Secrets

The frustration of our friend above is only because: You don't know, "What you don't know." I'll be here to keep you in "The Know"

I would be speaking to very few of you if I suggested that you heed your caddies advice and suggestions. Actually, I'd be speaking to none of you. (Looks like my webmaster is "Ghost - Writing" another column for me...at least he's cheap). But on a serious note... how many strokes a round might you save if you had the right yardage to the hole, the correct distance to the creek in front of the green, the correct yardage to carry the creek, the correct yardage to lay up??? And, what if you had a caddie that was so on the ball, that knew your game so well, that you could trust him when he said "Go for it!!!". A caddie that would tell you to lay up because you are so "off" your game today that... "Well, I could pull off that shot.....but who are you trying to kid... you oughta lay up with TWO putters.... you can't even hit a wedge to save yourself today???" This is an exaggeration of course. But if you had somebody whispering in your ear the correct advice.... wouldn't you at least consider the "Less than Heroic" option???

Use one of your playing "partners" or "opponents" as a "ghost caddie". What would you say to your "partner" that is stuck behind a tree in a clump of heather?? What would you tell your "opponent" to do in the same situation??? Listen to your "Ghost Partner/Caddie" before you listen to your opponent or yourself. Click on the Thumbnail below to see for yourself..... I have a "partner" for a caddie now.

Enjoy any as well as every opportunity to get in those last few rounds of the year. Don't worry about technique or swing thoughts - there will be plenty of time for that as you religiously practice from November thru March. Enjoy instead the pure spectacle of the colorful environment, and savor the exceptional shots that you are bound to hit. Those same exceptional shots are "In your Arsenal". Repeating those shots on a consistent basis are the result of purposeful practice. I'll offer some practice techniques from November thru March. I am well aware that "most" of you will "put away the clubs" until at least January... And there is no harm in that. WE at BuffaloStix do offer "purposeful practice techniques" as well as "full fledged lessons". As you might guess, January and February are "slow months" in our business cycle and a visit to our outlet store may help you accomplish more than you might have thought possible.

Expectations and Temptations are both intricate and often detrimental elements to scoring in the game of golf. Try to put these tidbits of information into your data base and then see what it spits out.

Last year, I believe the great Tiger Woods had a 14 shot difference between his best and his worst round on tour. He practices all of the time and has one of the best teachers in the world helping him . Yet, the best he can do is a 14 shot difference between his best and his worst. What then would be a reasonable expectation of consistency in scoring for you? Well, if the best in the world can only achieve a 14 shot variance, then the average guy should probably expect at least a 20 shot variance. The truth is that you will never be able to shoot the same score all the time. The game is inherently different every time and not you, nor me, nor the great Tiger Woods can ever be completely consistent as a result.

David Toms just decided to lay up on the 18th hole of the PGA championship. He was only 214 yards away. He could have easily hit the ball far enough to carry the water, heck I’ll bet he could have hit that ball over the water at least 98% of the time. Then again the ball was in the rough and slightly above his feet making it so that he could only have held the green 10% of the time. What does that matter? Depends on how you feel about a down hill pitch to a green that slopes away from you at 11 on the stimpmeter with water through the green. That shot is no bargain. David knows the difference between temptation and probability and now he is the PGA Champion. How many times do you take that one in 10% chance and what does it do to your score?

For the most part, golf is a game of tolerance and conservation. Hard as it may be to believe no two shots are the same and even the most capable and informed players are still figuring out how each shot is going to play. All shots have the same value and should therefore be considered as such.

As if trying to get a small ball into a hole hundreds of yards away is not enough, many a course designer is trying to make things different from what they appear. Probably the most common design strategy preys on one of the golfer’s most easily fooled instincts. Golfers love to feel comfortable over their shots, most seldom do, but none the less they still love it. Designers prey on that need for comfort without remorse. You see, golfers find the comfort in their alignment with the lines created by the course that surrounds them. Have you ever gotten to a hole or shot that you cannot ever seem to feel comfortable? Have you ever noticed the difficulty you tend to have with that shot, seemingly every time? More likely than not, it may not just be you. Well designed golf courses have an intentional and wonderfully diabolical characteristic.

The easiest way to fool a golfer is to point him/her in the wrong direction whenever you can. That being the case, many a tee box is pointed directly at the most trouble on the hole. If you align yourself with the tee box, then you are setting yourself up at the very thing you wish to avoid. If you align yourself at the target, then you get this strangely uncomfortable feeling that something must be wrong. This is on purpose, everything around you is saying “you’re pointed in the wrong direction” even though you are not. The first secret to overcoming this phenomenon is to know it’s there. Next time you play, get behind some of your least favorite tees, and see where they point.

Golf, or as I like to call it, "The Great Mystery", is a wonderful and complex game. Unlike many other sports, it is played over a ling period of time with a series of interruptions. Make a birdie, go to the next tee; only to wait 10 or 15 minutes for the group in front of you to be on their way. Not exactly great for your momentum or rhythm. This is why anyone who has journeyed through the trials and tribulations required to become a "good player" will know that maintaining rhythm and momentum in any situation is key. Since there are no opponents, no time limit, no team members and many individual stops and starts along the way, the player must take responsibility for his/her own rhythm on each and every shot. There is a way to do it. Many golfers have heard about it, many a mid-handicapper has been told but did not believe. Often young developing players do not see the importance. BUT, if you talk to anyone who has been to the mountain, they will all tell you that it is one of the single most important things you must do to play the game as well as you can (at any skill level). What is it .... you say? The Pre-shot routine. The routine must be finite and consistent, and should contain a trigger. There is no "correct" routine, only a correct routine for you. It must be the same each and every time you hit a shot, and should not take so long or be so complex that everyone else on the course is ready to hang themselves. It can be different for full shots and putts if you like as long as it is the same every time. You can set your watch to a good routine. You know exactly when the swing of a good golfer is about to start by the trigger. Incidentally, it is called the trigger for a very good reason. It is the last movement before the swing starts. Pull the trigger and your swing is on it's way. Like it or not, you are committed to hitting that pill. It is a good thing, and you must have one. (Bob Phillips)

Next time you play, count the number of steps from the front to the back of each green. My money says you will discover that 90% of the time, the greens are between 26 and 32 yards deep. So what.... you say. Well, this IS very important information. First, for the sake of convenience, you can use 30 to make it easy to calculate, second, you can now easily calculate how far it is to the front, center and back of the green. Example: if your ball is at the150 yard marker, you know that the distance is more likely than not: 135 to the front and 165 to the back. Now that may not seem all that important at 150 yards to the middle, but what about at 180 yards?? At 180, you know that it is more likely 165 to the front and 195 to the back. . Here is where the trick comes in: If you hit a 4 iron 180, you probably hit a 6 iron 160. If it is only 165 to the front of the green, you may just be able to sneak the ball on the green with a 6 iron, which you probably hit much more consistent than a 4 iron. Pick the 6 and you will probably make par or bogey, pick the 4 and "double" or worse becomes part of the equation. The game is hard enough, there is no reason to donate !! .... (Bob Phillips)

Webmasters Note: Remember that the ball is already dead, don't try and KILL that 6 iron. -- Courtesy of Steve "Do what I say, NOT what I do" Hylkema.

Bob explaining to Chris about the "grip". Grip it and Rip it, but, grip it correctly.

A little too much "rip" Christopher. Click on the above picture to see that the club shaft has gone way past "horizontal".

Great Finish. Again, click on the picture for the full sized picture and notice the perfect balance, right shoulder pointed at the target and slightly higher than the left shoulder, weight on the left foot, head high and watching that ball sail..... Ahhhh, the flexibility of youth.