I just got an update on my golf handicap from GHIN(Golf Handicap Information Network) and despite all my best intentions, practice, instruction and efforts, my numbers are UP! Sigh.
They (the infamous “they” who shall never be named) say that it’s not unusual for a handicap to fluctuate a bit. Everyone can go through a slump or two. I seem to be in a chasm! I’ve decided rather than wallow in misery at my rising numbers that I would spend some time trying to figure out what’s behind this GHIN roller coaster I am on.
First, of course, I submit all my scores, even the really bad ones. Perhaps I’m being too honest and should hold back a couple of those really horrible rounds, but if I do that then the whole purpose of the handicap score is skewed and why do it at all? Better to be honest, put in all the scores, no matter the end result.
Second, I think I’m trying too hard. I know it may sound a bit crazy, but because I want to do well, I try too hard and I think that’s why I flub up. I’ve taken all the lessons, read all the books (written one too — aka The Ultimate Guide,) spend time on the range and the putting green and play at least twice a week. Still I am not improving. Here’s what I think is going on:
I know too much and my head is full of dozens of swing thoughts every time I set up in front of the ball.
My desire is always to get the most distance I can get so when I swing my club I swing fast and with fury. That guarantees I am swinging too hard and with little control. I may get distance but not direction. I’ve been in every sand bunker on Cape Cod.
I play stupid. I have a pretty good idea how far I can hit each club in my bag, but I forget to take into account the wind, the conditions of the fairway (hard or soft) and I more often than not let my enthusiasm for distance get the better of me. I end up over the green and into the far distant bunker or on to the next fairway.
So what do I do? We still have about three months of golf to play here in the northeast. It gets a little frigid around mid-November, but I’ll play golf when its 50 degrees out. So there is still time to improve. In an effort to make the golf gods smile upon me once again, I’m implementing some counter-measures.
First – simplify all my thoughts into just one. Get the noise out of my head. Get all the practice done on the practice range, not on the golf course.
Second – SLOW DOWN. I know, I know, we’ve all heard it before: “Let the club do the work.” “Less is more.” But it’s true. When I slow down my swing and stop trying to smash the ball with my golf club, when I let go of the tension and relax my grip, the club head does its job and the ball goes sailing exactly where I want it to go.
Third – play smart. It’s much better to hit a short wedge shot out of the back of a sand trap and onto the fairway then it is to try and hit the ball forward towards the green, over a steep overhanging cliff of a bunker and take three tries doing it.
So that’s my plan, in the short term — at least for this afternoon. I’m off to play nine holes at the local course. It’s 95 degrees out there and I will probably faint from the heat. But it’s a good chance to keep my play simple, slow and smart! My new mantra for Success!
What do you think? What do you do when your GHIN is rising?
I played in a local tournament/business networking event yesterday (SSWBN). Signed up late. The tournament organizers placed me on a team with three new golfers. Great people but not great golfers. The format was a scramble — Florida style. The course, executive style, with a lot of par 3 holes and only one or two par 4s with a lot of water and tricky greens, it’s one of those courses that looks easy at first but is actually very difficult. If your short game is not up to speed you are in major trouble.
I was the most experienced golfer in my group but from the first drive I realized we didn’t have much chance of winning. My game was “off” to put it politely, and the other three were all in a bit of a “learn as you go” mode. I’m usually very competitive and like to win, but on this day I quickly determined that winning was not going to be my focus. Knowing that right from the start, allowed me to just relax and let the “competition-thing” go. I was there to meet new people, spread the word about this blog, golfgurls.com, and enjoy the day. Of course I wanted to play well and I did get off a few decent shots and my putting was ok, but as we continued to play the course, my goal for the tournament was to be sure we didn’t come in dead last!
When you play in a fun tournament it’s sometimes hard to remember the game is supposed to be fun! I can be very rule conscious and if I thought we had a snowball’s chance in _____ of winning I would have certainly toed the line and insisted my fellow players do the same. (Note: if our team was actually that good, each player would already be very conscious of the rules.) By the time we finished nine holes, we were already five over par. Everyone was hot — the humidity was high and the temperature was nudging 93 degrees in the shade. My team had already frequented the beverage cart a couple of times and I decided that having fun and just enjoying the day outside was the best way to go.
Not all the golfers felt the same. With so many new or nearly new golfers on the course, the play was very slow—not unexpected. I overheard one golfer telling others about the group in front of them. They didn’t quite get the rules right. In a Florida style scramble each person drives the ball off the tee, the best drive is chosen and each player moves their ball to that spot and plays again. The best shot is chosen again and each player moves their ball to that new spot and play continues until a ball is holed. You can’t “test” which shot is best by trying a couple of them and determining which has the best lie. But this group didn’t realize that and when they couldn’t decide which ball of the four had the best lie they would hit a couple of them to “test” and see what happened. They then played the one that landed in the best spot. A big no-no! No wonder play was slow!
On our team, “I didn’t see that!” was the key phrase. But no worries. The game was slow, the sun was hot, the beer was cold, and best of all, we didn’t come in dead last after all. It was a great day!
