As a high school golf coach, I get the opportunity to meet up with a lot of really cool people in the golf world. Last fall Duane Jourdeans, Craig Danielson and I set up a golf session with Charlie Danielson & Jordan Niebrugge out at New Richmond Golf Club. A chance for them to show junior golfers how to properly train, prepare & be mentally tough golfers.
This interview was AWESOME at the time and the guys absolutely crushed it. Here is one clip from the session. I thought you all would like to see it again now with Danielson's recent success as he Monday Qualified for the Valspar Championship.
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We posted a poll on twitter asking which area of your game needed the most help. The choices were: Putting, Chipping, Pitching, & Full Swing. The most common area of struggle for our clients was the full swing.
Here is our favorite full swing fix. This fix has been the most helpful for clients, from junior golfers up to adult and senior citizen golfers. We use it personally in our own games and teach it to all of our clients. It will take you from those inconsistent strikes / days, to striking it PURE every time.
We call it the "Pure It" Drill:
1) Go to your local driving range and purchase a bucket of balls
2) If you have an alignment aid, lay it out on your target line
3) Take out a mid iron (6,7, or 8)
4) Roll out your first ball
5) Set up with a standard ball position (Feet shoulder with apart and ball in the middle of your stance)
6) Roll the ball about 6 inches forward towards your front foot (foot closest to your target)
7) Place the club head back to the middle of your stance as normal (so the club should be in normal/middle of your stance position, but the ball is about 6 inches forward towards your front foot)
8) Make a swing
9) You probably hit it really poorly
10) Repeat 3x (It is really hard to do at first)
11) After the 3rd try, you probably had a little better result
12) On the 4th shot, go back to your normal/middle ball position and swing (Most likely you will pure this one)
13) Try to PURE IT 2x in a row
14) Repeat the drill again, hitting 3 shots forward (more challenging) and then 2 shots normal (less challenging)
15) Do this drill at least 3x (15 shots total)
To summarize, the idea is that the ball being forward is a bit more difficult and will overemphasize any swing flaws. You will be forced to adjust to hit the ball cleanly. It's kind of like using a medicine ball and then throwing a regular basketball, it seems a lot easier after using a heavy medicine ball.
This "PURE IT" drill is a great one to go back to anytime your ball striking or consistency with your full swing is giving you trouble.
We hope it helps and please let us know if your game improves as a result of using this drill. The crazy thing for me at times, is that I will hit the ball better when it is forward 6 inches than I do standard. It is a great drill and the feel of getting through the ball to strike it cleanly will bring quick results to your game. It is also something that you can work into your pre-shot routine while you are on the course.
For more help on grip, alignment, stance, posture, mental approach, game-improving drills and pre-shot routine:
Go to www.holen1golf.com and sign-up for our free #Birdy30 program where we get you working on your game consistently for 30 days. You will be amazed at the results you can achieve with 30 days of disciplined work on your game.
The greatest sporting event of the year is over, but now we (beginner, average, above average golfers) get to go to our own area courses and work to beat our personal records. Here are 3 things that the players at the Masters did that you can do too:
1) They spent time on the Driving Range & Short Game area before their round.
How often do we get to the course and just rush to the first tee? I know I am guilty of it way too often. If I am lucky some days, I might roll a few putts and hit a few chips, but then it is off to play.
This year: Make a commitment to spend 30 minutes before your round with deliberate practice (both a little driving range & a little short game work), before you tee off.
2) They have a Caddy, a Swing Coach & Mental Game Coach
Now most of us are not going to have the luxury of those 3 people following us around the course, and probably are glad we don't. Our golf buddies would never let us live it down if we brought a Tiger-like entourage to our next Saturday round. But we can play the role of all 3 ourselves.
This year: Make a commitment to play the game smarter (Be your own caddy), Commit to improve your swing (Study and coach yourself), Mental Game (Work to stay focused on each shot)
3) They have an incredible routine on the course - Example Jordan Spieth
On each shot the pros will start by looking at the next shot from behind the ball. They will visualize a target or a line they want the ball to end up on. Jordan Spieth talked about having small targets on each shot to help him really focus and aim small / miss small.
This year: Make a commitment to have a clear focus and target on each shot.
We hope these 3 tips help you play better. Please let us know 1 thing you learned from watching the pros at The Masters in the comments below.
If you would like help with your own game, we can show you how to be your own swing coach, caddy & mental game coach. This will bring confidence to your game, because GOLF IS CONFIDENCE!
Here is how you can watch the greatest sporting event of the year. How about instead of just watching this year, we also try to learn from the pros? Try watching a specific group from one of the featured groups below to see how they approach the game. Try watching the coverage of the driving range and practice area to see how the pros prepare to play. Or try watching how they tackle Amen Corner and holes 15-16 via the link below to see how different pros manage the course in various ways. This year try to really focus on what and why they do what they do. Watch the coverage with a purpose: to use what the pros are doing and then apply what you can to your own game. Find 1-3 things that you can copy right now and start to work it into your own practice and play. In the comments below, please share 1-3 things that you learned or picked up that will help us average golfers the next time we play.
Enjoy...
