Happy New Year and Best Wishes to all PasturePool Members. Thank you for your support, suggestions, and kind words in 2008. I hope you continue to have fun playing golf in 2009 and beyond.
Here's to the next great round and more great things to come!
Sincerely,
Jonathan
Owner/PasturePool.com
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Your Golf Ball Is Not Where It Should Be
by Linda Raymond
Lost Ball or Ball out of Bounds; Provisional Ball
"Out of bounds" is defined as ground on which play is prohibited. When defined by white lines, the line itself is out of bounds. When defined by a fence or stakes, the inside edges define the out of bounds lines.
1. If your ball IS out of bounds, you MUST play another ball at the spot from which the original was played, penalty one stroke.
2. If you ball MAY be lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds, you may play a provisional ball before you go forward to look for the original, provided you announce your intention to do so. If your original ball turns out to be in a water hazard or is found outside a water hazard, you must abandon that provisional ball.
3. If your ball IS lost outside a water hazard or is out of bounds, add a penalty stroke and play the provisional or, if you did not play a provisional, replay the shot.
4. The provisional ball becomes the ball in play when a stroke is played with the provisional ball from a point where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than that place.
A ball is out of bounds when the entire ball is out of bounds. You may stand out of bounds to play a ball that is in bounds.
Abnormal Ground Conditions
1. If your ball LIES in casual water, ground under repair or, except in a water hazard, a hole or cast made by a burrowing animal, you may drop without penalty within one club length of the nearest point of relief not nearer the hole, except: a. in a hazard drop in the nearest position in the hazard which affords maximum relief and is not nearer the hole, or under penalty of one stroke, drop any distance behind the hazard keeping the point where the ball LAY between the you and the hole or, b. On the putting green place in the nearest position which affords maximum relief and is not nearer the hole.
2. If your ball is LOST in such condition (except in a burrowing animal hole in a water hazard) take the same relief based on the point where the ball last CROSSED the margin of the AREA except that if you drop behind the hazard, keep the point where the ball last CROSSED the margin of the hazard between you and the hole.
Enjoy The Outdoors! Have a Wonderful Game!
Linda is an avid Arizona Golfer. She has an internet business selling Golf GPS Caddies at golfgpscaddies.com offering precision gplf GPS devices for your distance on the golf course. You will have more confidence in each club selection and shot. No more Guessing! Know Your Distance. Lower your scores and handicap! http://www.golfgpscaddies.com
Lost Ball or Ball out of Bounds; Provisional Ball
"Out of bounds" is defined as ground on which play is prohibited. When defined by white lines, the line itself is out of bounds. When defined by a fence or stakes, the inside edges define the out of bounds lines.
1. If your ball IS out of bounds, you MUST play another ball at the spot from which the original was played, penalty one stroke.
2. If you ball MAY be lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds, you may play a provisional ball before you go forward to look for the original, provided you announce your intention to do so. If your original ball turns out to be in a water hazard or is found outside a water hazard, you must abandon that provisional ball.
3. If your ball IS lost outside a water hazard or is out of bounds, add a penalty stroke and play the provisional or, if you did not play a provisional, replay the shot.
4. The provisional ball becomes the ball in play when a stroke is played with the provisional ball from a point where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than that place.
A ball is out of bounds when the entire ball is out of bounds. You may stand out of bounds to play a ball that is in bounds.
Abnormal Ground Conditions
1. If your ball LIES in casual water, ground under repair or, except in a water hazard, a hole or cast made by a burrowing animal, you may drop without penalty within one club length of the nearest point of relief not nearer the hole, except: a. in a hazard drop in the nearest position in the hazard which affords maximum relief and is not nearer the hole, or under penalty of one stroke, drop any distance behind the hazard keeping the point where the ball LAY between the you and the hole or, b. On the putting green place in the nearest position which affords maximum relief and is not nearer the hole.
