Learning golf - personal development program

2 appartments for rent

2010-03-25T07:42:00.003+01:00

Well golf did not go as planned, but I did jog more.

All so a new turn - mostly for Finns.
"Olisi pari asuntoa Torreviejassa vuokrattavana
http://www.dvreport.com/torrevieja/index.htm "

"Life long activity gives a long active life" XO Method

Torrevieja 2 weeks practise schedule

2010-02-28T07:31:00.002+01:00

I'm just writing up my training program for two weeks off season practise session.

I'm carrying only my wedges and a putter. It's going to be short game in a practise area for two weeks.

Basic schedule
(Putting green)
1. Judging the strength - putting length
(eyes closed 3 puts - 4 meters/ 6 meters / 8 meters)

2. Putting in a goal zone from 2/4/6 and 8 meters. 10 balls and with 0 result, you can step to next level.

3. Putting circle and all holed, you can add 30 cm distance.

4. Putting stroke with PW

(short game area)
5. Pitch shot from different lays.

6. Chipping 10 - 20 - 30 meters (crisp contact)

7. Finesse swing 9.00 - 7.30 - 9.30
a) first with out a ball then
b) eyes closed
c) just relaxed action with out trying for any distance - just repeat.

Practice session for strength
- rotator culf
- left arm strength - stretch
- hamstrings "good morning"
- step - lunch - rotate
- banana - superman (abs - back)
- high and under pushups
- "bill walace" side kick height exercise
- pull ups
- legs - kiba-, zenkutsu and gyaku dashi. Hold 60 sec low as possible
- Yoga balance?

Stretching:
- spinal rotation
- hamstrings
- splits
- shoulders

... Qikong routine?

Golf Marathon at Muurame Golf Club

2007-06-16T20:50:00.001+02:00

In Golf Marathon you play four rounds of golf ( 72 holes) in one day. In Muurame it toke 18 hours.

Blogging at golf.fi

2006-05-24T11:16:00.000+02:00

I have been invited to blog at Finnish golf association's homepage
http://www.golf.fi/portal/golfliitto/golflehti/blogit/golfia_median_avulla/

I am very happy about the possibility - I don't know why? It's more work, but I hope I will get feedback on some ideas about golf.

This blog will continue - for a while at least, but it just might do to GTO. GTO is www.golf-tuition-online.com and I am at the forum there very often.

Something good in everything bad?

2006-05-23T11:55:00.000+02:00

I have a inflammation in my ring fingers tendon. Probable from too much golf:-)
I make a support to my right wrist to keep my ring finger still. BUT I could not resist the temptation of going to the range to practice some short irons.

The fixed right wrist helped my swing very much. I was more relaxed and I could do a good hip rotation before contact.

Fighting your inner demons

2006-05-16T15:34:00.000+02:00

Golf is 90 % mental. Well, after playing 2 - 4 rounds of 9 holes every day, I think it's also physical. Not just mental:-)

Looks like golf is all about accepting ones own abilities and fighting own demands or fears. I remember the fear of bad impact - not hitting the ball well. (It was yesterday). First it was at the range - when I learned to hit the ball there - then I was thinking of missing the ball at a practice round. Next it will be competition. Once you win your fear, you fill find something new to be afraid of. (And finally it will be fear of making a good round:-) Or fear of loosing you perfect swing?

When today was an incredible practice round. I was mentally in control. I did not hit too hard and felt like I could control the base of my swing. I felt like I was playing golf - not shooting lottery shots and wondering where fill my ball end up.

I am not saying that every shot was perfect. I lost 3 balls. BUT the feeling was good.

(Signed up for a 3 person scramble competition next Saturday

Balance is important

2006-04-25T19:32:00.000+02:00

I had a back operation few years ago and my left leg in not fully recovered. I am training my core and things are getting better. For golf core muscles are important, but it's often difficult to evaluate the fitness of your core.

One very good way is to check your balance. Core muscles and hip keeps you in balance. For accuracy in golf balance is also very important.

Next tip is provided by Mike Pedersen, Founder of www.golf-trainer.com

"Here's an exercise you can do to improve this. While standing pick up one foot and bend that knee. Look straight ahead, but close your eyes and see how long you can hold it.

