Runnin

The only way to see pros fix ball marks is by going to an event in person. On TV they cut away to show as many live shots as possible and I'm thankful for it.

You must have been watching me swing.

In college, several of my best rounds came after I topped the first tee shot and hacked it all the way through the first hole. It seemed to shock me into settling down and playing well from then on and perhaps kept me from getting complacent, which I have a tendency to do. Conversely, bad rounds often came after nailing the first tee shot down the middle. But maybe that's just the nature of golf. Now I've lived long enough not take 2 or 3 good holes for granted and know the wheels can come off quickly. And there are gonna be bad shots. You can use them for immediate feedback to get back on track. Stoicism has a lot to offer golfers, imo, in particular, its distinction between external (uncontrollable) and internal (controllable) goals. Winning a tournament, beating your buddy or even making a dead straight 4 footer is not completely in your control. All you can do is what you can do, play your best, get the ball started online with the proper speed, etc. Seems to me that golf is a battle between the process and the result. The trick is to stay focused on the process that will produce the result you want. But the genius of the game is the trappings suck you into caring too much about the future outcome. You don't want to hit your first shot OB in front of a lot of people. You do want to hit a good one down the middle, or at least in play. But in order to do that you are going to have to stay focused on the process of hitting the ball, staying in your pre-shot routine, staring at your target, keeping good balance, hands low, clear the left side, finish pretty, swing your clubhead at least 123 mph, etc. For me, that's all mental because I already know how to physically do those things, except for hitting 123 mph. Now it's more a matter on not doing the bad stuff. I think Eric Clapton said about learning the guitar, the first 10 years you learn what to play and the next 10 you learn what not to play. I think golf is like that. At first you learn what to do and at some point it becomes an endless process of simplification.

The baseball grip has gotten me out of some bad habits. I think slicers could benefit from experimenting or drilling with this grip. It will really force you to come more from the inside because if you don't you're gonna get a pull hook. I think it also guards against early casting for the same reason.

I've been using the reverse overlap grip (putting version) for chips and pitches 80 yds and in all summer. Now I'm experimenting with a one finger reverse overlap for full shots as well and love it. I thought I was the only one in the world gripping this way but not by a long shot, apparently. Many seem to like it too. For short shots I think it's far superior to a normal grip. It seems to keep the right hand from releasing. I like to hit a little cut shot on short shots so it's perfect for that. But I'm really surprised that a reverse overlap feel so good for full shots too.

I miss persimmon woods.

Yes. Make your practice like play and your play like practice. I always save the last ball at the driving range for a do or die test, usually a 7 iron for me. I imagine I'm at the Pearly Gates and the angel asks me what I did in my life. I say I played a lot of golf. He waves his hand and a green appears about 155 yds away on a cloud. He gives me a 7 iron and says if I can hit the green or the fringe I can enter Heaven. If not, down below. Anyway, whatever scenario you want to make some pressure and have some fun with it.

I saw a one armed player once who was said to be a bit of a local hustler. After watching him hit a few I didn't doubt it.

Why such attitude from so many? Is this the way you always treat new posters? I've haven't heard anyone give me any reason or supporting evidence for why golf is more physical. According to the poll, at least 1/4 of people disagree. So it's not so cut and dried. And their seems to be a bit of group think going on here that probably has skewed the numbers. Add to that the fact that what a lot of what some people are calling physical, others call mental, and vice versa. I don't think we have a real consensus. According to what I've been able to read about LSW, it's about playing and practicing smarter, aka. the mental game. That sounds about right. Maybe only one million.

It's $77 and $139 on Amazon. I'm sure it's a great book and would love to get it.

I disagree. You're making a semantic distinction. I said why on the first page or so. After hitting a few million golf balls and playing countless rounds of golf that's just my opinion. It's like guiding a blind elephant through a maze. You could say that the elephant is doing all the work but I would say the one guiding the elephant is in control. I really find it hilarious that so many on a golf site would cling to the all physical position. I think you guys just like to argue. Off to practice my short game and my long putts.

I was absolutely going to until I saw the price.

No. I wasn't interested in a debate on whether golf is more mental or physical. I assumed people would say more mental and that would lead to a discussion on ways one might practice the mental side. I should not have started the poll. I apologize for starting a silly, meaningless debate. My question was and still is, what are the practice techniques and playing approaches to reflect that side of the game which some feel is predominant. The Eric Jones videos are really interesting to me. I like the 3 brain idea, which is actually 3 different parts of the brain that control three different aspects of golf - strategic thought, emotion and execution. I think it can be very useful to be able to compartmentalize these often conflicting thoughts.

The mental side of the game is hard to quantify. Eric Jones has some good stuff on youtube on the subject. He talks about 3 brains, the thinking brain, the emotional brain and the athletic brain which does all the work. The thinking brain handles club selection and course management. The emotional brain produces confidence and anxiety. And the athletic brain hits the ball. His 'athletic brain' term might be thought of as purely physical, though I wouldn't myself.