July 22nd, 2008 — Tips and Tricks
So many golfers make the mistake of jumping ahead when it comes to handling their game. They get wrapped up in the latest swing techniques or spend their lives in the search of the perfect club. Unfortunately, these players are missing what could be wrong with their game. Sometimes, you have to go back to the beginning if you want to lower your score.
Golfing fundamentals are essential for any golfer, no matter how long they have been playing. If you’re finding it impossible to break into pro territory, the answer may not be in a better club, a different ball or the latest shoes. The answer may be found in the way that you actually play the game. If you’re skipping over the cornerstones of golf, you won’t be able to build a strong foundation for the rest of your game. No club can help you if you are missing the essentials.
If you are ready to rebuild your game, you may want to consider going to a pro and getting some lessons. There is no shame in backtracking and you may actually be able to find the trouble spot that is causing all of your problems. Sit in on a lesson with a brand new player and pay attention to how the pro instructs them. Listen to those beginner tips and then try to play as though you have never played the game before.
If you remove all that you have learned through the years and start fresh, you may find that suddenly, you’re playing the way you’ve always wanted to. We all have a tendency to want to play like Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus when we first start out and in our rush to get there, we skip over what is truly important. By going back to those beginning lessons, you can rediscover the game and what it really means and requires from you.
This is a very important step in building a strong mental game of golf. Often, we create our own mental blocks and it can be hard to get through them. You need to be able to take it down to the bare minimum again and literally start over. By taking the time to relearn the sport, you will most likely unlearn the problems that you were creating for yourself.
One of the best side effects of starting over is that you may find your love for the sport completely renewed. If you’re constantly fretting over your score or how to find the perfect swing, you’re missing out on the whole point of the game. Yes, a score is important, but it is essential to enjoy your time on the course as well. You’ll have the benefit of the years of knowledge in the back of your mind, but you’ll still be able to rediscover the reasons why you even got started as a golfer.
Turn back the clock and see is starting over isn’t the right answer to fixing your game.
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June 20th, 2008 — Book Review
Out of all the characters the game of golf has produced, few are as vitriolic or misunderstood as John Daly. Many have compared the man to a car wreck, it’s simply impossible to want to turn away. Luckily, his book has the same effect on the reader and this is an incredibly engaging look into the mind of a man that man have called crazy, wild, disturbed and odd. At the end of the day, Daly is just a man, but he definitely does have some quirks that make him unique.
Although most of us became familiar with Daly when he was in his early twenties, he actually was a rising star far before that. His teens were riddled with victories and disqualifications, much like his later career. This is an interesting look at the childhood and formation of this player and what made him become the man he is today. If you’re interested in golf or in pop psychology, this is a literal study in how a golfer thinks - even if it is at the extreme end of the spectrum.
The read is entertaining at times and heartbreaking at most junctures. It is sad to see someone with this kind of talent have such a self destructive streak. At times, the reader wonders whether Daly revels in this. It’s certainly not a book about apologies. Daly is who he is and the chances of him changing are pretty small. He’s an interesting man that is certainly plagued by his own demons, but none of them are as powerful as what he ends up doing to himself.
When you step back, you can actually learn quite a lot about the mental game of golf when you read this book. Daly is a textbook case of what you shouldn’t do, even though those brief shining moments of triumph break up the heartbreak. He’s a trainwreck plain and simple, but you’re left wondering if that doesn’t please him.
This is an interesting read, but it’s not very inspirational. If you’re a fan of Daly’s or you just want to understand the man better, it’s certainly a good read. By the end however, you’ll probably end up not understanding the man completely and it’s clear that he really doesn’t understand himself.
This is a great book for young golfers on what they need to avoid on their path towards becoming a professional. If for no other reason, this book can serve a great purpose in this vein. Daly has so much potential and it’s a shame to see him wallowing in his past and present when he could be putting it behind him and reaching for the future. It’s a good book that is puzzling at times and will most likely leave you wanting to slap Daly and tell him to snap out of it, take control and achieve his true purpose.
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June 6th, 2008 — Book Review
When you have a book written by the undisputed superstar of golf, it’s a pretty good chance that it will demolish the competition, whether it deserves to or not. Luckily, Tiger Woods’ book is a great read and although it may not have delivered what a lot of readers hoped it would, it offers an interesting look a the man himself and what made him the player that he is today. Fans of Tiger that really don’t appreciate the sport will most likely be disappointed to some degree with the book, but there are plenty of pictures to keep the fans happy.
The illustrations are incredibly helpful at breaking down how Tiger plays golf. One is included with about every important tip and it really helps the reader get a better understanding of his technique and mindset. This is a great book if you want to get into the technical side of playing golf, and it’s also a very entertaining read. It’s not often that you get to peek into the mind of a genius and this book does offer a rare glimpse at the man behind the club.
The book excels at being descriptive and really getting into the heart of some of Tiger’s techniques. You can expect him to share all of them, but he really does a great job of helping players understand more about the game itself and how they should approach it. There are two important chapters that are devoted to the mental side of golf and if you skip through any part of this book, you need to slow down here.
Champions are made because they are able to combine a terrific mental game with a lot of skill. Tiger is a true champion and his mental game is simply incredible. You can walk away with some truly remarkable tips on managing your mental game and becoming a better player. While it’s not an instant fix, these techniques can be used by any player to help them break through their mental barriers and really beginning focusing on their game.
Perhaps the strongest point of this book is that the publisher made sure that anyone could understand it and there is not a lot of technical jargon. It is incredibly well suited for the young player that has high hopes of rocking the golf world and will give them a strong foundation upon which they can build their own techniques.
Overall, we highly recommend this book to golfers of all skill levels. It is a quick read and although it may not turn out Tiger clones, it still has a lot of help to offer for any player. You should be able to walk away with at least a few ideas of how to improve your game and young players will get plenty of tips that will help them develop their own unique playing style. This book is well worth the cost, especially since it is packed with photographs and it is well suited for any golfer’s bookshelf.
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