I recently spoke with Golf Pro Scott Seifferlein of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Scott brings a unique perspective to golf instruction. Having struggled as a mid to high handicapper in his early years of playing, he has a particular empathy for today’s amateur golfer. Determined to learn the game, Scott worked hard to become a Certified PGA Director of Instruction and today hundreds of his students are playing better golf because of his dedication. Even celebrity Donald Trump praises his advice! (While holding the top instructor position at Middle Bay Country Club, Scott was featured in Donald Trump’s Book, The Best Golf Advice I Ever Received.)
Scott is a regular guest on golf radio talk shows in the midwest and GolfGurls.com was fortunate to talk Scott into some serious golf conversation. In this first of several podcasts we will be posting, Scott explains a bit about his “Stop Slicing Guarantee” and explains his Lazy Man’s Golf Instruction method. Using video Scott can analyze your golf swing, even at a distance. Check out his website and listen to this podcast for more details.
This will be a bit of a convoluted post, but stay with me and it will all make sense.
Yesterday I played in our club “off-course” challenge. (Twenty of us played a “tournament” round at Plymouth Country Club in Plymouth, Massachusetts—a challenging course with lots of blind spots and domed greens — the kind that have you putting back and forth for three putts!) I was playing pretty well, hitting most of the fairways, getting out of the rough, and staying out of the sand. I try not to look at my total score while I’m playing a round of golf. Bad karma. But I had a sense that I might be on track for a personal best — until I got to the 17th hole.
I hit a great drive and was in a perfect position to be on the green in two. But as the golf gods were in control, and I was not, my second shot landed just to the right of the green, on a steep incline, buried deep in some ground cover—about the worst place it could have landed. I was lucky to find the ball at all. Hitting off an uneven lie is always a little tricky. Trying to hit off this hill was getting closer to bizarre. One thing I remembered to do was position my shoulders as close to parallel with the hillside as possible. (My little diagram gives you some idea of how this works.) This would at least give me some chance of getting under the ball but keeping my balance at the same time as trying to hit out of the rough took all my core strength. — This is where the Bosu comes into play. I’ve been practicing my golf swing using a Bosu as a platform. It isn’t easy, and you sweat bullets when you do it right. Check out this short video below, to see what I mean. (Uploading this to YouTube is a little humbling… but I figured it would be a “teachable moment”… and so here it is. Promise not to laugh.)
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And what about my game? Unfortunately, the golf gods were not kind. It took me three tries to get my ball up and onto the green. I had all I could do to maintain my footing, but at least I didn’t topple down the hill into the mush below. Meantime, my fellow golfers were happily putting away far above me. By the time I landed on the green they had finished, I was lying five and had a sixty foot putt. We only needed two net scores for the team and the group behind us was waiting, so I picked up and gave myself a 7 for the hole. Totally wiped out my personal best score.
It was a lesson in humility and I’m sure a grand entertainment for the gang playing just behind us. Ah, the sweet joy of golf.
By the way, if you want to see the right way to hit a golf shot from an uphill lie, check out this video from a pro. Of course he’s not swinging in two feet of rough!!! I’d like to see him try that and get out of it in one good swing.
Every golfer gets into trouble once in a while. Even the pros land in the rough, the sand or the lake. The key to a successful round is how well you can play yourself out of trouble. There are a few basic tips you can use for these problem shots. Learn them and next time you are stuck deep in a foot of rough grass your panic will be less and your game will improve.
What are the most typical trouble shots?
Plugged in a Sandbunker - your ball is plugged deep! – Take your normal stance with your weight on your forward foot. Choke down a little on the golf club (about 1-2 inches from the bottom of the grip.) You need to close the face of your sand wedge — a lot! And hit the sand just behind the ball, driving the wedge down and through so that sand splashes up and out of the bunker carrying the ball with it.
Keep your weight on your forward foot throughout the shot and hit down with confidence. The ball will catch the sand just behind the ball and splash it out. Be sure to follow through on your swing and concentrate on keeping the club face closed the whole time. (This is different from a ball sitting on top of hard sand where you might be able to “pick it off.” Imagine the difference between hard sand at low tide and that deep soft sand further up the beach.)
With a plugged ball, you need to hit down hard just behind the ball, keep the face of the club closed, and splash sand out. The ball will likely come out low so don’t expect a lot of spin or distance when it hits the green and rolls.
Bushwhacked – Your ball has landed under a bush where there is absolutely no chance of being able to hit it normally. Your only option is a left handed hit using the back of your right handed club (or the reverse if you are left handed). This might be doable but won’t get you far. Here’s where you might want to use a little creativity and think outside the box. One option is to stand to the side of the ball with your back to the target and swing your club with your dominant hand to try and get the ball out from under. You’ll have to take a few practice swings to get the feel of the club as it moves as it will be awkward at first, but this has a better chance of going in the right direction than the alternative.
