journal - golfnoise

Sunday

Aug292010

Is the Tiger Woods era of mental game dominance over?

08/29 |

He's got a lot on his mind. Now that's pretty much of an understatement. Tiger's mental game has been on the slip and slide for the better part of a year now. Simply put, he's in a world class psychological slump.

Tiger has this immense stress and he may not be appreciative that it's leaking into his game, according to Dr. Gregg Steinberg, a sports psychologist and consultant to college and professional athletes whose clients include PGA tour members.

Well... Duh!

Steinberg goes on to say that the longer Tiger doesn't win, the harder it will be for him to win. He's got one hell of an mental uphill battle in front of him.

But if anyone can pull it off, Tiger can. Here's a man who has been to the mountain top. It wasn't that long ago that the so-called golf experts placed Tiger Woods well above the rest of the PGA tour. He was the on the "Tiger Tour."

Sport psychology consultant Dr. Jack Llewellyn, who has counseled professional athletes whose performances suffered because of turbulence in their personal lives, says he believes Woods can return to the "Tiger Tour," if and when he admits there are flaws in his mental game armor.

Llewellyn believes if Tiger takes care of himself mentally and physically, he'll rediscover the quality energy he needs to play his very large game.

So, Let's hear your opinion. Is the "Tiger Tour" gone forever, or can he rediscover the lost mind game assets from his pre-disaster days?

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Friday

Aug202010

Great putting ...it's all in your head

08/20 |

noisemaker

Okay, I admit it. I've recently lost some confidence on the green.

I'm embarrassed to admit the horrendous amount of three putts I've posted in the last few rounds. I could trim five or six strokes off my score with a little remedial putting. And wouldn't that be a sweet treat on the scorecard?

So what's the solution to my three-putt dilemma? Mind control. I need to become a more positive putter. I believe my problem begins with a lack of putting confidence.

The problem is that I start trying too hard. Rather than finding a calm mental state where I can make a natural move and swing freely I get lost in micro-mechanical last minute repairs. I start crowding my head with thoughts about the grip, posture, swing speed, stance and other minutia. It's not that these issues aren't important but once you're over the putt you've got to let yourself feel what needs to be done ...and then do it!

All this last minute analysis wrecks the natural timing of the putt and I end up short, long or just nowhere near the hole. The added frustration is then added on top of my previous failures and my confidence just slides further away.

I heard a fascinating story about the Jack Nicklaus vs Arnold Palmer match at the 1994 Shell Wonderful World of Golf. Apparently Jack holed every putt, and when asked about his incredible performance, Jack Jr. (his son and caddie) said he told his dad to smile and enjoy the challenge of putting more.

That was the simplicity of Jack's putting secret. Apparently even the great Jack Nicklaus occasionally needed an attitude adjustment.

So I'm on it. And with all my recent study of mental game improvements (more on that later) I'm certain I can muster a more positive mental attitude my next time out.

Wish me luck!

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Wednesday

Aug182010

Dustin Johnson; flushed on a technicality

08/18 |

noisemaker

I've now seen the Whistling Straights Dustin Johnson video replay 218 times. The TV talking heads are blabbering relentlessly. Even the pros are weighing in on this unusual golf conundrum.

But was it the right call? Well, apparently he WAS in one of the reported 1200 plus bunkers on the property. Even though it was a ragged mess from a week's worth of spectator traffic. And the sheer number of people standing around him prohibited anyone from seeing the perimeter of the bunker.

The rules official reported that he always new it was a trap. Dustin contends that it never crossed his mind. Who wins? The rules official does, that's who.

Even when I was watching it all unfold, I had this creepy suspicion that it wouldn't be long before they handed Dustin his walking papers.

"And don't let the door bang your ass on the way out!" Signed with love and affection ...the PGA rules committee.

Unfortunately, tournament officials don't have much wiggle room for rule interpretation. And they certainly didn't demonstrate any in this case.

So there you have it. Loads of PGA controversy and plenty of PR fodder. It's over.

Dustin handled himself like real pro. At least in the televised exit interviews. It wouldn't surprise me if he spun off on an angry kicking bender once he was out of the parking lot. God knows I would have! One minute he was in a playoff for the Wanamaker Trophy, for God's sake. And the next minute, it was snatched away.

I'm not too worried about Dustin Johnson though. He's proven that he's got the big game and he'll be back on the leader board soon enough.

What I don't like about this entire debacle is that we the viewers and spectators got the real shaft. Dustin played well enough to get into the playoff but got flushed on a bunker technicality. And maybe that was the right thing. But I was drooling over the thought of all three of these golf titans banging through the three hole playoff.

I wish a heartfelt congratulations to Martin Kaymer. He outlasted the field in one of the most unusual endings ever recorded. And I'm warming up to Bubba Watson. There's something wild and fearless about his approach to the game. Bubba's going to be around for a long time.

I'm certain we'll get a chance to see a Dustin vs Bubba battle in the not too distant future!

