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| Bruce Romberg - The perfect sport |
Many golfers shoot high scores because they follow one bad shot with another bad shot. Rarely, however, does a good player do this. Better players assess each situation and play the "smart" shot, whereas the average player tends to think he can hit a home run every at bat.
Such is often the case with the dreaded flubbed bunker shot. What you see on the PGA Tour doesn't work for everyone. Very often, average golfers try to hit miracle bunker shots that the pros practice every day. Truth is, when faced with a difficult bunker shot, the average golfer should take his medicine and just get the ball on the grass. A bogey is better than a double bogey and a double bogey is better than a triple bogey.
A tip for better bunker play
When coming out of a bunker, open your stance slightly so your feet, hips and shoulders are aimed slightly left of the target. From this set-up, move your hands slightly ahead of the ball and have the clubface slightly open, (don't exaggerate the open clubface) as this will negate the bounce on your sand wedge.
The key to good bunker play is to have your swing follow along your bodyline. Concentrate on hitting two inches behind the ball and accelerating the club head through the sand. Allow the bounce of the sand wedge to determine how much sand you'll catch between the ball and clubface. Don't scoop the ball out; let the club do the work.
Trust your swing and your sand wedge. The sand wedge is designed with bounce to allow for just the right amount of sand to lift the ball.
If you have trouble getting out of bunkers it might be time to consider the bounce angle of your wedges. Sand wedges come with different bounce angles - low, mid and high - which are designed to fit different swing types. If you tend to hit fat wedge shots or have trouble getting the ball out of bunkers, a high-bounce wedge will work for you because it resists digging into the turf or sand.
If you're a golfer who tends to hit thin wedge shots or plays courses with very firm conditions, a low-bounce sand wedge will likely lead to better results. To help decide which wedge is best for you, test some wedges from your pro shop or take a sand lesson from your local golf pro.
For most shots out of the sand, use your 60-degree wedge unless the flag is across the green, then you might go to your 54-degree or pitching wedge. Start by addressing the ball with an open club face. Play the ball off your left heel and set about 60 percent of your weight on your left foot.
Next, pick a spot approximately an inch behind the ball, as this is where you want the clubhead to enter the sand. From there make an outside in swing, making sure to use a full wrist hinge on the backswing.
As you swing the club head through the impact zone let the club head release to create the proper speed through the sand. Most golfers don't swing hard enough in bunkers to let the sand propel the ball out of the trap. Feel like you are pounding the sand and accelerating the club head through the shot to improve your bunker play.
Ronald Bruce Romberg
In my first golf tips article, I explained what going deep with confidence was and I explained how you should set down different layers of confidence so that it becomes thick and resilient.
I also explained how this develops golf swagger, an inward sense of confidence that is with us all the time, not visible to the outside. In this article I'm going to outline how to add more layers of confidence and explain what you can do when your golf confidence goes in the tank. This will really create golf swagger.
Another level and type of deep golf confidence comes from having a significant person in your life that has an entirely supportive and non-judgmental respect for you as a golfer. These people are happy for you when you play well and they are there for you when you don't. They certainly don't treat you differently based on what you shot that day.
The problem is golfers don't usually think this type of support affects their confidence, except in a warm-‘n'-fuzzy kind of way. Therefore, they don't pay much attention to it. However, recent research on world-class athletes, including golfers, reports that this is a very important confidence factor for them.
Why would elite athletes say this? First, it's because knowing we have that type of unmitigated support is deeply empowering and true empowerment breeds true confidence. Second, I think it's important because having people who unconditionally support you is another layer of confidence that is not dictated by golf performance.
Therefore, your next task is to create confidence by consciously acknowledging a supportive person in your golf world. I get my clients to add it into their golf swagger because this will help them sustain their emotional balance for all 18 holes. It never goes away.
By now you're probably thinking, "That's fine Dr. Al, but what do I do when the wheels fall off and my confidence is shot to hell? C'mon, give me something I can use in an emergency!"
OK, fair enough. Your next task is to create confidence by building a "confidence vault." This will involve using two very powerful mental tools that you already have: visualization and emotion. But because confidence is built in layers, I'm also going to ask you to incorporate one of your previous layers practice to help build the vault.
Now, wait! Don't get cranky on me. This doesn't mean more practice, but it does mean getting more out of the practice you have already committed to doing.
You build your confidence vault by making regular and systematic "deposits" of excellent shots that are then used when you need a confidence boost. I get players to think of these systematized deposits as multiple layers. The more they deposit, the thicker and more resilient their confidence becomes.
To make a deposit, simply visualize an extremely good shot you played before and recall the emotional reward you felt when it happened. Your smooth 4-iron from 185 arching gently over the water to a tough pin and that delicate chip under the pine branches and over the bunker are very confident images. Even if it's a straight drive that is shorter than usual, it's a positive image.
Now go over and gently tap your golf bag, depositing your positive images, emotions and confidence. Do this every time you hit a great shot, on the course or on the range. These deposits will build layer upon layer of confidence until you have a bulging vault of stored successes - just like a fat bank account.
Now, when the wheels fall off and/or you need to get your game and your confidence back, shot-by-shot of course, go over to your golf bag and mentally take out one of your successful deposits to match the shot at hand. It's easy to visualize it because you've done it before. It's easy to recall the rewarding emotions of the shot because you've had them before. Both of these active mental functions breed enormous amounts of confidence. Now, with your confidence in place, simply play away.
My clients say that the best thing about constantly depositing layers of confidence into their vault is that they have lots of confidence available, even after they use some of it up. And, if they need more, they say they just practice and make more deposits.