One other option I’ve considered— if you have room in your bag and it’s worth the expense, buy a left-handed wedge for just this purpose! If your course has a lot of shrubbery you land in, it might be worth it!
Downhill chip shot - This is a tough shot to make. Don’t try to hit it high. Get your shoulders parallel with the hill and use your usual chip shot action, just make the backswing a little longer than the follow through. The ball will come out low, and hopefully roll to the hole.
Backward shot – Every once in a while your ball will land in an impossible position where only a backward shot will get you to the green. The pros practice these for fun and I don’t know if you will ever be able to perfect it, but Phil Mickelson has a backwards shot he uses when he’s in trouble. He explains how he does it, and it’s fun to watch.
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The best way to learn how to hit these trouble shots is to practice. Unfortunately a lot of practice facilities do not have areas in which you can learn to hit from the deep rough. You might have to be a bit more creative. It’s not the most glamorous choice to spend a couple of hours hitting a bucket of balls from the sandpit, woods or deep rough on the edge of the driving range, but the reward will come the next time you hit a slice deep into the brush on the fourth hole and you get out of trouble without a big hassle.
Ever been in trouble on the golf course? What’s your favorite “rescue” club?
Every women golfer wants to look and feel great both on and off the golf course. It may seem to be a no-brainer, but finding just the right pair of shorts that fit comfortably and function well for golf is not that easy. We’ve discovered a manufacturer, Susie Shortlegs, has a great product line that meets the need!
As part of their advertising plan on golfgurls.com, Susie Shortlegs sent along a sample of their product line for us to review. Great idea!
To get the most unbiased review we had Susie Shortlegs send the sample to one of our regular readers, Judy W. After wearing the shorts a couple of times and putting them through the wash… (a critical test of quality) we think we have an honest review of how good these shorts really are.
We asked the questions and got some honest answers! Read on!
Q. For review, we ordered size 12 shorts in white, style “Front 9.” Is that what you received? A. Yes. The shorts were just what we ordered.
Q. What do you think of the fabric? A. Nice quality, nice texture, a “rich” feel.
Q. What do you think of the cut and styling? A. The styling is the strong plus in these shorts. They have a great cut with a bit of flare and a slit on each side pant leg bottom of about 1 1/2 inches.
Q. Sounds like they allow for a lot of movement which is great on the golf course. Are they comfortable? A. Very comfortable.
Q. Are the shorts good to wear for a round of golf? A. The pockets are deep. No problem carrying balls or tees. And there is a slit pocket in the back as well. I tested the shorts playing my latest round of golf. Reaching over to tee up or pick up my ball from the cup — the shorts had a nice ease of movement. Did not bind at all.
Q. I know you washed the shorts after your round. Did they require any special treatment? Any shrinkage? Did you have to iron them or are they wrinkle free or resistant? A. No special treatment required. I took them out of the dryer immediately to avoid having to iron. These shorts were wrinkle free, and the color was nice and bright. No shrinkage! I tried them on again to be sure.
Q. Now that you’ve tried a pair of Susie Shortlegs, would you recommend this product to others? A. Absolutely.
Q. Would you purchase a similar pair of shorts from Susie Shortlegs? A. Yes. The retail price of $72 is a bit high, but is normal for this kind of quality in a pro shop.
Q. Any other comments you wish to add? A. I like their company logo. It’s sewn on the bottom right hem. If there was any one thing to comment on it would be the weather we’ve been having here in the northeast. I went to play golf this morning and decided to wear them again, but it was just too hot. The shorts are made of a material almost the thickness of duck cloth. The humidity was so high, I had to switch to a lighter fabric that had more “breathability” in the heat today.
Summary: Sounds like a great product. Great fit, styling and comfort. Ease of care. No shrinkage, colors stay bright. Priced appropriately for the quality of the product. A little heavy to wear on a really hot summer day, but perfect for those “normal” days on which we love to play golf. For more information and to see the full line of styles, visit the Susie Shortlegswebsite.
I’ve been working on this latest e-book for months and am finally able to say it is done and done. Until it’s not. I know I will be getting some interesting comments and suggestions from my readers. Feel free to send me yours once you’ve downloaded and read the book. (http://golfgurls.com/ultimate-beginners-guide-women-golfers) What’s in the book, [...]
I promised myself I would improve my golf game this year. In the spring, my focus was on dropping my handicap at least three or four points. Hasn’t happened yet. The season here in the northeast is not over yet and my club stays open for golf for at least another three or four months, [...]
Whether you are just beginning the game of golf, or have been playing for years, you need to “start at the very beginning.” In this short 24 minute podcast, LPGA, PGA Instructor, Sue Kaffenburg covers a wide variety of topics including: The best lesson format How to choose your instructor Review of your “belief” system [...]
They (the infamous “they” who shall never be named) say that it’s not unusual for a handicap to fluctuate a bit. Everyone can go through a slump or two. I seem to be in a chasm! I’ve decided rather than wallow in misery at my rising numbers that I would spend some time trying to figure out what’s behind this GHIN roller coaster I am on.
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