Include Fitness in the Golf Improvement Blend ---

A blended approach of using both mental and physical techniques helps to optimize your golf improvement efforts. In other words, blend mental game techniques along with your physical techniques rather than focusing only on the physical (if you still have a lot of fear and self-doubt, you won't get the optimum results from hours and hours of practice). This is well known and widely promoted and practiced by great teachers and players. It is this blended approach, rather than a strictly mechanical approach, that has brought real consistency and long-lasting positive change to my game, and that is what I have written about in this blog.

Looking at this blended idea even further, it is actually a "blend of a blend" that gets the optimum results. That is, a blend of mental golf techniques (i.e. focus, visualization, positive self-talk, and other supportive beliefs and attitudes) blended with a blend of physical techniques. Incorporating fitness exercises into the physical blend really helps to make it a "deluxe mix" that builds on the power of your positive golf mindset. Strengthening your mind with positive golf ideas and strengthening your body with golf fitness exercises provides a solid, strong foundation that betters supports your optimum motion and optimum game.

Here is a great golf exercise video tip that illustrates how easily you can incorporate golf fitness into your life. Try incorporating exercises like these into your own mental/physical blend as you proceed on the path to realizing your best golf potential!


Golf Exercise Video Tip for Longer Drives:

If you’re looking for “plug-n-play” golf exercise dvds, visit Perform Better Golf today!

Here's to great golf!

Rick Semple
Positive Golfer
Co-Founder, TheHeartofGolf.com
http://www.theheartofgolf.com/

Positive Golf Kudos ---

I read about the 15-under-par 56 recorded at Cattails GC in Alamosa, Colo. on September 5 by Jay Osmon, an assistant pro at the club. Osmon made five birdies and two eagles on the front nine and shot 26. His comment about the back nine was this: "On the back nine, I wasn't trying to think a whole lot. I knew I was playing well. I just wanted to stay out of my own way." Kudos to Jay for his accomplishment and his positive wisdom! "Staying out of your own way" is a key mental golf principle that helps lead to positive experiences on the course. The idea is to stay focused and on track and not let fears, doubts, distractions, frustrations, what-ifs, and other negative thoughts and feelings get in the way. It's great to see examples like Jay Osmon showing us how to put this into practice.

By the way, we have a new Positive Golf Workbook coming out soon that will provide tips, techniques, and exercises to help you develop this positive mental approach and "stay out of your own way" on the course so your great swing and great golf potential will really shine through. More news coming soon. Stay tuned...

Here's to great golf!

Rick Semple
Positive Golfer
Co-Founder, TheHeartofGolf.com
http://www.TheHeartofGolf.com

Resources to improve your putting game ---

Too often, your putting game doesn't get the attention it deserves, and, too often, this leads to negative rather than positive golf experiences. Here are a couple of great resources that can help to improve your putting game. I like them because each one emphasizes the value of using BOTH mental and physical techniques to improve your game. Each one also has ideas and drills that you can practice at the course as well as year-round at home:

1. The Putting Performance DVD from PurePoint Golf

This DVD is very well done and provides pointers such as: a unique grip for optimal performance and accuracy, the one simple key to accuracy, the proper stance, how to roll your ball the exact distance it needs to go, and how to know exactly how long your stroke needs to be for every putt. There are also sections on mental preparation, faults and cures, drills, and lots more. This is good information that is well delivered and can really help your game. Bobby Eldridge, Head Professional at PurePoint Golf says this: "I want you to perform on the putting green and stop being nervous about your putts and embarassed when you miss a short one." CLICK HERE to get more details.

2. "The Art of Putting," by Stan Utley

Stan Utley has been called "Golf's latest superstar guru" by Golf Digest, and for good reason. After I read this book, I can see why he has been so helpful to so many. He is brilliantly clear on explaining the fundamentals (which are done incorrectly by so many people, including pros) and giving guidance on how to improve your stroke by putting "feel" back into your game. This feel-based approach has made an enormous difference not only in my putting stroke but my full swing as well. Utley also gives great pointers on the value of being mentally prepared and getting into the "golf mindset." I liked this remark: "It's impossible to overestimate how important attitude is to putting. I know for a fact that I miss putts even when I'm making a great stroke if my attitude is bad. If I stand over the ball resigned to the fact that I'm probably not going to make it, I won't unless it happens by accident. It's incredible how much of an impact your mindset can have." CLICK HERE to read more about the book on Amazon.

Here's to great putting!

