Monthly Archives: August 2010

This and That

Welcome To Carolina Colours!

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I left Mt. Pleasant at about 1pm on Sunday afternoon.  I’ve been away from the internet since…  It’s amazing how much I rely on the web for my daily connections to life! 

Bit ironic that I have to go to something so fabricated and technical to feel connected to other humans…. 

Anyway, Matt and I arrived at my new digs at around 6pm and were surprised by over a dozen members of Carolina Colours and the community who were there to help us unpack.  BAM!  Yup, just like a batman uppercut, they had the whole truck emptied and upstairs in less than a 1/2 hour.   My head was spinning, and I was a bit overwhelmed by the hospitality!  I’ve heard about it a lot since I first came up to New Bern, and all the hype about a family atmosphere was not overstated!  THANK YOU all who helped out.  I look forward to getting to know all of you in the coming months…. 

I pretty much unpacked most of what I need yesterday, and today I have one more day to kind of get settled in before I jump in with both feet as Head Professional at Carolina Colours. 

My blogs might run a bit astray from improving your golf for a week or so as I try to acclimate myself to my new world, but I promise a whole bucket load of good stuff coming down the road.  As always, if you have any particular questions, comments, or thoughts, either email them to me, or post a comment on this site! 

I’m fired up! 

….OK, enough comments about Hurricane Earl sending me a big welcome!!!  Another Yikes!

Mental Game

Throw Out The Junk!

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Great
comments about clutter!  Thanks, 

Got
to thank Bonnie for giving me the idea for this one! 

I’ve
got a ton of stuff in my house that I just don’t use, need or want.
Some of it is nice stuff, some of it is pure junk.  I can’t tell
you how liberating it is to go through it and PURGE!  Sometimes
it’s even more satisfying to get rid of the nice stuff (donating or
selling) that I simply no longer use…

And that brings me to
golf!  Let’s clean out the brain.  I’m convinced that most
golfers have way too much information about the golf swing crammed
into their brains.  Worst of all, we are avid collectors of more
golf junk!

My suggestion is to have a method, and stick to
that method.  Answer all you golf questions within that system
of learning.  THROW OUT ALL THE OTHER STUFF!!!  Even the
really cool stuff you know should be purged if it doesn’t fit the
method!  

Clean out your brain and you will play
better golf!  You will learn faster and have more consistency.
You will play better because you won’t be constantly ‘bumping’ into a
clutter of informational changes as you play!  

*A
solid pre-shot routine is a great way to clear the mind!  SEE
IT-FEEL IT-TRUST IT! 


This and That

Golf and Packing

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I’ve been packing for 4+ hours… Correction;  I’ve been throwing crap away and making an awe inspiring mess for 4+ hours.  Been trying to figure out how I can work this into a blog that would help golfers play better golf….  I”ll let you know if I think of anything…. 

Pre-Shot Routine

Pre-Shot Routine, Part V

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My 100th blog!  How about that?  Just a couple months ago, I  wasn’t even sure what a blog really was….  Now that I’ve reached 100, I may not add an entry EVERY day.   I’m  quite certain it will be several times a week, so there should be plenty of thoughts, suggestions and opinions for you to ponder.  Send me more questions and comments via the blog or my email and I’d be more than happy to discuss it!  For now, soak this entry up.  It’s the last part of the PRE-SHOT ROUTINE.  Go back and review the other steps and put it all together!  This is great stuff!!!!

TRUST YOUR SHOT!

TRUST IT!  You’veDECIDED on the shot.  You’ve SEEN veryclearly the swing you want to put on the ball and the ball flight it willproduce.  You’ve FELT the swing that willproduce the shot….   You’ve done all youneed to do.  You’re mind is clear andfocused.  Confidence has been buildingbecause each stage pushes away doubt and fear!

 Now the goal is to simply set up to the target and TRUSTIT! 

 SEE IT –  FEEL IT-  TRUST IT.  Make it your pre-shot routine and it willhelp you play better golf! 

 Keep it simple.  

Pictures

Carolina Colours Pro-shop & Cart Barn

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Pro-Shop and attached cart barn at Carolina Colours!   By now, the cart barn is in use, but I’ll have to wait a while to get into the pro-shop.  In the mean time, I’ll be in the Carolina Colours Pavillion, which is a beautiful club house across the parking lot from this building.  
Carolina Colours opened 9 holes for “Member’s Only” on July 31st.  We will open as a semi-private golf club in October when the full 18 is ready for play!
Golf Swing

Quote From Ben Hogan

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“To begin the downswing, forget about the arms and hands.”  -Ben Hogan



The above quote isn’t a feel, it’s a truth about an effortless golf swing!  It is a statement that complies to the laws of physics!  
f the takeaway is performed correctly, then the downswing can be performed without the arms and hands taking over.  

