Putting by David Lee in Orlando Florida

These blog pieces are intended to stimulate thinking and conversation among golfers who are interested in advancing their understanding of the golf swing and their technique for learning it in the best and easiest manner.

It is not my intent to write a chapter from my new book in each of these blogs, where all of this will be discussed in nauseating detail, but to address some area of the intended topic.  The usual problem, is that the discussion of one point, triggers thought about another one, etc., etc., etc. 

Putting is one facet of golf wherein the subtleties are absolutely enormous. The difference between knocking a 20 foot putt in the hole or over the edge, is not only difficult to see, but very difficult to feel.  To give an example, I'll give a list of some possibilities for having missed that 20 footer:

• alignment was off
• putt was mis-read
• something on the green affected the putt
• the grip was off
• the proper speed for the amount of break was mis-calculated
• posture was incorrect for the allowance of proper power application
• energy was internalized through improper power application, causing a change in swing-path
• ball was slightly out of round and not polarized properly when set on the green, causing it to deviate from path
• the effect of the grain was miscalculated
• the moon-phase put extra tension into your body (that was a joke but could probably happen)

Enough already?  There are many more items that could be added to this list, but hopefully you're beginning to get the picture.  Is there a solution to any of this that can allow us to find the root culprit(s) when something is going wrong?  Absolutely there is - and learning to practice properly is the key.  Here is my suggestion: find the biggest green that you can - preferably more than 150 feet across - and practice three-mode drills.  Putt a right-hander, then a left-hander, then a two-hander from the greatest possible distance - then start over.  You will actually be trying to make these putts.  Putting from this distance, magnifies all your sensations to the point that it becomes possible to identify perfect power application. Attempting to learn putting from any distance inside 10 feet is a nightmare in subtlety. There are countless ways to power the ball to the hole from a very short distance, and the identification of ideal technique becomes next-to-impossible.  To knock the ball into the hole from 200 feet away requires perfect power application - and believe it or not, the brain can identify and learn to feel exactly what that recipe involves - even if you are unaware that it is doing so. Once you can make the balls roll smoothly from each mode (right-handed,left-handed, and two-handed) and put all of them in a small circle around the hole from a great distance, it is time to start shortening the putts. Cut the distance by 20%, get deadly at that distance, cut it by 20% more, get deadly again, etc.  The last putts you want to work on, are the three footers.  The technique that your brain has trained into you from practicing the longer putts, will automatically transfer to the shorter, more subtle ones, and the technique will be perfect.

Training in this manner will cause you to develop perfect putting mechanics, and in all likelihood, you will be totally unaware of how your brain accomplished it.  Practicing the three-mode-drills from a great distance prevents your brain from making subconscious compensations to inferior technique without your knowledge.  Subconscious compensations are the villains that keep us from advancing in every facet of the game.

Try this for yourself and discover that even you can learn to putt as well as Ben Crenshaw or the great Bobby Locke.

David Lee
President, Gravity Golf, Inc.

Golf Instruction DVD
"How It Works & How To Learn It"

Gravity Golf Book

"The Evolution & Revolution on Golf Instruction"

Gravity Golf Putter

"The Arc Master"

Email: davidlee@gravitygolf.com 
Website: GravityGolf.com

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How to Release Stress and Anxiety in Your Golf Game

How to Release Stress and Anxiety in Your Golf Game

By Guest Blogger: David Geier, CIGC

You are on the first tee ready to hit your first drive of the day and suddenly you find yourself feeling nervous, anxious, and stressed. In addition, your mind is racing and distracted, and you find yourself pre-judging your first tee shot flying straight to the out-of-bounds marker.

What’s a golfer to do to release tension, stress, and anxiety?

First, we can begin to shift our attention from that part of our mind which is judging, blaming, and expecting the worst to the inner silent witness or silent observer who is simply watching what is happening in the present moment.

It is our fearful ego that is really at the center of our stress, anxiety and tension. So a part of overcoming our stress, anxiety and tension is transcending the ego and shifting our attention to our inner genius or witness.

