The Golf Swing Blog - Golf Instruction and Golf Lessons for Golfers

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Are you sick and tired of going into each new golf season with high expectations and then ending your season not reaching your goals? Then you promise yourself that you're going to work hard during the winter to work on your grip, your swing plane, keeping your head still. And every year around this time I get the same emails - "Marc, where I live I can't play during the Winter, but I want to be ready for the spring. What can I practice inside my garage during the Winter?"

There's Nothing!

Don't practice anything. There's really nothing you can do in your home without hitting golf balls to improve your game.....except, maybe doing some push-ups or some sit-ups or some core training!

Working on your swing in your house without hitting golf balls or let me rephrase that by saying - without hitting golf balls and being able to see the flight of the golf ball isn't going to help you. Or worse - it could be an incubator of the infamous "Fiddling Disease!" Have you ever had "Fiddling Diease"?

It's not a pretty sight!

The best athletes rest when their season is over. They don't practice for a few months after their season. They take time to refresh their minds and their bodies!

For example - When Football season is over here in America towards the end of January (or December if you're an Arizona Cardinals fan) - what do the football players do until training camp opens up in the summer? Do they go home and "Fiddle" with the way they play their position? No! So what do they do? They try to forget about football for a few months!

But they also put a premium on getting in better physical shape for the upcoming season because they know that the stronger and more flexible they become, along with using their new found strength to improve their balance - the better the Player they will become once they get back on the field.

And this is what you should do!

Though Golfers feel as though they always need to be doing something with their swing. And that thought process of always thinking you need to be doing something with your swing will cause more bad than good. It causes you to develop more bad habits than gain good habits. And if you're working on your swing inside without seeing the flight of your golf ball - how do you know that what you're working on is helping? I don't believe you can feel a good swing. You can't swing a club and say "That's it! I got it!" You can only say "that's what I want in my swing" after you see the flight of your golf ball and see it go in the direction you want it to go!

But back to training your body.

For example - if Tiki Barber (running back of the Giants football team) two years ago at the age of 28 decided that if he needed to get to the next level and be the best Player he could become, he needed to get stronger and more powerful - couldn't you do the same? Of course your program wouldn't need to be as intense as his, but couldn't you do just 5 push-ups and sit-ups a night? Now Tiki is a guy who was in phenomenal shape before he started his transformation, but knew he needed to get in better shape to play better football. And if he needed to do that at 28 years old - why not you at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 or 90 years old!

If working out just a little helped someone who already was in superior shape to play better their next season (Tiki set a record for running backs) - wouldn't you think that someone that wasn't in "superior" shape see some benefit to their golf game if they did more than they're doing now?

Listen, my life is golf. Everything I do, every day of the week is devoted to golf. I talk golf with people from all over the world everyday of the week. So I don't believe that someone truly wants to improve their golf game until I see them doing some push-ups.

I hear more stories about how to improve and what people are working on from Golfers from 5 continents everyday. "I'm working on sliding my left thumb over to the right about a 1/2 inch and extending it a little" - "I'm trying to come through impact with a straighter left knee so that I hit against a strong left side" - "I'm trying to block the water hazards out of my mind. If I can close my eyes and click my heels together three times and say there's no water, there's no water, there's no water - I think it will stop the ball from going into the water."

What's stopping you from doing a few push-ups at night before going to bed? Do you think it'll be worthless and wouldn't help your golf swing? Believe me - it'll do more for your golf swing than hitting balls into a net in your garage!

Listen, I'm no Arnold Schwarzenegger - but there's no doubt that my ball striking (the accuracy and distance I hit the golf ball) has improved dramatically over the last two years and that's with me playing less golf than I have ever played! And there's no doubt in my mind it's because my body is stronger. My forearms are stronger. My shoulders are stronger. My core is stronger.

And this allows me to be more flexible because my muscles are allowing me turn my shoulders and hips more effectively while being able stabilize my balance to produce more consistent swings.

Name an athlete that's successful that doesn't do at least a few push-ups a week. Don't say John Daly! Here's a guy that has as much talent as anybody else out there - yet is having his worst year ever. And it may be a coincidense that he's also in the worst physical shape that he's ever been in.

So the Golfer that says "I want to improve my game" - doesn't really want to improve until they improve their strength and flexibility. Don't think about it as a whole different activity. Think about it more like - for every push-up you do is equal to about 5 golf swings. If you do 5 push-ups - it's equivalent to hitting 25 golf shots with a perfect swing.

Tiger became dominant after he got in better shape. Annika became dominant after she go in better shape. Are you ready to get prepared to play your best golf ever? Use you time away from the golf course to work on yourself as opposed to working on your swing.

