-Never buy lunch again-
I work with golfers aspiring for Division 1 scholarships, professional golf careers, major championship glory, and a dump truck’s worth of cash, but… let me tell you… when someone takes lunch off their regular foursome in a typical Saturday game, I get just about as much joy, as their coach, as when one of my players qualified for the Masters.
Surprisingly (sarcasm), the skills needed to own your foursome aren’t the same as what’s needed to beat the best players in the world. It’s still competitive golf, but just as in poker, you play the opponent across from you, not the cards or the course. And the opponent across from you is very different than Rory McIlory.
Yes, if you want to improve in golf, globally, you need to get better at putting, chipping, ball striking and your mental game, but if you just want to beat the guy sitting on the other side of the cart, here’s what you actually need:
Learn to hate gimmes. Elite players don’t care about a gimme, inside-the-leather or good-good’s one single bit because they know they won’t miss a 3-footer until 2037, so learn to operate more like that. No more hoping it’s close enough for them to give you that head nod, no more hoping they measure with their putter, no more saying, “Hey, we both are close enough right?”
Yes, you might not currently feel overly optimistic if you needed to make a knee-knocker, but all you have to do is get more optimistic than the other guy. And that’s pretty simple.
Learn to aim it where you want to aim, start the ball somewhat online, and get a putter you trust to do both. The player who doesn’t blink wins the day.
“I think I’ll have the BLT please, on wheat bread.”
Master one chip shot. While Tiger had all the shots, and executed them under the most intense pressure, you don’t need that. You’re playing someone who works more in their garden than someone who actually practices short game.
You simply need to understand one type of shot, and get pretty decent at it. I recommend using a 58* or 60*, feeling most of your weight on your lead side, then rocking the shoulders back and forth, working to take a divot right underneath the golf ball, or just in front. It’s a simple shot, creates enough height and spin, and allows you to be aggressive down into the ground.
That should work for about 85% of your short game needs. If you need more variation for specific circumstances, you can adjust clubs, or open/close the club face, and then carry on as normal with the motion. That will capture another 10%. The remaining 5% just punt and move on to the next.
“Yes, could you add some extra chips to that sandwich…”
No complaining, but encourage their complaints heavily. Yes. There’s bad luck. Yes, you are likely having some. Yes, it’s not fair. (The game of golf rarely is.) But who cares. IF you were a little better, you might get to complain a little more. But in reality, it just doesn’t matter, and all griping takes your focus off what you can actually do well.
So stay locked in to the moment and the mission at hand.
WHILE at the same time, don’t hesitate to encourage your foe in their despondence. “Oh man, what a bad break, you sure can’t seem to catch one today.” “Sheesh, I’ve never seen anyone hit more lips than you are today. Huge bummer.” “I’ve seen a lot of good golf go unrewarded, seems like you’re just having one of those days.”
I’m in no way saying you need to needle or patronize, but if someone gives you an opportunity, allowing them to hang out in misery isn’t gonna go poorly for you.
“Do you guys have the frost blue Gatorade as well?”
The forgiveness of the course is bigger than your opponent realizes. Great players know that you don’t have to be perfect, lesser players think opposite. When I’m standing on a tee, I see how much available room there is that isn’t out-of-bounds. The 20 handicaps I play with, only see the trouble. Look for all the space!
That isn’t to say that there isn’t trouble, it just means that as long as you can find the golf ball, you can score well. And it doesn’t take that many good shots to make pars, or even a couple birdies in a round.
Let your counterpart worry about how small the hole is (you’re not going to try and make putts, your focus is now just starting it on-line and having good pace), let him worry about the bunker and water (you don’t mind bunkers because you know you can scramble well with your one-chip shot), and let him fret over all the bad breaks he’s getting (which you heartily concur with).
“Yeah, maybe make two of those please, I’ll take one home with me.”
Learn how to practice at home. This is MASSIVE. I didn’t realize just how much time I had to try and improve when I was playing professional. Now, as a working dad and father of three young ones, I have hardly any time to get meaningful practice—at the course.
However, at home, I have a couple minutes here and there to work on something in the mirror, or in the shower, or putting on the carpet.
You just have to know how to practice in a way that actually helps when it’s short and sweet and not at a golf course.
The keyword here is: FEEDBACK
Find drills that give you feedback on whether you do it right or wrong. If you’re gonna putt on the carpet, get a little tool to tell you if you started it online or not. If you’re gonna practice in the mirror, put painter’s tape on it and where your feet should go to make sure you’re in the right positions every single time.
These keep you moving forward efficiently, so that any minute you get to spend on your game isn’t wasted.
“Twenty-four bucks? Sure thing, put it on HIS tab.”
Is this list comprehensive as far as how to get better? Of course not. But these little tips will take you further down the road than your regular foursome group, and isn’t that basically the meaning of life? (Again, sarcasm.)
-Michael
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