Golf Strategy School Podcast

Everyone needs to know how to perform under pressure, but if you're striving to break 80 on the golf course you'll need it more than others. If you're someone who struggles to put two good nines together, there's a good chance that learning these strategies to perform better under pressure will help improve your game.

If you need help breaking 80 you can learn more about the Breaking 80 Blueprint by clicking here: https://www.golfstrategyacademy.com/b...

PS: It's less than the cost of one lesson per month!

Today's guest is Cassie aka - Golf Girl 505 on twitter!

What's your handicap? 30
What is your BEST score ever? 93
What is frustrating you the most about your golf game right now? Mid game, and chipping.
How often do you practice? About once a week
What is your golf goal over the next 12 months? Break 90

If you need help breaking 90 head join our conversation in our Facebook group: Golf 101 | How to Break 90

This was a really fun conversation with Julian.  He had reached out to find a specific time to record because my schedule was full.  In our back and forth I offered a few tips before his next round and he was happy to report his best 9 hole round ever!

What's your handicap (your average score)? +25
What is your BEST score ever? +20 (+10 on a 9 hole course)
What is frustrating you the most about your golf game right now? Course management. Trying to play above my skill level. As a result i play BELOW my skill level.
How often do you practice? At least once a week.
What is your golf goal over the next 12 months? Better than bogey golfer

If you would like to be a part of our Sunday Conversations you can sign up at golfstrategyschool.com/interview

On this episode of our Sunday Conversations I talk with Joy about her mental game struggles and how/what she can practice to get out of her own head!

Did you also hear that Golf Strategy School was named as one of the top 25 golf podcasts you must follow in 2020?  Pretty cool!

Player Profile

What's your handicap or your average score? 108 Is my average score. Never determined my actual handicap.

What is your BEST score ever? 101 What is frustrating you the most about golf right now?: Breaking 100. I am fully capable because I will par 3 or 4 holes out of 18, but I just blow up on 3 or 4 holes and ruin my score.

How often do you practice? Practice could occur a lot more. I’ve been slack lately.

Golf Goals (Next 12 Months)

Working hard on getting under that 100 mark by eliminating the bigger blow up holes.  Making practice more purposeful.

Be a guest on Sunday Conversations: https://www.golfstrategyschool.com/interview/

Join the Golf 101 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Golf101Breaking90/

Player Profile

What's your handicap (your average score)?: 104 average score
What is your BEST score ever?: 92
What is frustrating you the most about golf right now?: Not enough time to practice
How often do you practice?: When I am playing.

Golf Goals (Next 12 Months)

I'd like to consistently be in the low 90s with the occasional score in the 80s.  Also, just to get out and play more.

Want more help with your game?  Join our Golf 101 Facebook Group

Player Profile

What's your handicap (your average score)?: 7.6
What is your BEST score ever?: 70
What is frustrating you the most about golf right now?:
Trying to start the ball right of target w my driver. I can't seem to get it starts far enough right.

Not getting height on my green side bunker shots.
How often do you practice?: Twice a month

Do you want to be featured on an episode of our Sunday Conversations?  Sign up here: https://www.golfstrategyschool.com/interview/

Player Profile

Handicap: 33

Best Score Ever: 100

Current Struggle: Consistent Contact

Practice: 1/week

Golf Goals (Next 12 months)

After losing a bunch of weight I'm trying to find my swing again and trying to get back out there more often.  Really it's all about getting more consistent so I can get closer to breaking 100.

If you want to see the A.V.E.nue to Success training that I discussed with Alex just CLICK HERE

Player Profile: Kristian B.

Handicap: 18

Best Score Ever: 82

Current Struggle: Inconsistent Driver

Practice: 1x/week

Golf Goals (Next 12 months):

To beat my younger brother as much as possible!  He’s a 16 handicap and he beats me about 2/3rds of the time.  We do a first to 10 wins contest. Who ever wins 10 matches first has to buy the next round of golf or a piece of golf equipment.

CLICK HERE to join our Private Facebook group and get my A.V.E.nue to Success training free!

Player Profile: Mike

Handicap: 15

Best Score Ever: 85

Current Struggle: Driver/tee shots

Practice: 1-2/week

Golf Goals (Next 12 months)

Consistently shoot in the high 80s and hopefully set a personal best of breaking 85.  Also to get more consistent with driving accuracy and have continual improvement in the short game.

If you want help breaking 90 CLICK HERE to grab our Black Friday deal. 50% off an annual membership to the Golf Strategy Academy!

I know I know I know, it sounds controversial, but if you want to play golf better you need to quit trying to make birdies!

Want 3 Free Lessons to help sharpen your shortgame?  CLICK HERE!

A new season brings new goals, new strategies, and new energy.  If you're looking to improve your game this season here are the fundamentals that I use in my Golf Strategy Academy.

If you want my direct help, check out the Golf Strategy Academy by CLICKING HERE

Your driver will decide your fate over and over again when you’re out on the course so it’s important not to overlook any aspect of this swing. 

The tip we will be breaking down today is a simple driver tactic that you can use to produce immediate results. This is the process of hovering your driver. Hovering is a tactic that is used by many professional golfers to keep them loose before their swing but it’s completely undervalued in the amateur game.

Join Our Free Golf 101 Facebook Group for unique extra content!

The majority of swing tips that float around the golf world revolve around some details in the downswing or maybe the players grip. Very rarely does anyone discuss the backswing. The takeaway or backswing is just as important as any other aspect of the swing because it will determine the outcome of the entire swing. 

Article/Video Example

3 Free Short Game Lessons

As a high handicap golfer, it can be incredibly difficult to pass that first big milestone of breaking 100 for 18 holes. Without proper guidance, improving your skills in the game of golf is a slow and draining process. Understanding and practicing a few key concepts will allow you to bypass this frustrating learning curve and will have you scoring better than ever.

Check out my 3 Favorite Short Game Practices by CLICKING HERE!

Hinging your wrists is an important move in the golf swing because it will be a large
source of your power. This hinge must occur naturally and it must start before your hands and
the club reach waist level in order to keep you on a solid swing plane.
In order to make this move properly, it’s important to understand how to use your
takeaway to hinge naturally. All too often, golfers will force the hinge and make a mess out of
their swing before they have brought the club all the way back.

Get Proven Structured Practices

Join Our Golf 101 Facebook Group

In order to hit accurate golf shots on a consistent basis, you need to utilize your body’s rotation. An effective rotation will encourage you to keep the clubface square and controlled. If you don’t have a square clubface at impact, you will end up with errant and inconsistent shots. 

Another benefit of rotating properly is the increased distance in your shots. By using the correct rotation in your golf swing, you will be generating more power which will increase the amount of distance you are capable of hitting any of your clubs.

Check out the videos on our website by CLICKING HERE

Imagine yourself playing a long par five. You just hit a perfect drive down the middle of the fairway and your looking at a good chance to score well on the hole. After approaching your ball, you realize that you are still too far away from the green to hit your hybrid but you might be able to get there with your three wood. Do you feel confident hitting your three wood off of the fairway or would you lay up with an iron instead?

If you feel like you wouldn’t have a chance of making it to the green with your wood, ask yourself why that is. The fairway wood is the longest club in the golf bag that we typically hit from the ground. The length of the fairway wood combined with the size of the clubhead can make it difficult for amateur golfers to make solid contact with a ball that’s on the ground.

To check out this awesome video by Chris Ryan CLICK HERE

All golfers share the common desire of hitting it long and straight down the fairway. Unfortunately, we end up finding the rough or worse the majority of the time. From there, it becomes a struggle to make a par or even a bogey. 

It’s important to understand the errors you’re making in your driver swing in order to make the first steps to correcting them. Whether you hit high slices or low hooks, there are reasons for every result. If you understand these reasons and how they relate to your swing, you will be on your way to hitting more fairways.

CLICK HERE to check out the video demonstrating the soak the ball drill.