If it's for 10 seconds or less - not good. Need to work on it. If you can hold for 30 seconds or longer than start making small golf swings on one leg.

This will definitely be a challenge but will greatly improve your balance during your swing. In no-time you'll be swinging under control and hitting the kind of shots you're capable of."

Best thing is you can practice this almost anywhere:-)

Dropping HCP from 41 to single digits

2006-04-25T12:21:00.000+02:00

Handicap shows the development of skills in golf. For next summer to drop my handicap I have made some goals. I cannot get playing before end of May:
May hcp 41
June hcp 18,5
July hcp 12,5
August hcp 9,5
September hcp 8

I think this is the way it might go:-)

PEI 13 for pitching wedge

2006-04-24T10:50:00.000+02:00

I feel like a pro!

Just tested the first time my PEI and it's impressive 13%. Shooting 10 balls from 70 meters the average distance to the hole was under 9 meters. Every ball would have stayed on the green!

Well this was under practice - and shooting ten balls from the same place and from a range. Not from grass. I think that the PEI should be more like 7 % in situations like this. I am sure that after practicing a month I will get my Pitching wedges PEI under 10% and other iron clubs too.

Range is open and I am looking for PEI

2006-04-23T14:37:00.000+02:00

Just read about Dave Pelz PEI (Percentage error index). It's much like the exercise I was thinking to do this summer - hit 10 balls and see how close to the target I can get them.

PEI is the same thing, but you just calculate the error % from the length of the shot. Looks like pro's have a PEI from 7 to 9 % and with a wedge from 15 to 20 %. (That's in a competition. I'm measuring just practice situations.)

From Pelz stats you can read that wedge is one of the most impartant tools you need to master to score well! It's wedge - not putter or driver!!!

Hannu

It's snowing today

2006-04-11T14:32:00.000+02:00

This is my backward. I should be practicing chipping!
Looks like it will take a while until our golf course opens.

Still looking for my target line!

2006-04-01T13:32:00.000+02:00

I played three round in different courses in Spain. Last round was 95 and would drop my handicap down to 29 - if it was accepted in Finland.

I learned a lot in Spain and most important lesson was to practice more. I cannot hit a ball to a target line - as I was hoping. An other thing to watch is that I get very nervous in the beginning of the round.

Well, It's about one month and then driving range will open here in Jyvaskyla and about 6 weeks, I get to play.

I looks like my goal to drop my handicap from 47 to 7 is very demanding! - But I am not giving it up. We will see in September - October how did I manage.

Three different course in Spain

2006-03-12T10:19:00.000+01:00

I will leave for Spain day after tomorrow. I'm playing with my brother in three different places: La Marquesa, Las Ramblas and Altorreal. Looking very much forward in seeing how my new swing works. Can I stay calm? What is it like hitting from grass and not from a perfect lie like in practicing range. And I am very uncertain with distance control. I think I have found the target line - most of the shots:-)

I always have a feeling that I am going to play great rounds - like in tv tournaments. I just can help it - and even though the score is terrible I remember one or two great shots. If I didn't keep a score I would be sure that I have played like a professional.

Play with better players than you to learn from them

2006-03-10T10:27:00.000+01:00

Okay, here's one tip from "one pro", again:-)

Try to play with golfers that have a lower hcd than you have. You learn by watching them play.

So today I played in OSIM Singapore Masters - I was playing in front of my TV - swinged after Mamat, Dougherty and the others...

Pillow drill

2006-03-08T17:26:00.000+01:00

I needed some extra motivation to practice my swing in our living room. Swinging at an imaginary ball is okay for a while, but ... it's dull.

I found an old pillow. I thought it might work as an impact bag, but it is little too heavy. To not to break my clubs I started to swing so that I only sweepped the surface very little.

This is a very good exercise! It develops a very good control of distance to ground. To sweep the surface so that you can hear a sound but the pillow hardly moves is challenging for me. And it makes swinging feel like swinging with a ball - there is something in stake. I know if I succeeded or not.

Also this gives an clue about how clubhead speed affects on impact. Swinging faster tends to create a thick impact.

Follow up on your progress

2006-03-07T08:48:00.000+01:00

Looks like learning golf is one of those never ending journeys we have in our life. I have learned about my self that I need continues feedback of progress to be motivated on something like this.

