Mental Game: Finding the zone
Good For Bubba – And For Golf!
The 2012 Masters will be considered a classic for a long time!
Not only that but it was very good for the game of golf. There is another star on the PGA Tour. Oh sure, Bubba has been around for awhile, and we all know how exciting he is with his swashbuckling manner of play. But, to do it in the way that he did it! Having to create shots that would scare the daylights out of many touring pros, on the back nine, on Sunday, at The Masters, has contributed to Bubba becoming a household name, even amongst many non-golfers.
With the current state of the PGA Tour (and Tiger Woods’ antics weakening his mind and reducing him to just another touring pro), golf has lost much of the excitement that it had in recent years. We needed some fresh heroes to step up. Oosthuizen wasn’t a fluke when he won the British Open, but now he has confirmed himself as a player who has to be reckoned with in all the majors. Let’s add something to the mix, though. Bubba and Louis are not only great golfers. Their attitudes and behavior make them people who many of you would enjoy your posterity looking up to.
Tiger has been an unbelievable golfer who raised the bar possibly higher than it’s ever been…in some respects, anyway. Sadly, though, I shudder at the thought of his example of being a role model to those who will follow. Not only for his antics off the course, but even on it. If a full-grown man doesn’t have more control over himself than to sling and then kick his club when he hits a shot that he doesn’t like, what kind of example does that set for the youngsters coming up? He lets profanity fly when he deems it is necessary, whether there are ladies, children, or whoever in the gallery. Honestly, I sit and watch Tiger sometimes and wonder what he is going to do next that sets a bad example for those youngsters who idolize him.
I’m pulling for him, though! I want Tiger to get past all of this and finally grow up into the man that he has the opportunity to become. I really don’t know how I would handle it if I was young, worth hundreds of millions of dollars or maybe a billion, was idolized all over the world, and had people treating me like royalty wherever I went. Then, to know that I was so special that many people just wanted to say “Hi” as I passed by so that they could tell their grandchildren 40 years from now that they actually talked to me. Even with all of those distractions, in many ways, Tiger has demonstrated that he is driven to be the best that he can be and I give him credit for that.
It would be a great story if Tiger got his life together and was able to finally look all of us in the eye and say, “What have I done? How could I have been such a boorish person who, too many times, has shown so little respect for the game, my competitors, the fans, and having little regard for giving back to the game which has been so good to me? I can only imagine what effect my actions on and off the course will have on many young men in the future who have idolized me for years.”
I would like to say to him, Tiger, you’ve been compared to and in many people’s eyes, even exceeded Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and even Jack Nicklaus as the best golfer in history. It would be nice to see you finally get to the place, though, where you could represent the true spirit of golf as those men have, men who gave back as much or more than they took. I’m really pulling for you, Tiger. Please…grow up! If not for yourself, do it for the youngsters coming up!
We all make mistakes; that’s part of life! One of the wonderful things about golf, though, is that it teaches us how to take responsibility for errors, correct them, and become better for it. You’ve done that very thing on the golf course, in major championships, right in front of our eyes. It will be one of the greatest sports stories ever told if you finally accept the responsibility that goes along with what you have received from golf and the fans that have supported you and behaved in a way that upholds the finest traditions of the game. Now, let me give you some incentive! It would also give you the best chance at beating Jack’s total number of wins in the majors – seriously! Here is a fact of life: For anybody to reach their true potential, they simply must be at peace with themselves.
PART 1: Tiger’s Modern Swing Setup
Photo by Keith Allison
I consider myself a golf historian, though admittedly my interest leans mostly toward the realm of golf instruction. In fact, in my library I’ve got over one hundred how-to books, my at home office walls are covered with swing sequence photographs of golf greats, and my desk drawers contain golf videotapes and electronic media of all types, plus binders containing instruction articles cut out of major golf magazines. On top of that, I’ve attended approximately 25 golf schools around the world, and when not attending a golf tournament, constantly watch golf on television. I live golf instruction!
In searching all these years for the answers to the perfect swing, I’ve tested out all kinds of swing methods, including the most popular and the most obscure, and observed closely the swings of top tour pros from past and present eras.
In tracking the actions of Tour professionals, the players I pay the closest attention to simply because they have proven themselves to be the best golf club swingers and golf scorers in the world, I’ve noticed that over the last ten years gradual changes have been occurring in the techniques of more and more top players. These changes have all been quite subtle in nature and, again, so gradual that the leading golf magazines have not reported on them. Furthermore, until the 2007 PGA championship, no one player had employed all of the elements of what was being built before your eyes without you knowing it: The Modern Golf Swing.