​Have you ever hit a perfect drive down the middle of the fairway just to follow it up with a chunked iron shot? This is one of the least satisfying feelings you will experience in the game of golf. Instead of taking advantage of your perfect drive and having the chance to putt for birdie, you’re struggling to get up and down for par.   

The good news is; this issue can be avoided with one simple drill. The purpose of this drill is to teach you how to hit the ball before you hit the ground and allow you to shift your momentum and weight properly. The simple goal is to get your weight and momentum moving forward on the downswing and allow yourself to take a divot after you hit the ball. 

Check out the video at https://www.golfstrategyschool.com/stopchunking/

Do you want to play more consistent confident golf? Learn more about the Golf Strategy Academy at https://www.golfstrategyacademy.com​ As you learn what it takes to become a consistently good golfer, you will see a common principal over and over again. Proficiency. In order to lower your scores and play consistently good golf, you need to become proficient in all areas of the game. If you neglect one aspect of the game, you cannot expect to play well and improve. As a beginner in the game of golf, it can be tempting to go to the driving range just to hit your driver over the fence 100 times. This type of practice session is often followed by a round on the course where nothing seems to go your way and you wonder why you aren’t improving. It’s likely because your practice is all wrong. Don’t fall into the temptation of only going to the driving range and instead, begin working your way out from the cup until you feel confident from anywhere around the green. Then, work your way back to the tee box at various distances in order to develop a consistent play style. By following these simple tips and not giving into the temptation of the driving range, you will see the scores dropping lower than ever before!

Blaine is the host of the Mobilitas Movers Facebook group which takes a holistic view on golf and runs the Tour Shot Golf Academy at www.TourShotGolf.com. We sat down with Coach Blaine Seitz to discuss simulating pressure with your practice, breathing techniques, proactive vs. reactive thinking, and much more. Blaine is a PGA instructor AND a TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) certified instructor! You can get a FREE copy of Blaine's book, Better Golf from the Inside Out here: http://bit.ly/BetterGolfFromTheInsideOut

If you’re a golfer who’s attempting to achieve a milestone score or if you’re struggling with the mental side of the game, you don’t want to miss this one

For those of us less fortunate golfers with long snowy winters, it feels like your game is on pause for months every year. Despite that feeling and the fact that you can’t get out on the course, you can still improve over the winter season. Today’s lesson has nothing to do with swing mechanics or even course strategy, instead, we’ll be discussing the golf offseason and how you can make the most out of your time off the course. Measuring the areas of your game that have the greatest negative impact, along with the frequency of these issues is one of the quickest ways to determine where your focus should be going into the offseason. Ask yourself, where is my skill level? And where is my ceiling? As we said, with short putts, your skill level is likely high and your ceiling is not much higher. With long putts, your skill level and make percentage is going to be low with a low ceiling of improvement opportunity. Where you’re likely to see the biggest difference in skill level compared to ability ceiling, is putts within the 5-15 foot range. A good putter has a decent chance of making putts in that range so you should spend more time practicing them. The same concept can be applied with the driver. If you’re putting yourself in the position where you are consistently in need of a recovery shot after because of your tee shot, you need to put time into hitting more accurate drives or using a lesser club off the tee. With approach shots, if you’re finding yourself skulling or chunking approach shots instead of around the green in regulation, then that will obviously be the area that you focus on. Routinely doing a “check up” on your golf game is one of the best ways to improve as a player and lower your scores. The end of the season is a perfect time to do these assessments. If you’re lucky enough to not have an offseason, it’s important to set aside the time to do this throughout the year. Checking up on your game even semi-annually could be the answer to you achieving your golf goals!

Get 30 Days Free in the Golf Strategy Academy

It's time to get down to business and start shaving some strokes from your golf game in all those hard to reach places (lol)! When we're golfing and we come across a shot in that tough in between distance we need to have plan.

1. Use a less lofted club when you have less than a full swing (try maybe a pitching wedge or a 9 iron).

2. Don't set up like a regular shot. Narrow your stance and get closer to the ball for better contact. If you're still struggling doing that put about 60% of your weight on your front foot.

3. Get hyper focused on your goal. Follow your A.V.E.nue to success by putting your mental energy into thinking about where you want the ball to land rather than what could go wrong.

Want to see the exact structured practices you can use to improve your game quickly? Want them for free for 30 days?

Visit www.golfstrategyacademy.com to sign up!

We just finished our Breaking 80 series: LISTEN HERE 

But today we're going back to our roots to discuss the 5 Keys to Breaking 90.

Want 30 days FREE access in our program?  Just head over to www.golfstrategyacademy.com

Mental game is arguably the hardest part of your game to work on.  The first step is to figure out what part of your mental game you struggle with.  Once you've done that you can really get to making progress.

If you want help breaking 80 you can learn more about my Breaking 80 Blueprint by CLICKING HERE

Last week we touched on how structuring your short game practices can help you break 80.  This week it's all about tempo & distance control (and how to practice them).

Randomized or variable practice is the real key here.  You need to have a different target or different club in your hand for every shot of your practice.  A great way to do this is to take one club and try to hit a ball short of the green, then long of the green, then on the green.  This will help build your "on demand" distance control.

If you want more info on the Breaking 80 Blueprint (where I share a boatload of these practices with you and provide additional support and coaching) click here: https://www.golfstrategyacademy.com/breaking80 

Today we're looking at how the short game functions as the base layer to building your success towards breaking 80.

The bottom line here is that if you're good from close it will take the pressure off from longer shots and allow you to swing more freely and confidently.

If you'd like to learn the exact practices I use with my students (I got them from some of the best instructors in the world) head over to www.golfstrategyacademy.com/breaking80

It's finally here!  What so many of you have been emailing, messaging me, and asking for... a process on how to break 80!

Are you a golfer who's stuck in the 80s and you just can't quite seem to break through that barrier and start scoring in the 70s? 

Pre-Register for the Breaking 80 Blueprint: https://www.golfstrategyacademy.com/offers/HwFZMS5n

Through my experience as a player, a coach, and as an interviewer of DOZENS of PGA professionals there are 4 cornerstones of breaking 80:

1. A well polished short game
2. A smooth swing that let's you control distance
3. The ability to play well under pressure
4. A mental game that let's you stay committed to each individual swing

If you need help in any (or all) of these areas then you need to pre-register for my newest course, the Breaking 80 Blueprint.

For a limited time only this is available for just $19/month. Claim your spot now at https://www.golfstrategyacademy.com/offers/HwFZMS5n

Steve joins us today to talk about the inconsistency in his tee shots (not just his driver).  We talk about how to practice to stand up to those pressure shots and how visualization can go a long way to producing the shot you want.

You can get access to a live training I did with PGA instructor Josh Boggs all about how to find your swing faults.  Just CLICK HERE to sign up

This is an interesting one because it's one of the most popular question I get.  So here is all about why you slice the golf ball.

If you need more help, I'm doing a free workshop about how to diagnose your swing flaws with PGA instructor Josh Boggs.  You can register here: https://www.golfstrategyacademy.com/swingfix

If you're like me one of the toughest parts about chipping is the distance control.  I've struggled with this on and off for years and the one thing I always come back to is this delightfully simple tip from Hale Irwin.

Want some more help with your short game?  Visit https://www.golfstrategyacademy.com/3freelessons to get 3 of my favorite lessons to help you around the green.

This is a really cool episode with one of our group members David Hughes.  David has been putting in the work and making sure he has a really solid plan for each round and it recently paid off big time!

David shared that there were 3 main keys to his massive improvement over such a short period of time.

1. Making more consistent contact by not over swinging.
2. Getting on the green in the first chip inside of 50 yards.
3. Working to eliminate 3 putts.

These are all things that are taught in the Breaking 90 Blueprint!

Right now you can get instant access for $98 (that's 50% off) during our 4th of July sale.  

