LOL. "turn your hat around Cup. Put your change in your left pocket; It's better than stickin those chili peppers up Lee Janzen's ass"!
A before and after at the Open
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LOL. "turn your hat around Cup. Put your change in your left pocket; It's better than stickin those chili peppers up Lee Janzen's ass"!
only for some...
Ugh...I did that once as well 3 years ago on my annual golf excursion to Minnesota...I was frickin paralyzed but managed to not shank on the course. I was definitely NOT confident.
johnnymarlboro
New
That happens to me on the range sometimes, but almost never on the course. Usually with wedges. I blame it on the hard mats making me do weird things that I wouldn't on turf for fear of injury.
mgranato
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I'm digging the evolution of this topic...
Why do golfers (in general) place so much importance on how they hit it pre-round? The lies are perfect and flat, the targets are not demanding, no fear of hazards, etc, etc. Then we go to the first tee... tree lined, OB right, bunkers left with a dogleg.
The feelings in the hands aren't the same as on the range, the adrenaline isn't the same, the consequences aren't the same, virtually nothing is going to be the same on the course as it is on the range. Yet the ever popular topic in golf is "how do I bring my range swing to the 1st tee".
When did a warm up, getting the body loose and warm, become a foreboding crystal ball for the next 4 hours? I'm certainly guilty of letting that happen in the past, but I don't recall being that way in other sports. You would show up, get used to the field/court, get loose, and get ready to compete. You can see some really dejected faces on the range before tournaments. Is it because guys use a pre-round warm up as a mini practice session? Is it because the guy next to you is striping it? Is it because you heard a pro say after shooting 62 that he had a great warm up?
Why do golfers (in general) place so much importance on how they hit it pre-round? The lies are perfect and flat, the targets are not demanding, no fear of hazards, etc, etc. Then we go to the first tee... tree lined, OB right, bunkers left with a dogleg.
The feelings in the hands aren't the same as on the range, the adrenaline isn't the same, the consequences aren't the same, virtually nothing is going to be the same on the course as it is on the range. Yet the ever popular topic in golf is "how do I bring my range swing to the 1st tee".When did a warm up, getting the body loose and warm, become a foreboding crystal ball for the next 4 hours? I'm certainly guilty of letting that happen in the past, but I don't recall being that way in other sports. You would show up, get used to the field/court, get loose, and get ready to compete. You can see some really dejected faces on the range before tournaments. Is it because guys use a pre-round warm up as a mini practice session? Is it because the guy next to you is striping it? Is it because you heard a pro say after shooting 62 that he had a great warm up?
drewyallop
New
I'm digging the evolution of this topic...
Why do golfers (in general) place so much importance on how they hit it pre-round? The lies are perfect and flat, the targets are not demanding, no fear of hazards, etc, etc. Then we go to the first tee... tree lined, OB right, bunkers left with a dogleg.
When did a warm up, getting the body loose and warm, become a foreboding crystal ball for the next 4 hours? I'm certainly guilty of letting that happen in the past, but I don't recall being that way in other sports. You would show up, get used to the field/court, get loose, and get ready to compete. You can see some really dejected faces on the range before tournaments. Is it because guys use a pre-round warm up as a mini practice session? Is it because the guy next to you is striping it? Is it because you heard a pro say after shooting 62 that he had a great warm up?
Good thoughts Mike. An imperfect parallel could be a big leaguer taking batting practice. Belt high 70 mph pitches, no movement, no pressure if you hit a squib. Then game begins and you a facing a Verlander 78 mph curve starting at your left ear and ending in the dirt followed by a 98 mph fastball at the knees.
faux_maestro
New
I'm digging the evolution of this topic...
Why do golfers (in general) place so much importance on how they hit it pre-round? The lies are perfect and flat, the targets are not demanding, no fear of hazards, etc, etc. Then we go to the first tee... tree lined, OB right, bunkers left with a dogleg.
When did a warm up, getting the body loose and warm, become a foreboding crystal ball for the next 4 hours? I'm certainly guilty of letting that happen in the past, but I don't recall being that way in other sports. You would show up, get used to the field/court, get loose, and get ready to compete. You can see some really dejected faces on the range before tournaments. Is it because guys use a pre-round warm up as a mini practice session? Is it because the guy next to you is striping it? Is it because you heard a pro say after shooting 62 that he had a great warm up?
I used to be in the category of the pre-round warm-up being the "crystal ball" until I changed a few things about my mental approach. I know some don't like everything that Rotella says, especially regarding course management, but I think some of his thoughts are gold Jerry, GOLD.
Pick the smallest target you possibly can, preferably above the ground so as to avoid looking at the trouble. Don't pick a tree to hit at, pick a limb if you can or even a leaf and focus like hell on that small target. A short focused routine with the idea in mind that you should be target bound, not ball bound. I now have more trouble taking my swing to the range so to speak, BECAUSE the targets are not as demanding/small. It's similar to target practice with a gun, you focus on the smallest target and focus ON THE TARGET, not on the action of pulling the trigger.
The other thing that helped is something that maybe you can speak to. A basketball player that is a "shooter" always seems to have the mentality that, if his shot isn't going in now, it's only a matter of time until it starts going in. A good shooter with confidence in their ability thinks that, if they start 0 for 10, it means that the 11th shot has a better chance of going in, they are due to make one.
