Creating “Self Sufficient” Golfers

Each and every Saturday afternoon we hold a junior coaching session. These sessions are open to junior golfers who have progressed onto the golf course, maybe have a handicap, and really want to develop their golf skills.

Each session includes technical, tactical, mental and physical work that will improve their game.

My approach to coaching this group is to develop 3 things, specifically in this order

1. Their Character
2. Their athletic ability/physical literacy
3. Their golfing skills

My opinion is that if we develop junior golfers in this order it will improve them as people first, if they improve as people they give themselves the very best chance of becoming good golfers.

In the past I have seen so many young golfers in their late teens that have a great game but lack the quality of character to really progress their skills.

At the start of each session we have a de brief on what they have done in the week, their practice, research, how school went, thoughts that they want to share with the group.

Before the session finishes we give the group homework, some tactical work, physical and also some research.

A couple of weeks ago we asked the group to go away and consider what they would do prior to a round of golf to give themselves the very best chance of playing well.

One of our players came up with the document below.

I was extremely impressed with what he had come up with. Doing it himself rather than being given a sheet to read and digest means that he now owns that process/information. Setting him on his way to becoming the best “Self Sufficient” golfer he can possibly be.

Have a think about what you would do prior to a round of golf to put you in the very best mental/physical state to play your best; I would extremely interested to hear your thoughts.

Pre round routine – from the night before a game March2010

Jamie Edwards – Junior/Parent Mental Game Workshop

Jamie Edwards – trainedbrain

Parent/Junior Golf Mental Skills Workshop

Tuesday 13th April 9.30am – 3.30pm

Mid Sussex Golf Club

“Mental skills for Junior Golfers” and “The Winning Parent” workshops

Please see attached forms for more details

Junior/Parent Mental Skills Workshop Poster

Entry.Payment Form

The Golf Swing is like a DRILL & DRILL BIT!!

As many of you will know I like to try and keep this game as simple as I can for my pupils.

Golf has become a very technical game and there is a lot of info around to explain every moving moment of a golf swing

I have said this in a previous post; golf is a pretty simple game

The ball is ALWAYS on the ground, in front of and below us and the target is ALWAYS to our side

The ONLY thing that ever changes is how far away the target is.

Therefore we only have to change 2 things

1. The club we use
2. The size of the swing

 

 

I heard Mike Hebron explain that the golf swing is like a drill and a drill bit

To drill the perfect hole in a wall you will need to change 2 things

1. The speed of the drill revolution
2. The drill bit that you use

Have a think about it. Your body is the drill (it also rotates) and your clubs are the drill bits

Adaptability

Just wanted to share with you a few thoughts and experiences from the last week. 

I am passionate that we practice golf in a way that will assist our on course play. That will mean for most players doing something completely different to what they are doing at present.

Over the last couple of weeks I have worked on the idea of developing some adaptability into my pupils games. This means practising shots that they may encounter while on the golf course.

Check out the following photos which show quite nicely the fun we have been having on the range!!

I ask my players to practice these shots for a number of reasons

• They may/will occur when playing on the course
• I like to keep my players on their toes, when playing golf you need to have your wits about you and this sort of practice keeps your mind active. You will have figure out a way to hit the shot correctly
• It is a great way to develop awareness of where the club/body is going during the motion of the swing
• It very often puts a smile on your face, meaning you will be having fun.

When practising spend at least 10% of the time you are at the range/practice ground inventing these weird and wonderful shots. When you then get out on the golf course you will be ready to see them as an opportunity not a card wrecker!!

As my role as Sussex County Ladies Coach we spent 2 days last week at East Sussex National. The weather continued to play havoc with golf in Sussex this winter and the golf we had planned for Monday had to be cancelled!! This is where the players and I had to be adaptable.

I had to come up with plan B, so we headed to the warmth and cover of the driving range where we proceeded to play the East course on the range.

I have suggesting doing this to my pupils on many occasions but had never seen 18 holes played. We paired off the players, gave them a scorecard, planner and stat sheet and said play 18 holes (putting included – on the carpeted floor behind the bays) and come back with a score.