The Monkey has good intentions to work on their swing, but good intentions turns into "Fiddling"

The Player knows that if they work on their body, they improve their swing

Go ahead, be a Player!

Regards,

Marc Solomon - Your Instructor For Life

To listen to this Golf Improvement Weekly as opposed to just reading it to yourself - click here and you'll be able to hear Golf Improvement Weekly through your computer. You'll be able to hear the voices of Golf Made Simple presenting Golf Improvement Weekly with even more enthusiasm than can come through just reading the words to yourself!

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Your Warm-up to play golf can be such an over-looked aspect in how you play on the golf course. Many Golfers take it for granted how vital the process of warming-up can be to your results on the golf course.

And although there are many types of Golfers that play many different styles of golf on the course - there aren't many different styles of warming-up that are exhibited by everyday Golfers. By my count there are basically 4 different styles of Golfers for warming-up besides the GMS Golfer style.

We have the group that goes to the Driving Range to warm-up that starts with their Pitching Wedge - hit a few balls to loosen up their muscles; then move onto their 7 Iron to hit 8 or 9 shots to a green out in the distance; then move onto their 5 Iron for 6 or 7 shots to another green; and finally onto their Driver for an immeasurable number of shots that's based on a complicated algarythm that includes factors such as how you're hitting the golf ball, are you trying out a new Driver and how much time you have before your tee time.

The next group who gets to the range 90 minutes early and brings virtually their whole bag up to the bag stand on the range. They want to warm-up using every club in their bag before going out on the golf course. So they start with their Sand Wedge and work their way through their Irons onto their Fairway Woods and Hybrids as they work their way up to their Driver.

And of course we have the group of Golfers that's always rushing to the golf course to make their tee time. This group checks-in with the Golf Shop, trots down to the Driving Range with their Driver and just starts "slapping away" at ball after ball - as their Playing Partners are constantly yelling in hushed tones - "Billy, we're next on the tee. Come on, let's go, they're calling us." That's most often followed up by an "Alright, just one more swing" - which is repeated after the next six shots.

Then there's also the group that doesn't even go to the Driving Range at all before playing - but let's just leave them alone. They have enough troubles!

Which group are you? Or have you started your own Group?

The issue that troubles me with all the above groups isn't the order you hit your clubs or which clubs you hit or how many balls you hit with each club. That's a preference that every Golfer should be allowed to choose during their warm-up.

The issue that troubles me is what are you trying to accomplish during your warm-up?

Most Golfers are just trying to "loosen up" or "get the feel of my swing" or "trying to find my tempo" or "everybody else goes to the range, so I figure I should do the same" or the classic "if range balls are included in the green fee I'll hit'em, if they're not - I'll go to the putting green."

So what should you be doing on the Driving Range before you go out on the golf course to play? You should be getting focused on your PLAN. What's your PLAN for the day?

Well I believe your PLAN should be about your ball-striking.

Yet when most Golfers go out to warm-up, they're working on their swing. Listen, if you're working on your swing before you go out to play a round of golf - you're probably not going to have a good round of golf! And I know most people reading this won't understand what I just wrote because this is what they've always done before a round. They're out there trying this and trying that. Trying to find some magical move they can develop in the next 3 minutes before they tee up their ball on the first tee box - so they can hit the ball straight and be able to get through the round without making too many bad shots.

The Monkeys I see warming up before a round of Golf are doing just that. They're working on their Golf Swing - making adjustments, "Fiddling" with their grips, along with trying to figure out if they're taking the club too far outside as they swing the club back. They're jumping back and forth between different ideas that they've read and heard and then they hope. And hope?

Yeah, and hope that whatever they figure out will work for them in a few minutes!

The Players I see aren't concerned with their full swing mechanics. They take very few full swing shots as they warm-up before a round of golf. They're more concerned with Impact - Ball-striking. So they're focused on shots that require less than full swings. These Players could care less what's happening at the top of their backswing - they're more concerned with what's happening at the bottom of their swing - what's happening at the ball!

There are hundreds of Golfers that have come to see us that now warm-up using our "Left-Right Warm-up Drill". There are hundreds of Golfers that now warm-up with our "100 Yard Driver Drill" to promote solid contact with the golf ball. So as a GMS Golfer is working on impact (solid contact with the golf ball) by focusing their thoughts 100% on getting the club to the ball - The Monkey next to our GMS Golfer is out there hitting ball after ball and possibly getting more and more confused about their swing after each shot!

And I believe that's one of the main reasons we're seeing so many Golfers get better on the Golf Course. Our Golfers are just more focused on simple thoughts like impact and "Tick Tock" when they make the walk to the first tee. The last thing on a GMS Golfer's mind on the golf course is the position of their clubface at the top of their backswing or if they're taking their golf club 4 degrees too much to the inside on the way back or are they using too much right hand on the downswing.