Want help breaking 90? Join my free Golf 101 | How to Break 90 Facebook group by clicking here

At the beginning of this season I was a terrible headcase with my putter. I couldn't get out of my own way and I finally figured out that I was manipulating the putter with my hands but I had a heck of a time trying to stop! It finally hit me that an article I had saved referencing the two drills used by one of the best putters on the PGA Tour - Aaron Baddeley! Let's check them out.

You've probably heard just about every possible reason as to why you're slicing the golf ball.  Grip pressure can be a sneaky contributor to the over the top path issue, and in this episode we look to fix exactly that!

Want to see what I'm saying?  Here's the link to watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/t0bNBW05mzY

Want my free 3 video series on how to build your mental game to break 90?  Get it here: https://www.golfstrategyacademy.com/breaking90

IT'S A TRAAAAAAP!  Don't let getting stuck in a bunker ruin your round.  Here are 2 quick tips that will help you get up and out of sand traps on your first shot every time!

If you need help breaking 90 join our Golf 101 | Breaking 90 Facebook group!

For most golfers their struggles can be tied to one (or more) of these three common issues.

1. Not knowing how to practice (hitting 7 iron 700 times)
2. Not know how far your clubs go/having unrealistic expectations of yourself
3. Letting bad shots/holes drag down the rest of your round.

If you want help on your path to breaking 90 check out our Golf 101| Breaking 90 Facebook Group

I've been getting the "should I get fitted for clubs" question a lot lately, which makes sense, this is the time of the season that people buy new clubs.

So I invited past guest, PGA instructor Josh Boggs on to talk shop.  Josh graciously grabbed two colleagues who absolutely love the club fitting conversation: Michael McNutt and David Rosinski.

This was a fun episode because I got to ask some of your questions to some expert club fitters!  I legitimately learned some things about the club fitting process and the variability of equipment and I hope you do too!

If you'd like help with your game join our free Facebook group: Golf 101 | How to Break 90  

What's your handicap (your average score)?: 85

What is your BEST score ever?: 76

What is frustrating you the most about your golf game right now?: Iron game. I had some old NDS irons which i hit very very well just not very long and bought some Titleist forged clubs with extra distance in mind thinking my iron game was safe with any club. Had to buy second hand because of money and now its 50/50 whether its good or fat

How often do you practice?: Once a week, weather permitting

Need some help with your short game?  Sign up to get my 3 Free Lessons

As golf fans, we’ve all seen the pros hit a high flying wedge shot that lands past the pin and rolls back towards the hole like they were reeling it in with a fishing pole. It seems like magic and you can’t help but wish you could do the same out on the course. Before you can start reeling in your wedge shots, you must first understand what produces that kind of backspin and what is holding you back from seeing the results you’d like. We will break down the equipment and the technique that is needed to produce the maximum amount of backspin with your wedges.

If you want to get 50% a full year of the Golf Strategy Academy CLICK HERE to use promo code winter and lock in your discount before Monday is over!

Everyone has been on the golf course with someone who loves to give out unsolicited tips and advice and this is especially common when it comes to the short game. You might get lucky and use one of their tips to improve your wedges but the odds are, you are doing more harm than good. There are three common common mistakes that the average players makes  with their wedges and I’m sure you’ve heard them all before. 

We will be taking a close look at these three common mistakes and teaching you how to avoid them next time you find yourself with a wedge in your hand.

Grab Your 3 Free Short Game Lessons By Clicking Here

Want to join our Black Friday Blowout?  Head over to golfstrategyschool.com/waitlist to be notified when our 50% discount goes live!

Today's episode looks at how (and why) we determine a successful practice.  What does good look like and why is it important to us?

If you know me or this podcast I’m usually pretty quick to tell someone to holster their driver in favor of a more controllable club, especially if it’s costing them penalty strokes off the tee.  

I’m not against hitting driver, I’m just very guarded against taking penalty strokes. Today we are going to look at what are some key things to focus on when we actually do hit the driver well on a consistent basis.

Check out the video back on the episode page

This is definitely a heavy hitter for most golfers.  Even some of the best golfers you know likely slice the ball, they've just learned how to play it.

Today we're going to fix the problem though.  With these two moves you'll learn exactly how you can quit slicing the ball FOR GOOD!

If you need more help, check out my How to Break 100 in the Next 30 Days mini course for free!

Golf is a tricky thing.  It’s a difficult game, with a TON of moving parts.  If you’ve been listening to me for any period of time you know that I’m a big fan of minimizing the number of variables in a golf swing so you have less opportunities to take a wrong turn. 

Well today I’d like to lay a bit of foundation underneath that by talking about the concepts of a simple golf swing for beginners.

During the episode I mention a video and a gif (hard 'g' or we're not friends) that you can check out on our episode page here: https://www.golfstrategyschool.com/simple-golf-swing-for-beginners/

The driving range is somewhere I hold very near and dear to my heart.  It’s a place I've gone to practice, to have fun, to celebrate with friends, and to just zone out and relieve some stress.  With that in mind we should do our best to make sure others can use the driving range for all these things as well. Let's take a look at some basic etiquette so you won’t stand out like a sore thumb if you were to show up at a driving range near me and a tip or two so you can get as much out of your driving range time as possible! 

If you want to join us for our live How to Break 100 training you can sign up at www.golfstrategyschool.com/training

Let's take a look at 3 places you could use your hybrid from and the techniques required to execute those shots!

If you want some help with your game I'm doing a live training coming up soon!  To register head over to golfstrategyschool.com/training

I'm not going to lie to you, I know everyone wants to hit the ball further.  There are some simple mechanics that can help you get there too!  This week we are exploring the two ways you can develop effortless power in your golf swing.

If you want to gain more yards with the help of SuperSpeed Golf, enter my 100th episode giveaway for a chance to win a free set from them as well as a Masters and St. Andrews pin flag!

www.golfstrategyschool.com/giveaway to enter!

Welcome to episode 100!  This one was really hard for me to record.  I've planned on recording it on specific dates in the past but I've never really been ready.  I think Episode 100 on International Podcast Day is the perfect time for me to tell you why I hate golfing... alone.

Thank you to everyone who's ever been a part of the show, either as a listener, a guest, or even someone who just passed the word along.

Help us celebrate EPISODE 100 by joining our giveaway at www.golfstrategyschool.com/giveaway.

The 40 yard pitch shot can be one of the toughest shots in golf.  Frankly, it tends to be my personal nemesis. Any time I see my scores start to swell, it’s usually due to a few failed instances from this distance.  I know that when I’m on my game from 40 yards I will consistently hit the middle of the club face, I will have complete control over the ball flight, and a surprising amount of spin.  Let's look at exactly how we should do it. 

Also, stick around to the end for an awesome contest announcement!

Let's set ourselves up for success and put the ball in the best position as possible on the greens!

Certain mistakes are more common than others and when it comes to short game we need to do everything in our power to minimize them.  Here are 5 ways to get better at putting in a hurry!

One of the most important things in your golf game is your line. People often times think they are missing right or left, but in reality the shot was good, they just weren’t lined up correctly. In today's episode we're looking at 3 tips to get you lined up perfectly!

If you want to work with me directly check out www.golfstrategyschool.com/academy for more details

In this week's episode we're going to take a listen to part of the members only Golf Strategy Academy coaching call.

We take a look at Jeremy's question of how to get rid of the dreaded "chicken wing" and we also talk about some theories on head movement.

When it comes to the difference between amateur golfers and professional golfers long, solid, consistent irons can be a huge difference maker.  Check out how you can achieve that same success in this week's episode.

This episode we're diving into an article by Dylan Dethier that explores the real success rates that PGA Tour players have with different length putts.

The reason I bring this up is to let you know when you're being too hard on yourself.  I know I've certainly had a three putt follow me from the green and impact my tee shot on the next hole.  Hopefully putting some context around the true difficulty level of these putts will help you avoid that common pitfall.

This is the LAST WEEK to sign up for the Golf Strategy Academy Premium Membership for the discounted rate of $25/month.  Click here to claim your spot!

