The Perfect Saturday!

Post by Sam Adams.

If You are Thinking of Taking Lessons.....

 

Finding a Good Instructor/Coach

The major reason it is difficult to find good golf instruction today is that instructors/coaches are not ranked by results.  The PGA, Golf Digest, no one does this.  What we need is an “Angie’s List” for golf professionals.  This may be why eighty percent of golfers don’t take lessons.  I’m sure it is at least a factor.

At this point word-of-mouth is all we have.  If you are thinking of taking lessons, you need to do some research before you pay your hard earned money to someone.  The good ones will have no problem with this.  If they are offended by your questions then move on.  You would be wasting your money with them anyway.

Here are a few points to consider before signing up with someone:

·         If they try to sell you a package up front there is a problem.  If I haven’t worked with someone at least once I have no idea how many lessons they will need.  Packages are not bad unless you are being asked to sign up for one initially.

·         If they do split screen video comparing your swing to some tour player you need to ask for your money back.  This is what I and my friends refer to as “Let me show you how many ways your swing sucks” school of instruction.

·         The real red flag is do they teach a method?  Every instructor should have a method of teaching but should never teach a method.  It’s like saying “One size fits all”.  No method fits everyone.  People and golf swings are individual.

Here’s what to expect from a good instructor/coach on the first lesson:

·         Introduction. Students are often intimidated by PGA pros, so he or she should try setting the student at ease and developing a rapport prior to the session. This leads to more effective communication between the teacher and the student.

·         They will want background information. This information includes: Previous golf and sports history; previous injury history; simple movement screens to detect physical limitations; occupation; previous instruction history; goals for golf.

·         They will want specific golf information. This includes: examination of the golfer's equipment; ball flight characteristics; determining how far the golfer hits each club; strengths and weaknesses in the various aspects of golf; practice habits; motivation for playing golf (i.e., competition vs. hobby vs. spouse activity, etc.); motivation for taking golf lessons.

·         A good instructor will form a personal relationship with you and be personally interested in your success.

The real art of instruction is figuring out what is integral to each players swing and knowing that you should not try to change that.  You have to work around it and help them become the best they can be with the swing they have.  If you know someone who does this, please let me know.  I want to promote them to everyone.

There is good news though.  There is a growing number of instructors out there that will help you simplify what you need to do and will help you maximize your swing and ability – not remake your swing in their image of what it should like.  It’s just difficult to find them because they don’t get much publicity.

One word of caution – if you try to go it alone, keep this in mind.  If you Google golf instruction, golf tips, how to fix a slice, etc. you will get a huge selection.  One reason for this is people that these people are in it for the money and not to actually help golfers.  You are bombarded by emails and infomercials telling you that if you buy this DVD or training aid, this book, etc. your game will dramatically improve and each one is telling you a different secret.  They have tour players and ex-tour players swearing its some type of breakthrough.  I hate to tell you, but virtually all of them are all scams.  Nobody has the secret because there is no secret.  They are simply trying to make money off you regardless of what they tell you in their video.  Anyone that appears on the first page of Google results has an ulterior motive or they wouldn’t go to that much trouble to get that highly ranked.

If you have questions or would like to get in touch with me just click on this link.  You can also see some of my other writing at www.Golficity.com. 

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The difference-making shot in Phil and Keegan's win over Rory and Sergio

Today 9:55AM ET

News & Tours

The difference-making shot in Phil and Keegan's win over Rory and Sergio

By Jim Moriarty

GLENEAGLES, Scotland -- Keegan Bradley's eagle on the 16th might have been the momentum swing that put the U.S. on the path to stealing a full point in Friday morning four-ball, and in the process taking down Captain Tom Watson's No. 1 target of value, the world's best player, Rory McIlroy. But Bradley's third shot on the 18th was nearly as crucial in a intricuate, match-play sort of way. McIlroy and Bradley both hit their drives well left on the final hole with their respective partners, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson, perfectly positioned in the fairway. McIlroy drew a horrendous lie and could only manage to leave himself a lengthy third shot into a tightly tucked pin. Bradley, however, was able to get a fairway metal on his ball, and his second shot finished just short of the bunkers fronting the green. Both were equally horrible tee shots, but had critically different outcomes.