Hottest golf day of the year

08/6 |

noisemaker

I decided to sneak in a quick nine hole round earlier this week. I wasn't able to get out last weekend so I gave myself some time off work for a relaxing nine holes ...or so I thought.

For the record, I knew it was supposed to be hot. I didn't care. It was to be a Tuesday morning cakewalk. No worries.

The first sign of trouble was when the pro shop guy gave me a second look when I casually mentioned that we would be walking. "This is supposed to be the hottest day of the year," he said. "Are you sure?" And without skipping a beat, I responded "Of course."

What a wise-ass I was.

I began the day on the practice range for that all-important warm-up. And it didn't take much. Before my 25 range balls were gone, I was soaked.

The first few holes went pretty much as expected. We joked that it was a bit toasty, but that was just the beginning of discussion of the weather.

On the fourth tee box a kindhearted marshal drove up with a bucket full of icy cold towelets. It was a startling sensation on our faces. I mentioned that now we'll need to acclimate to the heat all over again.

This particular tee box seemed hotter than the previous ones. Is that possible? The sun was straight overhead. I could feel the intense humidity steaming up out of the grass. Heavy and dead air. There was no breeze so the profuse sweating just felt like you were wearing a hot and heavy wet rag.

I felt that same dead air sensation again on the green. Steamy hot heat, no breeze. We've just got to keep moving, I thought.

By the seventh hole I mentioned to my buddy that I never realized how little shade there was on this course. We guzzled loads of water from the course provided coolers. I must have refilled my own water bottle ten times by then.

We finished number eight and I could feel myself wanting to move quickly to the ninth tee. I had lost interest in the game. Both drives found the left rough but I didn't much care. I couldn't help thinking we were just that much closer to the end. My approach shot fell just short of the elevated ninth green. I chipped close and holed out for par. My partner finished and we began the long walk back to the clubhouse.

There was a brief discussion, with a chuckle, about finishing the full eighteen. We both required immediate respite from the oven-like temperatures.

I made it to the clubhouse and plopped down into one the four cushy chairs in the air conditioned lobby. My heart was racing and my skin was tingling. I was a bit light headed. Hmmm... Exactly what are the real symptoms of heat exhaustion?

I found my way into the locker room and splashed some water on my face. I was beginning to feel normal again.

We stepped up to the snack bar looking like a couple of drowned rats and proceeded to order a couple of Gatorades over large cups of ice. The twenty-something waitress said, "Hot enough for ya today?" To which I replied "Oh yeah ...and what a day to walk!" She looked up at my flushed face and said, "So you're the ones."

As you can see, this experience wasn't really much about golf. There was no mention of brilliant tee shots, hail Mary putts or miracle up and down sandies! I'm not even sure what my final score was.

It was just HOT! Really really HOT!

The importance of the pre-game routine

07/28 |

noisemaker

Last Sunday one of my golf buddies called me to fill in his foursome at the last minute. I hadn't planned on playing but the invitation was too good to resist. I said YES!

Now under normal circumstances I know when and where I'm playing a few days in advance. This invitation came about two hours before the round was to start. "No problem." I told him... "I'll be on the first tee in plenty of time."

This was my first mistake. As those words slid over my tongue, I mentally dismissed the all-important warm up time on the range before the round. I had a few last minute errands to run, but I could be there in time... or so I thought.

My second mistake was to misjudge the drive time. Unfortunately my last minute errands ran a bit long and I underestimated the drive time to the course. And as it turned out... I underestimated by a lot! I also hadn't planned for some the game day traffic on my route. Oops!

Our tee time was 12:51pm and I arrived at 1:18 pm. Needless to say, the group was well into the second hole by the time I arrived.

I wanted to mention another ill-advised brain killer that I experienced that day. As I impatiently sat in that precious time consuming traffic, my mood shifted in a dark and dangerous direction! I was cussing at old lady drivers, yelling at misguided teenagers and generally pissed off at the world. This is NOT a good pre game routine!

I arrived at the course, quickly checked in and hitched a ride out to meet my foursome. I watched as they finished up number two and prepared for my first swing of the day.

A pull-hook into the left rough. The group graciously granted me a mulligan noticing my lack of swing preparation. It was a thin DH drive that went about 160 yards.

I needed to regroup mentally. I shared the disastrous road trip details with my group and managed to yuck it up a bit. But my lack of preparation was not to be ignored. It was ten or fifteen errant swings that jacked my partial score beyond normal recognition.

I was able to salvage the back nine, but the round was one of my worst this summer.

So what have I learned? Well first of all, be certain you can arrive at the course 45 to 60 minutes before the round. Do a specific warm up on the range. Just 10 or 15 shots can work out some of the swing kinks. And it's a good idea to get a feel for your putter on the practice green.

All this in addition to working out game details with your foursome. Choose tee boxes, make bets and get comfortable before the round.

What are your pre-game routines and how do they help you?