Our fourth and final part in the How to Break 90 series.  This week we're looking at how to deal with tension in your swing, how to play under pressure, and what strategies you can use while on the course!

If you want to be a part of the Golf Strategy Academy you can join by going to www.golfstrategyschool.com/academy.  If you use promo code beta you can get the premium membership for 50% off ($25/month), but that's only good until 8/22/19 or until the first 20(ish) people sign up.

In this episode we explore the fundamentals needed to break 90 from the tee box, both with the big stick and on par 3s.

The list is pretty straight forward:

• Start grooving path and controlling face with the gate drill
• Master the 1 piece takeaway (low N slow)
• Pick the right target line and the right start point on the box
• Make sure we're getting the longest drives with the proper angle of attack (control the low point)
• Don't fall for sucker pins on Par 3s

If you can do these things you are well on your way to breaking 90!  If you'd like to work with me on this process you can join the Golf Strategy Academy by clicking here!

We're walking through the Golf Strategy Academy details in part 2 of 4 on How to Break 90 - Full Swing Irons Edition!

If you want to see these lessons and work directly with me on breaking 90 in your golf game just head over to the Academy page and use promo code beta to get your premium membership for only $25/month!  This price is only good until August 22nd or when we hit 25ish members, whichever comes first.

Today's episode is the start of a 4 part series that walks people through exactly how I teach my students in the Golf Strategy Academy how to break 90.  If you want to join the Academy you can do so at the link above and use promo code beta to get the premium membership for just $25/month.

We start with the short game because it is the part of the game we use most often!  Over 70 % of your shots come from inside of 100 yards.  Here's how:

1. Face square
2. Then reading break
3. Then conquering short putts
4. 6 foot putting ladder
5. Just off green tactics (10ish feet)
6. Slightly further off green tactics (5-10 yds)

Some times improving your golf game is as simple as filling a knowledge gap.  This week's episode talks about the difference between the iron swing and the driver swing as well as one simple drill to practice for each.

In this episode we're exploring the fundamental principals that beginners must master to control the club face with their driver and start finding some more of that short grass!

Make sure you check out the episode page on the website [CLICK HERE] for a nice video tutorial as well!

Today's episode is all about hitting the ball further by slowing down.  We're going to go over two simple tips that can help you build a better rhythm that will lead more distance and more consistent contact almost immediately!

I've been in Scotland for the better part of June and it's been a crazy experience. To add to all those experiences, I got to tour St Andrews Links!

It was an amazing time touring the grounds of the Old Course and the rest of the St Andrews facility.  The biggest surprise during my time there is how much golf they fit into such a small space!  The tee boxes are just a few paces off of the greens, of which several holes share.  Something that was quite surprising, that I didn't realize from TV was that there are SEVEN shared greens and all of the hole numbers add up to 18 (2&16, 5&13, etc).

https://youtu.be/DDzmHLixD5E

Josh Boggs returns to share his view on why most people struggle to break 90.

Enter the giveaway here: https://kingsumo.com/g/8erbi0/pga-championship-superspeed-golf-giveaway

In this episode we're talking about 2 common faults that amateur golfers have with their putting.

If you haven't signed up for our Super Speed Golf Giveaway, make sure you visit GolfStrategySchool.com/Giveaway

The first issue is a routine.  Most amateur golfers don't have a preshot routine when it comes to putting (or their short game frankly).  Step 1 is get one!

The second issue is that most amateur golfers chronically under read the break.  There's a really detailed video that goes along with this and you can check it out at golfstrategyschool.com/PuttingGeometry

Hey everybody I just wanted to pass along a huge THANK YOU for the fantastic first month we've had since our relaunch.

We have shattered every previous month's download record (my about 3x!!!) with over 10,000 downloads in less than 30 days!

As part of that thank you I've connected with my show sponsor, SuperSpeed Golf, to give away 2 SuperSpeed Golf sets!!!

To learn more about the contest head over to www.golfstrategyschool.com/giveaway to check out the video I created detailing how to enter and how it works.

If you're ready to enter and you don't need any further details you can do so at the link posted below! 

https://kingsumo.com/g/8erbi0/pga-championship-superspeed-golf-giveaway/3qkwnzj?

I know that’s a pretty appealing headline, and if you’re struggling to achieve that there’s probably a healthy amount of skepticism flowing through your veins as you read this. The fact of the matter (emphasis on fact) is that people who struggle to break 100 a lot of similar issues and the majority of them fall into these three groups:

• Unrealistic expectations
• Penalties (especially off the tee)
• Poor short game

UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

When it comes to golf, this might be one of the biggest issues that most people either don’t talk about or may not even know about.  When you look at your scorecard the first number that usually jumps out at you is what par is for the hole, right? Okay fine, it might be the distance or what the handicap is of the hole, but if par isn’t the first thing you look at, I guarantee you it’s second.

So let’s talk about it.  What is par? Go ahead, say it out loud or in your head.  Let me guess, you said something along the lines of “It’s what you should shoot on each hole”.  If you said that, you’ve got it half right. Par is what you should shoot on each hole… IF YOUR HANDICAP IS ZERO!

Now I’m not here to make you feel bad, but if you’re reading an article about breaking 100 on the golf course and you actually expect yourself to make par on each hole, you’re setting yourself up for a world of disappointment.  Here’s a fun fact to help illustrate my point: players on the PGA tour only hit about 12.5 greens in regulation out of 18. How many greens do you expect yourself to hit in regulation? Be honest now, is that a realistic expectation?  For someone who normally shoots 100 (a 28 handicap) they average between zero and 1 greens hit in regulation. Don’t put all this unnecessary pressure on yourself to do something that is a statistical anomaly.

Think of it this way, would you ever take $18,000 out of your bank account and bet that you’d hit every green in regulation?  OF COURSE NOT! Your financial guy would slap you across the face, your wife would divorce you, and you’d be left with a much lighter wallet.  So if you wouldn’t hold yourself fiscally accountable like that, why does the thought process change just because there’s not any money on the line?

Instead of thinking that you must get on the green in regulation, let’s move the finish line to something a little more achievable.  Let’s get MOST of the way to the green “in regulation”. So if you’re playing a par 5, your version of “on in regulation” should be to get within 100 yards of the green in three shots.  If it’s a par 4 you want to be inside 75 in 2 shots. If it’s a par 3 you want to be within 50 in 1 shot. This now removes SOOOOO much pressure from your game! Instead of feeling like you have to hit your driver off of every tee box, now you can achieve your new goal with a few easier to control shots that you’re much more confident hitting!  Do you think you  could hit two safe shots in a row that average about 135 each?  That would get you within 75 yards on a 350 yard par 4. You’ve got a lot better chance of doing that then just doing the standard spray and pray with your driver off of every tee box.  This will lead to much lower scores and a lot more confidence and consistency in your game.

PENALTIES

Any time I think of this topic I’m reminded of my interview with Craig Jones, the founder of Face First Golf, he said from the tee box “you should hit the shot you’re comfortable with”.  Sure, it’s not the shot that Golf Digest and the Golf Channel want to give you three quick tips on, but it will lead to a lot better scores because you won’t be spraying it two fairways over with your super unreliable driver.

Before every shot  I want you to determine a safe zone and a danger zone (cue Kenny Loggins).  The danger zone is pretty self explanatory. It’s going to be anything that would involve a potential lost ball or penalty stroke.  Is there water or out of bounds on the right? Then that’s the one place you can’t go, that’s the danger zone.

I know you’re probably thinking “but Marty, that's a negative thought.  Don’t we need to avoid those?” Yes that is a negative thought, but we need to get you making the correct decisions first before we can get to the impacts of positive and negative thoughts.  It doesn’t matter how positive you’re thinking is.  if you pull out a 4 hybrid and try to hit a shot over 240 yards of water you are about to get wet!

Our safe zone is essentially as far away as we can get from the danger zone.  Somewhere flat and unassuming where we have plenty of room to land the ball safely so we can have an easier next shot.

