Bob Miegl’s Golfing Blog

Every two years my local golf club, Coronado Golf Course, holds their own version of the Ryder Cup. In it, they match the Men’s Club against the Pro Shop.

It is a three-day affair, starting on Friday and finishing on Sunday. This year I was asked to be an official for the matches. Every group has an official that follows the group in case there is a question on rules, to determine who is away, and to address a few other possible situations that can cause confusion.

I am friends with just about everyone who plays for the Pro Shop. I also am a member of the Men’s Club. One foot in each camp left me feeling a bit torn. I will say that the Pro Shop has won the last three matches, so I guess if I had to choose, I would have to pull for the Men’s Club.

Day one is an interesting format called a Pinehurst. Each player hits a tee shot, then his partner has to hit his partners tee shot. From there the team chooses which ball they want to play. The person who did not hit the chosen shot must play the team’s third shot. From there the players alternate shots. There is a lot of strategy in this type of play.  I spoke with a number of players today that all expressed similar feelings. The pressure not to let your partner down is huge. It is especially true if you are the first to putt. You want to make the putt, but if you miss, you don’t want to leave your partner a tough putt back.

I believe there was no one in the field with anything higher than a 7 handicap. That means everyone is a pretty good golfer. As a spectator, it was never more clear to me how pressure affects even the best players. While there were a great number of excellent shots, there were also a number of shots that I would have been embarrassed to hit myself.

The star of our foursome today was one of the teaching pros. His name is Neal, and he is a very gifted athlete. He is in his early fifties, and a former pitcher in school. He has probably only played about 6 rounds of golf in the last year. So, his game was a bit rusty, but the game was still there. Tee to green he was solid. When faced with a challenging chip he was spot on. It was the same with his putting. It was a very impressive show. His team closed out their match on 16. The other members of the Pro Shop team did not fare as well. They ended day one down 4-2 in the match.

Tags: golf attitude, golf concentration, golf mental game, golf mental game tips, golf psychology, inner game golf, mental game golf, mental game of golf, Mental Golf, mental golf game, winning golf// Category Tournament Tough // Add Comment »

Holy cow, I had a golf lesson!

This past Tuesday I played a few holes with an old friend, Jim Garvey, who probably knows my swing better than I do. We hadn’t played together in some time, so I was a little curious about what he would think of my game.

He saw me take one swing and the look on his face told me something was terribly wrong. It seems I am breaking down at the top of my backswing. I also have adapted a backswing so far past parallel that I would give John Daly a run for his money.

Jim, (who is a 1 handicap), explained that I get so far off the proper plane, that I have very little chance of getting the club back into its proper place at impact with the ball.

We agreed to meet today at the Coronado Golf Course driving range so that Jim could give me a lesson. Corinne brought down our Flip Mino HD video camera to film it ~ as I’ve mentioned before, seeing your swing on film is extremely helpful.

As we talked, Jim explained how he has changed his swing over the last few years. His swing is very simple. He has a shot backswing that goes to about 2 o’clock. With his swing, he also hits more club that he used to. He isn’t afraid to hit a 7 iron 135 yards.

I know it sounds silly, but by taking a ¾ swing, you give up distance, but gain consistent accuracy. I am more than happy to give up distance for hitting it dead straight every time.

My assignment today was to swing easy and keep the club at a ¾ backswing. Keep in mind a ¾ swing for me comes almost to parallel.

After a few swings I thought to myself, “Wow, what a difference!”

The swing Jim taught me is so simple it’s scary. The change in my swing will take some time until it becomes ingrained to the point of not thinking about it. Its one thing to get it grooved on the range. It’s another to take it out on the course when it matters.

The shorter the club, the easier it is to get the feeling, so Jim suggested that I stick with no more than a 7 iron until it starts to feel more natural. I must admit it feels very strange.

But, I honestly can say I have never hit more shots dead straight as I did with my new swing. My goal is to never even get to parallel on any backswing. There is so much more control and feel now. I realize it’s brand new, but it sure feels good.
The biggest thing about this swing is it is almost impossible to swing too hard. That has always been my problem. I hit the ball fairly well on the range, but can’t carry the same swing onto the first hole. Changing the thought process on the course is my biggest challenge. It’s great to have a really simple thing to work on. One thing at a time is all you should have to handle.

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It seems every time I make progress, I do something to hold myself back.

The 2nd round Sunday was better than Saturdays, but I still made too many mental mistakes.

I am more convinced than ever that for many golfers, including myself, the space between their ears is the biggest barrier that holds them back.

The frustration I felt yesterday has begun to subside. But, I do know that I will be spending a lot of time working on everything that my new e-book is teaching. I will share with you the contents after I give them more that 24 hours of trial.

I know improving in golf is a process, so I will get back on the horse in the morning. The mental side of the game is my biggest weakness, and I have to work on improving that more that anything else.

It’s about this time when I usually ask myself “Why do we (golfers) torture ourselves like this?” I guess it’s because I made the most beautiful par on 18 yesterday!

Tags: golf attitude, golf concentration, golf mental game, golf mental game tips, golf psychology, inner game golf, mental game golf, mental game of golf, Mental Golf, mental golf game, winning golf// Category Mental Golf // Add Comment »

Day 1 of the tournament dawns and I am try to just concentrate on being positive. I’m afraid I’ve got too many things going on in my head.