In Buddhist meditation, our thoughts and our emotions are viewed much like clouds in the sky. One thought arises, then passes, usually followed by a gap of silence, then another cloud. This cloud could be another thought, feeling, perception, desire, fear, judgment, etc. The clouds never truly end, but if we start to pay attention to what is arising, and realizing that “this too shall pass,” the gap of silence can be extended as long as we do not attach ourselves to that which we are witnessing, whether it be a thought, an emotion, a desire, whatever. Ideally, golf shots are best executed in the “gap of silence”.

Stephen Wolinsky, PhD and the author of Quantum Consciousness (1993, Bramble Books) has written a cutting edge book which provides eighty-five practical exercises on how to develop the skill we are calling self-awareness. Wolinsky states, “Before you can do anything about how you feel, you have to be able to observe or witness it. The moment you attempt to see what’s going on inside of you, part of you separates off to make this observation. Self-awareness is also called “self reflection,” “self observation” or mindfulness.”

“Whatever the name, the essence is observation.”

Golf Application:  Prepare yourself at home, before you head out to the practice range or golf course, by shifting your attention to your Inner Joyful Witness. This is the part of who we are that experiences joy and inner peace and ultimately connects us to our core of being.

Second, we must realize that our emotions and mental states are not who we are. We have emotions, and we have thoughts and different mental states, but that is not who we are.

“For many, this is nothing more than being aware of the real you – who you really are inside...and without a doubt, an increased self-awareness is a key aspect to tapping into your witness or inner genius.”

Third, our emotional moods and mental distractions are not permanent, but rather, they are part of the impermanent passing show of life. In The Witness Exercise, as presented in The Ken Wilber Reader, you slowly recite the following to yourself, trying to realize as vividly as possible the import of each statement. The following is an excerpt:

“I have emotions, but I am not my emotions. I can feel and sense my emotions and what can be felt and sensed is not the true "feeler." Emotions pass through me, but they do not affect my inward "I." I have emotions but I am not my emotions.”

Golf Application: Begin breathing slowly and evenly though your nose. You can count one for your first in-breath, and two on your out-breath. Keep repeating this process until you can count to ten. If you lose your focus, then you can start over at the count of one all over again.

Thich Nhat Hahn, a Buddhist monk from Viet Nam, teaches a meditation where you breathe in and smile, followed by an out-breath and maintaining a smile. This is a good starting point for reducing stress and anxiety prior to your training, practicing, or playing experiences.

Golf Application: One of the insights I learned from putting guru Geoff Mangum for quieting the mind is…quiet eyes lead to a quiet mind – busy eyes lead to a busy mind. View life thru quiet eyes as you walk at an even pace to your ball, target your tee shot, eat a ham sandwich, drink a glass of wine, or diaper your baby.

Fourth: Begin quieting your inner dialogue by placing your tongue to the top of the mouth, just behind your upper teeth. Then, place your witnessing attention at the level of your navel as you walk with an even pace to the practice range or first tee.   

Last, during pre-shot, select the club you which to use. Then after holding the club, squeeze the club tightly for about four or five seconds. In addition, breathe in for four or five seconds as you squeeze and then let go of the squeeze as you breathe out. This is called "The Squeeze and Breathe" technique. The Squeeze and Breathe technique will release excess stress and anxiety from previous shots and normalize adrenaline within a few minutes or so. It’s a good idea to follow this technique before every shot.

Summary: Managing one’s stress and anxiety at the practice range or golf course is very important if the golfer is trying to maintain optimal performances in golf. When stress and anxiety are elevated, energy is going to be lost as a result. This is why we can be running on fumes when we experience elevated stress, anxiety, and tension throughout a round of golf. Ever wonder why we sometimes hit the wall at the fourteenth hole?

Lessons Learned: Learning to maximize energy and stay in the zone or flow state is what every golfer and athlete try to sustain who want to consistently play to their potential. Your inner genius or witness is the starting point. You can experience your inner witness by practicing the meditation exercises mentioned above: Breathing with Awareness, Witnessing, and Squeeze and Breathe.  

