brttaylor

If you are interested in the back story on myelin, you may want to pick up "The Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle. Great book! He studied talent hotbeds around the world to uncover the secrets of "talent". He reports with lots of evidence that talent isn't born nor genetic but a function of many discoveries outlined in the book. I'm no scientist but it seems myelin does promote repeatable physical and mental actions by insulating nerve connections. The book isn't about science per se but great reading for anyone looking to learn about improving.

Well said. The 10K hour was a retrospective study of successful people. It can't be concluded that dedicating 10K hours will get you that result. The Talent Code by Dan Coyle is a great book that uses real life talent hotbeds and real people and places and experiences to clarify "talent". It is not born but it is created, developed, and learned. Awesome book by the way!

Some really good advice here already. Playing to your strenghts is really important. If you are like rehmwa and you hit two balls to see which option will give you the best result and it ends up being a wash then it doesn't matter. But if you do have a significant strength, choosing the strategy that puts those shots in your hand more often will really change your score like Dave s does. Also, chosing a club that you feel like you can make solid contact with will do wonders for your confidence as well. Hitting a 3W from the rough is a tough one but if you hit a 5i or 7i you can make better contact. Hitting a good solid shot boosts your confidence for the next shot to the green.

I found out a few great practice habits last year when I interviewed some tour players that have won. It seems there are a couple of ways to practice depending on whether you want to change something or prepare for an event. When they are making swing changes they will focus a lot on the mechanics and trying to make the change as you would expect. But, when they are preparing for an upcoming tournament or durnig the tournament week they practice very differently and try to avoid mechanics. Here's what I found out they do for practice so they are in the right mindset for an event: -Mix up their shots so they aren't hitting the same club or shot type each time -pick a different target for each shot -try to imagine a shot they will likely need on the course they are playing so they can imagine playing it on the range. -pick a yardage for each shot rather than just hitting a "stock" 7 iron. -use the preshot routine Basically, they are trying to simulate playing conditions so when they play, they have practiced what they do on the course. Makes sense to me. I think a lot of people whack the same shot over and over and then can't take it to the course b/c on the course you don't hit the same shot over and over.