10 Captains Tips from Observing the Newport Cup

[Golfingdad]

One question I have for the players, were you nervous playing in front of Erik and Mike? I think I would be terrified. Do you think it affected your play?

Not this time, no. I had nerves just due to the competition (mostly appeared on the putting green), but none due to their critiquing eyes. ;)

[Club Rat]

I like playing when when there is a gallery, it must come from my younger years playing different team sports.

On one hole, Mike and Erik were sitting on the hill behind the green.

As I approached my ball, Erik commented "have too many Wheaties this morning"

I badly miss judged the distance and was way long and left.

I then hit a lob shot out of the ruff, which landed and rolled up next to the pin.

Both Erik and Mike gave me a "great shot"

I did have a moment when nerves got the best of me.

I had a three foot birdie putt to win a hole early in my final match.

After waiting for my turn to play, I got over the ball and felt the nerves kick in.

Instead of backing off the putt, I pushed it.

Club Rat

[Club Rat]

Erik said it really well here:

http://thesandtrap.com/t/53453/the-mental-game-in-two-words

I told this to a friend one day. He's an Orthopedic Surgeon.

He told me golfs not pressure, pressure is having a patient bleeding to death on the operating table.

I told him, I'll never get on his table, if he operates like he plays golf....

Club Rat

[RandallT]

I like playing when when there is a gallery, it must come from my younger years playing different team sports.

On one hole, Mike and Erik were sitting on the hill behind the green.

As I approached my ball, Erik commented "have too many Wheaties this morning"

I badly miss judged the distance and was way long and left.

I then hit a lob shot out of the ruff, which landed and rolled up next to the pin.

Both Erik and Mike gave me a "great shot"

I did have a moment when nerves got the best of me.

I had a three foot birdie putt to win a hole early in my final match.

After waiting for my turn to play, I got over the ball and felt the nerves kick in.

Instead of backing off the putt, I pushed it.

Club Rat

I believe you had the gallery of all galleries for a chip on the final hole of the Newport Cup. I believe I've heard somewhere that it turned out pretty well for you.

[Club Rat]

I believe you had the gallery of all galleries for a chip on the final hole of the Newport Cup. I believe I've heard somewhere that it turned out pretty well for you.

Indeed it did...

A perfect ending to a great week in Phoenix...

[Shindig]

I'm getting back from a busy period for me, and wow. First, thanks for posting. It's a bit of a relief that some really good players that I look up to made the same mistakes I'm sure I make. I think I can work on 4, 7, and 9 in particular. I don't yet hit the ball far enough to worry about "should I hit hybrid, 7-iron" just yet; hybrid then 7-iron would be about 335 yards. I play very few par-4s that are that short, and the one course I play that has a few has such wide fairways I can generally hit driver (or at least 3/5-Wood) without much risk of rough, much less a hazard. But then again, at the last TST outing, I can think of one par-4 where I'd love to take a tee shot back and hit a wood or hybrid instead, so...

[jbishop15]

I'm late on doing this, but I'm doing it anyways!

1. Short Game Shot Selection - C+

I have a saying that I use when I'm playing sports: "Don't get too cute". Basically, it means that if, in order to hit the shot you want you have to be perfect in both distance and accuracy, don't do it. I usually do a good job recognizing those situations, but I faltered during the Newport Cup. Too many times I tried to land a shot in a two foot area and left it short and had another short game shot. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

2. GIR is King - D

I never aim for the center (unless the flag is there ). I automatically aim for the flag, and I often miss the green because of it. Was especially pernicious during the competition.

3. Shot Zone Size - D-

I sprayed the ball worse than a broken fire hydrant, especially off the tee.

4. Not Watching Ball - B-

Save for a couple times, I felt good about keeping an eye on my ball.

5. Learn to Hit Big Curves - C+

It can hit a cut on demand, but it requires a lot of manipulation. I rarely double cross when I set up to cut, but I have to really, really exaggerate the motion to make it do what I want. I can't hook the ball on purpose; only when I'm not trying.