Like loosing weight - I have to weigh my self every morning to stick to my goal. Otherwise I will start gaining weight. During the past year I have lost 25 kg, this works for me.

For golf I need a similar kind of feedback of progress. I don't think that following the drop of my handicap is the right qualifier. At the moment a simple solution would be to check that I have done my practice swings. 100 swings a day until the summer range opens.

One pro suggested a drill: try to hit 10 balls as close as possible to each other. Count the difference in meters and follow up on your progress during the summer. This might be a good thing to do one a week? Shooting with short irons about 100 meters. It would be nice to get all balls in a 10 meter circle?

Have some cake - it's my birthday!

2006-03-02T08:05:00.000+01:00

Today is my 48. birthday. For my birthday I just finished 11 email lessons of golf with Lawrie Montague at Golf Academy.

http://www.golf-school-australia.com

Get the lessons!

I'll add a quotation from Lawrie's email:
"Thankyou for your comments on my lesson series and you're right the lessons are simple and for good reason, golf instruction tends to be ambiguous and complicated, and really it's not that difficult to learn how to hit better, more consistent golf shots and ultimately lower your scores. Hannu as long as you truly develop an understanding about what you are trying to do and then follow-up with consistent thoughtful action golf becomes less of a mystery. Good luck to you and your adventures in golf and please let me know how you're travelling down the track."

Consider this a "slice" of my birthday cake to you:-)

Hannu - learning and living
(Modified from McLuhan's "learning a living)

Two weeks and I'll play in Spain

2006-02-28T17:05:00.000+01:00

Picture is from Las Ramblas Range and my father is showing me how he swings a 5 wood.

It's very important to be motivated - and very difficult to keep it up.

First big question is what is the driving force behind ones motivation. Why play golf? For me it's probably need of attention and need to prove to my self that I am "good". (I can learn to play golf in one season - better than average golfers can in their life time. Well, I know I am cheating - I practice, more than others.)

So how to keep being motivated?

By creating small steps - like two weeks in Spain. It's a good opportunity to test my current skills.

Next step would be opening May. I get to play outside and I have also a body composition and physical condition test on May. (I get to know my body fat and VO2max).

For June, July and August I am think of local competitions.

Final step is September and it does not need an extra motivation. Then I'll know if the project has increased my skills enough.

Very important in golf is to concentrate at the present. Live the moment. Now the moment is preparing for Spain to play easy golf for two weeks... And the motivation is very good!

Hannu

10 000 swings before spring

2006-02-27T17:22:00.000+01:00

Just realized that if I do 100 swings a day, I can make 10 000 swings before the greens will open in Jyvaskyla, Finland.

I can do the 10 000 swings, but probably I can hit only about 1000 golf balls. I visit the range only once a week. But if I use my shots carefully concentrate on each ball, I think that is enough to learn a solid, basic swing.

I am sure that I know most of the basics. Now I just need to get the right touch and feel to the swing.

Just a feeling about golf as a social game - it might be so that people are together, but still just concentrating on them self? We all have our own goals and play an individual game. So golf might resemble our society a lot more than I first realized. This must be why the game appeals to middle aged males like me. Also someone said that one should talk too much during a round - so that's easy/natural for Finns, too.

Swing nice and easy

2006-02-25T08:51:00.000+01:00

I have been looking at pro's swing and realized that I cannot copy them. Well, not straight away anyhow. I don't have the physical capacities that professional golfers have to perform there swing. This means that I cannot copy the postures or even movements from a swing of a professional golfer.

I need to understand the principals that affect the swing and do it with what I have - the way I can move. What will happen is, that I will get more flexible and muscles needed in golf will become stronger and after a while I need to modify my swing - and slowly it will mould it a swing that looks more like a professional movement - or "nice and easy" - effortless and balanced with a flow, smoothness in it.

Well, I started golf few months ago and will be 48 next week. There is a possibility that my swing might never look like a professional players coordination - they have played the game from very young. When you learn a natural smoothness - a kind of natural coordination of muscles.

(Well, that's one myth I just have to break:-)

Found my swing

2006-02-24T15:12:00.000+01:00

I am trying to learn golf and one big challenge is to learn to hit the ball the way that suites you best. I think I found a swing that is mine.

http://koti.tnnet.fi/net73/swing_hannu3.wmv

Next thing is to automated, learn it so that I can do it upside down. (Not the same swing, but variations of it for each situation.) Learning a swing is getting to know it and feel it.

