There Goes My Game Again
Being able to play golf in San Diego sure has its benefits. Get up Monday Morning, no work, 70 degrees and sunny, and the courses are reasonably empty. In February…..
I played my weekly golf match last Monday at Maderas Golf Club,(Great Johnny Miller design, I have always said Maderas is a “golfer’s golf course”),where you rarely see a lucky golf shot, and even after 2 or 3 good shots in a row, you still need to hit that fourth shot to score on the hole.Because of the shear length of the course from the Blue tees, Average golfers at Maderas have a tendency to overswing, trying to eat up that yardage on those big par fives with 230 yard forced carries off some of the tees…
At the the turn, one of our foursome started topping tee shots and skulled balls left and right. After a couple holes of this hoo hah, he was duly humbled enough to take some of the “slow down” advice from his colleagues, and his game returned to some semblance of normalcy (with an assist from 2 cold Budweisers to relax things), and it got me to thinking of what “on course” tricks or tips does one use when his/her game goes entirely in the commode?
What I have found after consulting the colleagues in my foursome, and after receiving a smattering of random, completely non-scientific gimmicks, tricks, wives tales,and old school knowledge, is; That anyone who plays the game, and plays well, has some method to “right” their game when things start to go oh so horribly wrong… Listed below, in no particular order, are a couple of tips I collected……..
1-Try a shorter swing- Backswings that are too long outnumber those that are too short by 1000 to 1! (most overswingers feel about half a swing when the are actually parallel), so by shortening it up a little promotes staying down and not flying open …….
2-Taking practice swings about two feet above the ground at a smooth, slow pace…. This promotes good swing plane and hand release(especially for steep swingers and slicers)
3-One tee, one ball, 6 inches: Place a tee in the ground, place the golf ball on the ground 6 inches directly behind the tee. Align yourself for your shot, take the club back low and slow, and brush the ball back with your club as you go into your swing. This promotes a smoother, straighter takeaway.
4-Take your actual swing just like your practice swing- It seems everone has a smooth, relaxed
practice swing and keeps that head down with a nice high release, and the minute they are over the ball, on the tee, the actual swing is entirely different from the practice swing. Think relaxed practice swing…..
5-If all else fails, try Smitty’s 2 Budweiser solution.