WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.040 --> 00:00:04.599 Golf Smarter number four hundred and twenty seven. 2 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:09.720 Welcome to Golf Smarter Mulligans, your second chance to gain 3 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:13.359 insight and advice from the best instructors featured on the 4 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:19.399 Golf Smarter podcast. Great Golf Instruction Never gets Old. Our 5 00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:24.280 interview library features hundreds of hours of game improvement conversations 6 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:27.879 like this that are no longer available in any podcast app. 7 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:31.800 There's the external confidence and that internal confidence. External confidence 8 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:35.320 isn't long lasting. External confidence is based on how long 9 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:38.479 you're playing, and most people think that confidence is a 10 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:41.119 result of how well you just played the lost shot, 11 00:00:41.240 --> 00:00:43.359 or played the lost hole, or played the lost round, 12 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:46.679 when really we want to think about confidence being something 13 00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:50.159 that you can generate within, which then affects your play. 14 00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:52.920 If you're thinking about confidence as being you have to 15 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:55.640 be playing well to build confidence, then you put more 16 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:58.439 pressure on your game and you don't feel like you're 17 00:00:58.439 --> 00:01:01.240 as good a player after hitting a couple of bad shots. 18 00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:04.760 Whereas confidence can be built from the inside out if 19 00:01:04.760 --> 00:01:07.519 you can stop to imagining yourself as a good player 20 00:01:07.560 --> 00:01:09.879 and convincing yourself that you're a good player, and talking 21 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:11.959 to yourself in the like way running out on the 22 00:01:11.959 --> 00:01:14.760 golf course, you can build confidence that is much more 23 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:15.959 long lasting and enduring. 24 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:23.920 Golf state of Mind Part two in our conversation with 25 00:01:24.040 --> 00:01:28.560 David Mackenzie. This is Golf Smarter. Thank you again for 26 00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:30.719 joining us, for sticking around for the rest of this 27 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:33.599 conversation because I have so many more questions that I 28 00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:40.680 wanted to talk about with you on golf state of Mind. Right, yeah, 29 00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:43.040 thank you were And where are you based? If somebody 30 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:45.480 wants to start taking lessons from you? How do you 31 00:01:45.799 --> 00:01:46.599 how does that work? 32 00:01:47.319 --> 00:01:50.920 I'm in Washington, BC, so I do give you face 33 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:54.040 to face lessons in the in the DC metropolitan area 34 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:57.799 Northern Virginia, Ireland. But I do a lot of lessons 35 00:01:57.799 --> 00:02:01.760 on Skype. It's become quite it's quite popular, and uh, 36 00:02:02.200 --> 00:02:04.560 you know it works. You know, we can fit lessons 37 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:06.599 around people's schedules, and you know, we've got to just 38 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.879 switch on your computer and I use a couple of programs. 39 00:02:10.879 --> 00:02:15.319 One of them is e Golf Plan and that players 40 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:19.960 are able to record stats after their round. So I 41 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:22.240 go in and I can check, you know, exactly how 42 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:28.360 how someone's you know that how their performance was during rounds, 43 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:31.240 and then we you know, a weekly on a weekly basis. 44 00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:35.159 We meet and we talked about the experience of the round, 45 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:39.360 and we also refer to these these stats for areas 46 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:40.520 of improvement. 47 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:43.680 Okay, all right. One of the things you said towards 48 00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:46.599 the end of our last part of the conversation was 49 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:51.800 you talked about practicing and going to the range, but 50 00:02:52.199 --> 00:02:56.520 you were referring to practicing the mental game, not just 51 00:02:56.719 --> 00:02:59.000 working on your swing mechanics. Is that right? 