2. If your ball is LOST in such condition (except in a burrowing animal hole in a water hazard) take the same relief based on the point where the ball last CROSSED the margin of the AREA except that if you drop behind the hazard, keep the point where the ball last CROSSED the margin of the hazard between you and the hole.
Enjoy The Outdoors! Have a Wonderful Game!
Linda is an avid Arizona Golfer. She has an internet business selling Golf GPS Caddies at golfgpscaddies.com offering precision gplf GPS devices for your distance on the golf course. You will have more confidence in each club selection and shot. No more Guessing! Know Your Distance. Lower your scores and handicap! http://www.golfgpscaddies.com
Friday, December 19, 2008
How To Lower Your Handicap Forever
by Ken McCarron
If any one of us had a nickel for each golf product and instructional manual out there...well, you know the rest. There is an absolute ton of information. You can learn about driving the ball farther, hitting the ball straighter, landing the ball softer, or putting the ball into the center of the cup every time. But in the midst of it all, the end goal for any golf instruction is to improve your score and lower your handicap. The guy who drives it 300 yards and shoots 100 doesn't win. The guy who shoots it straight, but only 80 yards at a time doesn't win. The one who wins every single time is the one with the lowest score when the round is over. The question is, how do we accomplish this?
Find a New Swing
In order to really make changes and lower that handicap, you may have to abandon your current swing and try something new. Remember, if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten. Now is not the time to be stubborn and hang onto some ridiculous swing that isn't serving your purpose of a lower score. Open your mind. It'll work out in the end.
Keep It Simple
If you're going to be open minded, and aren't opposed to changing things up, a great piece of advice is to keep it simple. Those big, arcing swings that wrap around your head may be great for John Daly or Tiger Woods, but for you and me a shorter backswing is definitely the way to go. Timing, balance, and the ability to put a repeatable swing on the ball is the only way to lower your handicap over the long term and win rounds more often.
Consistency Is the Key
In the end, it all comes down to consistency or lack thereof. It's the main thing that we as amateurs lack, and the one thing that will lower your score on a regular basis. If you can find a swing system that is easy to implement and easy to repeat...now you're really on your way!
If you're interested in a more complete swing system that guarantees it'll knock 7-12 strokes off your score in a couple weeks, go take a look here... http://masteryourswing.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_McCarron
If any one of us had a nickel for each golf product and instructional manual out there...well, you know the rest. There is an absolute ton of information. You can learn about driving the ball farther, hitting the ball straighter, landing the ball softer, or putting the ball into the center of the cup every time. But in the midst of it all, the end goal for any golf instruction is to improve your score and lower your handicap. The guy who drives it 300 yards and shoots 100 doesn't win. The guy who shoots it straight, but only 80 yards at a time doesn't win. The one who wins every single time is the one with the lowest score when the round is over. The question is, how do we accomplish this?
Find a New Swing
In order to really make changes and lower that handicap, you may have to abandon your current swing and try something new. Remember, if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten. Now is not the time to be stubborn and hang onto some ridiculous swing that isn't serving your purpose of a lower score. Open your mind. It'll work out in the end.
Keep It Simple
If you're going to be open minded, and aren't opposed to changing things up, a great piece of advice is to keep it simple. Those big, arcing swings that wrap around your head may be great for John Daly or Tiger Woods, but for you and me a shorter backswing is definitely the way to go. Timing, balance, and the ability to put a repeatable swing on the ball is the only way to lower your handicap over the long term and win rounds more often.
Consistency Is the Key
In the end, it all comes down to consistency or lack thereof. It's the main thing that we as amateurs lack, and the one thing that will lower your score on a regular basis. If you can find a swing system that is easy to implement and easy to repeat...now you're really on your way!