6. Misses and Adjustments - C

I would say my miss was left, especially the last day. I'm bad about trusting that, because I'm afraid if I am right I'll block one into the pool toys.

7. Pace of Play - B+

Happy with my pace of play. Got a little sloppy at some points but I think I turned it around nicely.

8. Simple Rules - F

Don't hit a ball that isn't yours. Check the ball. You can identify for free... (even if the ball you hit was on the same line as yours and HAD NO RIGHT NOT BEING YOUR BALL. DAMMIT)

9. Pattern Awareness - C-

Pattern is inconsistent. To the range!

10. Get out of Jail - D

Usually pretty solid, but my punch out shot during the Newport Cup was super duper weak sauce. Embarrassing.

Lord. I suck.

[Yukari]

As @mvmac and I drove around observing golfers playing in the Newport Cup this past few days, several thoughts occurred to us. We won't single anyone out, of course, and to those of you reading I want to point out that these players were all single digit handicappers. In no particular order, here are some of the things we noticed and what you can or should do about them to play better golf.

1. Short Game Shot Selection

As it says in Lowest Score Wins , the first rule of a short game shot is to not leave yourself with another short game shot. If you have a 30-yard bunker shot but the green is five yards away, hit the ball somewhere between six yards and 40 yards. Leave yourself with a PUTT first and foremost. Countless times @mvmac and I observed someone going for a pitch to a short sided pin only to leave themselves still short sided and pitching again. Though, yes, "Golf's Longest Yard" is important, you're simply far more likely to make a putt than a chip, and you can't start worrying about golf's longest yard before you get the ball on the putting green.

2. GIR is King

Following up on #1, hitting greens is important. I advised my team all week to get the yardage to the flag and, if it was in the back, to subtract five yards or so and if in the front, to add five yards or so. I still think they could have done that more, and paid more attention to it. It's a tough thing to actively look away from the flag and play a shot to the green. Sometimes it's tough to even pick a target line. But it's important, because again, you're more likely to make a putt (or two-putt) than to hole a chip (or get up and down). #1 and #2 tie in to each other. The point of both is to get you to the areas where you're almost as good as a PGA Tour player as soon as possible: putting!

3. Shot Zone Size

@mvmac and I joked that everyone's Shot Zone must have been about 5x larger than they thought. Some holes had 100 yards between homes left and right… yet we watched balls find the homes to the left and the right. Yes, maybe they were in the 20% of the "aberrations," but with the penalty buffer that players should have been using, drivers were often not the play given the actual size of the Shot Zones. On a 398-yard hole, and given the importance of GIR (they're the King!) and nGIR (Queens), a player who hits hybrid 240 yards and can then reach the green with an 8- or 9-iron rarely has the need to hit a driver to leave a sand wedge. This seems to fly in the face of "advancing your ball," but remember The Rule from Lowest Score Wins . Particularly, remember the "safely" portion. If there are Penalty Buffers, Bunkers (which have their own penalty buffers, remember), or thick trees… it can and often should change the chosen shot.

4. Not Watching Ball

@mvmac and I have noticed some things that differentiate good players from the not-so-good players. When a good player hits a good tee-ball, he doesn't watch it. When he hits a bad shot, he watches it like a hawk. The not-so-good player is the opposite: he will turn away from a bad shot and often takes delight in watching every second of his good one. Yet… this approach leads to lost balls. There aren't a lot of places to lose a ball in the desert (particularly when the course is not really a desert course with a bunch of cactus off the fairways), but we saw a fair number of lost balls. Watch the ball. Move sideways to get a better angle to view where it lands. Keep your eyes on the area where it lands. Remember landmarks to serve as pointers when you start to look for the ball. This applies to everyone's shots. We saw a number of people not watching their partner hitting a shot… in the alternate shot format. Blows our mind. That's your ball that your partner is hitting.