52 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:04.639 Yeah, yes, I'm not. I'm not discounting swing coaches and 53 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:07.680 the need for swing coaching, you know. I think that 54 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:10.759 that's you know, that is an element of the game 55 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:12.960 that you know, people that players need to work on. 56 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:19.039 But for me, the more you can you can synchronize 57 00:03:19.080 --> 00:03:26.000 your body and your mind through visualization, through feel and 58 00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:30.400 ingraining ingraining those those feelings and is becoming aware of 59 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:34.360 your body. So I wouldn't you know, for example, uh, 60 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:38.360 an example of a bad session, bad practice session for 61 00:03:38.439 --> 00:03:41.919 me would be to stand on the driving range one target, 62 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:45.479 a bucket of balls, you know, perhaps a couple of clubs, 63 00:03:45.800 --> 00:03:49.000 and just hitting hitting straight to that same target. That's 64 00:03:49.039 --> 00:03:56.000 not to me, that's not affective practice. Why effective? Because 65 00:03:56.599 --> 00:04:00.759 that's nothing like you would be there's nothing like it 66 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:04.479 would be on the golf course. On the golf course, 67 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:08.159 you're changing shots all the time, and you're you're having 68 00:04:08.199 --> 00:04:10.759 to play different kinds of shots. So my idea for 69 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:14.439 a fulfilling, an effective practice session on the driving range 70 00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:17.279 would be to hit hit no more than three balls 71 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:21.199 with the same club. I'd be picking different targets. I'd 72 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:25.800 be trying to hit different trajectories, moving the ball around 73 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:28.879 in my stan saying different trajectories I would do. I 74 00:04:28.920 --> 00:04:31.319 would try to hit as many different kinds of shots 75 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:33.120 as I could. I would even try to hit you 76 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:36.560 a slice, a hook, a draw. You know, I've got 77 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:40.560 a practice drill on the website called the nine Shots 78 00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:44.800 where you know, you're playing a fade and a draw 79 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:47.279 and a straight shot with three different trajectories, and so 80 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:51.040 you end up with with nine shots. So it's that variety. 81 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:54.720 Otherwise you just get into range with them. I think 82 00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:57.160 it's very very easy to think that you've mastered the 83 00:04:57.199 --> 00:05:00.240 game on the driving range, and that's why a lot 84 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:01.800 of golfers say, you know, I wish I could take 85 00:05:01.800 --> 00:05:04.399 my diving range game to the golf course. And there's 86 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:06.920 so many things that are wrong with what they're doing 87 00:05:06.920 --> 00:05:10.399 on the driving range that you know they wouldn't want 88 00:05:10.439 --> 00:05:12.560 to take that game to the golf course. 89 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:18.319 No, we don't, you know. But like if you go 90 00:05:18.360 --> 00:05:20.319 to the driving range and you'll see, let's just say 91 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:23.480 there's twenty five people out there, and you just kind 92 00:05:23.480 --> 00:05:26.240 of stand back and watch for a while, I can 93 00:05:26.360 --> 00:05:31.120 almost that ninety nine percent of those guys are hitting 94 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:35.600 one club over and over and over again. Why is 95 00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:38.120 it that that just seems the way you're supposed to 96 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:42.199 do it? And what's really interesting, especially if you're warming 97 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:46.480 up for a round. I'm guilty of this myself, going Okay, 98 00:05:46.519 --> 00:05:48.000 that was a shot I wanted. I don't want to 99 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:49.639 do that again. I mean, you just as soon as 100 00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:52.199 you get one that you like, it's like, okay, I 101 00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:52.879 can move on now. 102 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:57.040 Yeah, if I'm under saying the question, I. 103 00:05:57.040 --> 00:06:01.199 Don't even know if I asked one? Did I long 104 00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:03.040 pause and like, did I ask him anything? 105 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:08.519 Sorry? No, I think I know, I know. You know, yeah, 106 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:13.040 they you hit one club, you know, one shot one club, 107 00:06:13.319 --> 00:06:16.079 and you know, because you're working on a swing drill, 108 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:20.519 you know, you're trying to ingrain that that swing into 109 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:26.800 your into your your muscle memory and that's that's how 110 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:28.800 a lot of golfers spent a lot of the time. 111 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:33.399 And it's just, you know, to me, it's not effective. 112 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:36.399 And I've been there, and you know I used to 113 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:38.399 throw eight dollars down for a bucket of balls, and 114 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:42.519 bucket ball off the bucket of balls, and uh and 115 00:06:42.519 --> 00:06:45.279 and and make those same mistakes over and over again. 