Do You Have A Consistent Golf Swing On The Golf Course?
To continue reading this article from where you left off - Click Here
Why? Why? Why? – Why did I hit that shot? What was I thinking?!”
Have you heard that before? Well … who hasn’t let that pass through their lips after making a big
mistake that might leave you with a snowman (an 8) on the scorecard?
It’s like – “where was my brain?”
Listen – golf courses are often designed to test a Golfer’s
strategy versus being designed to test your golf swing. I’ll give you a perfect example: Tom Fazio has been heralded as quite possibly
the top golf course architect in the world since the early 1990’s. Yet, as far I can recall, you never see a Tom
Fazio course used for a major championship and rarely (if ever) used for a PGA
Tour event. Why is that?
Many Golfers find his golf courses very challenging yet the
Touring Pros would probably tear up many of his courses. Why is this?
I don’t believe most Fazio golf courses are designed to test
your golf swing as much as they are designed to test your strategy. **I’ll get back to the basis of the article in
a minute (this isn’t an article about Tom Fazio) – though I believe I can help
relate this to your golf game because most Golfers have played a Fazio golf
course** On most Fazio golf courses – he
leaves a lot of room off the tee to hit the golf ball and his greens are
notoriously large – which should make them both easier to hit.
Yet, even though Fazio fairways tend to be super wide – most
Golfers have trouble hitting his fairways. This is because a great designer like Fazio knows that the extent of strategy most Golfers can muster is limited to aiming to the middle of the fairway. So to defend his golf courses -
he creates angles and obstacles that make that more difficult to do. Or he designs a hole that allows you to
easily be in the center of the fairway – yet makes sure that being in the
center will make your shot to the green much tougher by toughening up the angle
for your next shot.
Yet, many Golfers don’t think this is necessary to know
until they become more consistent with their golf swing. Let me state it right here and now – if
that’s your philosophy: You’ll never be
consistent on the golf course because the challenges you face on each shot
directly influences the consistency of your golf swing!
Have you ever said – “Why can I hit the golf ball so much
better on the driving range than I can on the golf course?” Well if so – you better continue reading:
The above point directly relates to why you hit the golf
ball much better on the driving range than you do on the golf course. On the driving range you’re faced with just
raking over the next golf ball and concentrating on your golf swing - on
the golf course you’re faced with thinking about your golf swing in addition to
all obstacles that you need to avoid. Of
course it’s easier on the driving range – there’s nothing to worry about or
obstacles that need to be avoided.
Which brings up an interesting question: why does the
average Golfer struggle when they play a Tom Fazio course – yet, the PGA Tour doesn’t
usually play his golf courses?
A big part of that might be that the Pro’s would eat many of
those courses up. Not just because their
golf swing is better – but also because the strategy of the PGA Touring Pro is
usually far superior to the average Golfer. And I say this knowing that I’m going to hear many people say – “Well
yeah, their strategy is better because they can execute that strategy more
consistently because they have a better golf swing and know where the golf ball
is going.”
That’s agreed – to a point.
Certainly it’s easier to keep to a strategy when you’re in
better control of where your golf ball lands. However, whether you’re able to play to your strategy or not isn’t 100%
reliant on how consistent your golf swing is. Yet, on the golf course, your golf swing is just about 100% reliant on
having a strategy based on the level of your golf swing.
(Continued)
For example: I can
take a Golfer that averages 95 on their golf course and have them score 89
without helping them with their golf swing or putting stroke once during that
round. (Or a 105 Golfer and have them
score 99 – or an 85 Golfer and have them score 79). I’ve done it countless times
with Golfers I have worked with.
So if this is true – and it is: How can I do this? How can I help a Golfer instantly shave 6
strokes off their golf game (the first time meeting them) without once helping
them with their golf swing?
