SLO County Golf, Wine & Real EstateGolf, Wine & Real Estate News and Events Blog
Thankful for my round of Extraordinary GolfThursday, November 24, 2005 Yesterday - one day after reading Extraordinary Golf by Fred Shoemaker and four days after learning how to putt from Cypress Ridge PGA Director of Instruction, Jim DeLaby - I played my first round of extraordinary golf ever by shooting a 76 at Cypress Ridge Golf Course! Also extraordinary is that this 4-over par follows my most recent rounds of 88, 85 and 88. Although I have logged occasional rounds in the low 80's this year and even broke 80 once at an easier course, a 76 is a true breakthrough! This breakthrough certainly involved some extraordinary shots and putts, but resulted mostly from a change in mental attitude and perspective - learned this week from both Jim DeLaby and Fred Shoemaker. I maintained my energy level during the round using Jim's "sip and nibble" technique after every shot. I followed Jim's advice and let my thoughts and judgments about each shot go immediately after making them. I never got discouraged after a bad shot. I never let myself think about results during the round. I stopped all the "what if" thoughts and played the round one shot at a time. I stuck with my pre-shot routine, focused on the target during each shot, and visualized my shots and putts. I stilled myself before each shot, visualized the ball on its way to the target, and let her rip. I kept thinking about the subtitle of Fred's book... "the art of the possible"... I really beleived it was possible to make this shot, sink this putt, or shoot a good round, but also remained detached about the results. I simply managed my mental game better than ever before and for the first time, had confidence in my putting. Although I tallied 34 putts for the round and 3-putted 1 green, I hit 12 greens in regulation - a personal record - and saved a lot of pars and bogies with good putts. I only hit 5 fairways, but didn't have a single double bogie! On both nines, I shot 3 bogies, 5 pars and 1 birdie. The highlights of the round were the two birdies. I cut the dogleg on 7 landing my drive just left of the fringe and then 2-putted. I finished the round by hitting the green on 18 on my second shot with a beautiful 5-wood over the lake from 215 yards out, then left my eagle putt 1/2 inch from the cup! I also made some great recovery shots. After duffing my second shot from the rough on 9, I then clobbered a 3-wood, leaving the ball just short of the par-5 green from 240 yards out. I then chipped and putted for par. On 12, I pushed my drive slightly right into some clumpy grass next to a tree, but nailed an 8-iron and landed the green. I also hit an errant drive on 16, leaving the ball by the cart path left of the trees lining the fairway, but hit my best 7-iron ever through some trees, landing the green directly behind the pin. So, what made this possible? Actually, several factors contributed - very effective lessons by Jim DeLaby at Cypress Ridge Golf Academy; several books including Extraordinary Golf by Fred Shoemaker, and a little dose of practice. After taking up golf several times over the last three decades and hitting a wall at 80 each time, I decided last month that it was time for my first lesson. I've resisted taking lessons all these years since I honestly thought I could figure it all out on my own, I didn't want to start thinking about technique and figured if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, it wasn't broke, but it needed a tune-up. With a little investigation, I quickly found several golfers who highly recommended Jim DeLaby, PGA Director of Golf Instruction at Cypress Ridge Golf Academy and Two-time Teacher and Club Fitter of the Year for the PGA of Southern California Northern Chapter. These golfers convinced me that Jim wouldn't change every aspect of my swing, but help me instead to identify and improve problem areas. That's what I was looking for. In my first lesson, Jim started by finding my natural "grip print". Instead of teaching the standard grip where you're told you should see two knuckles on your upper hand and that the lines formed by your thumbs and index finger should point to your armpits, Jim teaches that we each have a unique natural "grip print", easily determined by letting your arms hang naturally to your side. Finding my correct grip helped correctly position my hands in front of the ball and immediately improved my ball striking in both distance and accuracy! The next step was finding my "foot print". Again, Jim helps you find your natural stance instead of forcing your toes to be square or slightly open. This natural stance is much like that used when fielding a grounder in baseball or defending a player in basketball. Finding your own unique "foot print" not only helps improve your swing, but helps prevent back injury. Once my stance and grip were fixed to fit my body, Jim then spent the next