116 00:06:45.800 --> 00:06:48.439 Now I practice in a completely different way. It's it's 117 00:06:48.439 --> 00:06:53.519 about imagining, imagining holes. It's about trying to create pressure 118 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:57.720 on myself playing games. I think that games should be 119 00:06:57.759 --> 00:07:01.120 a big part of practice, and I actually have a 120 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:04.920 book on practice drills which is designed for that purpose, 121 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:08.199 to to to create score even on the driving range. 122 00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:11.639 You can play games against yourself to try and create 123 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:15.639 the same thin kind of pressure. Not get into that 124 00:07:15.639 --> 00:07:17.759 that habit of just you know, you hit one ball. 125 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:19.439 Oh I didn't like that shot. Oh hit you know, 126 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:21.000 I've got another one here, you know, to pull it 127 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:24.800 out of the basket. It's about every shot you know 128 00:07:24.839 --> 00:07:28.519 should have, should have a purpose and a consequence. 129 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:30.879 Give me an example of what you mean by these 130 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:33.680 games that you play while you're on the range. 131 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:37.079 So you would be I would be practicing, I would 132 00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:42.720 be visualizing holes in my mind, and so you could, 133 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:47.399 you know, essentially play holes and you know imagine. I mean, 134 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:50.279 I Ben Hogan used to talk about this, like playing 135 00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:53.839 holes in his mind. So you can actually play, you 136 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:57.759 play against yourself on the driving range and imagine that 137 00:07:57.839 --> 00:07:59.959 you're in a certain situation, Imagine that you're on the 138 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:03.079 of course, you know, try to you know, I heard 139 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:05.720 heard about Gray and McDowell like running on the spot, 140 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:07.360 like on the on the driving range to try and 141 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:10.199 get his heart ate up. Not that I can imagine 142 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:12.480 many listeners are gonna want to do that on a 143 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:17.639 pack driving range. But the the point is that you 144 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:22.480 know he's trying to he's trying to simulate that feeling 145 00:08:23.639 --> 00:08:29.279 on the golf course, being under pressure, feeling that, yeah, exactly. 146 00:08:29.399 --> 00:08:33.159 And so you know, it's it's that most of most 147 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:36.120 authors just practice thinking that you know, there's just there's 148 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:39.360 always that next ball, and that's not the mentality that 149 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:41.519 we're trying to practice. Because I think, you know, practicing 150 00:08:42.200 --> 00:08:45.360 practicing an opportunity to practice your mental game just as 151 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:47.440 just as it is your your your physical game. And 152 00:08:47.519 --> 00:08:51.639 I think that bank gets that gets missed. But yeah, 153 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:53.360 so I've got you know, I've got a number of 154 00:08:53.399 --> 00:08:56.720 different games in my my practice for this book, where 155 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:01.240 you know you're you're playing games and get and getting schools, 156 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:05.080 so every shot has a meaning on you. 157 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:10.399 On your website, I was noticing that you have in 158 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:13.559 your mental Game section one of the lessons that you 159 00:09:13.960 --> 00:09:18.039 have here is how to play non conscious golf. And 160 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:24.399 how is that different than unconscious golf. I just answered 161 00:09:24.440 --> 00:09:28.240 my own question in my head unconscious Golf. 162 00:09:30.799 --> 00:09:33.519 That I didn't write that article a I called calling Chromac, 163 00:09:33.519 --> 00:09:36.720 who's a contributor to Golf State of Mind, wrote that article. 