I Want To Hit My Driver!
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Hitting your Driver is the greatest aspect of golf. There’s nothing I’d rather do more than be able to go on the golf course and hit my Driver. Walking to the tee of a Par 3 is a let down. Why even have Par 3’s? Let’s have only Par 4’s and Par 5’s so that we can hit Driver all the time!
And it’s a shame that there are Golfers out there that are afraid to pick up their Driver. “Oh, I can’t hit my Driver. I miss every fairway. So I just use my 3 wood.”
That’s no way to play golf!
Isn’t it a let down when the other Golfers in your group hit their Drivers and then you come up to the tee with your 3 wood? Or worse – an iron! Yes, there are holes on the golf course where Driver might not be the best club to play – but there shouldn’t be more than 2 or 3 of these holes.
Let’s face it – there are 3 Major aspects of your game that need to be aligned to have your best score ever. Your PLAN, your Putting and your Driver.
Though, if you have any 2 of these 3 working well – you’re still going to have a good score. Maybe not your best score ever, but you’re going to feel good adding up your scorecard after the 18th hole. Let’s say these scores will be in your top 10%.
Yet, if you go out and have only 1 out of the 3 working - you’ll be scoring what you’d consider as an average score. Nothing to be ashamed of, but it’s not improvement. And we want to see improvement!
Where a lot of Golfers go wrong, is in their assessment of how well they hit their Driver during a round. There are too many Golfers that consider themselves to be having a bad day with their Driver if they miss 7 out of 14 fairways.
Fairways hit is the most overrated stat in Golf!
For example – You’re on a 390 yard hole and pop-up your tee shot that goes 105 yards, but lands on the fairway. That counts as a fairway hit, although you’ve got 285 yards to the center of the green. Is this a good thing?
Or for example – Same hole and you bomb the farthest drive you’ve ever hit 285 yards into the right hand rough. This counts as a missed fairway, although you’ve got only 105 yards to the center of the green. Isn't this a better thing?
Let me see - which second shot would you rather have?
The key with driving well isn’t Fairways Hit – the stats on the PGA Tour will show you that. The key is keeping the ball in play. A ball in the rough is in play – a ball in the trees can be trouble. But, as it says above – ‘if you have any 2 of the 3 Major aspects of your game working, you’re going to see a good score.’
So even though you’re in the trees on 3 or 4 holes doesn’t mean that you’re scoring badly. If you’re playing to your PLAN (the 1st Major) – you’ll make the correct decision out of the trees and be on the green in 3 shots. Then with your putting working well (the 2nd Major) – you’ll 1 putt for Par or 2 putt for Bogey – after a drive in the trees.
Though, if you take that same scenario, but you aren’t “Playing to your PLAN” – you might be on the green in 4 shots. Though, if one Major is working (your putting) – you’ll 1 putt for Bogey or 2 putt for Double Bogey – after a drive in the trees. Doing this 3 times a round isn’t going to stop you from having an average score.
Yet, if none of the 3 Major’s are working – you’ll have a bad round!
Every email we receive about one of our Golfers whose playing better than they did before seeing GMS includes at least 2 of the 3 Majors working well. They don’t always say that they’re hitting their Driver better than ever or putting better than ever. Though, they all say that at least 2 of the 3 Majors were working well.
What does this mean for you?
It means you don’t have to be hitting your Driver better than ever to score better than ever. It means you don’t have to be Putting better than ever to score better than ever. It means you don’t have to have your PLAN working better than ever to score better than ever.
Don’t be so hard on yourself to hit the ball better than ever – it’s not necessary in order for you to improve your score. Though, remember – if you’re struggling with your Driver – you can still have a good score if you focus on your PLAN and your Putting.
The Monkey is trying to hit every fairway and if they don’t, they can’t score because they have no PLAN and they don’t practice their putting
The Player knows that if they work hard on their PLAN, that they only have to either drive or putt decent to have a good score
Go Ahead, Be A Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon -Your Instructor For Life
www.GolfMadeSimple.com
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Hello Wataru,
I just thought I’d drop you a line on my progress since GMS at Barona. When I got back to the Bay Area I had HUGE expectations from my GMS experience.
Since then, I have gone to the range and practiced my 29 Ball Warm-up Drill in the short game area, practiced my putting drills, sand drills, etc.............bottom line, I went out this weekend with my PLAN and shot an 89 on Sunday, and a 90 on Monday. The PLAN works!!!!