They duly obliged and put in a tremendous amount of effort over the next couple of hours. In my opinion it was an invaluable session for them (real deep practice) where they had to really think about every hole they were about to play and every shot that was required.

This was deep and deliberate practice at its very best, we couldn’t get on the golf course but we created as near as we could the emotions and feelings that come naturally when playing on the course.

• Create on course situations on the range
• Play the golf course on the range

I look forward to hearing how you get on

2 Examples of Player Development – 0.1% Improvement

Just wanted to share with you a couple of my coaching successes from the last few months. Over the last couple of years, as you all know, the majority of my time and effort has been dedicated to coaching. This is what I most enjoy about my job and have had the opportunity over the last few years to develop my own coaching skills and help the games of many players.

The systems and methods that make up my coaching philosophies have been developed by going on seminars, reading, researching but mostly working with my pupils.

The following 2 players have embraced working with me and developing their game so they can become more self sufficient golfers.

Player 1 STATS

Player 1 2009 vs 2010

I have taught this guy on and off for a number of years. The normal type of session, playing poorly and wanting to get sorted out. Last year he booked a session and said that he really wanted to work at his game. He was able to commit to one round a week and also a practice session every 2 weeks. So we put together a regime that would work with his time commitment. During our on course sessions we worked on his alignment specifically as this fault lead to many faults during his swing. This took some time and effort and we then got to work on his shot selection choices when on the course. This meant adding to his “toolbox” of shots. While having a session every 6/8 weeks we also developed an effective practice regime that would complement the on course work we had been doing.

The same as with player 2 it was vital to take on course stats, you can see a review of his scores and how they were made above. Look at the improvement in his gross score, fairways hit and especially his par scrambles (ability to get a par when he misses a green in regulation)

Player 1 comments

“Generally I feel I am playing more consistently, and if you have taught me anything in the last year it is to think more about each individual shot rather than just picking the same old club from a certain distance or situation i.e. around the green or a bunker. Also I feel that I am putting a lot better since using your practice methods and thoughts before playing on the greens”

Player 2 STATS

Player 2 Month on Month aug2009.Feb2010 

He came to see me in August 2009, he had had a number of “traditional” golf lessons in the past where they had focussed purely on swing technique. He is a player who plays once a week and has traditionally never had the time to dedicate to practice, in this case I will more often than not work with the player on the golf course to develop their on course skills. This is the most effective use of time for all involved to reduce scores.     

One of the most important parts of the development process that I get players to go through is the taking of on course stats. This is a relatively simple process of recording how your total scores in constructed, fairways hit, greens in regulation, number of putts etc. This then gives a solid bas in which to evaluate the score.

You can see that from August 2009 to February 2010 his average gross score has reduced by 9.33 SHOTS!! This is an unbelievable return for the work that this pupil has put in. His has been really pleased with the reduction in his scores but the main reason he is so pleased is because he is ENJOYING the game more than he ever has before.

As you will see from the figures above the reduction in scores is gradual and deliberate, and a reduction in the total 18 hole is made up of many small improvements across the whole of your game.

Player 2 comments

“Thanks for all your help in 2009 which has been very worthwhile. As you can see from these results, the improvements continue although the weather has been a limiting factor. Clearly, I need to improve my short game although number of putts per round is slowly coming down. Driving and fairway play is very much better. Confidence and enjoyment levels very satisfactory and I remain unbeaten in our group’s winter Saturday match play competition”   

I coach my players to appreciate that the improvement they feel will be in the region of 0.1% every day. Add all of these 0.1% up and over a period of time you will have not only an lower score, but more enjoyment and confidence.

To find out more about the processes that we went through then get in contact and we can organise a time to discuss your development.

Are you Practising Alignment Correctly?

I feel the only way that you can work on perfect alignment is on the golf course. Getting in the correct position at address is all about reacting to the ever changing environment that each shot brings when out on the course.

Many golfers go to the range to work on their alignment; I feel in most cases this is a complete waste of time for a number of reasons.