164 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:41.480 And I'm still conscious, but is subconscious? So I might 165 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:43.600 not be able to be able to answer that as 166 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:46.399 well as I would like it this at this time. 167 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:47.720 But that's fair. 168 00:09:47.799 --> 00:09:53.799 Yeah, he's ahead, Yeah, he's uh yeah. I mean, for me, 169 00:09:53.919 --> 00:10:00.879 the subconscious your your swing is made with your subconscious mind. 170 00:10:03.799 --> 00:10:06.879 And so those are just those are just important things 171 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:11.039 to think about, like the division, the division of what 172 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:15.960 your mind, what what these different parts of your mind plays, 173 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:17.759 or the roles of the different parts of your mind 174 00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:20.759 play in a game of golf. You know, the conscious mind, 175 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:25.960 the logical analytical brain, is going to be at work 176 00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:32.679 only during the pre shot routine. So that's you know, 177 00:10:32.759 --> 00:10:36.759 that's deciding on which the right shot to play, that's 178 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:41.200 calculating you know, the yardage. That's you know, making sure 179 00:10:41.240 --> 00:10:44.919 that you're going through that sequence of steps throughout your routine, 180 00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:48.919 keeping you you're focused on the on the right things 181 00:10:49.039 --> 00:10:52.679 throughout your routine. But when you're ready to go, and 182 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:55.759 you you know, you might have some some some confidence 183 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:58.080 triggers and some go triggers in your as a part 184 00:10:58.120 --> 00:10:59.679 of your routine, as soon as you're ready to go, 185 00:10:59.799 --> 00:11:03.679 that's in the conscious mind shuts off completely. And whether 186 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:08.559 it's non conscious or subconscious, it's you know, there's there's 187 00:11:08.600 --> 00:11:14.360 there's absolutely nothing, but there's you know, a thoughtless swing, 188 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:18.440 I thought free, I should say thought free swing. Yeah, 189 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:19.519 being executed. 190 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:30.080 Actually, Colin Cromac was on the Golf Smarter podcast back 191 00:11:30.120 --> 00:11:33.639 in two thousand and eight, so and we all right, yeah, yeah, 192 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:36.039 and we talked to him about target oriented golf, which 193 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:39.159 which was an epiphany for me. I love talking about 194 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:39.919 target golf. 195 00:11:40.840 --> 00:11:43.559 Yeah, I mean that's you know, that's one of one 196 00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:46.039 of the fundamentals of his program. But I mean, for me, 197 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:49.759 the precise I mean, I tell the players that I 198 00:11:49.799 --> 00:11:53.440 work with you know, where is your target? Where's your target? 199 00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:57.879 Always comes down to where is your target? And you 200 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:00.399 know a lot of the average players that I speak 201 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:04.399 to just aiming center of fairway, center of green. They 202 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:08.639 don't even have like a precise target. And it's amazing, 203 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:11.159 how I mean, especially for the short game, you know, 204 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:13.320 just having like spots that you're aiming at and just 205 00:12:13.679 --> 00:12:17.000 you become connected with the target, connected with the shot, 206 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:22.440 and that takes away, you know, any focus on on 207 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:25.840 your swing, which is a negative, which is negatively going 208 00:12:25.879 --> 00:12:29.360 to impact you your play. It's you know, it's always 209 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:32.360 you're always thinking about the shot and the target, and 210 00:12:32.440 --> 00:12:35.440 you're seeing that in your mind's eye right up until 211 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:39.240 you know you take you take the club back. And 212 00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:42.919 so you know, I can't emphasize enough how you know, 213 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:47.879 target shot shape, visualizing becoming connected with that particular shot 214 00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:52.120 you know is going to help. And I know that 215 00:12:52.440 --> 00:12:54.200 a lot of players, you know, when they're making their 216 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:56.960 practice swings, they're just you know, they're working on a 217 00:12:57.039 --> 00:12:59.320 drill or they're trying to correct, you know, what they 218 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:01.639 thought that problem was in the swing on their on 219 00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:05.559 their last shot, instead of using that time to really 220 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:08.559 become connected with that shot that they're about to play 221 00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:13.480 for seeing the target, seeing the shot shape, and really 222 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:16.840 uh really becoming connected with it. You know. 223 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:20.559 I would think that if people had a better sense, 224 00:13:20.600 --> 00:13:23.960 if golfers had a better sense of strategy or what 225 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:27.600 they like to call course management, I think that everybody 226 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:30.840 out out on the fairways and at the tea box 227 00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:34.279 would would be better golfers. They would cut down some strokes. 