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Regulating Tension Levels In Your Golf Swing by David Lee in Orlando Florida

Controlling tension is one of the favorite subjects of not only golf psychologists, but psychologists in general, many other types of doctors, coaches, marriage counselors, and advice givers of all sorts.  Tension has a negative affect on our performance, our happiness, the happiness and attitude of those around us, and on our health.  Without question, I'm old enough to realize that the less advice I give to others, the happier my own life is - but in view of the fact that I make my living giving advice ( I'd rather call them "suggestions") to golfers about their swing mechanics, I'll share with you some of what I've learned about tension in the fifty years I've been teaching the game.

As pressure builds during a round of golf due to situation, or as fatigue increases, the tension that subsequently develops has a detrimental technical affect on the swing.  As your muscles becomes tighter, the center-of-leverage within your system rises, and the body's capability of becoming a cantilever to itself, increases.  For example: a gymnast who is five-feet-tall can do a routine on a balance beam easily in practice, but when she gets out there in front of ten thousand people in a competition, and her body tenses up, it's as if she went from being five-feet-tall, to six-feet-tall.  Now, if there are any technical flaws in her movements, she will lose control of her balance, break rhythm, and possibly fall off the beam.  As the center-of-leverage in a golfer rises, flaws in power application begin to surface.  Because of a natural instinct to "strike" the ball, very few people swing a golf club without internalizing some of their own energy.  When energy is internalized during the downswing from flexing the shoulders and arms, it causes a change in the swing-path (3rd law - action/reaction).  The more tension that develops in your system, the higher your center-of-leverage rises, and the greater the change in swing-path becomes (ball may go into bad places).  This is why players who have technically superior mechanics, can usually handle the most pressure without totally losing control.

The best way I've discovered to keep your tension level and your center-of-leverage down, is to practice using "Heel to Heel Transfer Drills" (which you can study Danny doing on YouTube).  When the fronts of the feet are off the ground, you are, in effect, swinging from two "peg" legs.  When the brain senses the potential threat to your balance that the drill creates, it will immediately drop your center-of-leverage by making you apply power correctly.  In this way, your brain can protect its own "house." from falling.  Putting the body in balance threatening situations, activates the same part of your brain that taught you to walk and ride a bicycle, and uses that huge "computer" to teach you perfect swing technique.  Play practice rounds using this drill and you'll be amazed at what you learn about tension and swing mechanics.  When you are playing for real, take your practice swings in a "heel to heel transfer mode" - it will give you an instant posture, balance, and tension check.   Study this - it really works! 

David Lee
President, Gravity Golf, Inc. 

Golf Instruction DVD
"How It Works & How To Learn It"

Gravity Golf Book

"The Evolution & Revolution on Golf Instruction"

Gravity Golf Putter

"The Arc Master"

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Hit Powerful Golf Shots With Finesse by David Lee in Orlando Florida

Many players have been under the impression for years that a fade is a weak shot compared to a hook or draw.  Anyone who has personally seen Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods hit a power fade, knows better.  A true power fade has the power of a pull hook but moves left to right (right-handed player).  It is true that on hard fairways or greens, a draw will run out more than a fade, but because the fade has a higher trajectory, it can carry farther.  When the fade is struck properly, it is very accurate and tends to sit right where it lands.

Technically, there are slight timing differences for a fade versus a draw that need to be understood.  The line between the feet is aimed well left of the target for a fade, which instinctively promotes the body to turn and lead the arms and club coming into the impact zone.  The insurance that the toe of the club will not go past the heel coming into impact, happens at the beginning of the swing or in the "heave" as we call it at Gravity Golf.  The duration of the heave is slightly briefer when hitting a fade as opposed to a draw.  This causes the arms and club to move slower through the change of direction and subsequently the body is slightly ahead of them at the point of impact - which is what keeps the toe of the club from catching the heel and the result is a fade.  All available body mass goes against the ball in the power fade and as your "feel" for the timing develops, the shot becomes very reliable.

Study and practice the "Gravity" Golf "Three Mode Drill" and the "Heel to Heel Transfer Drill."  They will teach you to properly hit the "power fade."

David Lee
President, Gravity Golf, Inc. 