Easy balance exercise

2006-02-23T12:34:00.000+01:00

Balance gives me confidence. It gives a feeling of a rock solid swing that hits the target like a train. Or I think I would feel like that, but I have a problem with my balance. (My back was operated few years ago, and I lost some muscle control from my left leg.)

I remembered a good exercise to improve my balance. I stand on one foot! -and close my eyes. I found a lot of the muscles that I have lost by doing the exercise few times.

I think this could help other golfers too.

Be open minded to learn golf - experiment!

2006-02-22T07:18:00.000+01:00

Experiment, but only when training. I don't know if it's good to do on a round. It's not good to do in a competition:-)

This truism comes from my latest experience. I had a discussion about a swing and I was sure that it's nothing like shopping wood with an axe - just an up and down movement with my arms.

I tried it at the range - from my perfect backswing - I closed my eyes and let my arms drop -> result was a square contact to the ball!

It was better on the video when shooting my face, but at the link is also a version shot from the target line. SWING

I don't know how well the feeling of dropping my hands can be seen on the video, but for my it is important. In near future I will try to actively do the movement - not just let my hands go - this way I will be hitting the ball - and straight down the target line!

By the way - I was dead sure that the idea of "Pulling" with my hip and dropping my arms would not work! BUT it did. I am clad that I had the courage to experiment.

Physical capacity for golf

2006-02-20T12:36:00.000+01:00

I keep fit, so I have not thought lot about what how fit do I have to be to play a single digit handicap.

Today I did my basic cross country skiing - one hour ( about 13 km). I use "skating style". I modified my training so that I skied at low intensity, but "jumped the up hills". On my track the up hills are short, about 20 - 30 seconds.

I think this is one of the best condition exercises for a golfer!
In intervals you work your legs and hips and the direction of the push is similar to golf - and you need to watch you balance. Your hands get the right kind of exercise too. You push you skiing poles down like in your swing (though with out the upper torso rotation - just arms down - so you shoulders and lats get the right exercises.)

And exercise also develops aerobic condition, but most of all it's your legs and hips that get stronger - if you sprint the up hills.

Hannu

Artificial hand extension - golf club

2006-02-18T08:43:00.000+01:00

Just replied to an email about my understanding of learning golf. While writing I realized that I think of a golf club as an artificial extension of my arm and club face as my fingers or palm of my hand.

Learning golf is to learn to use my new arm and feel my fingers. There is nothing new in other parts of my body. My body needs more "training" to perform better, but most of the "learning" needs to be done in sensing my new limb.

How do we learn to use our hands? - we work with them and experiment...

I have set a goal to drop my hdc 40 strokes. After reading "inner game" I need to revise my goal: "I will learn to know my self and master my movements so well that it will lead to lowering my hdc 40 strokes from current. It's not the result that is important, it's the awareness and concentration - mastering ones own performance."

Seems that I would like to be in control of some thing - my own body for starters.

Hannu

The Inner Game of Golf

2006-02-17T08:16:00.000+01:00

I just got Tim Gallwey's book - inner game. Looks like we agree on lot of things, but the book also make me thing of lot of new things. Very big on is, that I am not how I perform. If I score under 80 it does not make me good nor does a round of 120 make me unworthy.

So why do I want to drop my handicap 40 strokes? It does not make me a better person even I achieve that goal? Well, the dropping of 40 points from my cap, does not make me any better, but the journey to do so - does. I can learn about my self during the process and gain awareness of my self physically and mentally. It might not make me better, but it is an opportunity to grow - learn more about my self. (And it is for me to judge, if this makes me better - or just more conscious about my real life handicaps:-)

My reading of Tims message was to gain more awareness - be curious and experiment, and get feedback - most of all from your own senses - the more you use your senses the better. "Calibrate your body", give it enough experience to judge different situations and let it do its' best.

I will try some awareness exercises on accuracy next Tuesday.

Video as feedback - swing

2006-02-15T09:48:00.000+01:00

I used my camcorder as practicing my 5 iron. Swing is intentionally slow so that I learn it. (Not the tempo - of course, but the "postures" or rough movements.

