Tiger's Mental Attitude Responsible for Missing the Cut?

Tiger Woods missed his first PGA Tour cut in what, five years? He missed the cut at the Open Championship in England last July, and I already commented that I think it was his "female problems" that were responsible. I told my brother at the time that something was bothering Tiger. It was just four months before the rest of the world learned about Tiger's dozen or so extra women!

This week at Quail Hollow I think Tiger was thinking too much about how to win back the crowd by not throwing clubs or cussing too much, and not thinking enough about picturing each shot in his mind before swinging.

After he had missed the cut, the commentators were mentioning the fact that Tiger had "behaved himself" this week despite missing the cut, cussing very little and not throwing a single club. I have a feeling that his concern about his behavior and what the crowd thought/thinks of him is what was foremost on his mind, instead of concentrating on his swing.

I saw Tiger hit several poor shots on Thursday and Friday this week, and his facial expression looked like he was steaming on he inside as he smiled outwardly.

Tiger has two things he must overcome before he will appear in the winner's circle again. First and foremost is controlling his temper. I don't care how many women are on his mind, there is no room on the golf course for a temper tantrum. It is childish, and it will not allow any golfer to relax and hit a smooth shot. I would like to see the Tour impose penalty strokes to any tour player who cusses or throws or slams down a club during play.

I remember watching last Summer's Big Break on the Golf channel. I wish Pat Perez's brother had not won, because his childish behavior of slamming and throwing clubs is not something we need to see on television. It is a poor example for our children.

The second thing Tiger has to accomplish is concentration. You can't play good golf when you are worried about outside influences, such as the crowd. When he conquers the first, temper, he won't have to worry about the second, what the crowd thinks of him.

Tiger won't win again until he learns to laugh off a bad shot, and concentrate on the next shot, and not about what the guy outside the ropes is thinking.

Do you agree?

Phil Mickelson Continues to Battle Illness!

Thursday morning Phil Mickelson woke up in a pool of his own vomit, and said it was a good omen! Why would he say such a thing? Because the last two times Mickelson woke up in his own vomit, he won that week's tournament.

While many of us simply don't go to the golf course when we are feeling under the weather, there is a lesson to be learned here. Why is it that many tour pros end up winning a tournament when they are not feeling well? For one thing, they simply go through the motions of envisioning fundamentals in their golf swing, and don't try to overpower the ball. What happens when you picture something happening in sports, and then let it happen? It happens the way we envision it if our power of positive thinking is strong enough.

Golf is played in the five inch wide spot between the ears. When properly played, golf is 90% mental, and 10% mental.

When I was 18 years old, I was playing in a Father Son Tournament with my Dad at the Lake Shastina Golf Resort at the foot of Mt. Shasta in northern California. At that time in my life I had never broken 70 on the Par-72 championship course, at 6,859 yards. I was one under par standing on the 18th tee, a par 5.

I drove it well off the tee, then hit my 5-wood on the right side of the green, sixty feet from the pin. After my Dad and the other father/son team chipped onto the green, I was away, and asked my Dad to tend the pin.

I announced that I was going to make the eagle putt to shoot under 70 for the first time in my life, and then reminded my Dad that he had to take out the pin after I stroked the putt.

"I know, I know," Dad said as he took the pin in his right hand.

I looked over my 60-footer for eagle, read a right to left break of ten feet, pictured the ball going in the hole, then stroked the putt. I walked toward the hole as I watched the ball follow the path that I had pictured in my mind. Ten feet right of the hole, then the ball rolling left toward the hole. As the ball approached the hole and was about five feet from going in, I noticed my Dad was so excited, he was standing there with his hand still on the pin, frozen!

"Dad, pull the pin!" I shouted. Just as the ball was about to hit the pin, where I would incur a two-stroke penalty, Dad got the pin out of the hole. Dad jumped up and down and yelled, "Pete eagled the final hole!"

I walked up to my Dad and told him that I knew the putt was in the hole before I stroked it. I could have made a $1,000 bet before stroking the putt that it was going in the hole; that's how positive I was about making the putt.

When I was in my teens, I had read all 82 volumes of The Destroyer paperback series. It was about a Newark, NJ police officer who was taught the secret of the ultimate martial art by a 90-pound North Korean by the name of Chiun. Remo Williams was the country's secret weapon against evil in the world, and only the President knew how to reach him and how to give him his orders to take out the bad guys. In his spare time, Remo would play golf, scoring eagles and birdies on every hole, because his training taught him to picture something happening, then make it happen.