In all fairness, the chief reason this modern golf creation was virtually impossible to see was because players were modernizing their setup, backswing, and downswing piecemeal, and by feel or instinct alone. Moreover, one player would change only one address key, another player only one backswing key, another one downswing key, and so on. Therefore, these changes went unnoticeable. No one golfer had it all together, a handle on the complete Modern Swing package, but that was all to change.
My trained eye and my constant tracking of what goes on in the world of golf instruction is what allowed me to discover the one player who was smart enough to figure out the entire puzzle and piece each piece together into one super-efficient package. Furthermore, this player operated according to a plan, making conscious decisions to risk everything he had accomplished to try and bring his technique to the highest possible level. This shows the genius and the courage of that one player. Who is this one player who has assembled the Modern Swing that will now be our model for the future and allow him to play golf even better than before and likely overtake Jack Nicklaus’s major championship record of 18 major championships? Why, of course, it’s Tiger Woods, the world’s greatest golfer, who just so happens to be the most determined golfer, who just so happens to be the golfer who most thinks outside the box when meditating on golf technique.
What’s even more ironic is Tiger Woods is setting the trend, but he’s such a phenomenon and gone through so many teachers and methods that the press and golf swing aficionados have failed to notice the changes Tiger has made to his setup and swing. That’s why you have not heard any golf commentator mention Tiger’s accomplishment or, up until now, ever read about Tiger discovering and employing The Modern Swing.
I spoke about this at length in one of my books, Tiger’s New Swing. However, since its publication in 2005, Tiger has modernized his swing. And as one golf insider told me, Tiger did the work himself (mostly after failing to win the first three major championships of 2007), and that makes sense, considering he knows more about golf technique than anyone in the world.
THE MODERN SWING SETUP
* Teach Your Students to Follow These Instructions
When setting up to drive, position the ball an inch behind your left heel, tee the ball lower than normal, so that the leading edge of the driver’s face is even or just a tad below the top of the ball. Just recently, Tiger
changed the position of the ball, moving it back slightly. Tiger also started teeing the ball lower to discourage an exaggerated upswing hit and, instead, encourage what renowned teacher Jim McLean calls a more streamlined “flat spot” in the hitting area, and as a result, a more level strike. By level strike, I mean that the club moves low along the target line through impact and stays on the ball for a split second longer. The result:
more solid, clubface-to-ball contact, less backspin imparted on the ball, and a lower, more piercing ball flight.
I’ve also noticed that rather than set his hands a couple of inches behind the ball, a la Ben Hogan, in order to promote a low and long takeaway, Tiger sets them slightly ahead. This new “modernized” position promotes a more upright swing plane, very different than the flat swing Tiger learned under Butch Harmon. So, I suppose Tiger now believes what his idol Jack Nicklaus always believed, and what we should all accept as fact:
“An upright plane gives the golfer his best chance of swinging the club along the target line at impact.”
Two other setup changes to Tiger’s swing that are both tied to one another involve the left hip and the distribution of weight. Whereas Tiger used to set slightly more weight on his right foot and tilt his left hip up, to promote an upswing hit, he now sets up with his weight evenly balanced and his hips dead level.
These modernized changes of Tiger, plus setting his head more in line with the ball than well behind it, point to the modern-day golfer looking for added distance via a lower flying tee shot that will roll out farther upon landing, rather than a tee ball hit with plenty of carry.
Last, but certainly not least, Tiger’s grip is neutral to strong, instead of on the weak side, and his stance square rather than open, proving that he is trying to gram a straight ball or slight draw into his shotmaking repertoire rather than his old bread-and-butter high flying fade that, unfortunately, sometimes turned into a slice. Sometimes, too, when fearing hitting a shot right of target, Tiger would try to flip the club back to square at impact, end up closing the clubface, and hitting a duck-hook.
Have your students work on the aforementioned address keys until they become second nature. At that
point, they will be ready to learn and groove Tiger’s backswing and downswing keys.
PART 2: Tiger’s Modern Backswing and Downsizing
Photo by Keith Allison
By John Andrisani
USGTF Level III Member, Vero Beach, Florida
Previously, I brought to your attention something that had previously gone unnoticed by golf experts, yet it is something so groundbreaking for the world of golf instruction and how the game is likely to be taught in the future. It was the discovery that Tiger Woods changed his swing once again, likely this time forever, since the new Modern Swing he employed helped him hit the ball so powerfully, so accurately and, moreover, on such a super-controlled consistent trajectory, that he re-entered the winner’s circle at the 2007 PGA championship, his 13th time in a major championship.
