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
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
Labels: golf improvement, golf swing improvement, mental golf
posted by Rick Semple at 5:42 PM
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