Here is an example of my current swing.

Balance is not stable at the end position. Shot opens a little - often more:-)
Basics are there, but need a lot of repetition.

My head might be pent a little too much down. In the end of my backswing - I lift my head - maybe my shoulder does not have room enough to turn - and I have to lift my chin up?

Hannu - down 40 next golf season

How to practice - what is a drill for?

2006-02-09T13:32:00.000+01:00

Earlier I divided my golf into:
1) Balance
2) Swing path = hitting square
3) (Legs-hips) + (shoulder-arms) + (wrist) action

I have to practice these elements separately or focus to one element during an exercise. My strategy to play (playing with right side... with not actually thinking about the shots during a swing.) To be able to do this drills must support the development of feeling the movement. It is also important to see some results - to get feedback as soon as possible.

-Drills for balance are easy to evaluate.
-Hitting square needs an impact bag or a box or something
-The three elements are A+B+C are the most interesting to get drills for.

Legs might do with throwing a medicine ball or a hitting a punching bag with my elbow. The movement needs to be the same as in a swing - and I need to feel the outcome. Also it is important to get a lot of repetition. (That makes the movement automated - gets it to "muscle memory".)

The point I am trying to make is - you need to understand what you are doing and why. With drills you can also develop you control of body - and that you need for playing shots in a golf course - it's not always flat like practicing range.

An other important point is to be able to check that you are doing the right thing. Golf swing seems to be very delegate action. You do not want to learn routines that are wrong - it take at least two times of time to unlearn something. (This is way I am little careful about swinging a club with out a target. It's a good thing to do, when you have a good swing. I am learning and do not want to develop a permanent slice by just repeating my own mistakes.)

My golf swing

2006-02-09T07:51:00.000+01:00

You can learn faster by understanding - or at least trying to understand - what you are doing. For me this means a building a mental image of my golf swing. (And also learning routines to automate some actions.)

I like to learn to use my right side of the brain to control my swing, but use my left side - the rational side - for evaluating the situation before and after my shot. To be able to evaluate I need a model to compare with. Model is my understanding of a golf swing.

I have looked at many video analysis of top players and I think I get the picture on what a swing looks like. Now it is time to get some inner understanding to the way I control my own swing.

1. Balance tells me an overall message. If balance is okay in address, backswing and end position, it's good news - a good sign.
2. Clubhead is what I am focus on - I will try to imaging how hard should I hit with the cluphead so that the ball flies where I want it to fly. The path should come natural due to body movement.
3. My body movement consist of three "individual elements":

a) hip-leg action
b) shoulder-arm action
c) wrist action

Different shots have a different amount of these elements - like putting has almost no wrist action and hip-leg action. An accurate approach with an iron from 50 - 60 meters has no wrists, but has some amount of legs and about 50% of shoulder-arm action.

Important is that I can build all my shots by variation of these elements. These are fundamental parts in evaluation of my shot. Evaluation goes like this:
1) Was the balance okay?
2) Was the movement, postures okay, did I make a good contact to the ball?
3) What happened with a-b-c?

I can use the ball flight path, divot and my feeling of the shot to evaluate what happened. So feedback is the key for improving my shots and practice is how you get feedback. Problem is that we have a long winter and hitting a ball is expensive in winter time.

One way to practice would be to isolate different elements like:
a) just hit the ball ( or push it) by using your hips and legs. (No movement anywhere else.
b) only shoulders - chipping?
c) only wrists... A hinge and a flat wrist exercise. (Preferably in a correct impact posture?

Why only three elements???
That is the only amount I can handle. And even these one at a time. To get some progress I need to focus on simple elements.

How good can I be in golf?

2006-02-08T11:37:00.000+01:00

I read the free e-book that was offered by "Australian High Performance Golf Academy". Nicely build overview of what learning golf is all about.

The thought that I got from reading it is, that there are many roads to good golf, but all need work. Practice is the energy moving you forward. AND your consistence or steps you make are the efficiency on how fast you move.

For me this means that automated skills are the stones from which I would build my skills. One can concentrate in only one to three things at a time - so we need to master those points and then go ahead. (At least in learning skills.)

Golf is much more than swinging a club and other aspects of the game need to be learned too. Mental game, Social game, physical game and strategic game (scoring low).