Golf Swing

Will Power Can’t Overcome Physics

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No matter how much you know, no matter how hard you try, if the takeaway of your swing is incorrect, your brain will tell your arms to fire in the downswing causing a deflection of the plane and the necessity of compensation.  No exceptions.  



Willpower can’t overcome physics and neurology.  


This is why I believe the takeaway is critical to understand and spend time improving!  I call it a HEAVE (from David Lee’s Gravity Golf).

This isn’t to say one can’t produce a great shot, just that one MUST compensate each and every time to make that happen.  It’s a very difficult and frustrating way to play golf.  

Golf, Pictures

Carolina Colours: Picture #4

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Hole #4 at Carolina Colours.   Par 4  404yds  from the Championship Tees

This is one of those intimidating holes.   The hazard you see running across this fairway is not that difficult to carry.  It’s just one of those shots where when you stand on the tee, the carry seems serious!  Hit a solid drive from the correct set of tees and you will carry the hazard with ease!  Swing free and with confidence!  
Golf

Grounded. Now Move On

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It’s really got to hurt losing a championship in the manner in which
Dustin Johnson did.  I can’t begin to imagine how he feels.  I do know
that he should take comfort in knowing that in all likely hood, he
couldn’t have done anything different.  I said yesterday that the
ruling was correct, but it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have made the same
exact mistake!  I believe I would have grounded my club in that
situation even if I had read the local rule!!!


You
see, humans are creatures of habit.  The more repetitiously we perform
an act, the more we kind of go on “automatic pilot”.   I can guarantee
you that Dustin can identify a bunker.  With the crowd, the intensity
of the moment, and the adrenaline going through his system, I
completely understand the fact that it never crossed his mind.  It
never crossed David Feherty’s mind and he’s a former professional golfer
not in the “heat of the moment”.  

I guess I’m
saying that we all just need to move on.  It happened and it was
something that most likely could not have been prevented.  I will say
that it probably won’t happen again at Whistling Straits!  So some good
will come from it.  

As for me, if Dustin
takes responsibility and basically says, “C’est la vie” (can’t actually
imagine Dustin saying that….), I’ll be routing for him in the future.
 What incredible talent he has; plenty to win a major championship!

The Rules of Golf

Why Dustin Johnson Was Correctly Penalized

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I watched the end of the PGA Championship in amazement.  The drama of the last few holes with Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer, Rory Mcilroy, Steve Elkington, Zach Johnson and Dustin Johnson was awesome….  I was routing for pretty much everyone and that was kind of fun.  Dustin’s Shot from the junk behind the 18th green was spectacular!  As much as I was ready for a playoff with Bubba and Dustin, at that point, I thought it was a great time for Dustin to win his first major….



Then the rules official came over.   I couldn’t believe what was happening!  I think I felt much like former tour professional David Feherity who was incredulous about the ruling!  It never crossed anyone’s mind that what Dustin’s ball lay in was a bunker!  


My initial reaction was that the call was bogus.  I was hoping someone would walk in and say, “enough, let’s get the three way playoff started.  That was dirt, not a bunker.”


Then I heard the response of Mark Wilson, the USGA Rules official who described the situation.  I have tremendous respect for these guys, and I believe the rules of golf are by far the best laid out rules of any sport.  Add to that fact that the integrity of the game rests with the player, and the rules officials time and time again work to help golfers make the right decision, Mr. Wilson’s comments made the situation quite clear.  Because the local rules sheet stated that all areas “intended” to be bunkers on Whistling Straits would be considered hazards and treated as such, the USGA got the call right.  


Do I think that Dustin gained an advantage by grounding his club?  No.  Do I think that he had mal intent by grounding his club?  Absolutely not!  Do I think he deserved to be in the playoff?  You bet!!!


But emotion can’t rule the day in this situation.  Not being aware is not an excuse for a rules violation.  


The rules officials aren’t looking to penalize in golf, they are simply there to make sure that all golfers play under the same conditions of competition.  Maybe it was unfortunate that anyone noticed, but in the era of T.V., nothing goes un-noticed.  Because it was brought to the attention of the officials, they were then obligated to bring it to Dustin’s attention.  


The integrity of the game must be more important than the emotion of the moment.  I don’t like it either, but I applaud the USGA rules officials, again.