Todd, Author at Golf Journey 365

Golfers typically struggle with one of the following keys to the golf game: The ability to strike the ball solid. The ability to start the ball on an intended start with a predictable curve. The ability to hit the ball far enough. The ability to not only hit quality chips shots, but then to make the putt. The ability to control the mental side of the game. Golf can be a complicated game! But, it is something you can get better at with the focus on the right areas. Too often, golfers grow frustrated with the game and end up quitting the game or stop playing as often as they once did. As someone that has improved over the years and grown my own ability in addition to many of my players I have guided, I am confident we can break down why golfers don’t get better and then help you lay out a plan for improvement. Why Don’t I Get Better At Golf? Personal Story: I have reached a plateau around 3 seasons ago. There were several keys for me: 1) I added a golf simulator to allow me to play 365 days a year, 2) I added speed with SuperSpeed Golf, and 3) I learned to hit 3 different driver shots: the stock shot, the "bunt" shot (less than normal swing speed) and the 3) "blast" which I used on a wide open holes. Let’s break down a quick explanation of each of the 5 key reasons and then follow that with some key steps you can take to start lowering your score and hitting more quality shots. Chances are most golfers have hit some quality shots and simply want to be more consistent and hit these shots more often. Hang with us and we will get you headed in the right direction. Check out the mental game resources listed below to get your self centered and your mindset in the right place to maximize your potential! #1: The ability to strike the ball solid Ultimately, the best golfers have the highest ability to control the low point of their golf swing. While the weakest golfers struggle to hit the ball solid even 50% of the time. They either hit behind the ball or hit the top of the ball. This all comes back to the ability to control the low point. Think back to your last round and count how many shots you hit solid. If it is less than 90% of the time, check out this drill below: The Low Point Control Dril Take some yard paint and paint a a 1-2 yard long line. Setup with 55% of your weight on your front side. Try to hit the target side of the line and see how many times out of 10 you can do this successfully! Repeat this drill every day for a month, tracking your progress and your ability to do this successfully in trials of ten. You may need to start with half swing and progress to full swings. If you are struggling, put more weight forward and work on keep your head still to help control the low point in the swing. How to hit irons pure (5 Keys) #2: The ability to start the ball on an intended start with a predictable curve If you interview 100 golfers and ask them what they want out of their golf game, a high percentage will tell you to have more consistency in their game. If you can master the ability to control your low point (see above) with a predictable shot pattern, you will soon start to define your game as consistent. Of course, you will continue to chance the journey of golf to hit your best shots more often, which is why such a high percentage are constantly seeking consistency. The ability to select a target, select a starting line and then swing and send the ball down that target line with a predictable curve to the ball is a great way to play the game. You can actually start to manage your way around the course and have fun playing the game! What is a Stock Shot in golf? Here is a great drill to develop a stock shot in golf: Stock Shot Drill At the driving range, set up an alignment stick about 6-8 yards in front of you, straight down your target line. If you have a second alignment stick, set the stick 3-4 feet right of the first stick (for a draw) or left of the first stick (for a fade). Complete your initial assessment see how many times out of 10 you can start the ball to the right or left of your target. Pick one side and measure your game at this point. The goal is to eventually get 7 out of 10 shots to start to the correct side and draw back towards the target. Here is the dril being explained by Kyle Morris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i0DBchRnao&t=79s The combination of solid contact (low point control drill) and the ability to hit a stock shot (consistent curve) is the first step to golf improvement! #3: The ability to hit the ball far enough Let’s be honest, if you are hitting approach shots into par 4s or 5s all day from 180 plus yards out, you are more than likely not going to score as well if you were hitting shots between 100-150 yards all day. This is why distance is so important. There is a direct correlation between driving distance and golf handicap. The longer the distance, the lower the handicap! As people age, they often lose distance, but it doesn’t have to be the case and it doesn’t have to be extreme. Check out the Senior PGA Champions Tour for some great role models. . The good news is that you can train for speed! Check out this training system below: My own experience with training for speed has been incredible. 