Playing golf on the right side of your brain

2006-02-04T15:09:00.000+01:00

There is a theory on how brain controls our behavior. Left side is critical, language and logical, Right side is whole, more on space, angles and nonverbal control. You are letting your right side dominate when you don't critique, don't rationalize - just letting the movements flow - like in the zone.

What if you could control your thinking? What if you could shift your thinking to right side when ever you like? Play in the zone all the time?

I was in the range today and also practiced putting. I tried to use my right side and I think it helped. When I visualized a shot it turned out much better. Also I registered that I have a rotated address position. I had not noticed it earlier - maybe it came from the right side - feedback that my posture is not natural?

How to become a good golfer?

2006-02-03T17:52:00.000+01:00

I started my design of a learning program on skill but lately I have been thinking of golf as a mental game. Both qualities technical skill and mental strength are important, BUT...

To become a good golfer you need to be a person that others like to play with. Golf is fun. It's a social game. You might be judge by a score of a single round, but I more important is to atmosphere you create in the group. If you can help other play well, it will affect your play too.

Just a thought...

Merlin method in Golf

2006-02-02T07:49:00.000+01:00

Merlin method is living your life backwards. Start from what you want to happen and imaging the steps that will lead from your goal to present situation.

I have been reading "Golf Tuition Online" and thinking of the mental side of the game as well as how to learn a swing. Golf is very much a mental game. So it is important to take this in account when planning ones development program.

Merlin Method has been a tool that I use for planning future (in my work as a project director). Michael Campbell gives a tip to divide the round in to six holes and try to play the best score on each. AND to play each hole from the green to the T.

YES. Where do you want to be for the last put. From where do you hit to the green and so on. This is "Merlin Method" in practice. Nothing new there?

I have set a goal to drop my HDC from 47 to under 10 next season. I need to think what does this mean. What do I need to be able to play good golf? I can approach this by thinking of the two sides of the game:
1) Technical - the unconscious "me"
2) Rational - the knowing and controlling conscious "me"

I think that technical or motor skills are learned by repetition - by practice - and the need for conscious control decreases when we practice. Movement control becomes automated - unconscious. BUT we can me the control conscious again, if we want to. Often this will affect the flow of the movement. (Our body is a very complex nervous system and conscious decision may affect the control - or change of command.) BUT if we practice - to be aware of our movements - we can or sense them easier than always just letting our swing happen.

This is a tough call! When you are playing in the zone, you do not need to consciously control your swing. You have your bag of shots and system of evaluating length and "bang" you hit the ball. How do you play if you are not in the ZONE? How do you get there? This is where conscious control or sensing your movements comes important. Can you have key thoughts - checking points - and "not" mess up your game? ... TO become a good golfer, I think I need some tools to get me back in to the game.

Merlin method - what do I need to get a HDC 10?
I need to make 50% boogies and 50% pars.
I will make my goal to make a round hitting boogies (HDC 18?)
Before I can do that I need to make a round of hitting douple boogies (HDC 36)
At the moment my HDC is 47, but I have played only 5 rounds - so the first goal is to play a round just making douple boogies.

To play douple boogies I can use 3 - 4 shots in short game. There should not be any problems with bunkers. (I have enough shots to visit bunkers, too). When I hit the fairway, I can reach the green - or close enough - to make a douple boogie.

Looks like I have a road map to my goal. First step is hdc under 36. That should be in first thing in May, when the season starts.
From 36 to 18 feels like a big jump so I will give me two months:-) I should be able to play a round of boogies in the end of July.
Final goal should be reach in September, when our season ends. That is about two monts again. (With this rate of development I will win all the Tournaments in Jyväskylä:-)

Looking for drill

2006-01-30T11:58:00.000+01:00

I found a very interesting set of drills at
http://www.progolflesson.com/drills/ (Thanks for Ian for reminding me about "pump it" drill. If I add a drill to chip pennys from a mat, I think I have enough to start practising. Also I think I will use a mirror to check my address and backswing position.

I also noticed that I need to stretch my hips and core to get enough rotation.

Last time at the range...
I noticed that hitting eyes closed was a very good practise. It's a body-mind exercise. You sense your movements better. I did not realize it on the range, but it would be good to to a swing eyes closed after a good swing. You might learn the sensation - feel for that good shot - and remember it easier by repeating it straight away.

