Fat Shots

Fat shots come from one thing, hitting behind the ball. Why do we hit behind the ball?

Answer, our club has come back to the ball lower than it started. Obvious right! Well if we think about it that way we’ll never fix the problem. Our head is the problem. It controls more than we think. If our head comes up as we go through the ball we top it. If our head goes down through the ball we hit it “fat”.

We’ve been taught for years to keep our head still, so the only way it can move is up and down. It needs to move right to left (considering you’re a right handed player) along “with our body” not fighting it.

A good way to practice this is in front of a mirror. Draw a horizontal line on the mirror so you can see if your head moves above or below it. Make practice swings looking at yourself move from right to left freely. Let your arms hang while you do this and feel the centrifugal force pull you into a natural weight shift. This will get you sweeping the ball more instead of trying to scoop it

Breathing

When was the last time you took a lesson from your pro and he informed you that your breathing was causing you to slice? Well fixing your slice may not be that easy but, if your not breathing correctly you could be tense for no reason, which could be causing errant shots. Breathing is as important as anything else you practice, putting, driving, tempo. In fact breathing controls your heart rate which in turn controls your tempo. Try running around the track a couple of times and then go try to hit golf balls. It probably won’t be that great.

When we watch the pros on TV we don’t realize that they are using some form of controlled breathing. They have worked it into their routine, so when their over the shot it is automatic. When we breath correctly it takes our minds off of our fears and on to something we can control. When we learn to be in control of our breathing and tempo we will be able to give ourselves the chance to improve when we work on new technique or just fine tune what we already know.

The next time you practice, work breathing into your pre shot routine. Start by practicing breathing in through your nose and exhaling through your mouth, but take twice as long to exhale. Try piercing your lips to make your exhale slow. Now make some practice swings while your exhaling the whole swing. You will learn that you’ll start exhaling before you take the club back to time the finish with the end of the breath. That’s our goal, so we focus on breathing instead of the water hazard or out of bounds. Blocking out distractions will be easier because your focus will be on something controlled. Your body will be more relaxed which will allow better shots to happen instead of forcing them in pressure situations, your playing partners won’t know what hit them!

Attitude

Golf has become so competitive these days that even a friendly game with the boys can be nerve wracking! When was the last time you went out on the course by yourself and just enjoyed the surroundings? We’ll here’s a few things that can help you play like you’re all alone and without a care in the world.

FOCUS!

What are you thinking about? You’ve heard it before and I’ll say it again. “One shot at a time” That’s right, all you should be concerned with is the single shot that you’re over at any given moment. Then have the mind frame that you could care less where it goes. I know it’s hard but when you get to the point where you don’t care, that is when you’ll allow yourself to make your natural move and swing within yourself. We’ve all done it, you know, toward the end of your round when you’ve tried all day to hook the ball and all you can do is slice, then something inside says “I don’t care if I shoot a hundred”. Then all of a sudden you relax and waalaa, you hit the shot of the day and say to yourself that was easy. Which brings me to my next point.

RELAX!

Relaxing is extremely difficult these days with all the stress we have in our daily lives. So when we get to the golf course we’re suppose to leave it all behind, right? Yea, right! How can I relax when I have so much on my mind? Do you remember the tip I wrote about breathing? That’s right, breathe. We do it all day long until we step foot on the first tee. “OK, I’ve got fives three ways with David, John and Dennis. Let’s see, dollar skins with carry-overs. Green fees were fifty bucks, If I win all ways that will cover the day plus drinks, “SHANK” What are you thinking about? You idiot, you’re horrible, “ring” who is calling me know? Sound familiar?

HAVE FUN!

That’s right, have fun. The first thing I teach every junior golfer that comes to one of my schools is have fun. If you can’t have fun playing golf then go back to the office. How can I have fun with all this pressure on me to hit it long and score well? I just spent $600 on this new driver. I have to play well or else! I know it’s tough but it you try to have fun you won’t put so much pressure on yourself and you probably will shoot lower scores, because you are relaxed and you can breathe, which will allow you to focus. Each one of you has to learn to play within yourselves. That means set reasonable goals, try not to hit a shot you know you can’t, and accept the level of play that you are at. It’s just a game…