If you're interested in a more complete swing system that guarantees it'll knock 7-12 strokes off your score in a couple weeks, go take a look here... http://masteryourswing.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_McCarron
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Enhancements Update-12/07/2008
Please visit our enhancements page for updates on the latest site features.
http://pasturepoolenhancements.blogspot.com/
http://pasturepoolenhancements.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Deep Discounts on Golf Equipment-11/25/08
A Huge Selection of Golf Equipment at Amazing Prices! Just in time for the holidays, be sure to visit the PasturePool Golf Shop. Powered by Amazon.com, you know you can trust the ordering process and also find the best deals.
Go Shop
or copy and paste this URL into your browser:
http://www.pasturepool.com/marketplace/markethome.php
Go Shop
or copy and paste this URL into your browser:
http://www.pasturepool.com/marketplace/markethome.php
Friday, November 21, 2008
Walk Your Way To A Better Golf Game-11/21/08
by Robert Partain
One of the best golfing tips I ever received came from my wife (of all people). For years she had been urging me to get more excercise than what I was normally getting through work and weekend golf. And for years, I had been brushing her off with every excuse imaginable. Not enough time, too cold outside, do it tomorrow, etc, etc, etc.
My wife, being the cagey woman she is, had a brainstorm and she shared it with me. . . and I'll share it with you.
If you're like me, you probably have a local country club where you play more often than not. For years, I'd been playing at this same club and listening to my buddies say, "What's on the other side of those trees?" or "What's around that dogleg?" Occasionally, I'd have to ask myself those same questions, which one might consider odd. Having spent so many hours on this course, one might assume I should know it like the back of my hand.
Truth is, I didn't know it very well at all. But I do now, and I owe this new-found knowledge to to my good wife.
Her suggestions was simple--and rewarding. Rather walk around the neighborhood (and have to listen to me grumble) she suggested we go to the club and walk a few holes each night. We'd do this in the evening when there were fewer players out and about. We'd pick three holes to walk, a different set each night, and as we walked I'd "look" at the hole's layout.
It's remarkable how much of the geography of a hole you miss when you're concentrating on playing that hole. Concentration is a good thing, don't get me wrong on that, but simply walking the hole, with no purpose other than being there, allows you to see just about everything there is to see on that particular hole. Also, when you're walking in the late day, you aren't being pushed by the group behind you. You can take your time, walk at your own comfortable pace, and take in the scenery, one step at a time.
A really great idea is to grab a score card and jot down notes as you go along. If you're into it, you can pace off distances, make little notes on how the ground rolls, or keep a note on just about anything for that matter.
After a few weeks of this, and a few times around all the holes at your course, you WILL know your course like the back of your hand, and your buddies will be amazed at how much better you are playing.
On top of that, you get some very good low-impact exercise.
Robert Partain has been an avid golfer for over 40 years. He publishes a golf blog that is updated 4 times a week with golf tips, techniques, and information.
One of the best golfing tips I ever received came from my wife (of all people). For years she had been urging me to get more excercise than what I was normally getting through work and weekend golf. And for years, I had been brushing her off with every excuse imaginable. Not enough time, too cold outside, do it tomorrow, etc, etc, etc.
My wife, being the cagey woman she is, had a brainstorm and she shared it with me. . . and I'll share it with you.
If you're like me, you probably have a local country club where you play more often than not. For years, I'd been playing at this same club and listening to my buddies say, "What's on the other side of those trees?" or "What's around that dogleg?" Occasionally, I'd have to ask myself those same questions, which one might consider odd. Having spent so many hours on this course, one might assume I should know it like the back of my hand.
Truth is, I didn't know it very well at all. But I do now, and I owe this new-found knowledge to to my good wife.
Her suggestions was simple--and rewarding. Rather walk around the neighborhood (and have to listen to me grumble) she suggested we go to the club and walk a few holes each night. We'd do this in the evening when there were fewer players out and about. We'd pick three holes to walk, a different set each night, and as we walked I'd "look" at the hole's layout.
