Golf Confessions

Johnson Wagner probably got a break the second round of the tournament with his early (7:30 a.m.) tee time.  Johnson along with Adam Scott shot course records 63 in the first round of play.  This early morning starting time got Wagner out onto the course and gave him little time to think about his great round. 

John Daly is 15 shots off the lead after the first round following his opening 78.  Steve Stricker (64) and Briny Baird (67) both continue to play well.  If Baird can figure out a way to hole some critical putts on the weekend he may get his first victory.  Briny has played well of late, but his putting has not been up to par with his ball striking.

Lorena Ochoa is one stroke behind after the first round of play in the first major of the year on the LPGA.  Natalie Gulbis is two shots back and former number one player Annika Sorenstam is four back.  The LPGA continues to be dominated by the foreign contingent.

Very few American players can be found on the leader board in most LPGA tournaments these days. 

What is your opinion as to why very few tournaments are won by the Americans? 

To play better golf is something we would all like to do no matter what your handicap.  I beleive the biggest problem in golf may be that we try to hard to hit the ball rather than let things happen.  To let it happen in golf sounds simple enough but our hit instincts come into play and we get in our own way.  If someone told you to take a ball and throw it at an object 10 yards away, you would problably hit or come close to the target every time.  On the other hand if that same person bet you on how close you could come to the object and the amount of the bet was out of your comfort zone, then you might start aiming and not releasing your throw.  When you start aiming and trying to throw you will probably grip tighter, not finish your back swing and try to hit the target.  All of these same things happen when we get a golf club in our hands and we try too hard to make a swing.  Most everyone makes a pretty good practice swing, but things get wild when you put a ball in the equation and you are asked to make a swing that will reslut in a good shot.

There is no pressure on a practice swing and there are no resuts that you have to worry about.  When you are hitting the golf ball to a target don’t let results become the focal point, just make the swing and let the shot happen.  Do your mental preparation before the swing and once you get over the golf ball trust your preparation to give you the best results.  The same idea is true on the practice tee and you hit shot after shot, there is no consequence to a bad shot as there is on the golf course.  If you miss hit a shot on the practice tee, you just rake another golf ball over and try again.  You should try and practice as though you are playing golf and see if you can get the same consistancy.  Understand where the club head is and the relationship of the club head and your hands are during the swing, especially in the contact zone with the ball.  It does not matter what kind of backswing you have as long as you can deliver the club head back to the ball in a manner that will produce the shot pattern you want.

Relax, let things happen, don’t get caught up in the results and enjoy the game of golf.

See you on the next tee.