Summer Reading

Since there are so ways golfers can get information on the swing and how to play, I thought I might list some of my favorite books that I suggest to students who are looking for ways to improve their games.

So in no particular order, here they are:

1. Practical Golf by John Jacobs
This one is terrific for simple explanations of ball-flight corrections as well as great diagrams and pictures.

2. The 8-Step Swing by Jim McLean
Jim is one of the top teachers in golf and breaks the swing down into 8 positions. It may sound technical but if you are looking for a detailed system to improve your swing it's excellent. Once you start reading it will help you get a clear picture of what you need to do to improve your swing.

3. The Little Red Book by Harvey Penick
A golf instruction classic, Harvey taught golf for almost 80 years and the book is full of great advice that can help anyone from beginner to expert. An easy read that you can look at several times and always get something new to help your game.

4. Your 15th Club by Dr. Bob Rotella
This is Rotella's latest book and in my opinion his best. It covers his basic tenants for a sound mental approach to playing the game and gives lots of practical advice on how to apply the lessons.

What's The Score Coach?

I was watching my 8-year old son's travel baseball team play recently and got a great lesson from his coach that can transfer to your golf game. My son's team was locked in a tight battle in the championship game and the score was close. After the 3rd inning the boys asked what the score was. They weren't sure if they were winning or losing. (at the time they were down by a run) The coach said, "Don't worry about the score, just go up to bat and hit the ball!" Sure enough, they scored a couple of runs and took the lead. The next inning they held the other team scoreless and were pretty excited about the possibility of winning the championship, although they still weren't sure where they stood. Again, they asked the coach, "What's the score?". "Are we winning?" He repeated to them "I don't know what the score is, just go play ball like it's 0-0!" Unfortunately they ended up losing the game by a score of 8-7 but the boys played hard until the end.

This led me to thinking about a round of golf and how your expectations can get in the way of performance. How many times have you started off on a hot streak and begun to mentally predict your final score? Maybe you shoot a great score on the front 9, only to "blow up" on the back 9. My advice would be to play like it's "0-0" and play each shot with total focus on the present. After all, your clubs don't know how you stand relative to par, they only know what you want your next shot to be. The next time you play, concentrate on the shot at hand and play it to the best of your ability.