It has taken many years of study and experience to finally understand competitive golf and what makes up a good tournament player.  Primarily, a consistent player has a different set of priorities than other golfers.  For example,  most golfers put the emphasis of the practice on their swing or some other physical part of the game.  Perhaps for you its chipping or putting, but never the less most players work mostly on some part of their game that involves hitting the golf ball.

Champion golfers, however, work more on the mental aspects of their games.  Specifically, they work on their pre-shot routines more than they do their swings.  By investing time in your routine you will be building good habits that translate directly to the golf course and will help you shoot lower scores. 

A good, practiced, and familiar routine is vital to success in competition because it is the only part of your game that is truly under your control.  The wind might howl or your swing might feel out of kilter, but your routine can be good each and every round.  This good routine will help you minimize the damage caused by your missed shots and keep you calm and relaxed during the round.

Competitive golf can be summed up by saying, " the winner of the tournament will most likely be the one who was able to stay with their routine from this first round to the last, no matter what was happening around them."  This is evident in all great players and something we can all do regardless of skill level or experience.

This is due to the loft on the putter face.  In the picture below it is easy to see that an iron that is sitting properly with the sole flat on the ground will be aimed true, directly at the hole.

It is also easy to see that if the same club is sitting in a toe-up position it will be aimed left of the hole due to the loft on the face.

In contrast to an iron most putters have only 4-5 degrees of loft which can be  difficult to see. Make no mistake though, if your putter is not sitting flat on the ground that small amount of loft is enough to affect the line on which your ball will start.    

If your putter is sitting in a toe-up position as shown in the picture below, your ball is likely to start to left of the hole.

The fact that the loft affects alignment  can be confusing for the player who sets up to the ball with a putter that  appears to be aimed correctly but is actually misaligned due to its placement on the ground.

Before you head out play your next round, take a look at your set up in a mirror and specifically how your putter is sitting on the ground.  Make sure it is flat on the ground and you will be sure to make more putts.  

When it comes to rating a good round of golf it is common to have players rate only a low score as good and only a high score as bad.  This rating system may be correct for some of the rounds they play, but for other rounds it may be flawed.

For example, if you shoot a low score by having 3 tee shots hit trees and stay in bounds, chip in twice and hole 4 putts from over 50 feet, you might convince yourself that your game is great.  To an objective observer, however, you hit the ball all over the place and just happened to get every good break imaginable.  This might be a low score, but duplicating it will be nearly impossible.

On the other hand, if you had a higher score while doing several things right such as sticking to your game plan, staying with one key thought for the day, and committing to your shots, you will find this process easy to duplicate.  This process will also lead to lower scores because you are following a game plan which puts you in control. 

Learn to rate your rounds of golf by your ability to stay committed to your goals for the day and not only by the score you shoot.  Be sure that your goals are process oriented, such as picking a target on each shot, or doing your routine properly.  Outcome oriented goals such as having a top 10 finish or 28 putts are not always within your control, and thus usually serve only as a distraction or to increase pressure.



Copyright & copy; 2008 - 2011, Mike Wilson Golf. All rights reserved.

It is a combination club possessing great versatility due to the modern design.  It is as forgiving as a normal Rescue, but can be modified either by face angle, loft or lie.  This means you can set it up just like a normal fairway wood with around 15 degrees of loft.

Because of this amazing design, I believe we may see 3 woods disappearing from golf bags, joining the 1,2,3 and 4 irons as relics from another era, and thankfully so.  Today's club designers are helping us enjoy golf by building great clubs that make the long game easier than ever before. 

Hats off to TaylorMade and their R & D department.   

Like many golfers, he was under the impression that more power meant lower scores, but he has learned that a great routine coupled with a world-class short game is a much more reliable way to score consistently.  He even went so far as to set a goal of having the best short game in the world, which is evident by how often he gets up and down.

I encourge you to assess your own game and evaluate just how dedicated you are to chipping, putting and sand play.  Chances are you can improve greatly in all of these areas.  In the end, shooting lower scores is what we all want to do, but hitting the ball 350 yards is only for the select few.  The rest of us need to follow the example of steady players like Donald and work on consistency rather than extreme power.

I am excited to watch the US Open next week to see if Luke and his great wedge game will conquer Congressional. 

GolfTEC's video system also works extremely well but it is the motion capture aspect of the training that has made the biggest difference to my students.  By comparing their numbers to tour player data they are able to see where they need to improve.  This process removes the instructor-opinion aspect of normal golf lessons and instead bases the improvement plan on the facts of the measurements. 

The 3-D system also clears up communication between the player and the coach, which is often times the biggest barrier to improvement.  If you have not tried the GolfTEC system I highly recommend that you do. You will not be disappointed.



Senior Glory Yang

Nov. 7, 2010

The fourth-ranked UCLA women's golf team used a two-hour delay to regroup and reclaim its swagger to win the first Pac-10/SEC Challenge at the Stanford Golf Course in Palo Alto Sunday.

The Bruins posted a team score of six-over par 290 for a 54-hole score of 856 (+4) to win by 11 shots over Alabama (867, +15). When play was called at 10:40 a.m. local time because of unplayable conditions, the Bruins held a precarious one-stroke lead. They managed to refocus during the stoppage and increased their lead to the winning margin by the end of the round.

USC captured third place at 875 (+23), followed by Arizona at 877 (+25) and Auburn at 879 (+27). Both Alabama and Auburn entered the tournament ranked first and second nationally.

Individually for the Bruins, junior All-American Stephanie Kono fired a final round 68 (-3) and placed second, one shot behind USC's Sophie Popov. Popov posted a 67 (-4) in the final round. Senior Glory Yang finished sixth at even par 213 after her round of 73 (+2). Freshman Ani Gulugian tied for 13th at 217 (+4) and sophomore Tiffany Lua tied for 16th at 218 (+5). Gulugian posted a 76 (+5) and Lua carded a score of 73 (+2). Junior Brianna Do tied for 50th at 227 (+14) following a final round of 79 (+8).