(c) 501-617-1159
Email: davidlee@gravitygolf.com 
Website: GravityGolf.com
Blog: gravity-golf.blogspot.com/
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How To Hit A Power Fade by Pete Dunham in Charleston SC

Ball position forward.  Some golfers set their clubface slightly open relative to their intended swing path, imparting 'fade' spin...  For others, this is not necessary... Experiment. Now, with the core, heave the arms and club on a more upright path.  This upward motion of the arms will minimize the rotation of the forearms, thus the rotation of the club face...  Counterfall and pivot freely around the left pivotal axis into a fully rotated relaxed balanced finish.  Ball position/alignment and heave plane allow for the 'power fade'.....Here's how I got there:

The power fade caught my attention 30 years ago... Why?  Because I hit a weak slice back then and was perplexed with how guys like Nicklaus could hit the fade so far!  Even in my early years of teaching I could not explain the power fade....  I saw it with my own eyes occasionally, but mostly, my students and I just hit weak fades that came up short and right.  

It wasn't until I studied Gravity Golf with David Lee that I began to understand and play that elusive shot.  

Most golfers hit a fade/slice due to mis-perceptions and tension.  Their ideas of the golf swing are poor, and the tension levels in their body keep them from allowing the club face to square up through the hitting area...  Even a lot of good players that hit mostly hooks struggle with hitting a fade correctly.... They add tension and just hold on to try and play the fade...  It's not a very good strategy-  Only a handful of players have been successful doing that.  

Now lets take a look at a few of the great power faders in the history of the game-  Hogan, Nicklaus, VJ Singh, and Freddy Couples (the latter being more of a power blocker).  Yes there are many more, but I want to focus on these guys for today's discussion.  It's extremely evident that although they are hitting fades almost exclusively, they also have tremendous forearm rotation through the hitting area!  Take a look at these photos

  

I think it's easy to see what tremendous forearm rotation all these players have as they swing through the ball....  Freddy always fascinates me because he has all this release coupled (no pun intended) with a very strong grip and yet he rarely hit draws during his playing days on the PGA Tour.

The best news is that the power fade is very possible!  The first thing most golfers must do is learn the Gravity Golf swing!  It's pretty much a pre-requisite for the power fade.  A golfer, unless incredibly strong and of higher than average athletic ability, will not be able to create the power fade until they are far more 'physics compliant' in their swings!  Once a player can 'Heave' the tension out of their arms in the backswing, and fully sling their arms and club through impact with their 'Counterfall and pivot',  they can absolutely learn the power fade...  

In conclusion:  The power fade, as played by the worlds great Gravity Golfers, is accomplished with a full release of the body and arms through the hitting area...  They do not use muscle nor hold the face open to produce the shot, rather they have a swing path and sequence that imparts the intended spin on the ball while at the same time putting all their mass into the golf ball through the center of the golf club.  It's an awesome shot to hit... it's powerful, and effortless!  

Take a look at this youtube video of Jack.  He has the look of effortless power that is hard to describe!  It's explosive!  And yet you can see the tension free arms at the end of his swing.  Enjoy...  And work on the Gravity Drills!

--
Pete Dunham, PGA Certified Professional/Instruction, Retail, Golf Operations
Director of Golf
Snee Farm Country Club
1200 Club Drive
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
(843)884-2600
RiverTowne Country Club
1700 RiverTowne Country Club Drive
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29466
(843)849-2400

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How To Hit A Draw by David Lee in Orlando, Florida

In the modern day swing, or "Gravity" swing as we call it, most accomplished players hit a fade as a "bread and butter" shot, or "go to" shot, because the hands and wrists are more passive and all that's required is to drop the arms at the top of the back-swing and keep turning. If the timing is correct, the toe of the club will not pass the heel prior to impact with the ball, and the shot is very reliable.

However, many holes set up for a draw, and it is necessary to know how to execute one. On many occasions, the draw will give more distance because the trajectory is lower and the ball will tend to run out better when it hits the fairway. The timing is slightly more complex than with a fade because the toe of the club must pass the heel coming into impact with the ball. Just as the wrists and hands are about to pronate and release into impact, it is necessary to "tap the brake" so to speak, on the leading leg, and that will cause the toe of the club to trip over the heel, and the ball will turn left.  However, when hitting a draw, if the pronation of the right hand and forearm is forced by muscular strength instead of by centrifugal force from the body-turn, energy will back-flow into the body and the plane can easily be violated and the shot miss-hit.

