees to go low

All players have a comfort zone when playing the game.  However, when you stray from the zone, say when you’re on pace to break 100 for the first time, or when you’re several under par early during a round, it’s easy to get nervous.  These emotions are natural, and it takes visualization and training to keep them under control.  There are several ways to do this when playing great golf.  One very successful drill I use with my students, to ensure a sense of calmness when entering the zone, is to play a few rounds from the front tees. When students play from closer tees, it helps them hit more greens in regulation, getting to par-5s in two and maybe driving some par-4 greens.  I want my students to have opportunities to get up and down for birdie, not par.  I want them to feel the excitement of draining a lot of putts inside 10 feet for birdie, not lagging from 40 feet.  The excitement which comes from consistent putting, translating into a low round, introduces positive nerves, which cements the experiences into memory recall.  Rather than reverting to the negative mindset of “don’t blow it,” the student can draw upon those positive memories and welcome an attitude of “how low can I go” to experience the thrill that only a great round provides. This aggressive behavior is beneficial in many ways.  The student won’t focus on the milestone that they are close to achieving.  It helps them focus solely on going lower, and not maintaining their current level of performance.  How many students have told you, “If I knew I could have made par on the last two holes, then I would have broken 100 for the first time”?  We want our students to think about making another birdie, making another par, not, “How much longer can I keep this up?” By playing more forward tees in practice rounds, your students will learn to shoot lower scores, and thus, you are training them to go low.  This will help keep your students calm when they are in the “zone,” allowing them to finish good rounds strong and turning great rounds into their best rounds!

7 Jan 2013 Corina Pelloni

Who is really to blame for slow play?

An issue that comes up constantly when the talking heads discuss the state of the game is slow play. I can understand when two professionals playing for millions of dollars take their time to complete a round of golf, but five to six hours for the rest of us seems a bit extreme. When I was a young lad caddying for my dad’s group, we always finished in 3 ½ hours. The last round I played with my regulars took 5 ½ hours. I’m not talking about guys who score in the 100s, either. The highest score was 83. So, what’s happened and who’s to blame? The knee-jerk reaction from most is always people are imitating the pros, taking numerous practice swings, or standing over a two-foot putt forever. In my observation over the years, however, rarely do I find the fault of slow play being caused by the players. When I play my local municipal course that has been in operation for close to 100 years, the 19^th hole is always less than four hours away. The number one culprit responsible for slow play these days is course design. My local muni length is 6,214 yards. The average newer course now stretches well over 7,000. That right there probably adds half an hour. Add in the eight or ten bunkers each hole seems to have, green speeds of 12 on the Stimpmeter, and another hour can easily be go by. Don’t forget the 300-yard cart drive often from one green to the next tee and several more minutes will ensue. Don’t just blame golfers for slow play. Sure, there are always some that are the cause, but for the most part lay it squarely on the shoulders of an industry that got out of control and an organization (the USGA) that failed to do a good job regulating the issue.

17 Dec 2012 Corina Pelloni

Golf…the team game

After 40 years of playing and watching golf, I am not fazed by much of what I see. But, the recent Ryder Cup was amazing. Watching talented athletes that were programmed to be independent from childhood become so emotional about a team competition was fascinating. They may have been playing for their country, but I think just as much or more they were playing for each other. These guys play against each other intensely all year, battling every week. Here they are, pulling so hard for each other, you could feel the tension and drama through the TV. It may not have turned out the way you wanted, depending on your nationality, but the competition was something to savor and appreciate. Most all of us that play or played the game seriously were drawn to golf because we were wired to think and react very independently to a greater extent than the average person. We rely solely on ourselves: Very disciplined, very self-motivated, answering to no one but ourselves. I have found most very good golfers are comfortable being alone, and can function well when left to rely on themselves. So, you have to ask yourself, why would these independent millionaires want to win so badly as a team?   They were jumping, hugging, completely exuberant, real and very genuine. Some of the European players that are so stoic on the tour turned into little kids on Christmas morning. I believe we are naturally drawn to community. No matter what you accomplish in life on your own, feeling part of a team that pulls together and wins together is a special feeling. Think about your most enjoyable rounds of golf. For a lot us, myself included, the rounds in which we had a partner and won were the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences the game could offer. I don’t think the nature of the game is that natural to most of us, simply because we are born to be part of a community. There is no doubt accomplishing something completely on your own is great, but being a part of a winning team can definitely be more satisfying. One of the most enjoyable memories of my life is a great example. Many years ago I worked at and managed a facility that had a lot of high school-age female athletes working in the restaurant. We had a natural rivalry with another facility not far away. At some point, the challenge of a softball game between the two facilities became a reality. The problem was this: They had eight guys and one girl. We had one guy – me – and eight girls. You most likely guessed the ending by now. We played great and my team of eight girls and I beat the almost-all-boy team. It was an incredible day. The rush of adrenaline during the game was exhilarating. The feeling of euphoria at the end of the game beat any feeling I ever had accomplishing something on my own. I could live to be 100 years old and I will never forget that feeling. Recently, I got paired in a competition with another golf professional. It was a better-ball match. I didn’t know this person well before we played, just a very recent acquaintance. The bond we created that day was remarkable. After just four hours on the course, I felt like I had known him for years. He calls me now occasionally for business reasons and we relive the round a little every time we talk. Yes, we mostly play golf for ourselves, but don’t ever underestimate the value and satisfaction of being part of a team.

