Nervous? Bring It On!

Of course today I want to talk about Tiger Woods. If you heard his press conference today you may have heard something that surprised you, Tiger gets nervous! When most players get nervous I think most would agree that they don't play as well. Just think about your last four footer for all the skins on the eighteenth green, not your typical optimum performance situation. So how does Tiger play so well with all the nerves firing (72nd hole of last years U.S. Open comes to mind). I don't claim to know Tiger or whats on his mind in these situations but he also said today that being nervous is great and that if he didn't get nervous he would probably quit. Tiger embraces these situations which I believe allows him to play at such a high level in the biggest spots. Most of the players I coach and play with try and avoid these situations at all cost and do their best to push nervousness and other related feelings away. It would seem to me that if you had the ability to push them away, well you wouldn't have allowed them in the first place. In other words they're going to be there whether you like them on not. Take a page from Tiger's book, after all its a pretty good book, and be aware of your feelings on the golf course, embrace them, and take back control with your original intentions.

Get Yourself Connected

I was asked today while coaching a player, "what should begin the forward swing?" Many players have been told to begin the forward swing with their lower body, however I have observed that when most armatures start with their lower body, their shoulders move with the hips and tend to over rotate taking the club outside and off plane. My suggestion to this player was to begin with moving the club to the target (be sure to maintain your awareness of target) and ALLOW your lower body to begin rotating. "Allow" being the key word. Placing your focus on the club will let your body make natural movements in stead of forced movements which I have seen to promote connection in the moving parts. Raise your awareness of the club and get yourself connected.

Under Pressure

Many of the players I coach ask me, "what is an important part of the golf swing that I can make some simple adjustments and improve the swing I already have." One area to raise your awareness and positively effect your swing is the grip. The first thing that I might tell them is to stop referring to it as a grip but rather a hold. Don't grip the golf club, hold it in your hands. The pressure you apply to the golf club can effect club face angle, plane of the club, angle of the shaft at impact, and probably most drastically the speed of the club. The next time you go out to play, observe the pressure you apply to the club at address and observe the pressure you apply during the swing. Does it change, are you aware of the changes, and are you aware of where the changes take place in the swing (top of the swing, at impact, on the forward swing)? I have observed that if you raise your awareness of grip pressure consistency is not far behind.

Let's talk golf

My name is Mark Gouger. I am the Head Golf Pro at Timber Creek & Sierra Pines Golf Courses and the Director of the Golfer Development Academy. Over the past few years it has been brought to my attention that golfers are not getting better, and I'm sorry to say that this included my students. However, my assistants and I, with the help of some great coaches across the nation, are starting to see a change in the learning curve of our students due to one small adjustment. Coaching to raise AWARENESS! Most golfers are not aware of what is happening in their golf swing while they are swinging the club. What is happening with the plane of their swing, what is happening with face of the club, what is happening to the muscles in their body, and probably most astonishing, awareness of target. The answer I most commonly get from my students is "I don't know what's happening." What we have found at the Golfer Development Academy (and through regular coaching engagements with two of today's great coaches, Gary Lester & Bill Condaxis) is that a large part of learning comes from the sharing of students experiences. As we come across these experiences in the future I will share them on this blog in an effort to raise awareness and continue forward in development and enjoyment of swinging a golf club.