Even though the draw is more of a timing challenge than a fade, if you wish to be a complete player, it is necessary to master your ability to control it. Without going into all the technical movements involved, I would highly recommend that anyone wishing to hit draws correctly, do the three-mode-drill where you hit a right-handed shot, then a left-handed shot, then a two-handed one, and then start the sequence over again. You should be able to comfortably draw the ball from each of the three modes and although the following YouTube clip does not deal specifically with hitting a draw, it shows you how to practice a three mode drill.  Align yourself to the right of the target and practice trying to draw the ball with each arm and then both, and you will soon know how to hit a draw in a technically proper manner.

 

David Lee
President, Gravity Golf, Inc.

(c) 501-617-1159
Email: davidlee@gravitygolf.com
Website: GravityGolf.com
Blog: gravity-golf.blogspot.com/
Free Golf Videos: youtube.com/GravityGolf
Like: Facebook.com/GravityGolf.USA
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Goal Setting For Your Golf Game by Pete Dunham in Charleston, SC

Goal setting in golf seemed to get tougher and tougher as I got older.... Why?  Most likely, because as I once heard Dave Pelz say.... "Life gets in the way of golf".  Golf is still very important to me, and man oh man I still want to play good golf!  But, I'd be lying if I said it had the same significance to me today as it did 20 years ago....   

I still think goal setting is important, I just go about it differently today.  Let me share my ideas on 'goal setting for the part time player'.  

Got a couple big events planned for the year?  Let's assume so and that your 'goal' is to play well in these events.  The key to performance, in my opinion, is the action steps you take leading up to the events!  If you're like me- busy with life and all it offers- you can't train consistently all year long....  What you hopefully can do, is set up action steps for training leading up to your events!  I Like to set up a training schedule 4-6 weeks out, if possible.  If not, I'll set it up for 2-3 weeks.... The key is that I create atraining sheet before the events to keep my practice focused and high quality.  

Grab a sheet of paper and list out the major areas of the game you plan on working on: For example;

Driver:

Iron shots: 

Wedges: 

Bunkers: 

Putting:

If there are trouble areas of your game, write them down and focus extra in that area!!!

ex;  downhill lies, or distance putting

OK, the next step is to break each category into various drills so you know exactly what you'll practice when you go out to the range: 

Driver:  

1.  Front Route Drills (20 front routes is one block)

2.  Driver Drill (100 drivers in various gravity drill modes)

3.  4x4 Drill with one arm (32 balls.  4 right hand only/4 left hand only, repeat 4 times)

These are the drills I will do with my driver....  I will continue to break out each category (iron shots, wedges, putting, etc...) into the drills I will do when I go to train.  

***Never go to the range just swing searching for a swing!  Build skills with a few quality drills...  Gravity Drills are by far the best way to train!  

The final step is figuring out how many times you want to complete each drill over the period you've chosen to train before the event: 

Driver: 

Front Route Drills:  3 times a week  ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

(*I put lines there so I can check off each time I've completed a task!)

Driver Drill:  ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

4x4 Drill:  ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

When I'm finished, I'll have a full sheet of paper that lays out how I want to train for the event.  Exactly which drills and how many times I want to complete each drill.  The goal is to complete the action steps before I tee it up in the event!

The greatest benefit of setting up a training list and completing it before you play is that you'll take great satisfaction knowing that you have prepared for the event!  Being prepared, and completing action steps is the best way to achieve any result oriented goals you might have.  

Keep it simple.  Keep it focused.  Check it off the list!  Now go PLAY GOLF! Stop 'Thinking golf swing!'

Pete Dunham, PGA Certified Professional/Instruction, Retail, Golf Operations
Director of Golf
Snee Farm Country Club
1200 Club Drive
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
(843)884-2600
RiverTowne Country Club
1700 RiverTowne Country Club Drive
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29466
(843)849-2400

Athletic Golf :: Golf is a Sport, Play like an Athlete

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