5 years ago my average swing speed was between 98-101. Over the past month I have started to hit the 111-115 range! Yes, you too can gain speed and distance! I would highly recommend checking out SuperSpeed Golf to improve your swing speed! I spent many years wondering how I can increase my swing speed. Regardless of your current speed levels, there are always new barriers to break! Check out the Price of SuperSpeed Golf HERE! The SuperSpeed Training System is based on three different swing speed sticks all weighing at different weights. There is a green club that is 10% lighter than the average driver, the blue club which is 5% lighter and the red club which is actually 5% heavier! Following their prescribed protocols the golfer completes the training every other day. The total time to complete most of their protocols is between 10-15 minutes. Most people can find the time to make this happen. The golfer will also need a swing radar to measure their progress. The science behind the SuperSpeed Training System is based on overspeed training. Overspeed training has been around for several decades now and has been used by olympic athletics in the sport of Track and Field. The science behind this overspeed training is based on the premise that your brain will only allow your body to move as fast as it feels it can stop safely! So, you get to work and swing the clubs as fast as possible, retraining your brain to allow you to swing your driver faster. For more permanent results, the golfer should continue these training protocols for several months. The initial 5-8% is great and can become more permanent with the right length of training. The golfer can expect to continue to break down barriers every several months at a 1-2% increase. My own experience has been an increase of 13-17 miles per hour on average from between 98-101 all the way up to 111-115. My goal is to hit the PGA Tour average of 113 mph in the coming months. (Update, I have hit this number in speed training) I will continue to train every other day and watch in amazement as I am hitting drivers longer now than ever before! Phil Mickelson (a senior golfer now) has been known to increase his swing speed in the past year or so and is close to 120 miles per hour in his swing speed. There are potential results for golfers of all ability levels and age! Check the current price on SuperSpeed Golf System, here! Original Swing SpeedAfter 4-6 WeeksNew Carry DistanceTotal Distance95102245265100108259279105113271291110118283303 #4: The ability to not only hit quality chips shots, but then to make the putt. The fastest way to score improvement is to become a great short game player. The good news about the short game is that most golfers can become really good regardless of age, physical stature or swing speed. With enough time around the practice green, goflers can become really good and save par at least 50% of the time (which is close to what the average scratch golfer saves par at). The more time you spend around a practice green learning to hit a variety of chips and then being able to make putts between 3-10 feet and be a great lagger of putts from 30 plus feet. 11 Golf Drills for Chipping! #5: The ability to control the mental side of the game If you are the golfer who is throwing clubs or simply gets frustrated after a bad shot or two, you aren’t going to score your best. Golf is not only a physical challenge, but also a challenge of our mental and emotional state over a 4 hour period of time that it takes to play 18 holes. This is part of the beauty of the game. You are tested with the driver, irons and short game and also the ability to control your emotions and decision making in good times and bad times! This is what draws many people to the game! 3 Best Mental Game Resources Regardless of your ability level, keep golf fun and enjoy your friends and family when you do get a chance to play! Next Steps to Take: Game Improvement Assess your game Use the drills Measure your improvement #1: Assess your game Where is your weakest area when it comes to the game of the 5 areas above? Complete some of the drills and look back at past rounds and be honest with yourself. Or play your next 5 rounds and track the following data: Percent of solid shots Percent of shots that curve the way you intended Fairways Hit Greens Hit in Regulation 3 Putts Percent of time of getting up and down in 1 chip and 1 putt Driving distance How many times you truly committed to a shot #2: Use the drills Check out the drills we recommended above for each of the areas or the mental game resources at the link provided. Be intentional in your game improvement and get to work! #3: Measure your improvement Get to work and measure your improvement by tracking data in your practice sessions. For example: how many times did you control your low point or hit your stock shot in the drill. Or if you are training for speed, what was your max from session to session? Find a way to track your progress during practice or during the rounds of golf you play and celebrate the little victories! If you hit a driver for 250 yards for the first time, pat yourself on the back! A high percentage of your practice time can be spent around the greens! My Secret To Golf Improvement Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About four years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage. I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world. This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences. It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat. Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing: Rain or Shine Golf Rain or Shine Golf Financing Offers Rain or Shine Golf Packages Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better: 1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options: Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed: George Gankas Bobby Lopez Shawn Clement Mike Malaska Jim Venetos Monte Scheinblum 2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options: Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options: SuperSpeed Golf – Read our Full Review Gain 30-40 yards in 30 Days – Swing Man Golf 3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through: We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested. How to Break 100 How to Break 90 How to Break 80 How to Break 70 4 – Practice Frequently Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions: Is a Golf Simulator Worth It? How to Build a Golf Simulator? What is the Best Golf Simulator? Golf Simulator Accessories? How to Build a Golf Simulator for under $7000 Top 11 Reasons to Buy a SkyTrak How to Build a Golf Simulator for Under $1000 Why Build A Golf Simulator? What Space is Needed? Can A Golf Simulator Improve My Game? How Much Does A Golf Simulator Cost? Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.