Category: Playing Tips

The next ten “Tip of the Day”s are being taken from an article by Dr. Bob Rotella for Golf Digest, titled “Inside the Golfer’s Mind.” We’re paraphrasing, changing the language a little, and condensing his typical three to four paragraphs into one or two. This is tip seven of ten: get into the target.

If you think about it, a properly struck ball flies through the air, lands, and rolls very little. It’s inconsequential to the ball whether there’s water two inches or two hundred yards right of its target: it lands where it lands, rolls where it rolls, and then stops. The same is true of golfers playing well: they don’t see a pin tucked just over a huge bunker and a water hazard – they merely see a pin.

Good players develop tunnel vision: they see the target, they fire at the target, and nothing else matters. In fact, they don’t even see it. The further you get “into” your target, the more your body will do to help you hit it there. It’s a bonus you get just for concentrating, just for being into the target and into the moment, the shot, the swing.

The next ten “Tip of the Day”s are being taken from an article by Dr. Bob Rotella for Golf Digest, titled “Inside the Golfer’s Mind.” We’re paraphrasing, changing the language a little, and condensing his typical three to four paragraphs into one or two. This is tip six of ten: confidence begets confidence.

Confident golfers think about what they want to happen on a golf course. Golfers lacking confidence often think about things they don’t want to happen. We’re not talking about over-the-top bravado, but a quiet confidence and the ability to picture a good result and focus on positive outcomes over negatives. “I’ll put this up by the pin” instead of “I hope I don’t leave it short.”

Given two players of equal skills, the one who believes in himself more will win more than not. Even different clubs or shots inspire different levels of confidence: a favorite putter, your trusted 7-iron, or hitting a draw off the 7th tee at your home course.

The next ten “Tip of the Day”s are being taken from an article by Dr. Bob Rotella for Golf Digest, titled “Inside the Golfer’s Mind.” We’re paraphrasing, changing the language a little, and condensing his typical three to four paragraphs into one or two. This is tip five of ten: play in the now.

Really, this tip is very much like some of the others available in this same series of articles. Dr. Bob needed ten tips, bydoggit, and he was gonna get ’em, even if meant repeating the same thing five or six times. What useful tidbits can we glean from this rehashing?

1. Don’t let play dictate your attitude. Go with the flow when it’s going well, but control yourself when you’re playing poorly.
2. “I came to the 16th thinking ‘this is a birdie hole'” is an example of getting ahead of yourself. Hit your tee shot first, then your approach, and then worry about making a putt.
3. Hit it and find it. Repeat as necessary.
4. Improving your mind game can instantly take 5-10 strokes off of your average score.
5. Don’t keep a running tally of your score. It makes you think of things outside of the “now,” the “present,” and “the next shot.”

When you run out of holes, you run out of holes. Hit it and find it. When Dr. Bob runs out of ideas, well, he copies other ones, but that’s ok. Tomorrow’s tip is different. Kinda. Okay, barely.

The next ten “Tip of the Day”s are being taken from an article by Dr. Bob Rotella for Golf Digest, titled “Inside the Golfer’s Mind.” We’re paraphrasing, changing the language a little, and condensing his typical three to four paragraphs into one or two. This is tip four of ten: the past is the past.

The instant your club makes contact with the ball, the shot is in the past. You can’t change the physics of your ball flying through the air or your ball rolling on the green (not legally, anyway). The shot has already happened. The result you can’t affect. The next shot you can. Getting angry over a missed putt, a fat 7-iron, or a sprayed drive means that you’re not playing in the present and focusing on the next shot.

Remaining competitive does not mean getting angry with yourself – it means making up for mistakes with great shots. The next shots after your misses. You’ve probably made par from the junk before. Do it again. Worrying about the shot that put you into the junk won’t help get the ball in the hole. The past is the past: worry about the next shot. It’s the only one that matters.

The next ten “Tip of the Day”s are being taken from an article by Dr. Bob Rotella for Golf Digest, titled “Inside the Golfer’s Mind.” We’re paraphrasing, changing the language a little, and condensing his typical three to four paragraphs into one or two. This is tip three of ten: meet small goals.

When I played baseball, and pitched, I would not throw to the glove. I wouldn’t throw towards the plate. I’d throw towards a stitch on the glove – the smallest thing I could see. When I play golf, I don’t try to “break 80” – I try to hit solid shots. I try to hit the ball in the right position. Golf is a game of small goals: hit the next shot well. Achieve the small goals often enough during a round and you’re more likely to achieve an overall goal without even thinking about it.

Continue reading “Meet Small Goals”

The next ten “Tip of the Day”s are being taken from an article by Dr. Bob Rotella for Golf Digest, titled “Inside the Golfer’s Mind.” We’re paraphrasing, changing the language a little, and condensing his typical three to four paragraphs into one or two. This is tip two of ten: them’s the breaks.

Golf is an unpredictable and sometimes unfair game: your opponent thins his approach, bounces it off a turtle swimming merrily in the water, and ends up three feet from the pin. Your drive, 30 yards past him, sits in a divot, hits the flagstick, and careens into the bunker. Them’s the breaks – learn to love ’em. After all, they’re a big part of the game you chose to play. (Golf, in case you were confused.)

Nobody perfects the game of golf. Sometimes a perfectly struck drive windsd up in a divot. Sometimes it’s the divot you took yesterday. And sometimes the same thing happens to your opponent. Golf is a game of breaks, and it’s the game you’re playing. Getting mad won’t help. Getting frustrated won’t help. Roll with it – there’s nothing you can do. Them’s the breaks.

The next ten “Tip of the Day”s are being taken from an article by Dr. Bob Rotella for Golf Digest, titled “Inside the Golfer’s Mind.” We’re paraphrasing, changing the language a little, and condensing his typical three to four paragraphs into one or two. This is tip one of ten: play to win.

Playing to win doesn’t mean playing recklessly – it means playing smart, controlled, and confident. As Phil Mickelson’s 59 yesterday taught us, you don’t need to be 300 yards down the middle of every fairway (he hit 5) to play well. You don’t need to be two feet from every pin. Some of a player’s best scores come when his ballstriking isn’t at its peak.

Playing to win means holing putts. It means keeping yourself in the game. Playing to win doesn’t mean trying to pull away from your opponent on the first six holes – it means putting yourself in a position to seal a victory with great play down the stretch.

Many golfers are tempted to play “winter rules” when inclement weather rolls around. Instead, we suggest playing the ball as it lies. Get creative – hit the shot with a little mud, or sitting down in some damp grass. Play out of the bare spot or off of the slightly soggy ground. See what you can do.

Playing the ball down teaches you these things, and allows you to more easily face obstacles when they present themselves to you in tournament play. Besides, posting a score two or three strokes over your normal score can’t hurt your handicap too much. And if this tip helps you take another five bucks from your buddies, it was worth it.

You may beat around a bunch of Pro V1x’s all summer, but come fall and winter, the chill in the air gets a little more pronounced. Cold-weather golf is a different beast: more clothes restrict turn and speed, colder temperatures affect the physics of golf balls (flight, compression, etc.). Greens are either softer or harder (depending on the area in which you live).

In particularly cold weather, you may want to sacrifice your pride and play a lady’s ball. The Precept Lady is a fine choice, and long the favorite of decent amateur players.