I shot my first 69 that day, and I love telling that story of mind over matter. It reminds me of Star Wars, and The Force. Remember the phrase, "Use the Force, Luke."?

The next day I was playing Lake Shastina again, this time with a buddy. It was a windy day, and scoring was tougher than the day before. On the 18th green I had a two-foot putt for a par, and the ball was vibrating from the wind.

I knew I was going to miss it!

The Third and Final Swing Pose!

During the previous two days, I posted my first two weight-shifting golf lessons. 96% of all new golfers never learn how to properly shift their weight during the golf swing, and play all their lives with an improper golf swing as the result!

We have all seen tour pros pose at the end of their swings. After watching my first two weight shift lessons, the third and final lesson has to do with your pose at the end of your swing. Look at the photo.

All of my weight is on my left leg, right toe in the ground for balance, with no weight on the toe. My belly button is facing the target, as is my face. The left leg is straight, with all of my weight on the left leg. My left arm is bent at a right angle, and my left arm from the shoulder to the elbow is parallel to the ground, and the club is right behind the small of my neck, and parallel to the ground.

Memorize the following sentence: "If your pose looks just like the photo at the end of your swing, you have swung 99% correctly!" Otherwise, your pose will not look like this. You cannot reach this pose without swinging 99% correctly.

Whether you are a beginning golfer, or have been playing for years, and you want to be a good, consistent golfer the rest of your life, follow my three weight-shift lessons at this site. One of the major mistakes amateur golfers make is a reverse-weight-shift!

Do not take a shortcut and pick up a club too soon. Have your golfing buddy watch your swing, and let you know if and when your weight is incorrect. Do the same for your golfing buddy, and together you will both enjoy a consistent golf swing for the rest of your life!

Today is the first round of the Quail Hollow Championship. Watch the tournament on TV today if you have the time, and watch the pose after each swing that you watch. Ask yourself if the pose looks good and proper, and then look at the result of that shot. After a while you will be able to see a swing, and the pose at the finish, and then you will know how a shot ends up depending upon the pose at the end of the swing. WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF THE GOLF SWING! WELCOME TO GOLF HEAVEN! DO YOU NOW FEEL EMPOWERED?

You may NEVER watch a golf tournament the same way again! Imagine, you are sitting in your house watching a PGA event with your brother. A tour player hits his drive, and you comment to your brother as you walk to the kitchen that the drive is going left, into the rough; and that's where the next camera shot shows the ball going, left into the rough! Your brother exclaims, "How did you know that?"

You answer, "Because of his pose at the end of the swing."

Watch as many swings as you can, study the pose at the finish, and then compare that pose to the result of the shot. After a while you will become an expert, and will be able to match every pose to the correct result!

You are now on your way to having THE POWER, HAVING THE FORCE! (Remember Star Wars?)

Second of Three Weight-shift Lessons!

Yesterday's golf swing lesson covered the importance of your proper weight shift. Your "Muscle Memory" practice should precede any swinging of a club! Before you go to today's continuing lesson, practice once again what you did yesterday. Over 96% of all new golfers never shift their weight properly from the start, and never shift properly all of their golfing life! Their weight is more on their left foot when shifting right (Wrong!) during the backswing, and then leave their weight on their right foot (Wrong!) when shifting to the left as they hit the ball. They play golf WRONG all their life, and wonder why they can't play.

So, go through the first weight-shift (yesterday's) lesson before proceeding with today's lesson.

Now, in Step Two of that weight shift practice lesson you may pick up a 5-iron, and go through the weight shift motions all over again.

In the first picture, you are at address, with your weight evenly distributed on the inside of both feet.

On the back swing, picture 2, put 60% of your weight on the inside of the right foot, and 40% on the inside of the left foot. The club should be moving toward the small of your neck, so it is on plane.

In picture 3, your weight is moving to the left, and the club is on plane to finish at the small of your neck, just as in the backswing!

In picture 4, all of your weight is on the left foot, with your right toe in the ground just for balance, your belly button is at the target.

As in the first lesson, without a club in your hand, everything stresses the weight shift. If you have any weight remaining on your right foot after the swing, you are not shifting properly. Your weight shift is all-important!

Have your playing partner check your position at the finish. Your left leg is straight, with all of your weight on it, right toe in the ground helping you balance, belly button pointed at the target, chest at the target, left arm from shoulder to elbow horizontal, and parallel to the ground, as is the shaft of your club.

You cannot reach this correct finish position without doing 99% of the swing correctly!

Spring Is The Time to Brush Up on Golf Swing Basics

With Spring weather arriving, I'd like to remind all golfers to get back to basics with your golf swing, so you may jump ahead of the competition before the summer weather arrives.