Thanks, Wataru and GMS for the tools I needed to improve my game!
Jeff S – Millbrae, California – Sent May 28, 2007
Attended San Diego location on April 31st to May 2nd, 2007
Hayden,
Just one week after attending your Level II Program, I shot my new best score. Playing at my home course from the Gold Tees (6,700 yds.), I shot a 41 on the front nine and thought I could have done better if not for the two times I failed to develop a realistic PLAN.
On the back nine, I started off with a birdie, had a bogie two holes later, another birdie on 17, and a bogie on 18 to finish the back nine at even par 36 and a total score of 77.
The difference in the front nine and the back nine? A much better PLAN, I hit seven of the nine greens in regulation, and I putted to the box on every putt. Over the entire 18 holes, I never had a three putt mainly because my short irons were working so well all day. It's much easier to avoid those nasty three putts when you consistently put the ball on the green within 10 to 20 feet of the hole.
I am playing again tomorrow and of course I hope to do either as well or better than today, but I am also prepared to work through it if things do not go as well.
See it, Feel it, Do it!
Tick-Tock....
Jerry S – Valdosta, Georgia – May 27th, 2007
Attended St. Augustine Location on May 18th to 20th, 2007
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Blue Skies in Lake Tahoe
We just received a telephone call from Jeff Seigler – our GMS Instructor in Lake Tahoe. Jeff is happy to report he’s settled in after his move from Tampa, Florida and ready for the first GMS class at Whitehawk Ranch on June 1st.
Jeff said that he doesn’t think he’s ever seen a sky that's as blue and a temperature that made you want to be outside more than what he's finding in the Lake Tahoe area. A quick check on the Weather Channel website shows that the 10-day forecast calls for highs to be between 75 and 82 degrees everyday.
And I guess there must be Golfers at the Weather Channel because they have what they call their Golf Weather Index which rates the conditions for Golf on a scale of 1 to 10. For the next 10 days at our Lake Tahoe area location (Clio, California is the actual town) – there are 5 days rated as 10’s and 3 days rated as 9’s.
What’s your Golf Weather Index?
Go to weather.com and see how your Weather Index compares to ours. And then find a date to see us in the Lake Tahoe area for your Perfect 10 GMS Golf Program and Perfect 10 Weather.
Alex – Director
Golf Made Simple
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Golf Improvement Weekly
- Classic Issues -
2007
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Lee M, Mike G, Harvey K, Jerry S. St. Augustine | May 18th, 19th, 20th | 2007
Neil B, Suzanne B, Karen W, Rich W.
Amelia Island | May 19th, 21st, 22nd | 2007
Dan E, Sean W, Harry S, Jeremy P. Tampa Area | May 11th, 12th, 13th | 2007
Terry N, Alan S, Michael N. San Diego | May 14th, 15th, 16th | 2007
Click below to check-out the latest "Golf Tips Are For Monkeys" on WorldGolf.com
Are You Trying To Make Par?
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Hitting Fairways -
The Most Overrated Statistic In Golf
Need more proof that Fairways Hit is the most overrated stat in Golf?
Rory Sabbatini, winner of last week’s Colonial Open, only hit 51.8% of his fairways. That’s just 29 out of 56 fairways. And during the 3rd Round when he scored 8 under par for a 62, he hit only 8 out of 14 fairways (barely over 50%).
Though, he averaged 285 yards a drive and ranked first in putting with only 26.5 putts per round.
Fairways are overrated! Hit the ball farther, become a better putter and stick with your PLAN based on your Strengths and Weaknesses for better scores.
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The mid 90’s Golfer that’s trying to score in the 70’s will always score in the 90’s. Many Golfers try to reach too hard for better scores. Their sole existence on the golf course is about score. And because of this – the frustration that’s built up inside of them through the first 7 or 8 holes – explodes on the back 9 holes.
The mid 90’s Golfer that’s focused on their PLAN will become a mid 70’s Golfer before they know it! This successful Golfer will be focused on their PLAN based on their Strengths and Weaknesses as opposed to being obsessed with their score.
The more you focus on your score – the more frustration you’ll find by going nowhere.
The more you focus on your PLAN – the more joy you’ll find by scoring better!
Marc Solomon 'Your Instructor for Life'
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