I believe what makes our GMS Golfers play better on the golf course is what they're focused on before stepping on the first tee! And what they're focused on is influenced by how they warm-up. If you haven't been to Golf Made Simple and been given a Wam-up PLAN - how have you come up with the way you're currently warming-up?

Most likely you're doing what you're doing because you're doing what you've seen other Golfers doing. And that - "follow the other Golfer's lead mentality" is what we call being a Monkey. You don't know if it's the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do - you're just doing it because everybody else is doing it! And you continue to do it even though it's not working for you and it's not working for them - but at least you're doing what everybody else is doing!

The Monkey doesn't put much thought into their Warm-up - they just hit golf balls and "Fiddle" with their swing.

The Player understands that the thoughts they produce during their Warm-up will be the thoughts that carry them through their round of Golf.

Go ahead, Be a Player!

Regads,

Marc Solomon - Your Instructor For Life

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This is the official announcement of Golf Made Simple's Location #4 - Tampa, Florida!

This space is usually reserved for ideas to improve your golf game using thoughts on how to play better golf and at the same time understand what holds a Golfer back from playing better. But, this week we're using this space for a special announcement - - - St. Augustine & Amelia Island, Florida; San Diego, California and now Tampa, Florida!

We're excited that Golf Made Simple will have a West Coast of Florida location. And some people say - "Why do you want another location in Florida?" To which I answer - Have you ever been to Southern Hills Plantation? The question should be - why wouldn't you want to spend a few days playing and practicing on this brand new private, Pete Dye Signature Designed Golf Course?

Starting the first week of January 2006

We'll be starting our schedule of Golf Made Simple in Brooksville, Florida at Southern Hills Plantation. Because of the demand we have received for our programs on the East Coast of Florida - we wanted a location on Florida's West Coast. Now we won't just go to any location - there must be something special about it. We've been awarded the luxury of being able to hold our classes at this beautiful, brand new, private golf course designed by Pete Dye (who's unquestionably one of the top 5 Golf Course designers of all time) that offers Golf Made Simple Golfers the opportunity to improve their golf game in style!

So ask me if I'm excited about Southern Hills Plantation. This Golf Course is perfect for holding a Golf Made Simple program! Besides our own private area on the practice range - we have a private short game area, putting green and not just one practice sand bunker, we have two - one to practice short bunker shots to the green and another one to practice long bunker shots to the green! And then on top of that, we have a 6-hole short course that allows us to practice just about any shot imaginable!

If there's a #1 reason why we wanted to be at this golf course, it could likely be that Southern Hills Plantation will show you the value of establishing a PLAN on the golf course. This is not to say that it's the hardest golf course to play, it says that you can play well with a PLAN and you can struggle without one. Although this is true on just about every golf course you play - it seems this golf course teaches you the value of having a PLAN.

Another neat attribute to this location is the topography

As most of Florida is relatively flat - this area of Florida actually has some hills - as defined in the name of the golf course - Southern Hills Plantation. The terrain is unlike that of any other in Florida, with elevations of 60 feet to nearly 250 feet that truly make this a unique Florida Golf Course.

Trust me, the golf course is awesome. It's perfect for what Golf Made Simple believes in - You need to hit your Driver well, you need to make a PLAN on every shot and you must be very good on and around the greens. Being able to read greens correctly is 40% of being a great putter and at Southern Hills Plantation you need to read greens. So as with Golf Made Simple in our other 3-locations, we'll spend time on what the Monkeys call reading greens, but what we call "Feeling Greens".

As we say that Location #4 is in the Tampa area - the actual name of the town is Brooksville, Florida. Brooksville is an easy 35 minutes north of the Tampa airport - 30 minutes if you're from New Jersey. The location takes you back in time to what old Florida must've felt like. With century old oak trees that are draped with Spanish Moss to the rolling green hills - you might forget you're in Florida - except for the fact that the weather is perfect for golf!

Because I can't describe in words how awesome Southern Hills Plantation is, the only way I can give you a feel to what I mean is with pictures - "A picture's worth a thousand words!" - all the pictures in this week's Golf Improvement Weekly are from Southern Hills Plantation.

Now that I've gotten myself all worked up and excited again, I'm never going to calm myself down and get to sleep tonight. I can't wait to start class at Southern Hills Plantation on Tuesday, January 2nd! And for everybody that can't make it to Florida on January 2nd, we have the last section below with other dates available at all four Golf Made Simple facilities.

Regards,

Marc Solomon - Your Instructor For Life

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