When it came time for Garcia and Mickelson to play, Garcia lost his approach right into the rough while Mickelson hit a low, boring 4-iron into the front bunker. McIlroy's third, then, found the bunker, too, while Bradley's pitch over the bunkers finished five feet right of the hole. Advantage U.S.

Because Bradley was already in tight for birdie, and Mickelson was lying 2 in the bunker, Garcia was forced to attempt a perfect shot from a difficult lie. It came up scarcely a foot short and fell diabolically back into the bunker. With the Europeans now struggling to make a par, Mickelson delivered a beautiful, high bunker shot to three feet. As it turned out, that was critical as well, as Bradley would miss his birdie but Mickelson would roll his in to secure the win and give  Americans the 2 1/2 to 1 1/2 edge in the opening day's morning session.
People like to talk about the vagaries of match play, but it's the nuances that are equally intriguing.

Photo: Getty Images

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Top dog Phil Mickelson revels in Tiger Woods' Ryder Cup absence

PHIL MICKELSON carried the look of a man who was revelling in his role as America's top gun yesterday - and he could not help himself in firing off a round in Rory McIlroy's direction.

By: Neil Squires at Gleneagles

Published: Thu, September 25, 2014

Phil Mickelson is the USA's most experienced player at Gleneagles[GETTY]

 

Mickelson's barbed remark about the world No1's legal dispute with Graeme McDowell may or may not have been prompted by McIlroy's recent observation that the 44-year-old is on the closing holes of his career.

But, if it was instead aimed at re-opening old wounds within Europe's camp, it certainly carried extra weight delivered by the self-appointed senior spokesman of the United States team.

With no Tiger Woods in the side, Mickelson has lost his competition for the alpha male role in the American team room at Gleneagles. With his five Majors, he is the go-to guy for the other 11 and that is just how he likes it.

Matt Kuchar told a revealing story this week on how Woods's absence has altered the dynamic within the American team room.

It was intended to be light-hearted but it shone a bright light on how Mickelson is freed up by the injury to his career-long rival.

"Phil Mickelson throws down the ultimate gauntlet when he doesn't have a comeback to whatever you've said. He just says: 'Well, I've won so many Majors. Suck on that,'" said Matt Kuchar.

"He can only say that if Tiger's not around. He kind of has to look over both shoulders and make sure because then Tiger gives him his number."

Fourteen is a mighty big number.

For all their forced bonhomie on the ping-pong table, Mickelson and Woods just do not go together at Ryder Cups. Hal Sutton's decision to pair American golf's two biggest names in 2004 proved a disaster.

It was as if two like poles of a magnet had been placed alongside each other.

He was forced to split them up after successive defeats to Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington and then Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood.

If looks could kill, Mickelson would have been reduced to a pile of dust by Woods's glare when he put his drive out of bounds at the 18th at Oakland Hills in the foursomes and handed Clarke and Westwood victory.

Like Woods, Mickelson's relationship with the Ryder Cup has by and large been painful.

For all the personal thrill of an unbeaten rookie week in 1995 at Oak Hill when Bernhard Langer and Seve Ballesteros were among his scalps, it has been a largely uphill struggle.

Two wins in nine contests, the most recent of which came in Woods's absence in 2008, is a poor return.

Things were looking up at Medinah two years ago as his partnership with the human lightning bolt Keegan Bradley delivered three wins in three matches, including a 7&6 humbling of Westwood and Luke Donald.

But then Justin Rose putted the lights out on the closing holes to beat him in their Sunday singles match, Europe won by a point and his story of Ryder Cup despair had another chapter added.

"I would like to improve my record. That's certainly a goal. It doesn't take much to improve my winning percentage, I'll say that," said Mickelson.

"But I've got a good partner that I'm going to play again with in Keegan. I don't think I'm letting go of any secrets there. We seem to have a good partnership and he brings out some of my best golf so I'm very optimistic that I can improve on my record.

