Tag: Golf

Recently in a small group coaching session I asked the question “what did they think was important in chipping?” The first thing that I noticed about their response was none of them considered the lie of the ball or the...

Watching Shane Lowry win the Open in Portrush was one of the great moments in golf. Having known Shane since his late teens and seen him progress into a major winner now has of course put perhaps an obvious question...

I’m sure you are aware of the idea that parts of our thoughts won’t distinguish the difference between negative and positive. If you say to someone “don’t think of an orange – it is likely they will think of an...

Many years ago I remember hearing the wonderful coach John Jacobs say “golf is not about how good your good shots are but how good your bad shots are!” In some ways this is perhaps the reflection of consistent performances...

Accuracy off the Tee...... How important is it? When referring to “off the tee” I mean shots hit on par 4’s & 5’s, holes that are predominantly played with longer clubs particularly the driver. On a “typical” 18 hole course...

1I hope it’s fair to say in broad general terms that if you went and asked those golfers hitting balls on the range “what are you working on?” A common reply would be along the lines of “trying to hit...

If you look at all the different components as to what makes us play well, one of the major elements that will be included by most sports persons is Self Confidence. Confident beliefs influence how you feel, think, motivate yourself...

Are certain things more important than others when trying to improve our game? Using a simple example – is long driving distance more important than accuracy? Obviously this is going to depend on a good number of factors for any...

It is so easy in golf to be hard on ourselves, we use comments like “I’m so bad at putting” or “my golf is just rubbish”. Sentiments I’m sure we can all relate too at some time. But it is...

Sometimes it is hard to understand why we hit shots one way and then what appears to be the same thought process the shot comes out different the next time. It can be one of the most annoying things about...

For the purpose of this article I shall use the reference of a golfer playing right handed so their trail foot will be the right foot position. So let’s start with the question - how should the right foot be...

For a right handed golfer the “trail arm” is the right arm and the “lead arm” is the left, however this definition like other terminology in golf can be a little misleading. It can easily be interpreted that the lead...

We all have strengths and weaknesses in our game and there is definitely a logic in playing to our strengths when we are out on the course. But if we think of our golf swings as “body movements creating energy...

  In very general terms controlling the loft that is on the club at impact as well as the vertical angle we approach our chips, will give us the chance to control the height we hit the ball (other factors...

When “club” golfers are asked about their games and what are the strengths and weaknesses, a large majority will refer to their putting as strength and of course in most cases this will be true relatively speaking. In other words...

  Swing path control Clubface direction control Clubhead speed Distance control Trajectory control Strike quality   If I ask the question “what’s the most important thing in hitting good Iron shots from the above list”? It certainly wouldn’t be unreasonable...

Do we have a different swing with the driver and the irons? To be honest it’s hard enough to find time to practice and develop one swing let alone two different swings. The difference in the effect of the swings...

Efficient technique is only one of a number of components that will produce a desirable golf shot, but for a great number of us who play the game this technique will provide the limitation of our shot shape and patterns....

It has long been accepted that in games like golf (closed skill environment) that using a routine is going to enhance performance. Even in other game types there a situations where a routine is used – perhaps a good example...

The first golf Instruction I had was in a group lesson. I remember there was quite a lot of us and we all stood in a line hitting balls and the professional came along and gave each of us a...