On The Tee with Hank Johnson

Common Strategy Mistakes Made by Club Level Golfers

The number one strategic factor for club level players is that they really have no idea how far they hit their clubs on full and partial shots.
Most of their practice time is spent trying to learn how to control direction with very little attention on distance precision or trajectory control.
An approach shot that carries 10 yards too short or long produces the same size error as a shot hit 10 yards off line.
Lack of ability to control trajectory makes it impossible to predict the release or run out of the ball after landing.
An associated problem comes from a lack of ability to predict how various conditions will alter the flight of the ball and its run out after landing.
Examples of these conditions are:
Uneven lies
Up hill/Down hill shots
Long Rough
Wind Attitude
Cold Temperature
Rain
Most amateur players spend all their time practicing in normal conditions. This gives them no opportunity to collect the experience required to make good shot and club selections during play.
Tour level golfers seldom if ever attempt something during a round they haven’t practiced. Average players do it all the time.
The message in this? Make your practice as much like playing as you can. Try to simulate every condition you might encounter on the course.
This will let you experience your mistakes in practice rather than on the course during a round where they can ruin your score.
Remember: Good decisions are based on experience and you get that experience by making bad decisions.
Get your experience from bad decisions in practice, not in the game.

Hank Johnson, PGA
December 15, 2008.

Do You Look Like A Champion?
Champions almost always have a very powerful physical presents. They physically project determination, high energy, confidence and strength. The way they walk, carry their head, their shoulders, and so forth, all contribute to that image. Many competitors lack a strong and positive physical presence. They often project poor confidence, indifference, low intensity, uncertainty, negativism, or a general absence of inner strength. What is often overlooked is the fact that players can significantly improve their emotional control by improving and strengthening their physical presence.
A very important question then is how physical presence contributes to emotional control. The answer lives in the delicate between our minds and bodies. The fact is, we cannot affect one without also affecting the other. When we physically change how we appear on the outside we invariably evidence corresponding change psychologically and emotionally. So keep in mind the following:
How you feel on the inside is closely connected to how you look and feel on the outside.
If you want to feel high positive intensity, start visibly projecting intensity.
If you want to feel determined, start looking determined.
If you want to feel strong and confident, start acting like it.
Channeling high positive emotions during competitive play is no simple task. It is every bit as much a learned skill as developing a great swing. Unfortunately, players rarely train as conscientiously to improve their emotional control as they do in other areas.
The next time youre feeling down and the world has turned against you in competition, when youre feeling negative and lost, fight those feelings by controlling how you look on the outside. Throw your shoulders back, pick up your walk, and start manufacturing confidence physically even if you dont feel it. Remember that you cant always directly control how you feel, but you can always control your physical presence, and that often gets the job done itself.
The message is clear: work hard to develop and maintain the physical presence of a champion no matter how you feel and you could become one.

If you are like a few of my students (who will remain nameless), about this time of year, you are going through that end of season game that I call,
Would a, Could a, Should a
I should a worked on my short game more…
I could a won that tournament if I had not gotten so tired in the last round
I would a had a better season if I could a driven the ball a little farther

This is usually followed by the next phase of post-season depression which is
Next year, Im gonna . Well guess what? Next year begins right now!

A golf swing is a very complex motor skill; maybe one of the most complex in all sports. Because it’s a motor skill, it falls under the law of motor learning. These laws tell us that, without question, it takes a very long time to learn, or re-learn a motor skill. It takes months – perhaps even years.

Now I didn’t create the laws of motor learning. I just researched them. I do not even like them, but it is probably not realistic to ignore them.
The bottom line? Simple. If you really want to improve your golf performance next season, start right now!

You are suggesting I work on my golf game over the off-season, you ask? Well, let me ask you this. If it is not the best way to go about it, then why does every successful athlete in every other sport do it? The answer is obvious. It is just the best way – it may be the only way to really permanently improve your performance.

A logical first step would be to review your performance over the past season to determine the areas for potential improvement.

What is the strongest area of your game? You will want to make sure you maintain it. What is your weakest area? Make sure you are working to improve it. Are you driving the ball straight enough (or long enough)? Most really bad holes are caused by a poor tee shot.
If you do any type of round charting, go back and review your performance in every area. If you are not charting your rounds, maybe you should start now. You wouldn’t try to run a profitable business without keeping the books up to date.

Is your short game letting you down? Remember that more than 40% of your strokes are putts and 65% of your strokes occur from within 50 yards of the cup. How are your short game mechanics? Are you really spending enough time working on this critical area of your game?
Are there some physical issues that need to be addressed during the off-season? Would it help your golf game if you were stronger? More flexible? Both? Do you need more endurance so that you dont tire out at the end of the round?