lesson teaching me an effective pre-shot routine including a grip test and alignment and mental preparation. This also had immediate results, improving both consistency and shot accuracy. I then attended two of Jim's Saturday Clinics with other golfers. Since Cypress Ridge Golf Course is among the hilliest, Jim provided tips on balance and ball position for hitting from hilly lies in the first clinic I attended. Now, instead of aiming right on uphill lies or left on downhill lies, I can aim right at the target with confidence. In the second clinic, Jim fixed my most glaring problem - my putting. He immediately discovered that I'd never been "fitted" for my putter and took me right over to his workbench to bend the putter to get the correct lie. He then showed me how to let my arms to hang naturally while putting, resulting in putts that actually started going in the direction I intended them too! This took all of 5 minutes. Putting was without doubt, the weakest part of my game. I was constantly changing my stance, grip, and stroke. But nothing worked. I had no confidence over the ball when putting. After spending only 30 minutes practicing my new putting stroke, I got the hang of it and quickly gained much more confidence putting. To my amazement, in only two short lessons and clinics, Jim helped me improve my grip, stance, hand and ball position, pre-shot routine, and putting stroke - all without once mentioning or changing my existing swing! My swing improved automatically, just by finding my natural grip print and foot print! I then had the privilege of playing a round of golf with Jim after the last clinic. I can't stress enough how effective Jim's on-course instruction is. Not once did he point out a technical problem in my swing, but instead focused on the mental game, the importance of proper nutrition and exercise, and adherence to a strict pre-shot routine. Jim stated simply that when your energy level is high, you make good shots and when its low, you make bad shots. He suggested I "sip and nibble" after every shot. By taking a sip of water and nibble from an energy bar of bag of nuts after every single shot, he indicated that your energy would stay more consistent throughout the round, resulting in more consistent shots. Another key to maintaining energy is not to waste it. Reacting to shots - good or bad - wastes energy. Taking extra practice swings - before or after the shot - wastes energy. He showed us how to simply take a shot or make a putt, and immediately let go of any judgments and instead start preparing for the next shot - and breathe. Jim stessed the importance of visualization and imagery. Before each shot or putt, visualize the desired flight of the ball or the roll of a putt. If a poor shot or putt was made, he suggested we immediately reload our brain (neurons) with the image of our best shot ever. Don't dwell on the bad shot. Lastly, Jim watched to make sure I stuck to our pre-shot routine, which includes gripping the club, testing the grip, taking a practice swing, choosing and focusing on the target, taking your stance over the ball, visualizing the target and ball flight, and letting it rip. He then suggests you retest your grip after the follow through to make sure it didn't slip. Several books I've read recently, including Extraordinary Golf, significantly changed my mental game and approach to golf in general. Fred Shoemaker really helped me quit having expectations and focusing on results, but to instead enjoy the experience and natural surroundings. Fred points out the importance of using the time spent between shots (95% of the time spent on the course) constructively, and on the importance of concentration and visualization during setup and the actual swing (the other 5% of the time). I'm learning from Fred, the "art of the possible" and to truly enjoy the experience, regardless of results. Interestingly, this approach results in better scores. Another book I found very helpful is Dr. Bob Rotella's "Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect." This book helped me learn to focus on the target instead of the bunker, the lake, the tree, etc., and how to control and improve my thoughts during the round. Bob stressed the importance of letting go of expectations, being decisive, focusing on the target, envisioning your shot, and shooting the best score possible with the swing you bring to the course each round. Bob instructs you to decide how you're going to think before a round, and to do it on every shot. I also found Deepak Chopra's "Golf for Enlightenment" helpful in learning to still the mind, being mindful during each shot, being detached about results (and winning), letting go of all need to control, and that there is an unbroken connection between what you desire and its outcome. So, this Thanksgiving, I'd like to thank Jim DeLaby and these authors, who have helped me perform beyond my expectations! Happy Thanksgiving. |
|