1. You are never reacting to a real life shot, no matter how you practice the pressure of a shot on the range is very seldom the same as on the golf course.
2. Many golfers drag and scrape, therefore not going through their pre shot routine. If you do not start your shot like you would on the golf course then you will struggle to aim towards a target.
3. The outfield of most ranges are nothing like the view you see while out on the course. One of the reasons many golfers struggle with alignment is because of their inability to react to what is front of them when addressing the ball, i.e., bunkers, water, rough etc.
4. The last reason why golfers struggle to practice and improve alignment when on the range is because they lay the clubs/alignment sticks on the ground like this;

 

Placing clubs/alignment sticks on the ground in this way will NEVER (in my opinion) improve your alignment. The 2 lines are not representative to anything. There are only 2 lines that matter as far as alignment is concerned

1. Target Line
2. Body Line (parallel to target line and runs over centre of body pressure – Underneath the balls of your feet)

When you next go to the range place your clubs/alignment sticks (I use bamboo sticks – much cheaper!!) on the ground like this;

 

Clubs/sticks should be set on an extension of the target line and the body line. You will then be able to transfer these lines out onto the golf course.

After each shot start your pre shot routine (Think-Feel-Do) at the end of your extended target line.

You will also find that placing the clubs/sticks on the ground like this will also develop an awareness of the direction the club travels during your swing, bonus!

Let me know how you get on practising in this way.

Improve your Pace and Distance Control

Over the years I have read many books, listened to many experts and tried on my own game ways of improving distance and pace control while putting. It has all been great advice and been a help to either my game or more importantly my pupils game.

Last year I attended a 3 day seminar at the London Club. The speaker was the fantastic US golf coach Mike Hebron. His knowledge and wisdom gave a great insight into how people learn and develop skills. One of the things that I took away from the time there was his idea on the timing of the golf motion.

Many people work on the timing of one/two or tick/tock but he demonstrated to us that the motion should be continuous, describing it as

“oooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnneeeeeee” rather than “one/two”

This really resonated with me and I incorporated it into my coaching after the 3 days.

I totally agreed with his idea that the golf swing has a start and an end, and that is pretty much all we can control. If the swing starts well and finishes well moving in good rhythm/timing then all players would have a great chance of striking the ball well.

To demonstrate this to my pupils I used the comparison of a metronome and a tuning fork. When using the metronome and working on a rhythm of one/two there always seems to be an element of “hit” in the motion.

As soon as we start using the tuning fork and move to the rhythm of “ooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnneeeeeee” the motion changes (for the better!!)

Move your club/arms/body/mass in balance to the tune of “ooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnneeeeeee” and I am sure you feel a difference.

Continuing this idea on, last week I posted my thoughts about the metronome and tuning fork on twitter and one of the coaches (@johngrahamgolf) came back with a great idea. Use a stopwatch to develop awareness of how long the ball is travelling for. I gave this some thought and then tried it with one of my pupils yesterday. One of his issues was on 6ft putts he often left them short. He is going away on holiday today to play golf for 5 days so the last thing I wanted to do was fill his mind with technical jargon and self awareness, so I needed to take a different approach.

We worked on controlling the pace of the ball. I suggested to him that when he left the ball short of the hole it was travelling too slowly, we then simply worked on getting the ball to the hole quicker (NOT a quicker stroke – we never even worked on his technique) Suddenly his ball was making it to the hole, rolling well with a much improved strike. Job done, the bonus was I saw a much improved stroke as well. When leaving all putts short he was using his hands and club only, when he started moving the ball quicker he then made a movement using the club, hands, body in connection. These are the best lessons for me because his performance has improved instantly as well as his technique, yet when he goes out and plays on the course he is not focusing on his technique.

Try this to improve your distance control and strike

• Think of moving the club to the tune of “ooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnneeeeeee” NOT “One/Two”
• Imagine the tuning fork, not the metronome
• When practising roll the ball for a certain period of time across the putting green, how far will the ball travel on a flattish surface for 2 seconds/4 seconds/8 seconds?
• Develop awareness of the speed the ball goes in the hole at, if you are generally short make the ball get to the hole quicker, if you are generally long then make the ball get to the hole slower.