I am going skiing crosscountry. I think that is a good exercise for shifting weight and also endurance - of course. I am not thinking of golf while I am skiing, but some times I do think about core performance. Skiing is also a core exercise for inner abs.

Drills for accuracy

2006-01-30T08:10:00.000+01:00

Next step will be to look for drills and exercises to develop accuracy in my golf swing. Accuracy is the ability to repeat the same movement - and finding a correct swing path. Even though I am not focusing on power, the tempo/rhytm of the swing will affect the accuracy.

Accuracy is
1) Swing path (stance, address, take a way, backswing, down swing, impact, follow through and finnishing position). Those are the doddied line.
2) Balance
3) Relaxation, rhytm - "soft hands"
4) grip, "cup" on the wrist

So I need to look for drills that help me develop
1) Swing path
2) Balance
3) Natural feel for the swing and club
4) Timing on impact

Starting to look after I come back from the range...

Outline of my self study program to learn golf

2006-01-29T15:07:00.000+01:00

Development program for learning to play golf

Introduction
At the moment my HCD is 47 and I will design a program to drop it under 10 during next summer. This is "learner managed learning", but I need all the help I can get. I started to learn golf last August and got my greencard by training by my self. My understanding about golf comes from internet and television.

My golf – what is it all about?
Here are six principles that I think are import for me. I don't know how these principles affect my development plan. If the principles are important, they should be present in the development plan. I think that to learn and enjoy golf, I have to think of it from many points of view, like social, mental and physical activity.

1. "Ubuntu" means I am what I am with help of others. Golf is a social game. (Rule is not to instruct others. Even asking advice should be very well thought, BUT we learn from others ANYWAY!

2. "BMAN" = Body, mind, activity and nutrition. Physical capacity is developed with “BMAN" elements. What You Do Is What You Get.

3. Bag of shots. Use your own clubs and your own shots. On the course do the things you practiced earlier and use range for learning new shots. Play the game with what you have!

4. Learn more shots – and keep your tools sharp. Essential is a good swing. It will be modified in to different situations (shots).

5. Learn to evaluate your performance. Learn to get feedback. Try to understand what happened and why the ball did what it did. (This is not rocket science even though there are various reasons for missing a shot.)

6. My swing routine:
a) Image the shot.
b) Do a relaxed warm up swing
c) Find a target line (standing about 5 - 10 meter behind the ball)
d) Go to the ball and stand feet together - line up.
e) Get the right distance to the ball
f) Make my stance - ball placement
g) Stand straight and check my grip.
h) Activate my inner abs (Core muscles to stable my hip.)
i) Check the target
j) Warm up back swing
k) Wiggle wrists and check balance (toe - heal)
l) Breath 2 times as thinking of timing.
m) Exhale and make my shot just trying to execute the learned shot and to get a clean hit to the ball

This looks like a long list, but it takes only few seconds to do.

How to get it right?
Just some random thoughts about how to build my learning environment and how to tackle the task of finding the right technique and practicing it until it comes naturally (almost unconsciously).

Learning any skill needs repetition. It's even harder if one learns a wrong way of hitting. It's hard to unlearn automated ways of doing things.

It is important to get feedback (- but my problem is snow. We have a winter here and range does not open until late April. We have a inside golf range, so I can afford to use it once a week.) So most logical way to get feedback is to look how the ball flies. I don't have the luxury of actually hitting a ball very often. (I need to develop other ways to get feedback.)

To get feedback can be managed by different setups of mirrors. (I would like to be looking at my ball all the time - so one mirror should be under the ball. And other can be set so that you see yourself from the target line and a front view (face).

For the ball I think I will use a rubber marker. (One that T's a ball on a practice range will do fine.) Maybe I can find a board or a weight to hold the t in it's place, when I practice my swings.) So I need to build an environment to practice my swings.
Putting and chipping are easy to practice at home…

Practice can be done:
a) to practice the hole movement (but with out a ball)
b) to improve physical performance that helps the swing - different drills
- balance
- tempo
- hand - eye coordination

Starting with what I have
Development starts with an evaluation of current skills and abilities. I will skip social, mental and fitness issues - and start with golf technique. What shots do I have in my golf bag? (I think all shots needs to be improved, but I have an idea on how it is done.)