This comes into play with other shots too.  The real lesson here is don’t be a hero, you’re not going to win a tournament with one swing, but you sure can lose it with one.  Learn from your past experiences. Hell, learn from Kevin Costner in Tin Cup! Don’t take the risk, just hit the shot you know you make the majority of the time and continue from there.

This also means play away from other hazards like bunkers or trees.  Lastly, if you find yourself in trouble your only choice is to just punch out.  Don’t try to make the hero play and try to hit a low hook and roll it onto the green, JUST GET OUT!  This brings me back to another one of Craig’s quotes: “Don’t follow a bad shot with a dumb one.”

If you can eliminate penalties, both literal and mental, from your game you’ve just taken a monumental step towards breaking 100.

POOR SHORT GAME

This is a huge problem for people of all handicaps, but it’s even more impactful for people trying to break 100.  The fact of the matter (again, emphasis on fact) is that if you were a scratch golfer half of your shots are going to come on or around the green.  For a lot of people this is even as high as 60%-70%!

So what does this mean?  Well, it means you’re going to have to get real cozy with your flat stick.  Your putter is going to be your best friend. You’ll need to master lag putting as well as getting yourself comfortable and confident over your three and four footers.  Don’t worry though, we’ve got the perfect practice session to anchor your touch. [link to no 3 putts article]

The other part of the short game is all those chips you tend to chunk or skull across the green.  Let’s apply our same betting logic. You’re standing five feet off the green and the cup is 30 feet away, and the ball is in your hand.  If you had to bet $1,000 on yourself to get that ball within four feet of the hole, how would you throw it? Would you toss it high up in the air over your head like a jump shot in basketball?  No, Steph Curry wouldn’t even do that! You’d probably bend down a little bit and bowl it towards the cup.

I’m certainly not the first person to have this idea, because I watched Tiger Woods do it with a three wood in the early 2000’s, but just make a putting stroke with a fairway wood or hybrid.  It will have just enough loft to get the ball up in the air and it will be much harder to chunk or skull than a sand wedge.

The moral of the story here is get the ball on the ground as soon as possible, and if you can keep it on the ground the whole way (putt it) then that’s the perfect scenario.

So the next time you play golf try to be a little proactive about these choices.  Let’s keep ourselves out of the danger zones (buzz off Kenny Loggins!), keep penalties off our cards, and have realistic expectations based on our abilities.  Let me know how it works for you!

Keep it in the short grass.

Cheers,
Marty

Our first 19th hole listener Q&A episode is here!  Our question comes from Kevin in Massachusetts.  He says I've found a huge disconnect between how my swing SHOULD look and actually getting it to happen.

Let's dive in!

In this episode we dive into some strategies I used with a client during a recent range session to help her build confidence in clubs that she had been avoiding.

Let's face it, we all have clubs we don't like to hit, but they have to be at the very least serviceable when their number is called.  Here we talk about how you can practice to make that possible!

Hey everyone, I know it's been a long time but I'm glad to be back!  To say in a few words what I could in a hundred - I think the net was cast too wide before just focusing on "the mental game".  A single digit handicap has different mental game issues than a 22 handicap.

So going forward we will be looking at how the high handicap golfer can improve their decision making process and play better golf.

Happy to be back!
Marty

I’m back with more Golf Strategy School! I’ve got an interesting story that comes from a different sport, but it's still something we can use in our game to ensure we're prepared as possible.

The 2008 Olympic game in Beijing: Michael Phelps was going for the record of 7 gold medals at the butterfly race. At the turn, his goggles filled with water and he was swimming blind, but was still able to complete the the race, finished, and won the gold medal.

After the fact, Phelps mentioned in an interview that he manages to win and shared his views on preparation. He looks at everything that could go wrong, and finds a solution for all those different things. Let's say your goggles fill with water, you can't see the markings on the walls and you don't know how far you have to go. Phelps' solution to this was to count the number of strokes to go from one side to the other, so he knew how many strokes he needed to complete the race.

This translates directly to golf. When I practiced, my Dad thought of worst-case situations and applied them to their practice. They spent a lot of time around the greens to improve short game and putting since that's what is used most often. I's Dad stood on one side of the green, threw a ball over the green, usually towards a bunker, and I had to play it wherever it stopped.

I developed a familiarity with these "goofy" shots and could even hit golf balls out of the trees, so I knew how to recover. They practiced in different conditions (i.e. steep downhill bunker shots) and with different tools (various clubs). Start looking at consistent outcomes in games. For example, if I missed, it's always left, so there's no need to practice for anything on the right side of the green. However, if the pin is on the left side and I was trying to hit the ball into it, there's a chance that I could work the ball too much.

I was thinking about a particular hole where I had to learn very vertical steep sand shots. Have that passing familiarity so you aren't caught off guard and have seen them before. Practice those weird downhill "rolling away from you" chip shots. Take the time to practice them a little bit to have that familiarity that translates to the T-box and allows you to make the most confident shot possible.

Shots that you aren't familiar with tend to creep into the back of your head, and that leads to you being focused on shots you want to miss as opposed to what you want to hit. Become familiar with your shots around the greens so they aren't completely foreign to you. You'll have increased confidence in shots leading up to that because you'll know you have a solution, just like Michael Phelps did in his race.

What an amazing Masters tournament!  I’ve been a Sergio fan since the scissor kick at Medinah.  He’s only a few years older than me and I’ve always related to him with my game.  We both have tons of lag coming into the ball which means timing is hugely important, and a fiery personality can lead to some very steep emotional, and statistical, highs and lows in a round.

When Sergio had the three shot lead on five everything seemed to be falling into place perfectly.  But as Justin Rose made his push followed by Sergio’s stumble at the turn everyone started talking about if he could “hold on”.  From what I had just watched during those first three holes of the back nine he absolutely could hold on.

One of my favorite quotes is “don’t follow a bad shot with a dumb one”, from Craig Jones of Face First Golf.  That’s exactly what Sergio had done in the past but he avoided today.  He was grinding out pars and not giving up while making bogeys.  He was smart, took his medicine (unplayable lie) on 13, and showed world class skill to save a par.  RIght then and there, you could feel the momentum switch.  This happens all the time in golf.  You just need one good shot, heck, sometimes just one good bounce and it’s like a switch goes off inside you where you know that from now on you WILL hit every shot flush and confidently.

Sergio goes on to keep his cool, even when the lead slipped away.  He knew his game, he knew his plan, and he stuck with it.  He didn’t let what was happening around him influence it at all.  That’s the biggest lesson we can learn from Sergio.  Make you plan and STICK WITH IT!

Too many times amateurs get one bad bounce, make one wrong decision, or take one bad swing and decide to scrap the entire plan for the round.  They never stop to think that golf is a game of averages and there’s a pretty decent chance that if they continue down the path they laid out ahead of time the good bounce, good swing, and great decision will come.  What would happen if every time you felt a bump in the road you pulled into an auto shop and had them check our your car?  You wouldn’t get anywhere!  Trust your plan, you made it for a reason.

The other thing that we can learn is from the low amateur, Stewart Hagestad, and his post tournament interview with Jim Nantz.  When asked about how he did it, he said played within himself and made very committed golf swings.  He stuck to his game plan and played great that week.  The other thing he said that I loved was that “Bogey’s won’t kill you, but doubles will.”

These are all important keys to solid golf, especially for higher handicapped players.  Play within yourself means quit fantasizing about that one time you hit an 8 iron 184 yards.  It was probably down wind off a cliff, that’s not your normal game.  Play your averages and when in doubt, take extra club, because you swing will rarely be perfect.

When Stewart talked about making committed golf swings, he means picking a shot that you’re going to hit and sticking to that plan throughout the swing.  Essentially the micromanager version of what Sergio taught us.  This can be harder to do than you would think, but with the right kind of practice you can make it a part of your game.  For my money the Think Box, Play Box drill is best way to put this into action with your game.  If you’re having a hard time with that, try the seven second drill from Dave Heinen.  It will take away any time that you have to waffle over the ball!