Wok on this with your putting first and then try and extend the thoughts/feelings further away from the green, I look forward to hearing how you get on.

Shot Selection BEFORE Club Selection

I do the majority of my coaching on the golf course. I am passionate that we have to learn how to develop our games/skills in the same environment in which we play/compete.

One thing that amazes me every time I see people play is how they get to a certain shot, maybe a par 3 hole and automatically say “I am going to/I always use a 7 iron here” or “last week I used a 9 iron so I think I will pick the same club again”

This approach may work one time in ten but for me it is a flawed process.

I coach and educate my players that they need to select the shot they want to hit first then pick the club that will make the desired shot.

Shot selection BEFORE Club selection

Ask your self the following before EVERY shot that you hit

• How far is it to the target?
• Where do I want the ball to finish? (Hole Out Mentality)*
• How high do I want the ball to go?

There are many questions you could ask and you have to find the ones that work for you. Please ask questions of yourself rather than statements. Asking questions provokes feelings that will change on every shot.

You will now have a pretty vivid picture in your mind and feelings through your body of the shot you want to play

• Now select the club that will give you the best chance of achieving the desired outcome

Shot selection BEFORE Club selection

* Hole out Mentality – when you are within easy reach of the green (generally inside 80/100 yards? I coach my players to always concentrate on holing the shot. The more shots you hole the lower your score will be!!

“Make that ball disappear down the hole in the least amount of shots”

DDP Club

DDP CLUB

Come and practice with like minded golfers – Every day/week at the following times

  Monday   @ 7.30am

  Tuesday   @ 5.30pm

  Wednesday   @ 9.30am

  Thursday   @3.30pm

  Friday   @ 8.30am

  Saturday   @ 2.30pm

  Sunday   @ 10.30am

To find out how to join the DDP Club

Call/email or see Neil Plimmer – 07713 646988 – neilplimmer@tiscali.co.uk

Come and hear more about deep and deliberate practice and the DDP club at this weeks round table talk. To be held on Tuesday 2nd February @ 6pm at Mid Sussex Golf Club. Places are free and open to all

The Goldilocks Drill

This is an excellent drill to help you in taking ownership of a change in your technique/approach.

I was coaching a player on the golf course recently and he was struggling to move through to a balanced finish position (something which I feel is essential) I had noticed on a number of shots that he was standing extremely close to the end of the club * I questioned him on how he was feeling and the word he used was “stuck” A few questions and his answers later and he came to the conclusion (on his own) that he was standing closer to the ball than he would normally. At this position in the session the player and the coach normally make small adjustments back and forth to try and move into the “perfect” position (something which I feel on the golf course is difficult to achieve)

This is where the Goldilocks drill works well, either using a ball or not do the following;

• Stand too close to the end of the club (feeling on top of the club/ball)

• Stand too far away from the end of the club (reaching fro the ball)

• Now find the middle point, where you feel “just right”

You should now be in an improved position and feel ready to go.

You have set 2 opposite boundaries which are as far apart as they could be and then moved to the mid point. What I would call a “neutral” position

I really like this drill because it can be done at home, on the range and also incorporated into your pre shot routine to make sure you find the necessary position more often than not.

The most important aspect of the drill is that the player takes ownership of their change; you may just need a trained eye occasionally to confirm that the “just right” position is correct. By communicating with/and seeing your coach regularly this “just right” position will be maintained correctly.

The Goldilocks drill is useful for all parts of the game, not just posture. Anytime you want to make a change try and find 2 opposite boundaries to then feel the mid point (Neutral) position.

* Something that when in a correct position should remain pretty constant unlike how far you should stand away from the ball which will vary dependant on the club you are using. Many people find it difficult to consistently stand the correct distance away from the ball, not surprising when the length of the club is constantly changing as well as the slope of the ground. Develop awareness of how you are away from the end of the club, something that should remain constant and is well in your control.