Mental
Management
Swing
Short Game
Putting
To help me in my development are five individuals, two of which I doubt I'll ever meet. Theoretically, you will already know that I am a big fan of Dave Pelz and Bob Rotella. I am just coming to the end of Rotella's fifth golf book "Your 15th Club" and to be honest I think it's the book most people should read first. Unlike the other books it talks about the processes and techniques you need to use on a daily basis to improve your performance on the course. Now all I need to do is buy a journal and re read the other books!
Dave Pelz 3x4 wedge system is where I hope to end up but at the moment I am just concentrating on the three wedges I have and becoming consistent with my full and half swings. Once I've mastered that I will start to look at the quarter and three quarter swings. The Pelz book also has useful reference points for different types of wedge shots, which have proved invaluable in terms of small adjustments to make on different types of lies and what shot shape to expect, for example learning that an uphill lie will naturally generate a draw.
Supporting the theory are three very different individuals who will hopefully provide interesting and varied perspectives. First up is my coach Simon Dainty who is based at Fynn Valley Golf Club and with whom I have struck up a strong rapport. I'd highly recommend Simon to anyone in the Suffolk area who is thinking about developing their game. He is working with me on my swing mechanics and my technique on short approach shots and bunker play. Next up is Reg Clayden who is Club Captain at Waldringfield Golf Club and has a handicap of 7. Alongside occasional observations on my technique, he is helping me improve my course management and how I approach playing each hole. Every round with Reg is a real eye opener. Finally, there's young Ed Baker who has played off a handicap of 5 and is a young player full of promise. With his exuberance and instinctiveness of youth, I'm hoping I will be able te learn how to better read greens by playing with Ed. The fact that he has just started work as a greenkeeper will hopefully broaden his understanding of how greens slope, break and play.
So there you have it, 'Team Tiger'. Obviously, there will be many other people I will play against over the course of the year, all of whom will provide valuable insight to the great game. An example will be learning how to block out distractions and handle pressure when I play with my two brothers, one of whom will be brimming with banter.
Comments:
Homer
Sounds like you have a dream team going on then. I’m playing a lot with HTL off the GM forum and he’s officially 17 but is a much better golfer than that. He keeps my game honest as I’m really struggling to beat him whether I’m hitting well or not. If he can get his head straight over the summer he’ll be single figures.
I have a great relationship with my coach too and think its vital. I’m going to give it a few weeks and try and play myself out of this dip and then see where I go. I’ve got a nine hole playing lesson to take and was going to have that later in the year but might move it forward
Tiger
Yeah I hope so. Playing with low handicappers will hopefully help me learn a lot about how to play the game and most importantly how to score. Reg’s chipping is out of this world! Simon is really helping me work on my dispersion pattern. As I naturally hit it quite long if I can keep it in play and strike it consistently things could dramatically improve overnight. Lots of work ahead but I’m hoping a couple of major breakthroughs are just round the corner.
Homer
More optimism than me. Check out my blog for a sad state of affairs.
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