I'm digging the evolution of this topic...
Why do golfers (in general) place so much importance on how they hit it pre-round? The lies are perfect and flat, the targets are not demanding, no fear of hazards, etc, etc. Then we go to the first tee... tree lined, OB right, bunkers left with a dogleg.
When did a warm up, getting the body loose and warm, become a foreboding crystal ball for the next 4 hours? I'm certainly guilty of letting that happen in the past, but I don't recall being that way in other sports. You would show up, get used to the field/court, get loose, and get ready to compete. You can see some really dejected faces on the range before tournaments. Is it because guys use a pre-round warm up as a mini practice session? Is it because the guy next to you is striping it? Is it because you heard a pro say after shooting 62 that he had a great warm up?
It's because the guy your playing with has a pencil and he writes numbers down next to your name! He didnt on then range.
magicmarker
New
Yeah, I like a lot of Rotella's stuff, this included. His latest book was great if anyone is considering purchasing it. As a basketball player/shooter I actually preferred to have a bad warm up but that was usually because the defense would come out softer on me if I didn't swish everything in the warm up. Golf is obviously different and I personally don't even hit full swings before I play, Sergio style. Reason being, if I hit it great then I feel like I have to swing just like that on the course and I stop playing golf and start playing golf swing.
Ha! I did the same thing whenever I'd play, especially pickup basketball. Because I was big and generally look slow, I'd try my best to look as unathletic as possible to add to the perception they'd already have by looking at me. Good for a few baskets and blocked shots every time. Only downside is that it was hard to get the ball on the wing, where I wanted it; unless I was playing with someone I knew, my team thought I was super unathletic, too
On the course, though, all I care about is getting the ball airborne and seeing which way it's going during my warmup. While I'm not consistent from round to round as to which way the ball moves, I'll have either a left-to-right day, or a right-to-left day, and that tendency will be consistent for that round. I've just now learned to go with whatever I have, as opposed to coming to the course with a shot shape in mind, and then trying to force that shape for the entire round, even though the ball wants to go the other way. It's taken till now for me to quit using pre-round as a practice session.
I used to play like a 5 handicapper and score under par consistently. Heck, I once shot 67 in the European Tour School/Qualifying when I really should have shot a snowman. Ball striking was poor, but I kept it in play and hit enough greens to shoot 6 birds. Nowadays I hit it nice and score like a 5 handicapper. Why? Because I no longer believe that I have a right to shoot low. I actually think I have to play well to shoot low. Man, I've lost the plot, but so has Tiger.
Lindsey Newman
New
I still don't get the "focus on the smallest possible target" thing or the " take dead aim" thing. Once I align the machine, I am no longer looking at a tree in the distance. I know I'm taking the sayings literally, but what the F.
Billy McKinney
New
An external focus of attention allows the more optimal Dorsal Parietal Lobe of the brain to take command of the execution. This lobe is much better equipped to handle motor skill than any other part--like the parts that are giving us 'how to' instructions. Ever notice how well you execute when there's a tree to maneuver around? Not many swing thoughts. That's external focus of attention.
'Take dead aim', though Mr. Penick probably understand the neuroscience, was dead on.
Lindsey Newman
New
Ok, the resonates with me a bit more.
faux_maestro
New
Billy McKinney and DCgolf have it. It has to do with the way our brain works. See the target and hit it there, don't see trouble or focus 15 swing thoughts. If your last thought is "DON'T HIT IT LEFT" the brain doesn't really register the "DON'T" but hears the "LEFT" part.
It all relates to my routine. I pick a target, line up to it, waggle a few times staring at the small target, back to the ball and IMMEDIATELY pull the trigger. That way I have little chance to see the trouble or think about it.
In a similar vein, my girlfriend is in the Marine reserves and she has told me in her weapons training the targets were shaped like a person but they only got points if they hit the "T box" on the face (eyes form the top of the T, the vertical line is from the bridge of the nose down to the mouth). "AIM SMALL MISS SMALL".
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faux_maestro
New
Also, I'll add that when I'm playing well and really focused I can still "see" that target in my imagination when I come back to the ball. It's important to pull the trigger quickly so that I can still see it, and to keep my mind from wandering. I also have used Davis Love III's old putting routine, move the putter back as my eyes track back from the target to the ball. I used to follow the blade on the backswing with my eyes and head and this was the only way I could break that habit.
Lindsey Newman
New
I totally get the routine portion, but when taken literally it can be misleading as far as taking dead aim. Anyway, it's always good to hear everyone's interpretation.
Virtuoso
New
One thing about pre-round practice vs play: I've NEVER gotten a lie on the course as good as the ones I give myself on the range. On the range, I've always got the ball on a slight little perch. On the course, they are always nestled down tiny bit. For a decent player, this changes your whole "feeling" for angle of attack and shaft lean.
I've understood this basic self-inflicted phenomenon for 20 years. Have I quit trying to perch my ball slightly on the range....of course not.
I've understood this basic self-inflicted phenomenon for 20 years. Have I quit trying to perch my ball slightly on the range....of course not.
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