Rick Semple
Positive Golfer
Co-Founder, TheHeartofGolf.com
http://www.theheartofgolf.com/

Late Summer Update on Positive Golf Improvement Projects for 2007

In January, I first started posting on the Positive Golf Improvement Projects that my wife and I chose to focus on for 2007. Along the way, there have been some other related posts. This included the focus of our projects, along with the "blend" of inner mental and outer physical techniques that we each chose to start using early in the year to approach our golf improvement. Now I am sharing a late summer update that provides the orginal overview of our projects, along with our progress and new ideas that we learned along the way. Selecting the projects and approaching them in this Positive Golf manner gave us focus and clarity, which helped to keep us on track for our goals. We were also reminded of the value of persistence when pursuing our golf improvement goals. There were times for each of us, especially in the beginning when we weren't getting rapid results, that we would slip back to old attitudes and habits which would get us back to the old way of hitting the ball. Then we learned the tip of picking one attitude, habit, or skill at a time to stop and one to adopt, and that helped to keep us focused and on track. That way, we felt less overwhelmed and frustrated. And, rather than waiting for major results all at once, we got to see "smaller" results in increments which all added up in the end and still showed us positive change along the way. Overall, this is a great way to make changes in your game and we look forward to picking new Positive Golf Improvement Projects next year!

RICK'S POSITIVE GOLF IMPROVEMENT PROJECT FOR 2007:

Project Focus: To consistently hit short wedge and pitch shots within 10 feet of the hole.

Affirmations I Chose to Practice (Inner Game):
- I am capable of spinning the ball with my pitch shots.
- I see my pithces spinning and checking next to the hole.
- I enjoy playing pitch shots around the greens.

Techniques I Chose to Use (Outer Game):
- Stand tall.
- Get the club up more steeply on the backswing.
- Swing down by turning the body toward the target, letting the clubhead trail the hands.
- For distance control, match length of backswing and downswing.

Late Summer Progress Update, Including Challenges, New Ideas, and Techniques:

I've worked quite diligently over the summer at my golf improvement project. My biggest challenge hitting pitch shots has been accepting the idea of allowing my body turn to hit the ball, rather than hitting at it with my hands and arms. As with all changes, mental acceptance must precede the physical doing, and this ingrained habit has not easily been replaced. Continuing mental and physical practice has led to a marked improvement in my pitching game, and the most interesting result of all was that it has led to a new self discovery. If I should hit pitch shots with my body turn, why shouldn't I hit all shots this way! In other words, mentally envision the hands and arms as passive, and the hip turn as the primary driving force. Subsequently, I discovered that this is not a new concept (in fact, it's a very old one), but it sure was new to me.

I see this as a good example of how a single golf improvement idea, when pursued, can expand into something which can benefit one's whole golf game. I look forward to posting a further progress report in the fall.

CHRISTY'S POSITIVE GOLF IMPROVEMENT PROJECT FOR 2007 (CHRISTY IS A BEGINNING GOLFER):

Project Focus: To consistently hit straight drives approaching 200 yards.

New Ideas I Used (Inner Game): An understandable analogy for me has been to remember the rounded motion used to hit a baseball.

Affirmations I Chose to Practice (Inner Game):
(These help me to focus on what I can do, and help me be aware of the feeling of the proper swing motion.)
- I have the ability to hit great drives.
- I can swing with the perfect tempo.
- I allow the flow of a smooth swing motion.
- I am making progress.

Techniques I Chose to Use (Outer Game):
- To have a more rounded swing, rather than a vertical motion, practice swinging the club a foot or so off the ground.
- Think of this cadence while swinging: swing back - plant left foot - swing through.

Late Summer Progress Update, Including Challenges, New Ideas, and Techniques:

As the summer and my practice progressed, I came to the realization that one of the mental ideas that I had to change was related to anxiety and lack of confidence. This was causing me to be very tense and was limiting my motion. Consciously focusing on relaxation and supportive affirmations helped to develop confidence and allow a smoother swing motion. I also practiced the ideas that Rick shares in his new FEELING DRIVEN GOLF e-book related to being aware of and in tune with the feel of the swing motion that leads to desirable results and using this to develop a smooth, consistent swing. These new ideas, along with the other ideas and techniques I chose to use early in the year have helped me to develop more distance and consistency, and I look forward to continuing improvement.

We look forward to hearing from other Positive Golfers on their Positive Golf Improvement Projects for 2007!

Here's to great golf!

Rick Semple
Positive Golfer
Co-Founder, TheHeartofGolf.com
http://www.TheHeartofGolf.com