Here was the scene:

A playoff between Phil Mickelson, Keegan Bradley and Bill Haas was tied after the 1st playoff hole (#18). The second playoff hole (#10) was a drivable par 4 (315 yards) with the pin on the back of the green; both Phil & Keegan hit 3 woods short right of the green. Bill hit driver pin high but left of the green. All three players had virtually no shot at the pin, they would of all needed to drop it from Snoopy One (the blimp) to stand a chance of ever holding the green. Here is what happened next –

Phil aimed at the pin and tried the super flop but couldn’t get enough spin on the ball to hold the green. His ball rolled past the pin and off the green into the back bunker.

Keegan Bradley aimed at the pin and hit an awesome bunker shot that had some spin but still couldn’t hold the green. His ball rolled past the pin and onto the fringe.

Bill Haas thought his shot was a little too risky and knew his margin of error was really small (maybe 1 out of 20 getting it up & down). He elected to aim at the front of the green, taking all of the trouble out of play but leaving himself about a 45-foot putt.

Bill went on to make his 45-foot putt and win the tournament.

What is the lesson we can all take from this PGA Tour playoff?

Next time you are faced with a shot that is almost impossible, think like Bill Haas and don’t wait for a miracle – play the percentages and stay within your limits. You can still make birdie or par with your putter.

Know your strengths and weaknesses. Play smart and lower your scores.

I encourage you to go online and take the USGA Rules of Golf Quiz – let me know how you do. This will help me to determine if we need to hold some Rules of Golf classes!

Many people view the rules as a way to hurt their score or detract from the fun, but if you’re a serious golfer you should be viewing the rules as a way to help you score better and enjoy the challenge. Here are a few rules that I bet you didn’t know about.

Q: A player places a club on the ground parallel to the line of play to assist him in aligning his feet properly. Is this permissible?
A. Yes, provided the player removes the club before playing his stroke. Otherwise a breach of Rule 8-2a would occur.

Q. What is the status of stones in bunkers?
A. Stones are by definition loose impediments regardless of their location. Thus, when the ball and the stone lie in or touch the same hazard, the stone may not be removed. However, a Committee may adopt a Local Rule stating that stones in bunkers are movable obstructions. Unless this Local Rule is put into effect by the Committee, players may not remove stones in bunkers without penalty.

Q. Is it a breach of a Rule for a ball to be holed while another ball is at rest in the hole?
A. No. Both balls are holed (see Definition of “Holed”) and there are no penalties incurred by either player. It is a breach of Etiquette for the first player to leave his ball in the hole if the second player has asked him to remove it.

Keeping your physical & mental energy at a high level during a round requires fuel, and that’s where food comes in. If you followed a Tour Player for an entire round you would feel sorry for his caddy because of the amount of food they stuff in the bag. Tour Players eat constantly throughout the round.

Most players grab a burger at the turn, or a pack of crackers from the beverage cart – but that is just not sufficient. A round of golf takes a ton of energy, however you don’t realize it since you’re not exhausted like after a game of basketball.

Start eating more during your round and I guarantee it will help to lower your scores. Below is what a typical Tour Player might eat during a round, and how often – try it; what do you have to lose? Not any energy – I can promise you that!

• Eat at least 2 Hours before arrival
• Have an apple or banana while you warm up
• On holes 2, 5, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17 make sure to eat a little something (some trail mix, a nutrient bar)
• Drink plenty of water
• Have an energy drink as you play hole 8 & 9
• Don’t eat a heavy meal at the turn

Try these tips next time you play and let me know how it worked out.

I don’t just mean when you bought that new driver.  I am referring to the last time you sat down with your instructor and decided if you had the correct clubs (drivers, wedges, putter) and if they truly fit your game.

Having an equipment audit is one of the most important and easy things you can do to drop some strokes from your round.

Here are some common areas that can lead to the fastest improvement:

1. Does your driver have the correct loft, shaft flex, length and weighting?
2. Do you have the correct wedge gaps. Maybe you need to add or remove a wedge?
3. Do you still carry a 3 iron? Take that out, and put a hybrid in there.
4. Have the lie and lofts of your irons checked. This should be done twice a year if you average 2 rounds per week.
5. Change your grips. This should be done when your lie and lofts are being adjusted.

These are just a few smart ways to improve your game by putting time into areas that count and spending your dollars on instant results.

Please contact me if you would like to set-up a custom club fitting sessions today!

Do they have more confidence? Yes.

Do they know their strengths & weaknesses? Maybe.

Everyone wants to hit it like a tour player, most will never be able to – but what everyone can do (and even better than Tour players) is putt.

This is how Tour players think –

“I know I make a lot of putts inside 15 feet, and lag putt really well (most Tour players fall into these two categories) so I am not afraid of missing shots. I can then aim at more pins, and because I know I can putt – this allows me to make a more relaxed, stress free swing that doesn’t focus on failing to pull off the shot. This allows me to drive the ball better and think about how I should be playing the course, not about how I should be fixing my swing.  Because I can putt I know I am going to play well – I am more relaxed before my round and more confident that there will be a positive outcome involving my round.”

It all boils down to the putter. When was the last time you took a lesson just for your putting stroke?

If you don’t have time to get to the putting green, here are two ways to improve indoors:

1. Buy The Putting Edge. This is the best and fastest way to get a better putting stroke.
2. If you don’t want to spend the money – Set up two drinking glasses (turned upside down) about 10 feet apart and attach a piece of string to the glasses using tape. Put a quarter on one end to represent the hole and putt from the other end. Place the golf ball directly under the string so that the ball follows the path of the string when you putt. This will help you with alignment, feel, and the beginnings of a consistent stroke.

The Putting Edge allows you to feel a proper putting motion and helps to establish proper alignment. Using the glasses and string allows you to focus on alignment and “squaring up” your body to the putting line.

Schedule a 30 minute putting lesson and lower your scores faster then you ever thought possible.

The PGA Tour season has roughly a two month “off season;” and what the players choose to do with their time can make or break them for the coming season. So what can the average player learn from these Tour Players and how can it help you improve?

The key component is preparation: setting a goal and establishing a plan to reach that goal. Many players will schedule some time with their instructor and evaluate what they did good that season, and what areas of their game need improvement. Then they make a plan of how to improve. The players that execute their plans most efficiently are usually the ones you see have a great season – or a breakout / comeback year.

I recommend sitting down and taking a serious evaluation of your game. Find the areas of the game that you can improve the most and execute a plan.  Be realistic about your time commitments so that you stick to the plan.

Here are some areas that will help golfers of all skill levels improve the fastest.  These are the main things that Tour Players focus on.  Work with your instructor to find out the proper course of action to improve your game in the shortest amount of time.

1. Course Management – Do you need to hit driver every hole?  Make sure you are taking enough club on certain holes to avoid trouble short of the green. A player needs to know where you can and should miss the green. Ex: If you know you can miss the green right and you normally fade the ball, be aggressive – if you over cut it then you won’t be in trouble.
2. Make more putts – You have heard this 1,000 times so maybe now is the time to listen.  It is no secret, you make more putts, and you shoot lower scores. Think of how many “make-able” putts you miss (or even turn into 3 putts!) Now imagine making those – talk about dropping your handicap, who cares about adding 10 yards to your driver!
3. Know Your Limits Around the Green – Get good with one club at a time. If you chip with a bunch of different clubs, try just using one.  Get comfortable with using that club to hit chips, pitches, bump & runs, etc…  And stop trying to hit the impossible “Mickelson” flop if you don’t know how – it will just add 3 or 4 extra shots that hole!

Schedule a lesson today and let’s talk about how you can improve your game for the season.

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