Sunday's final round coverage – **All times are Eastern**
Brandt Snedeker's golf bag is proof that you don't need to have the latest equipment to play golf at a high level. He is using a TaylorMade driver that was introduced in 2010 and his Odyssey putter has been in his bag for over a decade. Another thing that I like about his bag is a mixture of top golf brands. He chooses the clubs that work best for him and sticks with them.
We recommend using name brands and can help you get fit for your unique needs and ability. The great thing about playing great clubs that are a few years old, is that you will save a bunch of money in comparison to the new retail clubs.
The Holen1Golf team wants to help you out. Tell us about your current golf set and golf game and we will work with you to improve in 2 areas: 1) Your Equipment & 2) Your Game
"Golf is so popular simply because it is the best game in the world at which to be bad."
-A.A. Milne
What a great quote. Golf is the best game at which to be bad. It's true, golf is such a ridiculously hard game that it is amazing anyone plays it. Incredibly, over 61 million people have decided to not just play it, but to endure the pain and misery of 18 holes of the game...on purpose!! The game gets at something fundamental within us, we love a tough challenge! We can probably all agree that everyone is bad at golf. The tour pros are just a lot less bad than we are. One of the key teaching points at www.holen1golf.com is "Game Improvement = Your Bad Shots Are Less Bad!" This week we would like to show you 3 ways that you can be "less bad," by playing every day. These are 3 methods that I use personally, and now you can too:
Practice and Play for Free (Total Time: 15 mins - 1 Hour or more)
It is shocking to me to see the free part of the golf course sitting vacant at the course on most days. Many courses have a beautiful putting green and short game practice area, but you will often be hard pressed to find anyone there. So do a little research, find the best practice green that is within a short car ride of you and start going 2-5x per week.
When you get there, spend 10-15 minutes practicing your putting and chipping. You can then make up an 18 hole putting game (par 2 for each hole, 36 total) and then play an 18 hole chip and putt game (par 2 for each hole, 36 total). Once you finish spend another 10-15 minutes of practice and then head home. Track your scores week to week and watch your game improve!
Key 1: Get "Less Bad" by spending 2-5 days working on your chipping and putting. We believe that you will be amazed by the results you see.
Practice and Play for $5-10 (Total Time: 30 mins - 1 Hour or more)
Another part of the course that often goes underused is the driving range. Why is this? Well apparently people really do enjoy being bad at golf. If you want to start getting less bad, all you have to do is find the nearest driving range to your home. Find one that has several nice targets that you can use to work on distance control and accuracy.
When you get there, spend the first 10-15 minutes warming up, stretching and then loosen up with a few actual shots. Next, move into practice time where you work on areas you need to improve as well as developing your golfing strengths. Finally play a little bit. Pretend you are standing on the first tee of your favorite golf course, hit the club you would use. Did you hit the fairway? Next visualize yourself standing in the fairway trying to hit the green. Did you get it? Keep track of all the fairways that you were able to hit and all the greens you hit (golfers call this "Green In Regulation" or G.I.R). You can simulate 18 holes this way and track how many fairways you hit and how many greens you hit. If you track this you will start to see major gains, you are hitting more fairways and greens. Your improved game will then also start to show up on the actual course.
Key 2: Get "Less Bad" by spending 2-3x per week working on your pitching and full swing on the driving range. Make up a game to help you focus on hitting the fairways and greens.
Practice and Play at Home (Total Time: 15 mins - 1 Hour or more)
Once you really get hooked on practice, the world will never look the same. A mirror is no longer a mirror, instead it is a device to check your grip, stance, posture and swing. You won't be able to walk by one anymore without doing a few rehearsal swings in front of it. A ruler, yardstick or broom will never look the same to you again. You will turn them all into golf clubs and take a few practice swings. Your front yard will no longer be just grass, but has now become the rough just off the fairway and you need to chip the ball on the green to try and save your par.
Make use of the time you have at home to develop your swing. You can work on all of the fundamentals right in your own driveway. The key fundamentals are Grip (How you hold the club), Alignment (How you aim your body), Stance (where you stand in relation to the ball), Posture (Athletic stance, like a quarterback). Take full rehearsal swings (no ball) with each club. Get 100 swings in every day, whether you get to the course or not. If you want to start to play golf at home. Do the following: make up a chipping game with targets that you must hit with in a certain number of shots (create your own par). If your home is not available to do this, find the nearest park that you can walk to and work on your game.
Key 3: Get "Less Bad" by spending 15mins-1 hour working on your game at home or a nearby park on days you can't get to the course.
We purposely did not mention actually playing golf on the course. We know that you love golf enough, that you will find a way to play as often as possible. However, we believe that the 3 keys above will help you to enjoy those days a lot more. Be sure to get to the course early when you do play and spend time on the practice areas to increase the odds of an excellent round.
Please let us know how you are getting "LESS BAD!" Share your observations, experiences and lessons learned about the game with us in the comments, twitter, facebook, Instagram, email, or phone.
If you would like help building your own game improvement package, we would be glad to help bring confidence to your game ("LESS BAD!") through proper training and proper equipment.