For every shot, except putting, I use the same routine. I fell it is important that I focus my eyes on the ball at a spot where I am going to hit it. A logo or a letter of in a logo helps me.)

My shots

1. Put - I found a way that might work for me. I focus on my right arm. It dominates and left is just holding the club. Arms move - mostly no action in wrists.

2. Chip - I hit the ball with my "shoulders". Weight is 70% on my left side. No hip or wrist movement. (It's just a turn of shoulders.) I tend to leave my club open and shoot right from my target line.

3. Punch - It's a "chip" with a weight shift. (Also means that I work with my legs and rotate my hips.) This is very much a 1/4 of normal swing. (I divided my swing length in four levels - more after listing my shots.

4. Regular swing - this is the basis of most shots. (Not for putting.)

5. Pitch - more wrist action than regular swing.

6. Sand shot (I do not have much practice in this.) Idea is to control the length with follow-through. Club open or even controls the lift of the ball.

7. Fairway drive (3 - 5 woods). Regular swing, but more sweeping like. It helps me to imaging my body swinging (curving like a banana) to opposite direction than my club swings.

8. Driving swing. I tend to slice, but find a straight line quite easy. (Just by looking at my swing path and by doing a few drills - or warm-ups.)

I have system for controlling - modifying the shot.

A. Swing is divided in four lengths.
1/4 is hands on hip level - club horizontal
2/4 is arms horizontal - club is near 90 degrees angle. Longer clubs or wood are not.
3/4 left shoulder is on the line with the ball. Hands a just over shoulders and club head is over my head.
4/4 Full swing - all the movement I have:-)

B. Control on ball flight, spin and roll
This is controlled by timing and by ball placement.
- The further ball is near my left foot the higher the ball flies.
- On the moment of impact - hitting the ball - if my hands are further a head than my club head - it will make a lower ball flight path.

First objective would be to master an optimal timing and a standard ball placement so that it will be easier to predict the outcome. (First learn basics - practice skills so that I can repeat it about 90% accuracy?

Feedback and assessment - when to go further?
So accuracy and good technique is the first goal. Technique will mean different shots. Maybe 40% of the game is putting, but my agenda is a little different.

30% basic swing
30% different shots - modifications of my swing
40% short game (Put + Chip)

I need to make my self drills and set goals for learning and developing skills. I need to be able to get feedback and evaluate my own development. I need to set limits of criteria for, when to go ahead. (Six weeks to practice one skill is one way of setting a short term goal - on other would be to evaluate when my skill is good enough for me to go to the next step. I don't know the "steps" - yet:-)

I think that I can work from 30 minutes to an hour per day on my golf skills.

Accuracy over power
For a learner who is trying to manage his own learning it is essential to make priorities. I think that I need to learn accuracy first and power will come naturally when my technique is automated.

By learning accuracy I also get more control. It's easier to time my actions and keep a good form. Of course danger is to learn "slow motion golf" and afterward it will be difficult to speed up my timing. (Well, that is a risk I am willing to take.)

First objective is to learn an accurate and balanced technique - a good form for every shot.

How do I find a technique that is right for me? My swing!
Putting seems to be fairly simple - in theory - only the execution needs practice.
Also chipping is simpler than other shots as it has very restricted movement. (Only shoulders in my short chip.)

For me to learn a motoric skill it helps if I have a mental image on what I am trying to do. First thing is to study my own technique from the point of view of accuracy. How can I make my shots accurate - first to keep my lines?

Building accuracy
For me accuracy in a golf shot comes from:
1) General good technique (Good form and balance)
2) Swing path (inside, outside, straight, high, low)
3) Club head angle (Square, open, close)
4) Timing
a) Club head/impact related to hands,
b) Hands related to shoulder turn
c) Shoulders related to hip rotation
d) Hip rotation related to weight shift
(I start my forward swing by pushing my heal to the ground.)

This will be my steps for each shot. Program will be done so that I always practice stage 1 (good form), but combine with it first 2 (swing path). After being good enough ( 2 weeks?), I will do 1 and 3 (Club head angle). And finally 1 and 4.
I will be playing in Spain for two weeks so I can practice timing then:-)