This week's question comes from Ben about how he can work on staying mentally focused for an entire round of golf.  He says he's been experiencing a lot of hot and cold streaks within the same round and he just can't quite seem to shake them.

We talk about how you can get focused on the micro (each swing) rather than the macro (the score you want to shoot) and how one of our Golf Strategy Academy students was able to make this same leap with some fantastic results.

What you'll learn in today's episode

• The importance of quiet hands around the green​
• How to develop a consistent touch from Hail Irwin
• Brandan Stooksbury's method of building a solid foundation for  your short game 
• Golf Strategy Academy

Featured Videos

• Chipping/Pitching jail drill​
• Hale Irwin's touch drill (sorry the audio is so bad!)

 

 

No time to listen?  Here's the transcript so you can Ctrl + f to where you need to be!

If you're a Patriots fan, congratulations!  If you're a Falcons, my condolences.  If you're a fan of sport in general, WOW, did we get a game to watch!  The Super Bowl did not disappoint and neither did today's GSA Q&A question from Bob in San Francisco.  Bob wants to know why he's so inconsistent on his in between distances, and more importantly, how he can fix it.  This comes down to commitment to your golf swing and the plan you've set for that shot.

Today's podcast is the first in our series: GSA Q&A where we take questions from our Golf Strategy Academy members and answer them on the podcast.  Today's question is from Josh in Las Vegas about how he can change his habit of spending too much time over the ball.

What you'll Learn

• Coping techniques for an over active mind
• Geoff Greig's go to method to help golfers ditch extra swing thoughts and focus on rhythm.
• Dave Heinen's technique to prevent those thoughts from ever sinking in in the first place!

Here's a secret that pros do, but you don't.  THEY JOURNAL!  Get my FREE 5 Minute Golf Journal so you can learn to analyze like a pro!

No time to listen?  Here's the transcript!

Hey Golf Strategy School Marty back with you here again and today we're featuring a question from a Golf Strategy Academy member Joshua out of Las Vegas sent an email wondering, and I love this question because Joshua saying he's struggling with too many swing thoughts. He's noticing that he's taking too long over the ball. He mentions that, let's see here. Been playing well recently but run into problems where I stall over the shot. It's gotten to the point where my League members actually give me crap about how long I take over the ball. Any thoughts on how I could help move beyond this mental block?

​

The reason I chuckle is because I've been there, and I've been there with many other students. And the solution is actually rather easy.

​

Like you said, you actually just get caught up, for whatever reason just hung up over a shot. For most people it's a thousand different swing thoughts going through their head. You know I've got to keep my right arm tucked in, and my left arm straight, and I've got to go 9 o'clock, and my hips got to turn, and all these different things going on in your head. And because you've got a thousand different swing thoughts happening you don't officially execute any of them.

​

There's some really cool brain science that's been going on, one of our past guests, he actually went through, he uses a software called Wujitech where it actually measures brain wave, brain activity a lot like some of the other software that are out there during your golf swing. And what we've actually learn from this, and his name is Geoff Greig. What we've learned from this is that in those moments where you have a bunch of different thoughts going on, your brain can't focus on any one of them, and so like I said you end up doing nothing correct. So the cool thing that's been kind of discovered is that this crux of the problem is actually providing you your own solution. So you're trying to do all these different swing thoughts, trying to make that perfect swing, well when in reality you need to get out of your own way. And so it's kind of odd but what we're going to do here is we're going to fight fire with fire. So if you got all these thoughts going through your head and you can't make a good swing what we need to do is occupy your brain. And Geoff Greig like I said he's done a lot of research using Wujitech to find different solutions to this, and one of my personal favorites is his solution and it is to hum while you swing.

​

So just make a humming noise and from there what your brain has to do is it has to focus on making that noise, and so it gets all those swing thoughts out of your head. Another reason why I like this humming method so much is because it also gives you a really good sense of what type of rhythm you have for that individual swing. So, if you're doing a a nice even-toned hum throughout the swing that means you've got a real smooth pace, that means that you are right on top of where you need to be, you're not over-exerting yourself. If you noticed there is a sharp pitch change in your hum, well that tells me and it should indicate to you that maybe you're trying to put a little too much behind this, trying to hit the ball a little too hard. It's an awesome drill you can take directly onto the course when you play. Maybe you don't want to hum that loud if you're, or your buddies are giving you grief about taking too long with the ball maybe you want to keep your humming down and bit, or maybe you'll get your shot in first before everyone catches up with you. That's one of the things that is, and I hesitate to say revolutionary, but it's a big eye opener for a lot of people.

​

The other thing that we tend to see a lot of times is for people who struggle with all those different swing thoughts, maybe it's not a swing thought maybe it's an over analysis. You know you get into deciding 6-iron maybe 7-iron, is the wind too much in my face, is it a club worth of elevation, all of these things. These are the things that you should have already decided on and that's a commitment issue which we will talk about in a different episode, but when we get into these situations where our brains kind of overactive again finding another way to occupy it is crucial.

​

One of the other things I've seen a lot of people do, and this is something that Dave Heinen mentioned in past episodes is to actually give yourself a countdown. If you know exactly what you're pre-shot routine is, like for myself I take a practice swing, then I stand behind the ball, I pick out my target, I then address the ball, put the club-face to that target just directly in front of the ball, one more last look down the target line, and away we go. So I have about five steps in my pre-shot routine. From making that decision in terms of what club I'm going to hit to actually executing the swing, so if that were something I were struggling with I would verbally count it down. 5-4-3-2-1 each time I'm completing a stage of that initial process. That way my brain doesn't have time to leak in all these directions. I got to stick to my routine, and I got to say it out loud. So it really removes any of that extraneous thought. For me 5 is the practice swing, 4 stand behind the ball at the target, 3 addressing the ball, 2 last look down the fairway, 1 is that breath out, and then I swing. So that's another way depending on what your pre-shot routine is. It can be more it can be less. Really want to keep it the shorter the better that way you don't have any of that time to actually drift off into different thought patterns. Again counting down, out loud counting down can be a big benefit to just removing all of that extraneous thought and getting your head clear so you can actually perform up to your capabilities. Because the fact of the matter is Joshua that you've done this before. You know we've talked before about your game. You've got a lot of really good swings and you, you've shot a lot of really good numbers. You already have the proof your body and your brain know how to do this, you just need to get all that extra crap out of the way. And to do this use one of these two techniques. I personally like the hum because it helps me feel a little bit more in tune with my rhythm, but if the hums not working for you right away go to the countdown. Whether it's from 5 whether it's from 3 whatever you want to do go to your countdown with your pre-shot routine say it out loud and that's going to be something that can really, really elevate you're in-the-moment execution.

​

That's what we have for you today Golf Strategy School. Thank you so much for listening. Again, we're moving more towards these individual, I guess it's not truly a Q&A necessarily, but these user-submitted questions from the golf strategy academy, and we're making sure we get these answers out there to everybody. You can see what kind of treatment all our members get inside the Golf Strategy Academy. That's something you're looking to do if you really want to take your game seriously, and really get up to snuff this year you can always get more information by going to golfstrategyschool.com/membership-info. You can learn all about the Golf Strategy Academy there I've got a nice short video for you otherwise I encourage you to get out there, get whatever kind of practice you can, but make sure it's focused, make sure it's randomized, and make sure you're actually getting better. So if any of you have any questions members always come first, but feel free to shoot an email my way marty@golfstrategyschool.com and I will catch everybody out there in the short grass. Cheers.

Happy new year everyone! Hopefully you've had a good holiday and are ready to kick off your season right.

Today I wanted to talk about the three most impactful episodes of the podcast and how you can use them to maximize your off-season.

