I just signed up to do a 100 holes in a day marathon on May 3rd and I need to start getting ready. The event will benefit junior golf and I will play 9 holes with 11 different juniors so they can be a part of this exciting day. The problem for me is that I maybe played a total of 200 holes in 2008. Now in one day I am going to play 100 holes. This gives me a great reason to practice, get in golf shape, and challenge my mental game to play so much in one day. I will keep everyone updated on how I am training to so I can play great golf, injury free, and be able to raise money for junior golf

The golf season will officially start this week when Tiger Woods comes back to the tour after surgery on his left knee. Everybody will be wondering how he will perform. He will be great. With no pain in the left knee he will be able to swing freely for the first time in 3 years. The physical part will be fine, it is the mental side that might get even better. When athletes are away from their game they begin to change perspective. They get to a point where they miss playing. Many like Tiger get completely away from the game and begin to focus on other ventures like his golf course design projects, a new baby boy, and finishing building his home. Tiger will be fresh mentally as many golfers will be fresh after a cold winter. I am looking forward to see once again how Tiger can impress us all.

I was fortunate to get to play at Ojai Valley Inn Resort last Sunday and had a very unique experience. I found myself playing very uninspired golf. You know those days when you could take it or leave it. I was surprised how I felt because I usually look forward to playing my once a month round. From a performance standpoint being uninspired created a decreased level of focus and an almost “too relaxed” attitude on the course. This did not work for me. I play my best when I am a little on edge. This improves my focus and keeps me in the present moment. I was sharing this experience with a student of mine who had just had a similar experience. He agreed that his lazy attitude created focus breakdowns and poor execution on easy shots.

So many players blame their swings for poor rounds when it could be your attitude and how inspired you are to play that day. When the attitude is not right find something about that round that will spark your interest. For me it turned into a challenge to finish strong. I found it difficult to just switch it on. This was a good lesson for me as an occasional player that I need to come to the course with the correct attitude because it can be difficult to change once in the round. Get inspired!

I was fortunate to have a book signing at Barnes and Noble in Palm Desert. I was thrilled to meet so many golfers who asked me questions about the mental game and they usually would start their question with “I am the only one I know that _____”. Now, the blank could be fear of hitting bad shots, playing poorly with a spouse, or being a good practice player and not transferring it to the course. I made it clear to all of these people that they are not alone. All golfers have fears on the course, think negative thoughts, and at times hate the game. The key is what are you going to do about it. In my book I write about the mental game fundamentals and how to train them. These golfers felt there were no answers. I shared my story and other clients who have struggled with the mental game and with the right shift play better and more importantly enjoy the game more. Be honest with yourself in your mental game and start doing something about it.

We are in the middle of Q-School which will determine who gets to play on the PGA, LPGA, Champions, and Nationwide tours. Having worked with several players that have and are going through this process I am reminded about the difference that truly makes a difference for success. This difference is the mental game. All of these players that have come to this final stage can play very good golf. They all have quality swings, short games, and most have had some golf success. The difference with this week is that is determines an entire year of a career. This magnitude of the situation is what hurts some players from focusing on the process of each shot. Unfortunately one shot can determine success and failure. Most players say that being distracted for even one shot could result in a double bogey that will make the golfer fall in the standings. Perspective is important. Yes it is important, however each moment in the tournament needs to mean the same. For the PGA Q-school it is a final stage of 6 rounds. That is a lot of shots. The skill of focus is knowing what to place your attention on and sustaining it. For Q-School the tough part is sustaining it.

Back in September I had the pleasure of interviewing Top Golf Instructor Butch Harmon. I asked him about the mental game and how important it was in the game. He felt golf was 50% mechanics and 50% mental. You need both solid fundamentals and golf smarts to score low. He emphasized that each golfer is different and needs to play to their own strengths and not try to copy someone else’s style. Butch went on to say that as a player improves the mental game becomes more important. To be able to stay focused and deal with pressure will separate the good player from a great player. Butch is unique in the profession as he has never tried to teach a “model”. He teaches the entire player based on what they bring to him and then makes small tweaks. His track record is very impressive as he has worked with Greg Norman, Tiger Woods, and currently teaches Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els. He also mentioned that the teaching professional needs to keep evolving and be open to other instructors ideas and methods. When you think you know it all is when you stop learning and cease to become better. Butch was adament in that he constantly is learning from all experts in fitness, psychology, and club fitting. I have always had respect for Butch and now after speaking with him I know why he is #1.