5. Learn to Hit Big Curves

The 17th hole required (the first two days, anyway) a big cut with a driver, 3-wood, or hybrid. Yet very few attempted this shot, mostly because it wasn't in their arsenal. Good players can hit big curves on occasion. Big curves are a form of trouble shot - a big hook can get you around a corner, a big cut can get you out from behind a tree but still on or near the green, etc. Many hit a double-cross and pulled the ball straight into the water, but that can't happen: learn how to hit some big curves because, when they come in handy, they can save you one or two shots on THAT hole, right then, instantly. Plus, learning to hit big curves (hooks and slices, effectively) can teach you quite a bit about your path and your clubface awareness. [rule] @mvmac will finish this with five more observations.

[quote name="mvmac" url="/t/84458/10-captains-tips-from-observing-the-newport-cup#post_1199864"]

6. Misses and Adjustments

We saw a number of players that had a particular miss but they didn't make any adjustments. If you notice you're pulling the ball, whether it's on the range or on the course, play for that shot. It doesn't make sense to set up for your "stock" shot when, for whatever reason, your stock shot has changed that day. Be aware of where you're missing it and account for it. It's fine to play your "miss" that day, fix it on the range after the round but when you're on the course you have to figure out how to grind out a score.

7. Pace of Play

I think players tend to interpret slow play as the golfer that takes a lot of practice swings or stands over the ball for a long time. While the Newport Cup players weren't "slow" but they certainly weren't fast. It comes down to doing the simple stuff correctly. Players wouldn't drop their partner off at their ball and then go to there ball. There was too much time spent watching other players hit their shots when they could have been moving or standing near their ball, getting ready to play. Players wouldn't start reading their putts until it was their turn to play. Players needed to play more ready golf, not "wait until it's my turn and then get ready" golf.  Next time you play, make sure to get to your ball and be ready to play. Get your yardage, take your practice swings while other golfers are playing or are at their balls.

8. Simple Rules

Don't lose strokes or holes on the simple stuff. One simple rule a couple players broke was the "sin" of hitting the wrong ball. Make sure you hit the correct ball, take a second to check because it can be very important. Not just because it may cost you a hole but also because it can change the momentum of a match.

9. Pattern Awareness

Erik and I were surprised at some of the misses we saw. Some players could hit a push draw off the tee and then push fade an iron. They didn't have a pattern. It's important to hone a pattern because it makes it much easier to manage your way around a golf course. You can't play good golf standing over a ball and not knowing where it's going to start and how it's going to curve. Obviously we're all going to hit bad shots from time to time but the majority of your shots have to fall within your shot pattern.

10. Get out of Jail

When you hit it in trouble, make sure to get yourself out of the trees, high grass, bunkers. Advance your ball the farthest you can but make sure to advance it in a position where you have a clear shot at the green. Part of the problem was the player didn't hit their punch shot solid. They would hit it fat and not get it out of trouble. This is a big mistake. We also saw a player use a sand or a lob wedge when they had to hit the ball under a tree. The player hit the ball solid  but the ball launched too higher and hit a tree limb. Be smart about what clubs you use, don't try to hit a club that has 56 degrees of loft under something. Take a 8 or 7 iron and make sure to get it under and past the tree. Spend some time on the range practicing these shots. Play the ball back, weight forward and hit it hard. Get familiar with what you need to do to hit these shots solid and the correct trajectory.  [/quote] These are great advices. Thanks for taking the time to post these tips. I especially can appreciate the tip regarding adding 5 yds when pin is in the front and subtracting 5 yards when the pin is in the back.

[Club Rat]

These are great advices. Thanks for taking the time to post these tips.

subtract 5 yards when the pin is in the back.

That was exactly what I told Barrett during our individual match on the fifth hole Saturday and then realized I screwed up offering him "advice"

I then walk over to Jamo and declared my mistake and the hole was his.

That mistake cost me a chance to stay even in the match on the front.

Oh well, early morning and not enough coffee had me snoozing to make a mistake of that manner.....

Club Rat

[bm85]

Awesome stuff, I make a lot of these mistakes and I appreciate the advice on how to improve on them.

The funny one is not watching my bad shots and reveling in my good ones. Just the opposite is my dad, who happens to be better than I am (atm!).

