golf tip

Times Have Changed!

Dan Hernandez, PGA, , , , , , Leave a comment

I recieved my 2014/2015 TOUR Credential a couple of weeks ago. (yes – it’s STILL very cool to have one of these.)  I received my first credential in 2001, then continued working on TOUR in 2002.  Unfortunately, I seem to have misplaced those credentials but, as you can see, 2003 is here for your observation.

2003PGA-Credential 2015 Credential 2I’m bringing this up because:

Those of us who are fortunate enough to work with the best players in the world ARE NO LONGER REFERRED TO AS INSTRUCTORS.  

WE ARE NOW PLAYER SUPPORT…

Although not within the cadre of all players, many players have a veritable entourage of “specialists.”  It is not uncommon for a player to enlist professional assistance from sports-psychologists, strength and flexibility trainers, life-coaches, and even nutritionists.

Additionally, when it comes to the the actual action of golf, it isn’t unusual for players to employ a full swing coach, a short game coach, a putting coach, etc.  I personally and professionaly hope that an “8-iron coach” is not waiting in the wings!

Call me old school if you want – BUT – what’s happened in golf is a bit of a travesty. Players like Bubba, Henrik, Gainey, Cabrera, Jimenez and yes – even Fred Couples – are few and far between.

Bubba does whatever he wants to and there is no way he’ll have a “lesson” anytime soon.   Does that mean he hasn’t learned anything form other players?  Probably not.  I’m sure Bubba has heard a thing or two, which he translates into Bubba-Like understanding/implementation. He then just moves on.  He has his own way.

(btw, Bubba read the back-side of my business card a while back and he said “..that’s really cool.”)

A young, un-trusting TOUR player tends to have “rabbit ears”  that are almost impossible to shut down.  No matter the skill-level, what a player hears and where it comes from needs to “register” to them completely.  For example, “keep your head down” is full of ambiguity! What does that actually mean and what does that have to do with the shot you want to hit?

Competitive golf has no place for uncertainty. A player needs to know that what they do by instinct is very likely to work out OK.

In my view, if a player needs to have an entourage as I’ve been describing, that player is suffering from nothing more than a lack of confidence!  That player does not TRUST their intuition, their athletic instinct or even the most basic ways they think about golf!  And yes, I’ll even include TW as a player with “installed” confidence – rather than “natural” confidence.

If you shoot 92 – i.e. a 20 handicap more-or-less, all of this applies to you too! You just gotta’ use your head, prioritize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.  If your brain is working properly and you can make a realistic appraisal of your game, you could shoot 85! Seriously, you could shoot 85!

I don’t know what ever happened to that commercial, that was on a while back – the one where Arnie was encouraging everyone to “…do your own swing.”   For me, that was some of the very best advice I’ve ever heard!  I was hoping there would be more installments to that campaign but haven’t heard a peep since.  What a shame.

If you want to learn more about how YOU CAN PLAY YOUR BEST GOLF, click here and let’s hang out and have some fun!!!!

Times Have Changed!

What’s Up with Golf?

Dan Hernandez, PGA, , , , , , , Leave a comment

 

IF YOU THINK you should be a much better player than you are and are really frustrated with golf, please skip to the BEGIN HERE section of this post.

IF YOU UNDERSTAND that a combination of experience, personality, giftedness, knowledge, emotional/mental resiliency, fitness, strength and age are among the general topics that determine how good you’re gonna’ be, stop reading now and congratulate yourself – for you are a member of a rare breed – that small group of players who truly understand how the game is played. You readily accept the never-ending mysteries of the game and have not been trapped in an unsustainable, unrealistic view of your place in it.

BEGIN HERE:
footballI don’t know anyone who sits on the couch on Sunday, watches the NFL game of the week, and when it’s over say; ‘Dude, let’s go play some football.’  Or how about Formula 1 auto racing? I doubt anyone reading this would even know HOW TO GET IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT – let alone drive the thing.  BUT we all know how drive a car, so why shouldn’t we be able to drive this one? The list of comparisons are endless.  Just pick any professional sport and apply the same ridiculous comparisons to “themclaren-formula-1-182-1680x1050m” and the rest of us.

Logic tells us that we SHOULDN’T EXPECT to do what professionals do – and we normally don’t have those expectations – except in golf.  Why do we do that…watch the best golfers in the world and then imagine – or even FOOLISHLY EXPECT – we can actually do what they do –  and get overly-frustrated because we can’t.

Jack Nicklaus said it’s because every golfer hits a shot as good as a TOUR player every now and then.  OK, I can see that – I’ve watched students hit shots during playing lessons that could realistically be categorized as unbelievable. But every now and then is not all the time.

golfI don’t really get what players are expecting sometimes.
The anarchist in me says that modern media (i.e. first televised golf in ’56 or somewhere around there) is to blame; the psychologist in me says that it’s nothing more than ego and/or various insecurities and belief systems; the professional golf instructor in me says that golfers just aren’t taught correctly anymore and don’t know how the game goes.

There’s a prevalent, yet misplaced perception that goes something like this:  “If I could do that every time, I’d be happy.”  Ya’ think – who wouldn’t!  A multitude of variations exist within the “do it every time” idea.  Just look at any PGA TOUR statistic you can think of and you’ll quickly discover that NO PLAYER DOES “IT” EVERY TIME!!! You can find all the stats here.

‘ALL THE TIME’ DOES NOT EXIST IN LIFE AND ALL THE TIME DOES NOT EXIST IN ANY SPORT
– ESPECIALLY IN GOLF!  –

In very general terms, there is championship golf played by professionals and elite amateurs. And then there is recreational/golf. The most serious golf, which requires razor’s edge skill – in a variety of disciplines – is golf that feeds your family and pays your mortgage.  At any given moment, this kind of golf is something that only about 500 players in the world are capable of!

Then, there are the rest of us – including the club player with a 2 handicap. The millions who go play all the time, seeking pleasure, challenge, camaraderie, and just a few hours away from the office,

Now before everybody starts going all goofy and thinking that we’re all supposed to accept mediocrity, remember this:   We are supposed to be passionate and we are supposed to love the game, and we are supposed to try everything we can, and we are never to quit.  Yes indeed, we are all supposed to do whatever we are able to so we can play our best. And, we are EXPECTED to be realistic about the possibilities for our games.

What we’re NOT supposed to do is measure ourselves against those 500 freaks – who by the way – don’t hit every fairway every time and drive it 300 yards all the time..

Go ahead and analyze the stats here.  Really, do it now.  If you could achieve 50% of any given stat wouldn’t that be awesome!  You’d be able to tell your friends that you’re only half as good as a TOUR player!

Let’s remember who we are, why we are playing golf, and just enjoy the hell outta’ the game.

What’s Up with Golf?

What a Drag

Dan Hernandez, PGA,

Let’s assume you’re right handed. Isn’t it easier to “hit” with you’re right hand and forearm than it is to “drag” with the back of your left palm?

For the millions of golfers out there who have been brainwashed by the doctrine, you DO NOT hit with the left hand, arm, etc. You hit with the right side! The left is for stability only!

For the golf swing scientists out there, argue amongst yourselves please: then go out and chop a tree by hitting with your left. I’ll come and visit you in the hospital!

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