"Certainly we are the underdog this time. But what we do have is a great group of 12 guys that really enjoy each other's company, have a lot of fun together, and are hopeful of bringing our best games to Scotland because we are going to need it to make it a tight race on Sunday."

Mickelson (centre) is seen as the leader among players of this USA Ryder Cup team [GETTY]

Since their respective seasons ended early with elimination from the FedEx Cup play-offs, Bradley has been revving Mickelson up by sending him video clips of their Medinah triumphs. Evidently, it has worked.

"It's fun to see his texts back," said Bradley. "We just keep telling each other that there's no one we'd rather be out there with than each other. We're just both super, super excited.

"He's clearly been working back home. He's playing great and he's motivated to win this Ryder Cup."

Motivation comes from many sources. On Tuesday evening, while the Europeans were listening to Sir Alex Ferguson, the USA team had an audience with Noah Galloway and Josh Olson, two American servicemen wounded in Iraq.

It was, thankfully, not a military battle cry but a talk about what was possible from a position of adversity from men who have lost limbs but run marathons.

"Josh and Noah gave two of the best speeches that we've had," said Mickelson.

"We're playing a game and we are trying to overcome challenges to succeed in a game. These two gentlemen have overcome some of the greatest challenges that any individual could deal with in life.

"They're dealing with loss of limbs, they're dealing with near-death experiences, they're dealing with life challenges, and they're overcoming those challenges. We, as players, found this to be very inspirational because of the challenges they're overcoming.

"It makes the challenge of overcoming an incredibly strong European team seem not as great a challenge."

Spoken like a true leader.

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11 reasons why Europe will win the Ryder Cup (and 11 more the U.S. could win)

Today 3:49PM ET

News & Tours

11 reasons why Europe will win the Ryder Cup (and 11 more the U.S. could win)

By John Huggan

Picking the winner of any Ryder Cup shouldn't be so difficult, of course. There's only two teams -- so a 50-50-chance of choosing correctly. It's an even money bet. But it's tougher than that. Take the last two matches. Both won narrowly by the European squad, both could just as easily have gone the other way. Invariably, it's too close to call with any certainty. And this one looks like being just as competitive.

So some thoughtful, intelligent and logical analysis is required. Or, instead, 11 top-of-the-head reasons why each side could, should or might win the 40th episode of golf's most eagerly anticipated biennial series at Gleneagles over the next three days. Here goes.

 

WHY EUROPE WILL WIN

1) World number five Henrik Stenson is back for the first time since 2008. That's a pretty potent addition to a team that has won seven of the last nine Ryder Cups.

2) The best American golfer is absent. No Dustin Johnson is a huge and potentially fatal blow to the visitor's cause.

3) While it is true that a few of the Euros will be seeing the PGA Centenary Course for the first time in more than a wee while, the vast majority of the Americans will be casting their eyes over it for the first time ever. That's an edge. Not a big edge, but an edge nonetheless.

4) Four of the top-six players on the planet will be wearing Europe's colors this week. One of the top-six will be playing for the US.

5) The Caledonian crowd will be cheering very long and very loudly for the home side. Hey, we need a break from that Referendum stuff.

6) Paul McGinley has more assistants than does Tom Watson. So there.

7) The best golfer in the world is playing for Europe.

8) Stephen Gallacher is Scottish. As will be most of the spectators. (See 5)

9) Based on his play for most of this year, Sergio Garcia looks like he is (finally) making putts.

10) The highest-ranked American in the team has not won a tournament in four years.

11) The Europeans always win.

WHY THE US WILL WIN

1) No cigar-puffing Michael Jordan, who last time tried to distract Ian Poulter. And we all know what happened then. The big dope.

2) The law of averages is on America's side. I mean, this can't go on forever can it? Can it?

3) No Tiger. The only time America has emerged victorious in this century, Woods was notably absent.

4) Rickie Fowler, patriotic haircut and all, is in town. At the end of a breakout year, he is a young man on the rise. And, as his Walker Cup record clearly shows, he is no dud when it comes to match play.