It's remarkable how much of the geography of a hole you miss when you're concentrating on playing that hole. Concentration is a good thing, don't get me wrong on that, but simply walking the hole, with no purpose other than being there, allows you to see just about everything there is to see on that particular hole. Also, when you're walking in the late day, you aren't being pushed by the group behind you. You can take your time, walk at your own comfortable pace, and take in the scenery, one step at a time.
A really great idea is to grab a score card and jot down notes as you go along. If you're into it, you can pace off distances, make little notes on how the ground rolls, or keep a note on just about anything for that matter.
After a few weeks of this, and a few times around all the holes at your course, you WILL know your course like the back of your hand, and your buddies will be amazed at how much better you are playing.
On top of that, you get some very good low-impact exercise.
Robert Partain has been an avid golfer for over 40 years. He publishes a golf blog that is updated 4 times a week with golf tips, techniques, and information.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Flexibility, Strength and the Golf Swing-11/09/08
by John Hinds
Consistency is a universal goal in the game of golf. One sure way to improve your scores is to develop a consistent and repeatable swing. Lessons, practice, more lessons and more practice will certainly help develop a more consistent and reliable swing but you also need ample flexibility and strength. Flexibility and strength work together to develop a more consistent and reliable swing by promoting a more efficient, stable, balanced and coordinated swing. Adequate flexibility and strength will enable you to take full advantage of your lessons, your time spent on the range and help reduce the risk of injury.
Flexibility
Although golf is a sport that is generally not considered strenuous, a minimum range of motion or flexibility is necessary. Adequate flexibility promotes an efficient swing by reducing stress on the many muscles, connective tissue and joints involved including those of the neck and back, shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands as well as the hips and knees. Restriction among any of these ‘links’ that make up the ‘kinetic chain’ that is our body promotes compensation. Compensation puts stress on areas above and below the area of restriction and eventually causes injury. For example, restricted shoulder motion causes excessive spinal rotation and can lead to injuries in the back and shoulder and visa versa. Restricted movement also promotes inconsistencies in our swing which may manifest themselves as slices, hooks, fat shots, thin shots, etc. Adequate flexibility results in a more efficient golf swing.
Strength
Strength is important to the golfer for many reasons: yes, strong muscles, tendons, and ligaments help keep us injury free by improving our body’s ability to absorb and distribute the stress of the golf swing. But strength training also provides stability and improves our coordination. Strength in our legs, hips, back, shoulders and arms, which make up the links that connect our kinetic chain, provides a stable base of support for each succeeding link to work off. This allows the forces we generate throughout the golf swing to be transferred through each link to the club head and golf ball in a more efficient and coordinated manner. Improved efficiency yields greater power with less effort and less stress on the body. Core strength (strength in our trunk and hips) is important because it provides the foundation for the extremities to move on. The more stable and efficient our trunk and hips, the more efficient our extremities are. It doesn’t matter how fast you can swing a golf club if the foundation on which you are swinging is not stable enough to control the path of the golf club.
Posture
Strength also provides the ability to maintain proper posture and spinal alignment. The ability to maintain your posture throughout the swing is one of the keys to a more consistent and repeatable swing. Postural strength and stability, combined with leg, hip and trunk strength, allows for a more reliable axis of rotation throughout the golf swing which allows for more precise coordination of the legs and arms with our core. Good posture is also less stressful on your spine and back muscles. The inability to maintain your address posture throughout the swing will result in fat shots, thin shots, slices, hooks, pushes and pulls and possible injury.
Balance
With club head speeds averaging 70-110 mph, the golf swing is a very dynamic movement. Good balance promotes crisp ball contact by preventing excessive movement such as hip slide or sway. In order to be most efficient and successful, to be more consistent and accurate, we need to maintain our balance throughout the swing. Adequate flexibility and proper strength training that includes balance training will contribute to a more balanced swing.