When most people think about the off-season their mind immediately goes to fitness. Mike and Kyle from super speed golf shared some incredible information about how to physically train for a more powerful swing. (Full episode here)

I know a lot of people don't like going to the gym (frankly, neither do I!). The coolest thing about the workout technique Mike & Kyle have developed is that it A) draws on proven science used in other sports and B) doesn't require you to go to the gym and lift heavy things!

They use a process called over speed training to help golfers build their swing speed. It borrows from a technique in baseball where pitchers use balls that are different weights to not only build their muscles, but to train their brain and body to throw faster.

They have three weighted golf clubs, 2 lighter than a driver, 1 heavier, that you swing in order then finish with your actual driver. The brain science here is really cool. They've found that your brain will only let you swing the club as fast as you can safely STOP it. So by using the lighter clubs your brain learns that it actually swing fans stop faster. By swinging the heavier club your body gets used to moving a heavy more difficult object and when you switch back to your driver, the combination of the two lets you swing quicker. They've seen immediate gains of 5-7% swing speed just from the mental component.

This has been so successful for them that they have several PGA & LPGA pros using them. Here's a video from twitter of Billy Horschel getting his work in with super speed golf!  I even use super speed as part of my training. If you want to get your own you can get a 10% discount using our code: golfstrategy (all one word). As always I want to be totally transparent, I do receive an affiliate commission, but this is something that is a literal game changer, and it’s in my bag too!

The second most impactful podcast is that of Greg Liberto, the Head Coach. I use a lot of the things that Greg share in my mental game coaching. There are some truly foundational things that are extremely easy to do but for whatever reason, we neglect them. The biggest in my opinion is to have a POSTgame routine. (Full episode)

Greg’s big three questions are:

1. Name 3 things that went well?
2. Name 3 things that didn't go well?
3. What's something you can do immediately to get better next time?

The first question gets you to think positively about your game. Too many people neglect to do positive reflection about their abilities. This can be a huge step to building confidence!

Question two gets into the self analysis part that people tend to either skip or not take seriously. This isn't something to get down on yourself about, rather use it to prepare for your next practice session.

Question three gets us right to the point of what’s next on the agenda.  Pick the low hanging fruit and get it fixed pronto!

If you make this part of your golf routine you start to manage your time better and you get to the things that need fixing quicker.  This will help you stack your success and become a better golfer.

Our third impactful podcast is the first interview with George Roy who not only shared some awesome practice routines but also taught us an all time great lesson in how to set goals. (Full episode)

George’s strategy is to not set a goal of a score, but rather a series of small achievements that will add up to that score.  If we wanted to shoot 79 we wouldn’t try to go 40-39 because if we get off to a bad start we could get discouraged and shoot 95!  On the flip side, if we were really setting the course on fire and went out in 35, it would be really easy to take our foot off the gas because we only need to shoot 44 on the back nine to meet our goal.  Be honest, would you be happy with a 79 is it was 35-44?  NO!  You probably would’ve wanted to stay at or below par.  So instead we would set our goal as a specific number of fairways, greens in regulation, and two putts.  When we follow George’s method of goal setting helps remove self these self limiting beliefs.

So if you’re new to the show or just feeling like taking golf more seriously this year those are the podcasts that I would review to really help get you going on the right foot.  Stay tuned for upcoming podcasts where I’ll be answering questions submitted by our Golf Strategy Academy members.  And hey, if you really want take your game seriously this year you can join me in the Golf Strategy Academy Membership

This week's guest is Coach Rebecca Smith of Complete Performance Coaching.  Rebecca specializes in athletes that play individual sports like gymnasts, swimmers, tennis players, and you guessed it - GOLFERS!

In this interview Rebecca shares how her introduction to visualization & imagery laid the foundation to how she teaches her students how to perform under pressure.

Make sure you check out some of the strategies Rebecca lays out on her blog over at completeperformancecoaching.com/blog/

Today's podcast is all about a new practice routine that will help you really master your distance control.  It's become one of my favorites and will be headed straight into the Golf Strategy Academy.

The Approach Ladder

This is a game that is intended to be done on the course, but you can probably make it work on a driving range too.  Please remember to always do your FULL PRE SHOT ROUTINE with every shot.  This is one of the most commonly overlooked things in all of golf!

The main idea here is that we practice from different distance intervals for a couple reasons.  We want to randomize our practice and make sure we are training our brain that it has to perform at it's max level on the first attempt.  The other thing we are doing is teaching ourselves not to be afraid of any shot in this series.  By experiencing tiny failures we learn how to handle them, that way when we are on the course​ it's not as intimidating and it's easier to let go of failures if they occur.

Starting at 30 yards simply drop a ball, play it as it lies and hit into the green.  If it stays on the green you move back 20 yards and do it again.  If you miss you move forward until you hit the green again.

• If you stay on the green move back one spot (from 30 yards to 50 yards)
• If you miss the green on any shot you move forward one spot (if you miss at 150 move up to 130)

Ian C.

I was skeptical that Marty was going to be able to help me without making any swing changes, but low and behold after working through a few of his structured practices I shot a new personal best!

 

Advanced Learners

If this practice turns out to be too easy for you you can mix it up a little bit with this extra rule.

• If any shot stops within 20 feet move back two spots! (ex: 30 back to 70)
• If any shot misses the green by more than 20 feet you move up two spots (ex: 150 to 110)

Adding this type of variable increases the pressure during the practice, which makes it even more effective when you take it out on to the course!

For more advanced rules on this drill, other practice routines, as well ​previously unreleased coaching interviews join the Golf Strategy Academy.  Use promo code podcast to save $10 per month until November 1st!

Holy smokes, I'm BACK!

In this podcast we talk about an article that I really like, written by Alison Curdt.  She tells us why it's important not to make that negative knee jerk reaction, and exactly how we can combat it!

Also featured in this episode is the announcement of the new Golf Strategy Academy which is a monthly membership that grants you access to custom practices that have been proven (over 300 test subjects!) to lower your scores.  

These are the same practices from the 30 Day Challenge (which is now permanently closed) that helped over 300 golfers rapidly improve and shoot a BUNCH of personal bests.

Sign up at this address (http://www.golfstrategyschool.com/membership-info) using promo code podcast to get in at the introductory rate of $39/month.  The code is only valid until November 1st when the prices increase WILL increase.

Until then I will see you in the short grass!

Holy smokes, I'm BACK!

In this podcast we talk about an article that I really like, written by Alison Curdt.  She tells us why it's important not to make that negative knee jerk reaction, and exactly how we can combat it!

Also featured in this episode is the announcement of the new Golf Strategy Academy which is a monthly membership that grants you access to custom practices that have been proven (over 300 test subjects!) to lower your scores.  

These are the same practices from the 30 Day Challenge (which is now permanently closed) that helped over 300 golfers rapidly improve and shoot a BUNCH of personal bests.

Sign up at this address (http://www.golfstrategyschool.com/membership-info) using promo code podcast to get in at the introductory rate of $39/month.  The code is only valid until November 1st when the prices increase WILL increase.

Until then I will see you in the short grass!

Have you ever heard of the concept of over speed training?  Neither had I!  It's training using different weighted clubs so you can let your body experience performing the golf swing at a faster speed.  By switching to slightly heaver clubs you can build up that swing speed for the times you're actually using your driver.  Mike & Kyle from Super Speed Golf take this concept to the next level.

EPISODE FEATURED GUEST: Michael Napoleon and Kyle Shay, creators of Super Speed Golf.

IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

• What is Super Speed Golf?

• • It’s an offshoot of Michael and Kyle’s other company Catalyst Golf Performance in Chicago.

  • It involves a concept called over speed training.

  • It increases swing speed (and therefore distance) by using a series of different weighted shafts.

• Unique ways to get someone to their peak performance

• • In general, people don’t know how to practice; you need to have a plan.

  • When clients have a much more structured plan, it helps them improve at a faster rate, and also improves their confidence on the golf course.

  • Keep tabs of your statistics and progress. Always try to better your own personal scores. Be aware of how you’re doing.

