June 16 /08

Click on any of the following Newsletter topics or just scroll down the page:

Hit it Farther Downwind -- Take advantage of the wind!
Tiger's 14th Major -- Talk about mentally tough
How to Mentally Play the First 3 Holes
One Plane vs Two Plane Golf Swing -- May Newsletter

Hit it Farther Downwind -- take advantage

The wind has a dramatic effect on shots no matter what direction it is blowing. Because the wind speed and direction rarely remain constant, the wind is the most difficult environmental condition to read and so adjusting for its effects is difficult.

When playing downwind, the ball will fly lower. On tee shots, the ball will carry less distance but roll more distance. To maxiimize distance downwind, it's important to hit the ball on a higher trajectory so that the ball will carry farther to maximize distance. To hit the ball higher, do one of the following:

1. Hit a more lofted club such as a 2-wood or 3-wood. You might find that you hit these clubs farther when playing downwind, depending on your normal trajectory.

2. Hit a Driver, but tee it a bit higher and a little more foward in your stance. This will facilitate hitting the ball on the upswing, which will give the ball a higher trajectory.

3. Play a high spin ball, like the Pro V1. The added backspin will give your ball a higher trajectory.

When hitting shots to the green, again understand that the ball will fly lower, thus, it won't stop as well. Forget about going for any of those front pins.

To learn more about playing the wind, and to see some graphs of trajectories, click here.

Tiger's 14th Major -- Talk about mentally tough!

  Was Tiger's victory in the US Open ever impressive. Did you count how many times he got into a bad stretch only to recover and bounce back? How many of us, would have been able to come back after losing a 3 stroke lead in four holes?

How does Tiger do it? How can he continually grasp victory out of situations when most of us would accept defeat? Basically, it comes down to two main qualities. Firstly, his drive to win and be the best. He never gives up. He always thinks he can win. Secondly, his incredible ability to stay in the present and focus on the shot at hand.

Check out Tiger's Major Record relative to Jack Nicklaus'

I don't think there are many of us that have the drive to win like Tiger. But, we can all improve our games by improving our concentration. When I was young, my golf coach would say to me, "The only important shot is the next one." It took me many years to actually understand what he meant by that. When I was young, I was so focused on shooting as low as score as possible. If I had a bad start, I was hooped. As I matured, I learned there are many ways of shooting a low score in this game. Yes, if you start with 3 straight bogies (or doubles), it's hard to shoot your lowest round ever, but, you can still come back and shoot a low round. You just need to focus on one shot at a time and not be concerned about overall results.

Here are a few tips to help improve your mental game:

1. Focus on your next shot only. Don't dwell on the past; you can't change it. Dwelling on the past can only have a negative effect on your future shots. Likewise, don't think about the future. Just focus on the shot at hand. Thinking about the past or future distracts your attention from the present.

2. "I need to sink this putt." Watch your language. You don't need anything at the moment except air to breathe. Making statements such as "needing to" pull off a shot only puts undo pressure on you and directs your attention away from the shot at hand to the "consequences" (future).

3. When faced with a difficult shot, focus on what you're trying to do, not on what you don't want to do. For example, you have a tee shot over water. Focus on making a good swing, focus on seeing the ball fly off onto the horizon and landing onto your intended landing area (note I didn't mention the ball flying over the water). If you can't stop focusing on the hazard, perhaps it's because you're using a club that you're not confident with; pick a different club with which you have more confidence.

There's lots more that could be said about improving your mental game. I've tried to keep it fairly simple. If you would like more help in this area, here are some suggestions:

1. Golf Mind Software will help teach you how to better focus on the shot at hand. It'll improve your concentration.

2. Try these excellent reads.

3. Here's a great audio CD that you can listen to in the car or wherever.

One Plane vs Two Plane Golf Swing

 You may have seen some of the great Golf Videos analyzed by Tracy Reed on you-tube. His analysis of Sergio Garcia's swing is excellent. Sergio's Players' Championship victory raises again the issue of One Plane vs Two Plane golf swings.