Endurance
Strength training also improves our muscular endurance which delays the onset of fatigue. Fatigue will cause a breakdown in one or more links within the chain and can lead to any number of faults such as loss of posture, balance, coordination and timing, which is not conducive to an efficient or reliable swing. Fatigue also leaves us more vulnerable to injury.
Injury prevention
All of the above reduces the risk of injury and promotes an efficient, more reliable and well coordinated golf swing. Of the hundreds of training devices on the market today, not one is more effective at improving your ability to play the game of golf better than your own body. It’s never too late to start a flexibility and strength training program.
John Hinds is a golfer and licensed Physical Therapist specializing in Orthopedic and Sports Rehabilitation, Conditioning and Injury Prevention. He is the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Men’s Golf Team at El Camino College and currently owns and operates JMHinds Physical Therapy in El Segundo, California (www.golfconditioningpt.com).
More Articles
RSS
Article Library
Consistency is a universal goal in the game of golf. One sure way to improve your scores is to develop a consistent and repeatable swing. Lessons, practice, more lessons and more practice will certainly help develop a more consistent and reliable swing but you also need ample flexibility and strength. Flexibility and strength work together to develop a more consistent and reliable swing by promoting a more efficient, stable, balanced and coordinated swing. Adequate flexibility and strength will enable you to take full advantage of your lessons, your time spent on the range and help reduce the risk of injury.
Flexibility
Although golf is a sport that is generally not considered strenuous, a minimum range of motion or flexibility is necessary. Adequate flexibility promotes an efficient swing by reducing stress on the many muscles, connective tissue and joints involved including those of the neck and back, shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands as well as the hips and knees. Restriction among any of these ‘links’ that make up the ‘kinetic chain’ that is our body promotes compensation. Compensation puts stress on areas above and below the area of restriction and eventually causes injury. For example, restricted shoulder motion causes excessive spinal rotation and can lead to injuries in the back and shoulder and visa versa. Restricted movement also promotes inconsistencies in our swing which may manifest themselves as slices, hooks, fat shots, thin shots, etc. Adequate flexibility results in a more efficient golf swing.
Strength
Strength is important to the golfer for many reasons: yes, strong muscles, tendons, and ligaments help keep us injury free by improving our body’s ability to absorb and distribute the stress of the golf swing. But strength training also provides stability and improves our coordination. Strength in our legs, hips, back, shoulders and arms, which make up the links that connect our kinetic chain, provides a stable base of support for each succeeding link to work off. This allows the forces we generate throughout the golf swing to be transferred through each link to the club head and golf ball in a more efficient and coordinated manner. Improved efficiency yields greater power with less effort and less stress on the body. Core strength (strength in our trunk and hips) is important because it provides the foundation for the extremities to move on. The more stable and efficient our trunk and hips, the more efficient our extremities are. It doesn’t matter how fast you can swing a golf club if the foundation on which you are swinging is not stable enough to control the path of the golf club.
Posture
Strength also provides the ability to maintain proper posture and spinal alignment. The ability to maintain your posture throughout the swing is one of the keys to a more consistent and repeatable swing. Postural strength and stability, combined with leg, hip and trunk strength, allows for a more reliable axis of rotation throughout the golf swing which allows for more precise coordination of the legs and arms with our core. Good posture is also less stressful on your spine and back muscles. The inability to maintain your address posture throughout the swing will result in fat shots, thin shots, slices, hooks, pushes and pulls and possible injury.
Balance
With club head speeds averaging 70-110 mph, the golf swing is a very dynamic movement. Good balance promotes crisp ball contact by preventing excessive movement such as hip slide or sway. In order to be most efficient and successful, to be more consistent and accurate, we need to maintain our balance throughout the swing. Adequate flexibility and proper strength training that includes balance training will contribute to a more balanced swing.
Endurance
Strength training also improves our muscular endurance which delays the onset of fatigue. Fatigue will cause a breakdown in one or more links within the chain and can lead to any number of faults such as loss of posture, balance, coordination and timing, which is not conducive to an efficient or reliable swing. Fatigue also leaves us more vulnerable to injury.