Golf lessons do not have to be as complicated as many instructors make them sound. If you will practice my three simple "muscle memory" swing tips, I guarantee you will become a much better golfer, and you will enjoy the game more than ever.

What are my credentials for giving golf lessons? I have played golf for 48 years, have been as low as a "Plus 2" handicap, won our club's Men's Club Championship nine times in twelve years, shot as low as a 65 on a Par-72 championship course, and have taught the golf swing for over 22 years. Best of all, I can give you three basic golf lessons at no cost to you, and save you thousands of dollars in the process. Today's lesson is the first of those three basic lessons.

The secret to a good, consistent golf swing is "weight shift". Most new players want to swing a club immediately, and hit balls, so most instructors let them do just that. In my opinion, you should never pick up a club until you learn the proper weight shift.

MUSCLE MEMORY is the secret in Al Geiberger's training video, Psycho Cybernetics, remember?

LESSON ONE OF THREE:

Place a club across your back, held in place by your elbows. Memorize the three pictures at the top, as you go through each step yourself. Ask your playing partner if you are in the correct position for each of the five steps: (Pictures are for right-handers; left-handers are just the opposite)

(1) Weight equal on the inside of both feet, and starting to sit. (2) Shift right until 60% of weight is on the inside of the right foot, and 40% of weight is on the inside of left foot. (3) Shift and turn to the left until all weight is on the left foot, belly button facing the target, left leg straight, right toe down (FINISH POSITION).

Ask your playing partner if your weight is as depicted in each photo, especially in the finish position. If ANY of your weight is still on your right foot, practice this exercise until you have moved all of your weight to the left! DO NOT PICK UP A CLUB UNTIL THIS IS PERFECT!

Golf lessons do not have to be as complicated as many instructors make them sound. If you will practice my three simple "muscle memory" swing tips, I guarantee you will become a much better golfer, and you will enjoy the game more than ever.

Golf Lesson Two of Three

The previous golf swing lesson covered the importance of your proper weight shift. Your "Muscle Memory" practice should precede any swinging of a club! Now, in Step Two of that weight shift practice you may pick up a 5-iron, and go through the weight shift motions all over again.

In the first picture, you are at address, with your weight evenly distributed on the inside of both feet.

On the back swing, picture 2, put 60% of your weight on the inside of the right foot, and 40% on the inside of the left foot. The club should be moving toward the small of your neck, so it is on plane.

In picture 3, your weight is moving to the left, and the club is on plane to finish at the small of your neck, just as in the backswing!

In picture 4, all of your weight is on the left foot, with your right tow in the ground just for balance, your belly button is at the target.

As in the first lesson, without a club in your hand, everything stresses the weight shift. If you have any weight remaining on your right foot after the swing, you are not shifting properly. Your weight shift is all-important!

Golf Swing Not Complicated!

Golf lessons do not have to be as complicated as many instructors make them sound. If you will practice my three simple "muscle memory" swing tips, I guarantee you will become a much better golfer, and you will enjoy the game more than ever.

The secret to a good, consistent golf swing is "weight shift". Most new players want to swing a club immediately, and hit balls, so most instructors let them do just that. In my opinion, you should never pick up a club until you learn the proper weight shift.

MUSCLE MEMORY is the secret in Al Geiberger's training video, Psycho Cybernetics, remember?

LESSON ONE OF THREE:

Place a club across your back, held in place by your elbows. Memorize the five pictures at the left, as you go through each step yourself. Ask your playing partner if you are in the correct position for each of the five steps: (Pictures are for right-handers; left-handers are just the opposite)

(1 and 2) Weight equal on the inside of both feet, and starting to sit. 3) Shift right until 60% of weight is on the inside of the right foot, and 40% of weight is on the inside of left foot. (4 and 5) Shift and turn to the left until all weight is on the left foot, belly button facing the target, left leg straight, right toe down (FINISH POSITION).

Ask your playing partner if your weight is as depicted in each photo, especially in the finish position. If ANY of your weight is still on your right foot, practice this exercise until you have moved all of your weight to the left! DO NOT PICK UP A CLUB UNTIL THIS IS PERFECT!

Golf lessons do not have to be as complicated as many instructors make them sound. If you will practice my three simple "muscle memory" swing tips, I guarantee you will become a much better golfer, and you will enjoy the game more than ever.

The secret to a good, consistent golf swing is "weight shift". Most new players want to swing a club, and hit balls, so most instructors let them do just that. In my opinion, you should never pick up a club until you learn the proper weight shift.