By helping that person understand what a good strategy for
their golf game should be. The average
Golfer’s strategy on the golf course is to hit the fairway on their tee
shot. Yet, their only strategy to do
that is to make a good golf swing. If
that’s your strategy – it’s no wonder why you’re only hitting 2 or 3 fairways a
round and losing golf balls left and right
The Touring Pros already have a good strategy or they
wouldn’t be on Tour. Yet, even in their
ranks – some Players have a better grasp of their strategy than others. For example: If you have ever attended a PGA Tour event and went to the driving range
to watch the Players warm-up – you have witnessed an amazing scene. There are 10 or 20 Golf Gods hitting the golf
ball with amazing accuracy, phenomenal distance and they all do so while
looking like there’s no possible way they could swing any smoother. And if they didn’t have their names on their
bags – you wouldn’t know the difference between someone ranked in the Top 10 in
the World vs. a Player ranked 250th in the world. Their golf swings and their ball flights will
look pretty equal – for most observers.
It would be like watching horses trotting around the race
track before going to the starting gate – you wouldn’t be able to handicap the
winner based on what you saw before the race!
Yet, one of those Players is going to be something like 7
under par for the first 2 rounds and one Player is going to miss the cut by
shooting something like 7 over par for the first 2 rounds. Yet, when you’re watching them on the range –
there was no way you could perceive that that one Player would shoot 14 strokes
higher in just 2 rounds – they both hit the ball so well.
Yes, putting could be a reason for the discrepancy in score
– though, strategy on the golf course most likely played a lot into it.
I read an interesting stat about Tiger the other day (by Jeff
Rude in Golfweek) – it said that Tiger has won a tournament 32 out of 38 times
when leading after 36 holes – that’s an astonishing 84%. For those that might think I’m being liberal
in my use of the word ‘astonishing’ – you must understand that the next closest
is Phil Mickelson at a simply outstanding rate of 59% (16 out of 27 times). Now my question to you is – which of those 2
Players has a better strategy on the golf course (especially on Sunday)?
BTW – Jack Nicklaus had a 51% rate of winning when leading
after 36 holes. So I don’t believe
‘astonishing’ or ‘outstanding’ is overdoing it.
How many times do you remember Mickelson being in the lead
and faltering down the stretch? Now,
some might say he forgot how to swing the golf club – I don’t buy that! He was playing great for 54 holes or so and a
Player of Mickelson’s caliber isn’t just going to lose his golf swing. How many times can you recall that Phil has
let it slip away over the back nine on Sunday?
I can remember at least 3 times were his strategy has come
under scrutiny. Now, how dare me to criticize
Mickelson! Trust me, this isn’t
criticism, that’s not my intent – he has the second best rate in
history! It’s just that even if you ask the casual golf fan what Golfer has
made questionable shots down the stretch – Mickelson’s name would probably come
up first. So please save your emails
accusing me of picking on Mickelson – I promise you I’m not.
And yet, what’s even more impressive with Tiger is that when
leading after 54 holes – he’s an unimaginable 46 out 49 in closing the deal. And as good as Tiger’s golf swing is – there
are others that are as good or very, very close to being just as good – yet
they don’t win (or come close to winning) nearly as much.
So what’s one of the factors that has contributed to Tiger
winning? Tiger knows his golf game
better than anybody else on the planet and is able to overachieve because he
can base his strategy on the course around his game.
How well do you know your golf game? It’s my belief that the fastest way to
eliminate Triple Bogeys is to know your golf game and to play a strategy that
will allow your golf swing to overachieve. Meaning that you will hit bad shots till the day you die – but if your
strategy was based on your swing faults – it limits those bad shots to making
Bogey (or Double Bogey at worst). And
I’ll go one step farther - because a Player has a strategy that is so strong
and built around their golf swing – a Player can still make Par after 2 bad
golf shots on a Par 4.
Whereas Triple Bogeys are made when a Golfer underachieves
with their golf swing. Meaning they hit a
bad shot and that bad shot puts you in a place that doesn’t allow you to make
anything better than a Triple Bogey (or Double Bogey if you’re lucky). And these Triple Bogeys can’t be blamed
entirely on one bad golf swing – there’s a lot more that goes into it.
What’s your strategy on the golf course? Is it to aim down middle of the fairway off
the tee because you don’t know if your golf ball is going to go left or right?
If so, you and I need to go out on the golf course for few
holes!
The Monkey says they’ll work on their strategy once they get
a consistent golf swing
The Player becomes consistent by having a strategy based on their
inconsistent golf swing
Go ahead, Be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life
Golf Made Simple, Inc. |