[Wanzo]

On ‎9‎/‎14‎/‎2015 at 8:08 PM, mvmac said:

9. Pattern Awareness

Erik and I were surprised at some of the misses we saw. Some players could hit a push draw off the tee and then push fade an iron. They didn't have a pattern. It's important to hone a pattern because it makes it much easier to manage your way around a golf course. You can't play good golf standing over a ball and not knowing where it's going to start and how it's going to curve. Obviously we're all going to hit bad shots from time to time but the majority of your shots have to fall within your shot pattern

This is something I need to work on this year.  I've been focused on changing my swing and just haven't played a ton of golf, focusing more on trying to make the changes for the long term than the results.  But I am curious if any of the players who played the Newport Cup last time or some of the lower handicaps on the site have a pattern that differs some throughout the bag.....maybe this is a silly question and is the exact opposite of pattern awareness.  But for example, I tend to play for a little draw with everything in the bag except for driver....I feel more comfortable playing for a little fade with the driver.  If you are aware of your pattern, can it be different for driver?

[Golfingdad]

 

But I am curious if any of the players who played the Newport Cup last time or some of the lower handicaps on the site have a pattern that differs some throughout the bag

It's not a silly question at all.  For me, no I currently do not have a pattern that varies.  I'm happy to finally have a pattern at all.  I play for everything to draw right now.  Off the tee, I always tee up near the left marker and aim along the right edge of the fairway (with obvious adjustments made near hazards and such) and when I go into greens, I usually aim towards the right side of the green - hoping for it to come back to the middle.

 

 If you are aware of your pattern, can it be different for driver?

As far as the physics is concerned, this actually makes perfect sense.  If you have a solid swing, you're hitting irons on the way down and, hopefully, your driver slightly on the way up.  If you swing is pretty square, then this would also mean that your irons are connecting on the way out, and your driver on the way in.  Put those two together, and add decent clubface control, and its a recipe for a draw with the irons and a fade with the driver.

[DaveP043]

 

But I am curious if any of the players who played the Newport Cup last time or some of the lower handicaps on the site have a pattern that differs some throughout the bag.....maybe this is a silly question and is the exact opposite of pattern awareness.  But for example, I tend to play for a little draw with everything in the bag except for driver....I feel more comfortable playing for a little fade with the driver.  If you are aware of your pattern, can it be different for driver?

I'm much like you, in that I generally draw my irons, but hit my driver straight or with a little fade.  I think its primarily to do with ball position.  For the driver, the ball is further toward the target (to the left for me).  At that point in the swing, the path of the driver is generally slightly upward, and slightly inside-to out, promoting a fade.  For irons, I position the ball further back.  At THAT position, and the same identical swing, the clubhead is more likely to be online or a little in-to out, and slightly downward, promoting a draw.  Of course, this is exactly what @Golfingdad has said, I just added this because I'm someone who actually does things this way.

 

[Wanzo]

 

I'm much like you, in that I generally draw my irons, but hit my driver straight or with a little fade.  I think its primarily to do with ball position.  For the driver, the ball is further toward the target (to the left for me).  At that point in the swing, the path of the driver is generally slightly upward, and slightly inside-to out, promoting a fade.  For irons, I position the ball further back.  At THAT position, and the same identical swing, the clubhead is more likely to be online or a little in-to out, and slightly downward, promoting a draw.  Of course, this is exactly what @Golfingdad has said, I just added this because I'm someone who actually does things this way.

 

Thanks @DaveP043 and @Golfingdad.  Now that you say that about the path being a little different, that is ringing some bells and probably something I read before on this site. 

[woodzie264]

On 9/17/2015 at 3:48 AM, boogielicious said:

One question I have for the players, were you nervous playing in front of Erik and Mike? I think I would be terrified. Do you think it affected your play?

One day I hope to be chosen to participate in the NC; I will be all sorts of nervous....I look forward to hearing all about it in October 

[saevel25]

On 2/1/2017 at 11:34 AM, Wanzo said:

But I am curious if any of the players who played the Newport Cup last time or some of the lower handicaps on the site have a pattern that differs some throughout the bag

It depends on the golfer. I prefer hitting a draw primarily.