I had heard from good sources, prior to the PGA, that Tiger was working on modernizing his swing, only this time all alone, without the help of any of his former teachers and without the aid of present coach Hank Haney. Apparently, Tiger had programmed so much swing data into his brain over years and years that he just wanted to let all this technical information filter through, with only the best swing technique emerging.
All of you teachers, and your students, too, should be excited and ecstatic that in your lifetime you not only get to see this great champion hit such wonderful tee shots, but that you now will learn, based on my observations, the backswing and downswing keys that Tiger uses to compliment his new Modern address, described previously. On that note, let me take you to the lesson tee, where I will use Tiger as the ultimate Modern Swing model. You, me, your students, and our generation of teachers and amateur golfers should all realize that Tiger’s new Modern Swing just may be the future of golf instruction.
THE MODERN BACKSWING ACTION
Once comfortably and correctly establishing the Modern Swing Setup, Tiger swings the club low to the ground for about six inches, just long enough to start creating width, and thus stored power. Tiger controls the swinging action by nudging his weight away from the target and gently pulling the club away with his hands, simply because it is the most natural thing to do. The club moves directly along the target line early in the takeaway, then slightly to the inside once Tiger’s shoulders begin turning slightly clockwise.
As soon as the club’s shaft parallels the target line at waist level and weight shifts to Tiger’s right foot, right leg, and braced right knee, Tiger allows his right wrist to hinge slightly, with the club moving up quite quickly. This upward movement of the club is helped by Tiger’s modernized shoulder action. Rather than turn the shoulders on a flat plane, he kind of rocks them, albeit being cautious not to dip them. Make sure you advise your students to be careful of wrongly dipping the shoulders, since this fault will cause a reverse pivot. Let the player simply feel the correct movement – left shoulder points down slightly, right shoulder points up slightly – in a see-saw fashion.
Tiger continues swinging back, with the momentum of the turn and the slight tug on the club with his right
hand carrying the club to the top, where it now finishes square to the target line rather than laid off, as was the case before his switch to a Modern Swing. Tiger’s early set and turn action allow him to make a free and fluid backswing action that is more natural-feeling, and therefore easier for him and all golfers to repeat.
Tiger’s footwork has changed, too. Rather than keep his left heel planted on the ground, he allows it to lift slightly, and this move promotes a bigger, more relaxed turn, though the turning action of the shoulders, again, is more upright than flat. It’s obvious that Tiger figured out that this modernized turning action allows the club to stay closer to the target line on the backswing, so that he can rely less on timing for delivering it squarely to the ball on the downswing.
THE MODERN DOWNSWING ACTION
Because Tiger now sets the club sooner on the backswing and arrives in the ideal parallel position at the top, all he does to trigger the downswing is replant his left heel and nudge or bump his body weight toward the target. These moves, in turn, cause the right elbow to drop down into his side and the club to fall into the perfect hitting slot.
Because Tiger now swings the club back on an upright plane, the club does not have to travel as far on the downswing when returning to impact. Tiger sometimes used to swing the club on an overly flat plane and lay the club off at the top, which caused him problems coming down. Fearing the club would get stuck behind his body and cause him to have trouble returning it to square (from such an inside position), Tiger tended to sometimes clear his hips too early and too vigorously and ruin a good score by hitting a tee shot way off line into trouble.
The beauty of Tiger’s new modernized downswing is that it is an ideal remedy for students who tend to swing the club back on an overly flat plane and push shots right of target. Tiger’s modern action is both freefeeling and natural-feeling, and thus easier to repeat. Simply have the student trigger the downswing by practically simultaneously nudging their lower body toward the target and replanting the left heel on the teeing ground’s grass surface. In doing thus, the right elbow and club will drop down into the perfect hitting position. from there, all your student should do is rotate his or her left hip counterclockwise, just as Tiger does. A split second later, the student should release the right foot and hip and begin straightening the right arm.
Finally, once the student’s left hip clears and the club nears impact, he or she should straighten the right wrist. Do that yourself and you will feel the club catapult into the back of the ball. Bam! You have just experienced Tiger Woods’ hot new swing with a Modern Twist.
You May Not Be Tiger Woods, But You Are A Golfing Brand!