Injury prevention
All of the above reduces the risk of injury and promotes an efficient, more reliable and well coordinated golf swing. Of the hundreds of training devices on the market today, not one is more effective at improving your ability to play the game of golf better than your own body. It’s never too late to start a flexibility and strength training program.
John Hinds is a golfer and licensed Physical Therapist specializing in Orthopedic and Sports Rehabilitation, Conditioning and Injury Prevention. He is the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Men’s Golf Team at El Camino College and currently owns and operates JMHinds Physical Therapy in El Segundo, California (www.golfconditioningpt.com).
More Articles
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Article Library
Friday, October 31, 2008
Welcome Myrtle Beach Golf - New Partner
We are please to introduce a new partner to pasturepool.com.
Myrtle Beach Golf
http://www.northmyrtlebeachgolf.com/
With over 100 Championship Golf Courses, fantastic weather, a Vegas-style nightlife, the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, and many luxury resorts to choose from that are second to none, Myrtle Beach offers more than any other location for the avid golfer. Over 1000 great restaurants, 8 live theatres, and fantastic shopping complexes make it a vacation paradise for the whole family.
Myrtle Beach Golf
http://www.northmyrtlebeachgolf.com/
With over 100 Championship Golf Courses, fantastic weather, a Vegas-style nightlife, the beautiful Atlantic Ocean, and many luxury resorts to choose from that are second to none, Myrtle Beach offers more than any other location for the avid golfer. Over 1000 great restaurants, 8 live theatres, and fantastic shopping complexes make it a vacation paradise for the whole family.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Earn Money for Your Club, League, or Organization-10/12/08
We are excited to announce an opportunity for members to share the best golf scoring software with their clubs, organizations, or friends.
Earn up to 30% per sale made from your website, local club, or organization while helping people lower their golf scores. All of this at no cost to you.
How it Works - direct new members to PasturePool through any number of sources (web, text links, sign-up forms) and earn up to 30% commission when they become a paid member of PasturePool Golf.
Learn more by visiting PasturePool:
http://www.pasturepool.com/clubs/golf-club-request.php
Earn up to 30% per sale made from your website, local club, or organization while helping people lower their golf scores. All of this at no cost to you.
How it Works - direct new members to PasturePool through any number of sources (web, text links, sign-up forms) and earn up to 30% commission when they become a paid member of PasturePool Golf.
Learn more by visiting PasturePool:
http://www.pasturepool.com/clubs/golf-club-request.php
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Teebox Pressure - 09/13/08
by David Keegan
If you’ve played golf for any length of time, you have undoubtedly encountered a situation or two which made you nervous. This phenomena is called ‘tee box pressure’, or TBP for short.
Perhaps it’s happened when you were getting ready to hit your tee shot off #1 with a dozen people watching. Maybe it was when you were paired with the top golfer in your club championship. Whatever the situation, one thing is sure: every golfer will find themselves dealing with TBP sooner or later!
WHY THE NERVES?
What is it about golf that gets us feeling this way in the first place? After all, when you step onto the golf course, there usually aren’t any lives at stake. In addition, whether you perform well or not on any given day, there are a billion people in China who will not care!
This is a complicated question which will have different answers for different people. Often times, we have too much of our egos wrapped up in the game. The more we invest in something (and we all know that golf can be all-consuming), the more we expect in return. When the ‘game is on’, we fear failure. With this fear in our mind, our muscles tighten. This, in turn, makes it harder to have the free-flowing swing and effective touch game that is needed to score well.
Here are a few tips which will help you the next time you are getting ready to play a pressure round.
1. PREPARE MENTALLY
During the days leading up to the big game, prepare yourself mentally for the atmosphere you will be facing. You know you are going to be nervous. Being nervous, however, does not mean you cannot hit good golf shots. Think of all the times you have hit good shots under pressure before.