228 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:39.080 But getting onto the putting green, to me, is where 229 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:46.399 the mental game seems to have the most powerful impact. 230 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:52.039 You recently wrote a piece, uh called you called the 231 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:55.720 five most common putting mistakes. Can we talk about that? 232 00:13:56.799 --> 00:14:01.480 Yeah? I can, and have that article in front of me, 233 00:14:01.480 --> 00:14:02.440 but yeah. 234 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:05.159 I'll try command I wrote it. You know what it is. 235 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:08.879 You wrote it. You know what it is. 236 00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:13.840 Yeah, Well, the I mean the closer you get to 237 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:16.960 the to the whole, you know, the closer you get 238 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:22.039 to your score. So that's that's where we feel pressure. 239 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:25.399 I mean, it's the you know, it's the easiest, the 240 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:27.360 easiest shot to play. I mean that, you know, it's 241 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:31.159 easier than than any other shot that you're facing on 242 00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:35.960 the golf course. But yeah, it's where it's where we 243 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:37.639 make the most. It seems like it's where we make 244 00:14:37.720 --> 00:14:39.720 make the most mistakes and. 245 00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:43.919 Feel the most pressure. I would think, yeah, it's. 246 00:14:43.759 --> 00:14:45.600 Where we feel the most pressure, and it's where we 247 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:48.120 need to have, you know, where we need to have 248 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:51.440 a lot of discipline, where we need to make sure 249 00:14:51.480 --> 00:14:57.559 that the process is good, make sure that breathing is good, 250 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:02.440 and you know, not not thinking, not thinking about the 251 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:05.440 consequences of you know, of the part and the score 252 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:08.039 and what it might do for you. And these are 253 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:11.360 things that you know, with with the right techniques, the 254 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:16.320 right you know, knowing how to switch off and not 255 00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:21.320 think about think about score and focusing on process because 256 00:15:21.399 --> 00:15:24.080 process is just one of those things that that you know, 257 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:27.120 you can rely on in any situations that's always going 258 00:15:27.200 --> 00:15:30.879 to help you calm down. And you've got a good 259 00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:35.639 putting process, that's that's that's really going to help you, 260 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:37.799 and that's that's what you know. Jack Nicholas said that 261 00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:41.279 he never missed a putt in his mind, and you know, 262 00:15:41.320 --> 00:15:43.200 and like the you know, I think that's a good 263 00:15:43.519 --> 00:15:45.799 a good way to think about it, because if you 264 00:15:45.879 --> 00:15:48.720 know that you've gone through your process, you've you know, 265 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:51.919 you've visualized, you've you've felt the part, you've seen it, 266 00:15:52.039 --> 00:15:54.840 you've done everything you can you possibly can, you've read 267 00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:57.320 given the part a good read, and you've gone through 268 00:15:57.320 --> 00:16:00.840 your process. That's all you can do. The rest is 269 00:16:00.840 --> 00:16:04.120 out of your control. And something another. I think that 270 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:07.720 another thing that's important in the mental gain is self 271 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:11.679 talk and phrases that you can you can you can 272 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:14.320 include in your game. So when you're standing over you 273 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:18.679 know ten to fifteen foot part, say to ask yourself 274 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:23.080 a question, is this possible? And by asking yourself that question, 275 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:26.080 and you know your response should be yeah, it is possible, 276 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:29.879 instead of you know, I've got to manke this. You 277 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:32.679 know I'm going to make this. It's you know, you 278 00:16:33.399 --> 00:16:37.080 take pressure off yourself. You're not you're not expecting to 279 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:40.159 make anything. You're expecting to go through your process as 280 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:42.919 well as you can. And when you think that, you know, 281 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:44.919 even on the PGA tour, them is in fifty percent 282 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:50.000 of parts of about five feet you know it's there's 283 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:53.720 there's there really shouldn't be be any pressure. The best 284 00:16:53.720 --> 00:16:56.519 thing you can do is just go through your pre 285 00:16:56.799 --> 00:16:57.480 your routine. 