Take a look at the Setup Video by clicking on this link:
Sergio Golf Video

The One Plane vs Two Plane debate has been raging for many year's. Sergio has had some great success with his Two Plane Swing. But, can most of his success be attributed to his talent. If he had a One Plane Swing, would he be even more successful?

Tiger has switched to the flatter, one plane swing and has taken his game to a higher level. I'm also an advocate of the one plane golf swing . Why? Because it's a simpler swing to perform and less prone to error. One of the most common problems golfers have is an over-the-top-swing which causes the ball to slice. Over-the-Top means swinging over the top of the shoulder plane. This over-the-top swing brings the club down at a glancing blow that causes the ball to slice. The flatter one plane swing makes it easier to swing down the line on the down swing resulting in straighter, longer and more consistent golf shots.

How can you best learn and develop a one plane swing? One option is to take lessons from a professional golf teacher. He/She can look at your swing and make suggestions as to what you need to do to change. Unfortunately, once you're by yourself, it's hard to know if you're keeping on plane. Another option is to purchase and use the Dream Swing. It is a swing aid that, once set correctly for you, forces and guides the club to swing on your best swing plane.

Learn the One Plane Swing the Dream Swing Way

I have experienced that fixing the swing plane is extremely difficult. To help me do this I purchased and have been using a revolutionary swing trainer called the Dream Swing. I highly recommend that you view the information page provided and add the Dream Swing to your practice routine. I personally endorse the Dream Swing as the best golf swing trainer on the market. It's a practice tool that forces the club to swing on the desired swing plane. Using it can teach you the correct feeling of a one plane swing.

One of the best things about the Dream Swing is that you can hit balls with your club connected into it. This allows the user to perfect the swing he/she hits balls with instead of just improving their practice swing, a tremendous benefit over other swing aids. By repeating the motion in the Dream Swing, your body will develop a "feel" for the correct positions in the golf swing.

I have been using the Dream Swing for over three years now and cannot say enough good things about it. Please click on this link to view what I believe is the best swing trainer of all time.

How to Mentally Play the First 3 Holes

  How you play the first 3 holes of a round can have a significant effect on how you play the rest of the round. I did an analysis 2 years ago of the statistical significance of the first 3 holes on an amateur golfer's final score. Take a look here. I analyzed thousands of golfers' scores. I discovered that taking less risk early in a round can pay off. Here's a summary:

† My statistical analysis of 1700 amateur scores found that 90% of players that play over NET PAR on the first three holes also shot over NET PAR for the total score. 82% of those that scored on the first 3 holes with a pace of NET 75 or worse, shot a total score of over NET 75 (assuming a 72 par). The first 3 holes of a round have a strong influence over the play for the rest of the round. As I've said many times, play conservatively on the first 3 holes to avoid disasters that will throw your confidence into a spiral.

Click here to order Dave's Pelz's Short Game Bible, OR get it at your local bookstore. BUT, whatever you do, GET IT !! Your game will love you for it.

Trying to find answers on my website? Here's how.

1. Go to my Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. There's a link to it on my pages from the left hand menu near the top of the page, just below the Search icon. It's called "FAQs." You then click on the graphic icon and you'll be taken to my database page. For your convenience, here it is:
FAQ

I've answered hundreds of questions over the past 6 years and have created a fairly large database. You can search it out. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, submit a question and I'll answer it.

2. On all of my web pages, there is a search feature in the top left section, right underneath my LOGO. Just place your search keywords in the search box, select "This Site" below it, and then press "Search." What will come up is a Google search of the pages on my site with relevance. You can also search the entire internet by selecting "Web" instead.
Go to my main page now: Home or just check the top left menu of this page.

3. Also, directly under the Google Search area, you'll find a pop down menu called "Your Topic." Select the topic of interest and press "Go."

I would suggest you bookmark my main page and/or your specific areas of interest so that you can find them easily in the future. On each page at the very top, there is a link you can click on:
"Click here to add this page to your favourites"

Hope you find all you're looking for.

You can learn more from NEW Titleist Pro-V1 by clicking HERE.

Ken Tannar