Picture yourself dealing with various situations that will occur during the upcoming round. Think of the feeling as you prepare to hit your first tee shot. Your heart is beating out of control. Then, you swing under control, in good tempo, and strike a solid one right down the middle of the fairway.
Next, imagine hitting one into trouble. You’re confronted with the options and weigh the risks of punching a miracle shot through the trees. Instead, you calm yourself and ‘take your medicine’ by chipping back out to the fairway. This type of clear thinking will help you to avoid those double and triple bogeys which ruin rounds.
2. CONSERVATIVE STRATEGY – CONFIDENT SWING
The term ‘choke’ is applied to people who don’t perform well under pressure. Who can forget poor Greg Norman losing that 6-shot lead to Nick Faldo at the Masters tournament? The main reason people choke is simply because their thought processes become illogical. They start thinking negatively as if they have never hit a solid golf shot. Or, they start to take unnecessary chances and over-swing in the process.
Before the round, make up your mind that you will not beat yourself. Let the other players beat you. Hit shots that you know you can hit. One top amateur player used this strategy in the Minnesota State Amateur qualifying round at the Lake City Golf Club. He wasn’t playing very well on the front nine and was tempted several times to ‘go for broke’. On the eighth hole, a par five, his second shot left him about 110 yards out in some gnarly rough. He had a good angle at the pin, but if the shot went long, it was obviously going down an embankment leading to a difficult chip with little green to work with. However, he felt like he needed a ‘make something happen’. So, he debated whether to try to finesse a full wedge, or to take a full swing with his gap wedge. He had more confidence in the gap wedge because he knew this club would never put him in the big trouble which was over the green. He selected the gap wedge (conservative strategy) and made a confident swing which left the ball 30 feet below the hole. He two-putted and took his par.
This strategy paid off as he made birdie on the next hole. All of a sudden, his marginal round was heading in the right direction! This may not have been possible if he had taken the aggressive route on the previous hole and gone over the green.
3. LET GO OF THE HANDLE BARS!
A player recently quipped, “You’ve got to let go of the handle bars!” How descriptive of the golfer who, when under pressure, holds onto the club as if it had “handle bars”. Unlike riding a bicycle, holding onto the handle bars is a bad thing in golf!
In other words, you’ve got to let the club swing to be effective. Holding on and trying to steer the ball down the fairway will produce less distance and less accuracy. A golfer has to feel like they are ‘giving up control’ of the swing. In other words, the golfer must trust that what he has trained will work when the pressure is on. This is called ‘muscle memory’.
Giving up control gets progressively harder as the round progresses. The tendency is to start counting your score as you try to figure out how you’re faring compared to everyone else. You must counteract that tendency by consciously trying to swing looser and freer as the round goes on. Stay focused on what you’re trying to do – forget about everyone else. You can’t control them anyway.
Keep the game simple. Pick your target, go through your pre-shot routine and let your swing go! Stay within yourself and you won’t be a victim of that TBP!
Dave Keegan’s ‘Push Button Income’ web site at http://www.dkeeganonline.com offers resources to help you build a successful internet business. While visiting, don’t forget to sign up for his *free* 5-part newsletter entitled ‘Online Advertising for the Completely Clueless’.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Keegan
If you’ve played golf for any length of time, you have undoubtedly encountered a situation or two which made you nervous. This phenomena is called ‘tee box pressure’, or TBP for short.
Perhaps it’s happened when you were getting ready to hit your tee shot off #1 with a dozen people watching. Maybe it was when you were paired with the top golfer in your club championship. Whatever the situation, one thing is sure: every golfer will find themselves dealing with TBP sooner or later!
WHY THE NERVES?
What is it about golf that gets us feeling this way in the first place? After all, when you step onto the golf course, there usually aren’t any lives at stake. In addition, whether you perform well or not on any given day, there are a billion people in China who will not care!
