A Beautiful Day for Golf (and for more progress)

Boy am I glad that I decided to go out and get some golf in today. First of all, it turned out to be an absolutely perfect day (low 60′s and crystal clear). Secondly, I went over to Stonetree (since I got shut out of trying to expand a twosome at an over-booked course) and Stonetree booked me as a single. I also enjoyed the pace of play. We played in 4 hours despite a slow twosome…

But even more fun was the fact that with the exception of a few unfortunate holes, I really played pretty solid, consistent golf. I shot an 88. The first time I’ve broken 90 on this challenging, quality track in about two years. I had two birdies (on #2 and #13) and… drumroll… miracle of miracles… no three putts! I’ve been using Dr. Joe Parent‘s “longer, not harder” approach to putting in order to control my speed on the greens, and it’s been working.

For the full shots, I’ve been using slow, conscious practice swings to feel my tempo (as discussed in earlier posts on this golf blog, “thai chi” practice swings). These help me remember to swing easy and to stay conscious of my full swing. For the first time in a really long time, I feel like I’m really feelin’ it… most of the time. In fact, I’m feeling my “swing of ease” which gives me more consistent contact and thus more solid shots.

And I’m getting better at taking a little bit more club in order to swing easier. I’m getting good results this way and they are turning out to be some of my best shots. I remember in particular the two approach shots that led to the two birdies. They were both easy “3/4″ swings with plenty of club for the distance, and the results were two birdie putts that were only about four feet each.

Whew. It’s a relief to play better after a somewhat dry period. I don’t want to jinx myself, but I think I can keep this up, one swing at a time. I’m going to just keep breathing and doing my best to stay conscious and centered. And, I am grateful that this is real progress. I think an 88 at Stonetree is about 6 under my personal par, or a net 66. Not bad.

This weekend I’ll be experiencing some courses down near San Luis Obispo (a couple of hours North of Santa Barbara) that I’ve never played before. I’m looking forward to that and will, of course, report on them here.

Meanwhile, Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Birdies and pars to ya.

Positively Poppy

I had a great time on Saturday playing the beautiful Poppy Hills Golf Course in the exquisite Pebble Beach area of the Monterey Peninsula. My host was none other than Steve Cohen, the president of the Shivas Irons Society. Thanks, Steve!

I was also pleased to shoot a 90, 3-under my “personal par” (as an 18.2 index I had a 21 handicap on that course.) I’m continuing to work successfully with the short game tips that I learned from Dr. Joe Parent (including “longer not harder” on putting and holding my finish both putting and chipping) and the slow-mo, “tai chi” practice swing also mentioned below.

One fun dimension that extended these new kinds of confidence was finding myself saying to myself, seemingly spontaneously, “trust it” while standing over putts. I didn’t count 3 putts, but there weren’t that many. One “big number” but otherwise pretty consistent golf.

My swing of ease is becoming less of a concept, finally, and I think largely due to more conscious breathing and centering on the course, and to the increased awareness of my full swing that’s coming from the much more conscious slow-mo practice swings. (Yes, I know that I used the word “conscious” twice in that last sentence. I think I just may be slowly becoming more awake on the golf course.) The result is that I’m actually “slowing it down” enough not to get too quick (most of the time… fewer hooks) while not giving up much power because I’m making solid contact more often. Progress is good.

I’m so grateful to be playing this fascinating game, having lots of fun, enjoying awesome company and appreciating such natural beauty on the course, while being able to continue to learn and grow.

Thanks for reading!

Trusting the Process

I wrote to a friend who is playing golf while recovering from a serious illness, “The golfsmarterpodcast.com interview with Lynn Marriott talks about a ‘tai chi practice swing’ where you do a practice swing as slowly as you can. I think this fits with what you are saying (about success from swinging with more ease and a slower pace), and I’ve found it useful as a way to be more aware of the whole swing. She says that it originated with Fred Shoemaker, but they’ve taken it further.”

This friend wrote back to me today, “I am feeling very fortunate to be able to play golf… I have to take it slow no matter what… My mantra is: grip firmly, swing slowly.”

I responded, “Enjoy! One swing at a time. It’s interesting learning to trust the process, eh? I feel myself getting more deeply into that. Even keeping my head down while putting is becoming more fun as I focus on the process of the swing rather than the results. I like Joe Parent’s thing of “making putts” even if you don’t hole them. Yet, I still have a bit of that feeling you once described (even though I don’t really believe it) that it’s unfair when a well-struck putt on the line I intended isn’t holed. In other words, I still have the reaction of disappointment, but it is lessening. The more I just enjoy the ride (including as you say the feeling of being very fortunate to be able to play golf) the better. Blessings on ya.”

To Putt with Confidence, I Hold the Finish

Some of the great take-away lessons that I learned from spending a little time–actually wonderful playing lesson time–with Dr. Joe Parent (see below) were keys that have reinforced the value of holding my finish, especially while putting and chipping. It has been surprising to me how much more solid these critical short game shots feel now. Holding the finish really ensures that you come THROUGH the ball. I know it’s a common golf tip, but it seems to be sinking in more than before and helping me to make these strokes more consistent. A bit of my progress is captured in this beautiful shot, with the Napa Valley’s fall vineyards in the background… but maybe I should have kept my head down longer.

Last Sunday (as also mentioned below) was just an exquisite fall day at beautiful Eagle Vines. Photo by Fred Greene, host of GolfSmarterPodcast.com which is recommended listening via iTunes or Fred’s website.

Heartbreak & Beauty

This morning my legs are tired, but I’m still basking in the beauty of the Napa sunset and the satisfaction of having hit some balls well. Soreness of muscles melds with the heartbreak of putts that lipped out and pulled irons that bounded into vineyards. “No one lives up to their ideal.” But my expectations still bite me. I play well enough often enough that I think I can score consistently… and then don’t.

Life lives on. Scenery passes gratefully. Profound blessings of being alive and knowing that the glowing is somehow part of me. The beauty of yesterday and the release of shots well struck. My heart calls me to these moments.

There’s fun in “giving it a go” regardless of the outcome. The power of appreciating the process is real. Yet the mind clings more automatically to the scorecard’s frequently disappointing news. There’s so much more here, even in the memory of a simple chip nestled next to the pin on #9 for a rare par on that hole… or in a drive there on #14 that split the uprights and carried the crown of the hill.

Looking at golden reflections on water reminds me that there’s more here than meets the mind’s limited volition. Sweetness of company. Play. And another day of enjoying the ride regardless of what I think is “supposed” to happen.