286 00:16:57.639 --> 00:17:01.159 Yeah, but you know I know that if I were 287 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:05.359 to ask myself is this possible? The answer as always 288 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:08.599 of course it's possible. Is it probable that I'm gonna 289 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:11.839 make it? That's when doubt enters the conversation in my head. 290 00:17:12.440 --> 00:17:15.119 But if I walk up to a putt and you know, 291 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:17.720 you know, and I'm looking at the putt as I'm 292 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:20.200 walking towards the green, I'm going, I got this one. 293 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:22.400 I know I got this one. This one, I walk 294 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:28.599 in with total confidence instead of questioning myself. I feel 295 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:31.599 more comfortable. But then then when I'm standing over the ball, 296 00:17:31.640 --> 00:17:35.799 that the doubt enters and I start questioning, do you 297 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:42.559 really got this one? So, yeah, it's a very thin line. 298 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:47.680 You're walking between asking yourself can I do this? Versus 299 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:52.119 telling yourself I can do this? Do you agree? 300 00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:56.240 Yeah? I think that you know, the intention is to 301 00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:59.960 make every shot within I mean, I say within fifty odds. 302 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:02.119 I think the intention should be to make every shot. 303 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:07.400 The closer, the more positive, and the more precise your 304 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:09.759 your visualization for the shot, the closer you're going to 305 00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:13.160 get to the target. So I would always say that 306 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:15.960 the intention is to is to make the shot. But 307 00:18:16.039 --> 00:18:18.119 I think that there's no I don't think there's any 308 00:18:18.119 --> 00:18:23.119 harm in sort of pre accepting you know, a miss, 309 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:26.119 you know, the worst thing you can do is to 310 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:30.119 you know, say you know, I'm going to make this. Well, 311 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:32.519 not the worst thing, but it doesn't help you to 312 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:35.799 say I'm going to make this because you're you're you're 313 00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:39.000 setting that expectation that if you don't make that part, 314 00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:44.200 then you failed. And and so I think the intention 315 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:47.759 through your routine, the intention is to is to make 316 00:18:47.799 --> 00:18:49.480 every part you're seeing it go in. I mean, you're 317 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:52.400 even being as detailed as to see you know where 318 00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:54.759 on the whole that the ball is going to fall in. 319 00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:58.559 But I think that those you know, building in a 320 00:18:58.559 --> 00:19:01.519 bit of acceptance into your routine so that you don't 321 00:19:01.559 --> 00:19:06.119 disappoint yourself when you do this, you know, can can 322 00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:07.359 can help study the ship. 323 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:13.720 Excellent advice in your putting mistakes article. I'm curious why 324 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:18.880 you say it's a mistake to Are you saying it's 325 00:19:18.920 --> 00:19:21.480 a mistake to not find out whether you're a straight back, 326 00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:23.799 straight through putter or an arc putter, or are you saying 327 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:25.599 it is a mistake to worry about that. 328 00:19:27.720 --> 00:19:30.000 I would say, I mean this is this is it's 329 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:33.400 more of a technical thing actually, but but everyone has 330 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:37.440 you know, some players take it straight back, straight through 331 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:39.920 in some pots, you know, the putter going on a 332 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:42.119 narc and you want to make sure you have the 333 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:44.759 right equipment for that. You know, there's there's a you know, 334 00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:47.440 face balance putter and a you know heure or toe 335 00:19:47.599 --> 00:19:51.839 toe weighted putter. So if you're a you know, if 336 00:19:51.880 --> 00:19:53.359 you're a straight back straight through, you want to have 337 00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:55.920 a face balance putter and know and know what the 338 00:19:55.960 --> 00:20:00.680 difference is because that can that can extra stroke. 