This is a complicated question which will have different answers for different people. Often times, we have too much of our egos wrapped up in the game. The more we invest in something (and we all know that golf can be all-consuming), the more we expect in return. When the ‘game is on’, we fear failure. With this fear in our mind, our muscles tighten. This, in turn, makes it harder to have the free-flowing swing and effective touch game that is needed to score well.
Here are a few tips which will help you the next time you are getting ready to play a pressure round.
1. PREPARE MENTALLY
During the days leading up to the big game, prepare yourself mentally for the atmosphere you will be facing. You know you are going to be nervous. Being nervous, however, does not mean you cannot hit good golf shots. Think of all the times you have hit good shots under pressure before.
Picture yourself dealing with various situations that will occur during the upcoming round. Think of the feeling as you prepare to hit your first tee shot. Your heart is beating out of control. Then, you swing under control, in good tempo, and strike a solid one right down the middle of the fairway.
Next, imagine hitting one into trouble. You’re confronted with the options and weigh the risks of punching a miracle shot through the trees. Instead, you calm yourself and ‘take your medicine’ by chipping back out to the fairway. This type of clear thinking will help you to avoid those double and triple bogeys which ruin rounds.
2. CONSERVATIVE STRATEGY – CONFIDENT SWING
The term ‘choke’ is applied to people who don’t perform well under pressure. Who can forget poor Greg Norman losing that 6-shot lead to Nick Faldo at the Masters tournament? The main reason people choke is simply because their thought processes become illogical. They start thinking negatively as if they have never hit a solid golf shot. Or, they start to take unnecessary chances and over-swing in the process.
Before the round, make up your mind that you will not beat yourself. Let the other players beat you. Hit shots that you know you can hit. One top amateur player used this strategy in the Minnesota State Amateur qualifying round at the Lake City Golf Club. He wasn’t playing very well on the front nine and was tempted several times to ‘go for broke’. On the eighth hole, a par five, his second shot left him about 110 yards out in some gnarly rough. He had a good angle at the pin, but if the shot went long, it was obviously going down an embankment leading to a difficult chip with little green to work with. However, he felt like he needed a ‘make something happen’. So, he debated whether to try to finesse a full wedge, or to take a full swing with his gap wedge. He had more confidence in the gap wedge because he knew this club would never put him in the big trouble which was over the green. He selected the gap wedge (conservative strategy) and made a confident swing which left the ball 30 feet below the hole. He two-putted and took his par.
This strategy paid off as he made birdie on the next hole. All of a sudden, his marginal round was heading in the right direction! This may not have been possible if he had taken the aggressive route on the previous hole and gone over the green.
3. LET GO OF THE HANDLE BARS!
A player recently quipped, “You’ve got to let go of the handle bars!” How descriptive of the golfer who, when under pressure, holds onto the club as if it had “handle bars”. Unlike riding a bicycle, holding onto the handle bars is a bad thing in golf!
In other words, you’ve got to let the club swing to be effective. Holding on and trying to steer the ball down the fairway will produce less distance and less accuracy. A golfer has to feel like they are ‘giving up control’ of the swing. In other words, the golfer must trust that what he has trained will work when the pressure is on. This is called ‘muscle memory’.
Giving up control gets progressively harder as the round progresses. The tendency is to start counting your score as you try to figure out how you’re faring compared to everyone else. You must counteract that tendency by consciously trying to swing looser and freer as the round goes on. Stay focused on what you’re trying to do – forget about everyone else. You can’t control them anyway.
Keep the game simple. Pick your target, go through your pre-shot routine and let your swing go! Stay within yourself and you won’t be a victim of that TBP!
Dave Keegan’s ‘Push Button Income’ web site at http://www.dkeeganonline.com offers resources to help you build a successful internet business. While visiting, don’t forget to sign up for his *free* 5-part newsletter entitled ‘Online Advertising for the Completely Clueless’.
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