5) Jim Furyk is really pissed off. As he should be after losing the last two holes at Medinah to a brace of Garcia pars.

6) The course might be located in Scotland. But it plays like it is in Seattle.

7) Patrick Reed might just be right (top-five player).

8) The Scottish crowd will become confused by the presence of someone called "Jimmy Walker" and begin cheering for the "wrong" team.

9) If Jordan Spieth really is going to become a truly great player, now would be as good a time as any to prove it.

10) Tom Watson never loses in the Ryder Cup, not as a player or a captain. Never. And certainly not in Scotland.

11) As the late tennis great Vitas Gerulaitis might have said: "No one beats America eight times out of ten."

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Throwback Thursday: Cool retro images from the last time the Ryder Cup was in Scotland!

Throwback Thursday: Cool retro images from the last time the Ryder Cup was in Scotland

By Cliff Schrock

Forty-one years ago, the United States Ryder Cup team met Great Britain & Ireland at Muirfield, in Scotland. Surprisingly, the matches haven't been back to the home of golf until this week ... way too long a gap.

We took a look at some images from that Ryder Cup, won by the U.S. over the then Great Britain & Ireland squad, 19-13. 

This year's decidedly underdog American team could use imposing figures such as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. In 1973, Arnie and Jack played two matches together, finishing with a 1-1 record. 

There might not be a more dreadful example of a Ryder Cup clothing mistake than what the 1973 Great Britain & Ireland team wore. At least the players fit the times, looking a lot like most guys did in the 1970s, especially those going to a senior prom: white suits with wide lapels. And if you think the guy in the front row, fourth from the left, looks like Miguel Angel Jimenez (aka The Most Interesting Golfer in the World), you would be partially right. He does look like the Spaniard, but this was Bernard Hunt, an Englishman and a non-playing captain.

 

 

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Finally someone agrees with me on Tiger and swing coaches.

Post by Essentially Golf.

A fantastic analysis of #JackNicklaus the golfer and the person! Must read.

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5 things to talk about with your buddies on the course this weekend

Post by Essentially Golf.

Think Your Way to Playing Better Immediately

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This week’s article is based on the premise that the body responds to the thoughts that are going through your mind.

The major reason that golf is difficult to learn is that the ball sits still and it gives you time to think. Other sports where a ball is involved, such as tennis and baseball the ball is in motion and you simply react to it.  A batter in baseball does not make a conscious decision to swing the bat. He simply focuses on the ball and let’s his body react. In golf, the ball sits there waiting for the brain to decide what to do and when.

This concept is important, even at the beginner level. The brain says hit the ball and the body responds. The ball may only move a few feet, but the body was successful. The instructions were to hit the ball – contact was made.  One of the biggest challenges for a beginner is the desire to help the ball get up in the air which is impossible.

The brain also only responds to the last thought - sometimes known as the” little voice”. The brain does not respond well to negatives. The thought “don’t hit it in the water on the right” will not and cannot produce a good swing. It produces a negative or defensive swing. The result is never a good shot.  The “little voice” is negative by default unless you override it with a positive thought.  It is essential that you focus on what you want to happen rather than on what you don’t want to happen. The only good shots come from positive swing thoughts.

It is much easier to change your golf swing by changing what you are thinking.  You need to examine what your brain is telling your body to do.  Are there so many thoughts it gets confused?  Concentrate on one positive thought.  A good instructor or coach will find out what is going on inside your head.  I have found over the years that the things that need changing are most often things that the student is trying to do because of bad information.  What you believe about how to swing the club correctly is often what is holding you back.

Learning to swing at the target, rather than the ball will solve a multitude of swing problems.  Concentrating on trying to control the club at impact will create a multitude of swing problems.

I always ask my students “What is the one thing you are taking away from our lesson today?”  I find this necessary because what I think I am saying and what they are hearing me say are often two very different things. 

Just remember that you can only handle one swing thought at a time and it has to be positive to drown out the “little voice”.

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Post by Essentially Golf.

Good article on Cherry Hills and the BMW Championship.

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