17 Dec 2012 Corina Pelloni

To anchor or not…

We have come to the point that has been building for almost two years regarding whether belly or long putters will remain legal, or to be more specific, what constitutes a stroke according to the rules of golf. As has been the case with other rules changes, this is a reactionary change. It could be Sam Snead dropping putts from everywhere while straddling his putting line, or Johnny Miller going on and on during a broadcast about how much spin the tour players are getting out of the rough with the old grooves. Because of the recent success of a few tour players that use the longer putters anchored to the body, once again the USGA and the R&A have responded to the publicity. After over 120 years of golf in the modern era (post 1890), we are still defining what constitutes a stroke. Personally, I agree that tour players should not be allowed to anchor the club. My disagreement comes with the rules organizations not allowing for different rules for the average golfer. In a publicly released statement, the PGA of America has taken a strong position against the change based on the premise that we should not do anything to make the game more difficult because of the shrinking number of new golfers. My question is, why do the most talented players in the world, the elite few, have to play the same rules as Joe Hacker just trying to have fun playing the game? Every sport adjusts their rules to the competition. College football rules are different than NFL rules. Amateur baseball was different than Major League Baseball for decades because of the allowance of aluminum bats. Length of games, equipment, and many other differences exist depending upon the level of competition and talent in every sport. Why not pressure the tour into making the change on their own instead of rewriting the rule book for everyone? Or, write a separate rule book for competitive golf? The precedent was set already with the groove rule being implemented with different timetables between the competitive versus the non-competitive golfer. I have seen research done citing the lack of difference in putting stats with conventional versus anchored on the tour. The flaw in this research is that it only looks at stats on tour as a whole, lumping together all players. In other words, yes, maybe the percentage of missed 8-foot putts is the same, or the number of putts per greens in regulation is the same. But, what the research didn’t cite was the difference between a tour player that switched from conventional to anchored. In those cases, there are some dramatic improvements. Therefore, my contention is that it does make a difference. This is great for the average golfer who struggles to putt well, but it’s not a fair advantage for the millionaire tour player. To purists, the club should be controlled from both ends, grip and butt. The club should be swung as an extension of the arms freely away from the body. I completely agree with this argument for the tour player or high-level competitive golfer. But, I also agree with the PGA and others who say, why change something that might discourage participation among the masses? So, should we continue to teach juniors who have professional aspirations the conventional method? Of course. But, I am very confident there are not a lot of 40-year-old new golfers that will become tour players. Unfortunately, the average golfer will junk his belly putter and the image presented to the non-golfer is the same as it has always been – a bunch of stubborn old guys unable to see that we need to make the game easier for the average person, not harder. Although this may not be reality, perception is reality. So, the perception will still exist among the general public. When the image of the game is changed to be more inclusive and less stringent, maybe we will see growth in the game. In the meantime, let’s continue to make the game as difficult as possible for Joe Hacker. Why make it easy for him…golf is supposed to be hard, right?

28 Nov 2012 Corina Pelloni

Golf and the PGA tour are alive and well!

I remember at the start of this year that many sportswriters were saying that we need Tiger Woods back on his game, because golf has taken a big hit since he fell from his perch atop the golfing world.  Just take a look, however, at what has emerged in the last nine months or so. We’ve had two very solid golfers (Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy) from the UK that have dueled it out for the top ranking this entire year.  McIlroy has pretty much established himself as the best golfer on the planet now, and has in fact proven that his top ranking is something that he can handle, as he has played extremely well since becoming number one in the world. Except for Woods, there have been times in years gone by in which that ranking has caused its owner to get so distracted that his game would suffer to the point that we would see him go into hibernation and lose his top ranking in short order.  David Duval and Tom Lehman come to mind, but not so with Rory! We have the re-emergence of former top players like Ernie Els, Lee Westwood, Steve Stricker, and Zach Johnson.  There are young guns such as Ricky Fowler, Kyle Stanley, and Keegan Bradley, who are quickly showing that they figure into the mix.  Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh are too competitive to just let these young guns take over, though! Phil Mickelson has some huge distractions currently, but even when he is distracted, he is still a threat to win any tournament he enters.  Woods has learned to deal with what he created, and is definitely showing signs of getting his old game back. Additionally, we have several tour journeymen who are starting to come into their own.  Players like Hunter Mahan, Jason Dufner, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Carl Petterson, Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar, Louis Oosthuizen, and Webb Simpson.  Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia aren’t going to just sit back and watch these guys have all the fun! Although he is not what I would call flashy or exciting, Brandt Snedeker is now shaking up the golfing world, because he is not only a great putter, but also a very good ball striker.  The fact that he drove the ball as accurately as he did in the Tour Championship speaks volumes about his maturing process.  Snedeker seems to me to be the type of player that will be solid for many years to come. I submit to you that the PGA Tour is as competitive as it has ever been, and it is also replete with players who not only have the talent, but actually know how to win, even when the best players in the world are breathing down their neck. The PGA Tour next year should be a lot of fun! Good golfing!