One player even stated that it's almost cheating because he gets double bang for his buck out of his good shots. He gets the immediate benefit of the actual shot and a second benefit when he uses it to boost his confidence. I say he gets a triple bang because he often hits his next shot very well as a result of the first two.
Like the building process, the benefits of deep confidence also happen in layers.
There are times when you have to play a lob shot to get the ball near your target, (playing over bunkers, water or when the pin is on a tier or on the front edge of the green). If you want to improve your game, you've got to be good at this shot.
To play a lob shot - the kind you see the pros play on TV - practice the following tips and see your game improve:
Improving your stance
Take a wider stance than normal with your feet slightly open. Next, lower your body by bending from the knees (like you're sitting down). Then, lower your hands a little from your normal grip position
Setup for lob shots
First, open the clubface so you are aiming to the right of your target, then adjust your feet, shoulders, hips until they all point in the same direction, to the left of your target.
The ball should be played forward - opposite your front foot - with the grip of your golf club pointing toward your belt buckle. This keeps the hands behind the ball, where they help keep the clubface open upon impact. .
The swing
The lob requires an outside-in swing, which is why you have to set-up with an open stance. As you start your backswing, cock your wrists early and aggressively rotate your hips and your shoulders, but keep your lower-body action to a minimum.
The key is to make sure your swing is from outside in as you hit the ball creating a motion where the toe of the clubhead never turns over the heel. In other words, do not allow the hands to rotate during the swing.
You want to feel as though your right hand is throwing the ball high in the air, at the target.
Practice these tips and see your scores improve.
Ronald Bruce Romberg
If you are not yet convinced that your golf emotions have a huge impact on your game, you might as well give up trying to play better golf.
Extremely satisfying golf is about hitting good shots under some sort of pressure and where there is pressure, internal or otherwise, your emotions are at play. Golfers cannot act like a bear with a sore bum and expect positive thoughts about their next shot and still expect to feel calm and focused enough to execute it properly.
Similarly, an over-exuberant high five after making a 40-footer often leads to a five on the following par three. We know that overly powerful emotions are detrimental to good golf but players let their emotions get the better of them all the time. Let me explain why this happens and then I'll suggest an enticing solution.
Nearly all golfers accept that "blowing up" can ruin their round, but it takes true courage to admit that they missed their drive on 13 because of the bad break they thought they suffered on 12. Golfers do not acknowledge that their emotions affect their game for three reasons:
• 1) Our emotions occur naturally,
• 2) Most don't think they know how to handle raw golf emotions, and
• 3) People take it very personally when told to control deeply rooted feelings.
My fundamental instruction message for fellow golfers is that you may not be able to control what happens to you on the course but you can control how you react to what happens. Ignoring your emotions is impossible but you can definitely manage yourself once they happen.
What causes powerful golf emotions?
Powerful golf emotions, high and low, occur because golfers want to be better players. Our highs happen because we feel proud and we celebrate truly great shots and our lows happen because we feel frustrated or angry about a poor putt — or three! If golfers aren't careful, this strong desire to perform can put them in a constant state of agitation and frustration because few players are consistently satisfied with golf performances.
Fred Shoemaker says that most golfers are only two bad shots away from being very frustrated. In this constantly agitated state, a golfer's emotions can easily rise up and torpedo their game. But it doesn't have to be this way. If people can keep their emotions from torpedoing their jobs and their relationships, I'm convinced they can do it for their golf game. How? Read on.
Get an emotional caddie who demands respect!
Everybody experiences powerful emotions all the time but we selectively hide them from people by changing our outward reactions and behaviors. Why don't we do the same when we golf? Simple. In golf, as long as we don't rant and rave, our emotions are private and no one is offended.
We simply don't have to show ourselves the same degree of inward respect we publicly give to others and this lets our emotions run wild. So, to keep your emotions in check, I suggest hiring yourself as an Emotional Caddie (EC). No, I'm not kidding and the job interview goes something like this:
Self: So, you want a job as my Emotional Caddie?
Emotional Caddie: Yup!
Self: Why do I need you?
EC: Because you're not doing so well on your own.
Self: Maybe not, but what do you know about my game?
EC: Everything — obviously.
Self: What are you going to do?
EC: I'm going to demand the same respect and support you give everybody else!
Self: Hey, what d'ya mean by that?
EC: Last week you told Charlie to regroup and go through his full routine when he was playing bad but you didn't do that for me yesterday on the back nine.
Self: Yeah, but I was so annoyed. I couldn't even hit one decent shot.
EC: So? That's golf. Why'd you call yourself "a hacker" for nine holes?
Self: I just felt so bad.
EC: So did Charlie. What did you do for him that you couldn't do for me?
Self: Nothing, I guess.
EC: My point exactly.
Self: So, what are you going to do about it?
EC: Whenever I sense your emotions are about to interfere with your game, I'm going to ask if you're emotionally OK to hit your next shot. If you are, it's a green light special!
Self: And if I'm not?
EC: I'll hold you back a little and remind you to use your special breathing exercise. It works great when you use it, but you're just like Charlie, you don't use the skills you already have to regroup after an emotional high or low.
Self: Sounds great. What else are you going to do?
EC: Every time you have an emotional moment on the golf course and then get yourself under control for your next series of shots, I'm going to buy you a beer.
Self: You're hired! I feel better already.
EC: I know, and we just earned our first beer!
Don't miss out, learn more: Bruce Romberg , Bruce Romberg , Bruce Romberg
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Posted by bruceromberg on 2009-11-05 09:01:43 | Rating: | Views: 8
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