  • Food journaling is also important-are there snacks in your bag? What are you eating before and after? What are you drinking on the course?

• Benefits of overspeed training

• • Your body has a memory of how fast the muscular response is going to be when you run that motor pattern (throwing a ball, kicking, swinging a club etc) Your body is used to going at a certain speed.

  • Your body is actual capable of going much faster than that. Super Speed reprograms what your body thinks is normal speed so you can get a faster more efficient motor response.

  • They accomplish this by using lighter instruments compared to a golf club (three different clubs are used during training).

  • Flash memory is made when using these lighter clubs, and when you add the load of a heavier club, your body is used to going faster.

  • Once you get back to your normal club, there’s usually a 5-6% increase in your club speed.

  • It takes time for the permanency of this new speed to take hold, about 4-6 weeks afterwards.

• Balancing out the body

• • A lot of people want to even out their body (using both the right and left sides)

  • It’s good to train the acceleration and deceleration of the swing.

  • You need to be able to stop your body faster in order to make it go faster.

  • • If you’re body thinks it’s out of control it will automatically slow things down.

  • If you only play golf one way, a lot of imbalances will occur that can cause injury later on. This doesn’t mean you have to start playing opposite your dominant side, but it would be a good idea to start taking swings that way on a regular basis.

• Levels of Super Speed

• • Everyone starts with the introduction protocol. It’s a good way to get the body acclimated.

  • After a couple of weeks, the level one program focuses on three different positions; kneeling, standing, and a step change in direction position where you take an extra step through the swing, really planting the lead foot when you swing.

  • Most clients are in level one for at least 4-6 weeks.

  • Around the three month mark is when the next level occurs. It’s basically increasing the intensity of the swings. They make everything a little bit faster with fewer reps.

• Results

• • Clients are hitting the ball 30 yards farther than they were a year ago.

  • People are getting more efficient in their swings and are more stable.

  • Decrease in injuries occur because people learn how to move their bodies

  • As a personal testimonial, this interview was about a month ago. I’ve been doing over speed training since then and I’m starting to see some really impactful results. I’m a bigger hitter carrying around 250-60 averaging about 280 overall. Over the last two weeks my drives have been carrying, CARRYING, about 275 and I’m frequently getting out over 300 yards. Now I’ve been taking it pretty seriously and doing the drills about 4-5 times per week, but I can tell you that it’s really paying off.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN SHOW:

• https://superspeedgolf.com/ - Promo code "golfstrategy" for 10% off

• info@superspeedgolf.com

• https://www.facebook.com/superspeedgolf/

• https://twitter.com/superspeedgolf

This week's episode is brought to you by the Golf Ball Locator App www.golfballlocatorapp.com.

Well the 30 Day Challenge has come and gone.  Now that it's over, what have we learned and what should be taken away from the whole process?

There are two main takeaways here: Shifting to an external focus rather than internal technical ones and what it takes to track progress.

Focus

People often get wrapped up in the technical aspects of golf, quickly drowning in a sea of swing thoughts and position.  The unifying theme that all of these practice sessions had was an external focus.

What does that even mean?  Well, it means that we don't really care about the technique you use to complete the practice, but that you learn how to do it your way and develop confidence in your way.

There have been multiple scientific studies done that have proven higher success rates using external focus vs internal (technical) focus.

Progress

For many people tracking stats is a very familiar thing.  They keep fairways, puts, and maybe greens in regulation on the bottom of their card.  That's a great start, but not nearly enough to fully leverage your abilities.

If you want to experience success on the course you have to make your practice more difficult than when you actually play.  To make sure that you follow a well thought out plan you need to track how well you perform under these different practice circumstances.

I encourage you to keep a small notepad in your bag or use a blank scorecard to note exactly how well you do each time you practice.  That way when you do a routine a 2nd or 3rd time, you'll know where to start to maximize your learning.

Welcome to day #1 of the 30 Day Challenge!  We've got over 120 people participating so I want to see lots of conversation and community accountability.  

The three tasks I want you to complete are

1. Answer these 4 questions
   1.  What are three things that worked really well last year?
   2.  What are three things that didn't work well last year?
   3.  What is one thing you learned from last year?
   4.  What is one thing you could do right away to improve?
2. Write down your practice schedule or program it in your phone
3. What is your goal and how will you measure it?

You can chat with the other participants at Facebook.com/GolfStrategySchool

Also you can still sign up and get most of the bonuses at: golfstrategyschool.com/30daychallenge

Hope to see you there!

Marty

Join us for the LIVE 30 Day Game Improvement Challenge!  Sign up at www.golfstrategyschool.com/30daychallenge

How it works:

When you sign up for the challenge you will receive three specific focused practice routines designed to rapidly improve different aspects of your game.  Each week we focus on a new part of your game; going from short game all the way to full swing and even on course performance.

If you commit to these practice routines and follow them through to the end of the challenge you can take your game to a whole new level, and the best part is that it's 100% FREE!

So sign up at www.golfstrategyschool.com/30daychallenge

Cheers!

Marty

Debbie is back to share some details about an awesome event that she is teaching at in conjunction with Tony Robbins Unleash the Power Within seminar, as well as an easy addition to your pre shot routine that will help you hit your target more consistently.

This episode is a home show where I talk about some of the reasons why we need to have a post shot routine.  The strategy we cover here is from one of our past guests, Golf Digest Top 50 instructor James Sieckmann.  In his book Your Short Game Solution he actually covers a great and incredibly important part of the mental game, the post shot routine.

The three main components are to a good post shot routine:

1. Taking ownership of your good shots
2. Objectifying your bad shots
3. Letting go of all your shots

EPISODE FEATURED GUEST: CRAIG JONES

Craig used to own five different golf tech learning centers. He has taught over 10,000 lessons, and he’s taken his expertise to the online world. Craig is now the creator of Face First Golf, which is a community that was born on Facebook, then brought even further onto the digital side of his own membership program. His programs focus on eliminating the common errors that plague 12+ handicap players.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• The 12+ Handicapper and how to keep enjoying the game

• Craig used to be the 12+ handicapper, so he knows what it feels like to be in that range and to want to be good so bad.

• No need to make the bigger movements-Craig teaches how to keep a flatter left arm and wrist, and a little bit more about hip rotation

• The Two T’s on the course are what you should be thinking about: target and tempo.

• Remember the goal is to get your ball closer to the target, not to just hit the ball. Get the most out of imperfect swings. Changes aren’t instant.

• Don’t worry about your ball flight when you’re trying to correct swing mechanics-focus on that target.

• What to do when working on mechanics

• Hit ten balls, then step away, and say you’re gonna go through your whole routine

• Then hit the next three balls without any mechanical thoughts in your head.

• Keep going back and forth between training and trusting mode-practice your trust mode in practice.

• Common hurdles people have difficulty clearing

• Too much random free golf advice available all over the internet

• Commit to something and turn everything else off-follow one person’s advice, like Craig’s! Follow one course until success

• Rapid Fire Round

• Single best piece of advice ever given: don’t follow up a bad shot, with a dumb one. Get yourself back into position. Don’t hit the hero shot.

• Favorite practice drill: The 9 o’clock drill

• Players make a half-back swing so your left arm is parallel to the ground. Then from that stopped position, hit the shot. Players get immediately into a better impact position. They also swing more with the body, rather than their arms.

• What’s the most fundamental component for higher handicappers to focus on?

• Club face. The reason so many players swing over the top is because their club faces are open. If you don’t fix it, they’ll always swing over the top.

• Book Recommendation:

• “Golf is Not a Game of Perfect” by Bob Rotella.

• Short and info impact

• How to prepare for a tournament in one day

• Reread “Golf is Not a Game of Perfect”

• With only 24 hours, you can only work on your mind

• Parting piece of guidance:

• Pick something and stick with it and tune everything else out.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN SHOW:

• Special link: http://facefirstgolf.com/golfstrategyschool

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/craigjonesgolf

• Home website: http://facefirstgolf.com/