339 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:04.200 Can you explain face balance for those who don't know. 340 00:20:05.640 --> 00:20:08.400 So, face balance potter is when there's equal weight across 341 00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:10.440 across the face of the potter, and you can you 342 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:13.839 can test this out by holding the potter, you know, 343 00:20:13.880 --> 00:20:16.279 a few inches from the from the head of the 344 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:18.880 potter on the shaft and you can see how the 345 00:20:18.920 --> 00:20:22.039 potter is is balanced, whether it's it's balanced in the 346 00:20:22.119 --> 00:20:25.200 toe or the heel, or it just lies it just 347 00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:25.880 lies flat. 348 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:29.559 So if you are a straight back straight through, then 349 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:30.720 you do want face. 350 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:33.200 Balanced You want to face balanced potter. 351 00:20:33.279 --> 00:20:36.519 Yeah, okay. And if you are if your your stroke 352 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:39.319 is on an arc around like and that arc is 353 00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:42.000 like around your body, not the arc of a full swing, 354 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:46.480 that arc you want to you want to have a 355 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:47.720 a heel weighted putter. 356 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:54.240 Why is that that's that's a that's a technical question. Okay, 357 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:56.240 It's just to do with the the you know, the 358 00:20:56.319 --> 00:21:01.200 movement that the the put is naturally going to take 359 00:21:01.240 --> 00:21:02.920 when it gets you know, when you when you would 360 00:21:02.920 --> 00:21:05.400 if you were to take it back on a pendulum. 361 00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:09.000 So I would have thought that if you're if you're 362 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:11.039 taking it straight back and you've got to you know, 363 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:13.440 a heel weighted putter, you're going to be kind of 364 00:21:13.480 --> 00:21:16.119 like fighting against against the potterst natural movement. 365 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:25.839 Getting too technical is is what you think is also 366 00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:28.200 a very big issue for most people as they spend 367 00:21:28.200 --> 00:21:32.279 too much time forcing that. Is that what you mean 368 00:21:32.359 --> 00:21:33.400 by being too technical? 369 00:21:34.359 --> 00:21:37.920 Yeah? I do. I think that putting, you know, as 370 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:40.799 we just discussed, putting is probably the most mental part 371 00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:45.680 of the game, and it should for me. It's it's 372 00:21:45.720 --> 00:21:50.200 an art, not a science. And I think that you know, 373 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:52.920 even with you know, I don't I could use a 374 00:21:53.079 --> 00:21:55.480 you know, one of those old bull's eye putters and 375 00:21:55.480 --> 00:21:57.720 and plays as well as you know, using one of 376 00:21:57.720 --> 00:22:03.319 the the most recent uh super luper potters, because for me, 377 00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:05.960 it's all about you know, how while I've visualized the 378 00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:10.319 line how while I've felt it and and really got 379 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:14.559 got into the putt itself instead of anything to do 380 00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:17.920 with with my stroke. I think that same with the 381 00:22:18.039 --> 00:22:20.720 with the longer, the long game. If you've got a 382 00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:23.079 good if you've got if you've got strong fundamentals and 383 00:22:23.119 --> 00:22:25.799 you know you're setting up consistently to every part and 384 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:29.279 you know, I mean, alignment is absolutely key. And that's 385 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:32.799 another another one of the mistakes is that you know, 386 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:36.119 you could have a you know, a great visualization and 387 00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:38.519 great great feel and then great green reading, but if 388 00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:41.720 you don't actually put the potter face down in line 389 00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:45.799 with where you want the ball to start, then then 390 00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:47.480 you're not going to you know, you're going to miss 391 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:52.480 the put. So good fundamentals and then really good alignment 392 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:55.720 and making sure that you are making sure that your 393 00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:57.279 alignment is absolutely spot on. 394 00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:03.920 The place where I find the mental game, uh intersects 395 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:09.480 so much with the physical elements the swing mechanics are 396 00:23:09.519 --> 00:23:13.079 in my short game, whether it be bunker play or chipping, 397 00:23:15.279 --> 00:23:19.720 because where I think I understand what I'm supposed to 398 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:23.359 be doing and I have the tools to do it properly, 399 00:23:23.880 --> 00:23:28.680 but my head gets into you know, like the amount 400 00:23:28.720 --> 00:23:31.160 of pressure the amount of the back swing, the you know, 401 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:34.480