The past couple of months have been very busy with clients, projects, and new programs I am developing for 2009. One new role I will have is Instructional Contributor to Golf Guide US magazine. What is different with this magazine than other magazines I have written for is that Golf Guide US is in Korean. The magazine is distributed in Korea and Southern California and focuses on the passionate Korean golfer. As I wrote my first article I realized that golf is universal. The same instruction I give in America translates perfectly in other languages. The main reason is on how people learn, which is primarily visual. Golf is a feel game that is easiest learned by imitating someone else’s good form. That is why children pick up the game so quickly. They keep it simple and just copy the instructor. With magazines I have to provide good pictures with simple instructions. No matter the language golfers can learn from pictures and video. I am still amazed as some instructor refuse to use video in their lessons because they think golf is purely a feel game. I agree that once someone masters the fundamentals that it becomes more feel, however how often has our feel been different than the reality of the swing? Too often and it gets in the way of progress. Be on the look out for the January issue of Golf Guide US and learn from the pictures.

I was honored to be named the 2008 Southern California PGA Metro Chapter Teacher of the Year. I was very excited to learn I had been voted the top teacher in my Chapter. The Los Angeles and Orange County area has many top teachers and to be recognized as one of them is very satisfying. When talking with the Chapter President it became apparent that my background with the mental game helped secure the award. The mental game is finally getting the recognition it deserves and the average player can benefit as much if not more than the advanced player. I will be giving a seminar on “How to Focus on the golf course” to fellow PGA professional this Wednesday November 19th. My goal is to share my experiences and expertise on the mental game with others instructors so we can all have even more success with our students. For those that have questions about the mental game please contact me.

Two weeks ago I went to the Fall PGA show in Las Vegas. I was there to see if there were any new training devices and meet with a couple companies. At this show the focus was on club technology, training aids, and clothing. I was a little disappointed in the lack of big name companies that participated in the show. However, what it allowed was the smaller, up and coming companies to show off their product line and get some much needed attention. I was fortunate to interview most of these lesser known companies and I was impressed how each one thought their company was superior to the rest. I know they are supposed to be that way because it is their company. Each company would tell me the research study that proved their product was the best. I was a little confused to interview 8 companies and they all had research studies to show they were the best. What is a consumer supposed to do?

The mental game requires a player to have confidence in their equipment and there is no shortage of outside organizations to tell you why you should be confident in the equipment. I tried all the different clubs and they all were fine, except the performance of a club is predicated on the person who is using it. If you talk to the companies it seems like their club will fix all the problems that us golfers experience. When selecting your next set, don’t get caught up in the hype, test it for yourself. Does it make you better?

Newly Ryder Cup pick Ian Poulter had a bad week at the PGA Tour stop in Boston. He needed to play another PGA Tour event to play the minimum events to keep his full-time card for next year. By playing in the PGA Tour event he was banking on being picked for the Ryder Cup team, because he had not accumulated enough points to be an automatic pick. The media let him have it, by insinuating that Captain Nick Faldo had already promised him he would be picked which made it easy for Poulter to play in the States. Poulter played poorly to miss the cut by five shots and then came out to say, “It’s been a very long week, and I think a lot of misspent energy has been taken up by obvious press — media, players, everybody. It’s just so mentally draining to be in this position, to listen, to read, to hear all the B.S. this week. I’m spent. I’m exhausted. I didn’t want to finish the last two tournaments like this.” Poulter has a long way to go before he challenges Tiger to be an elite player. If the media can get to him like this, he is in for a rude awakening if he plays poorly at the Ryder Cup. Professional golfers are an interesting group in that they feel disrespected if they don’t get attention for their good performances and complain when they get too much attention for their poor performances. Thick skin is needed to play any sport at the highest level. Media just wants to dig for stories, if the players get caught in it they will find their performances will suffer. Take care of the golf the other things are out of your control.