Photo by Keith Allison
By Jack Sims
USGTF Level III Member – Miami, Florida
It sounds too good to be true, right? But, I can assure you that while you may not be a big brand like Tiger, Ernie, Jack, or Arnie, you still are a brand!
You see, if you give one golf lesson to one student, you are a brand. And, your brand is probably the single biggest financial asset that you have!
The result of this one lesson can range from as far as “It was a terrible lesson,” to “It was a good lesson,” to “Wow, that was awesome. I have never hit the ball like that before.” But, the net result can be totally different because the whole process of branding is based around the total experience that your students have – it’s not only the lesson! It’s everything that you do before they show up, the way you talk to them before that first lesson, finding out who they are and what their expectations are, the care, support and enthusiasm that you share during the lesson, and the follow- up after the lesson.
At the end of the day, you have to be good at what you do in giving golf lessons. That is your product, and you have to make it the very best that it can be. You cannot cut corners on this one!
On the assumption that you have managed to become a good golf teacher (product) and that you accept that you are a brand; you are ready to take your brand to the next level, and to do that you need to have a clear understanding of exactly what a brand is:
It’s your unique promise of value that results in a positive collection of perceptions in the minds of your students.
Each one of these words is incredibly important if you want to grow your golf teaching business into a big brand, and it starts with the following:
BE UNIQUE: What is it that makes you, as a golf teacher, unique? Why will people go out of their way to pay a premium price and get a golf lesson or series of lessons from you? If you can’t answer that question, I humbly suggest that you figure out a way that you can. You have to find uniqueness as a golf teacher that will make you stand out in the marketplace that, frankly, is a sea of sameness. It can be the way you communicate, the way you follow up with an e-mail of the things you went over on the lesson, keeping a case history on every student (I got that one from my wife who is a doctor), or whatever you can come up with that will differentiate you from everyone else that they do business with. This applies to not only other golf teachers, but businesses or products that they might use, because you have to understand it’s all about getting an incremental share of their wallet, and they only have one wallet.
KEEP YOUR PROMISES: When you advertise or promote your golf lessons in whatever media that might be, you are basically promising the target something – a promise of a good experience, the fundamentals of golf, taking their game to the next level, or whatever…it doesn’t matter.
The thing is that you are making a promise. And, I can tell you from 30 years of being in the marketing and branding business that many companies do not keep their promises. I don’t know about you, but my mother taught me to keep my promises. Why is it that we forget this when we go into business? You must remember you are in a business.
DELIVER VALUE: Value is what your students want, as much as they want great results. And, the one thing that you have to know is that it’s not about price, despite what people might tell you. Think about this: you have probably paid $4.50 for a latte from Starbucks and felt really good about it. In fact, when you are walking down the street with that cup of Starbucks in your hand, you say to yourself, I am special, I am worth it, I deserve this cup of Starbucks coffee. You could have gone to your deli and paid $1.50 for a cup, but you didn’t. You see, it’s not about price, because price is what you pay and value is what you get. Make your students feel special by coming to you, and make sure everything you do before, during, and after the lesson make them feel special. Give them a good reason to perceive that the value that they get when they come for a lesson far exceeds what they are paying for it.
DELIVER A POSITIVE COLLECTION OF PERCEPTIONS:
Every time you put an ad in the local paper or the yellow pages, answer the phone or your answering machine kicks on, greet students at your facility, etc., it helps add to the perception of who you are and what your brand is! Yes folks, “perception is reality,” and you have to make sure that every “touch point” with your students reinforces your brand position. Consistency is an absolute must when it comes to building your brand, and you have to make sure that your communications are delivered with “consistent and multiple quality impressions”.
YOU HAVE TO GET A PIECE OF THEIR MINDS: This is exactly what products like the Apple iPod have done. Let’s face it, you can go to eBbay and buy an MP3 player for $120, but no, we go and buy an iPod for $300, because they have a bigger share of our mental real estate. You can do the same with your golf teaching if you deliver your communications with memorable and outstanding words, and with promotional marketing that features the benefits that the recipient will get by taking lessons from you. Be sure to deliver these messages consistently!
That’s it. Please again remember the following, and start growing into a brand:
It’s your unique promise of value that results in a positive collection of perceptions in the minds of your students.
Jack Sims is not only a five-year member of the USGTF, but is also an expert who speaks on marketing and branding. You can visit him at www.jacksims.com and e-mail him if you have any questions at info@jacksims.com.