I was the first one in my group to tee off. Thankfully I was feeling fairly relaxed as I addressed the ball. One of the tips in the book I mentioned in my last post is to take a deep breath before each shot. So, deep breath, backswing, let it go!

I looked up to see the ball heading straight down the fairway! Wow a good start for a change! As I get to my ball I see I have a 5 iron into the green.

At this point I’m not sure what happened, but I do know I got out of my routine. I stepped up and rushed my shot. I took a swing so hard that I topped the ball straight into the ground and actually went backwards! From there a rushed third shot to the fringe was followed by a poor chip and a three putt. The first hole starts with a dreaded triple bogey.

So much for relaxing and enjoying a nice weekend on the course.

The next hole was a par 5 that I managed to bogey. I was determined to right the ship. The third hole is a tough par 4. I hit a decent drive, followed by a missed rescue club that wound up 20 feet above the hole. I quickly went from a par to a triple bogey. Bad first putt, missed second, third… you get the idea.

I was completely flustered. I missed a 6 inch backhand, something I swore I would never do again. At this point if anyone wanted a hard boiled egg for breakfast all they would have to do was put an egg under my hat!

I won’t go into much more detail, but I will share one more hole. The 4th hole is a long par 5. I’m not sure what was going through my mind as I stood on the tee.
I do know there was a bit of anger as I started my backswing. I hit a great drive down the right side of the fairway.

When we got up to where I thought my ball should be we couldn’t find it. After looking for a while, I peeked over at the fairway bunker. It’s a new bunker they added last summer that has about a 3 inch lip around its left side. Guess whose great drive was snuggled into its lip?

After contemplating my options and listening to one of my playing partners, I decided to avoid breaking either my wrist or a club and taking an unplayable lie.
Hard boiled egg anyone?

After topping the next shot I finished with an unsightly 8!
After 4 holes I’m 11 over par. I don’t want to be a pessimist but the fat lady was already singing her little heart out.

The next 14 holes were a blur. I am embarrassed to put down in writing my final score of 101!

Back in the clubhouse we had a beer and turned in our scorecards. I drove home a beaten man.

My wife is the most supportive person in the world. She is always optimistic. When I walked in the door she asked “How did it go today?”

I had been dreading those words from the time I left the course. My answer was a frustrated “Not good.”

Her reply was “I’m getting tired of not good.”

That makes two of us.

Tags: golf attitude, golf concentration, golf mental game, golf mental game tips, golf psychology, inner game golf, mental game golf, mental game of golf, Mental Golf, mental golf game, winning golf// Category Mental Golf, Tournament Tough // Add Comment »

During the last two days I’ve managed to get in 9 holes. The inconsistency of my game is the only constant. My mental golf game is all over the place.

I am hitting some of my best shots ever, and just as quickly my evil twin appears and I hit some of my worst shots ever. It’s a pretty horrible feeling to be standing over the ball wondering where it might go. And it’s really frustrating not to have any confidence when you are ready to hit a shot.

This weekend’s tournament should just be about enjoying two rounds of golf with the boys, not about the agony of double bogeys.

I purchased an e-book that is promising me that I will break 80! I started to read it tonight. I get the feeling I should have bought this a couple of weeks before the tournament for it to help get tournament tough.

So far, there is a lot of great information in this book. It feels like the author can read my mind. I won’t go into the details of what he is preaching just yet. I will try to put some of his tips into play this weekend and let you know if they help my game.

I will say there is a large emphasis on the mental aspect of the game. Let’s see if I can practice what he preaches.

Tags: golf attitude, golf concentration, golf mental game, golf mental game tips, golf psychology, inner game golf, mental game golf, mental game of golf, Mental Golf, mental golf game, winning golf// Category Mental Golf // Add Comment »

Just like that it’s time for the monthly Coronado Men’s Golf Club tournament.

It seems like I am still bruised from last month’s performance. And, I have not been able to put in much practice time over the last couple of weeks. I played 9 holes last Wednesday with a score of 45. I had one triple and two doubles.

My goal is to remove anything over bogey. That is easier said than done, but if I could do that, it would take my score down to a 41.

To prepare for the tournament, I plan on going down and practice this afternoon. Weather permitting, I should be able to play 9 holes three times in the next three days.

I am going to keep things as simple as possible. Everyone remembers the old saying “Don’t think – you’re hurting the team”.

So, here are my basic golf tips that I’ll focus on this week:

1. Head and lower body still.
2. Swing the club – don’t hit the ball.
3. Keep your eyes not just on the ball, but through the ball.

I’ve been doing a lot of research on golf tips and techniques and have put together a free report ~ 5 Tips to Keep Your Ball in Play.

Go ahead and take a look at it and see what you think. There are some basic points that just make so much sense.

That’s it for today. I will update daily with how the practice is progressing.

Tags: better golf, free golf tips, golf advice, golf technique, golf techniques, golf tip, golf tips, golf training, golfing tips, play better golf, tips on golf// Category Improve Your Golf // Add Comment »

Well, I did it, I lowered my golf score…

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train this time!

I think my hitting rock bottom this weekend was actually a blessing in disguise. I’m learning to block out outside distractions and not let minor setbacks defeat me.

Yesterday, I played 9 holes with my regular Wednesday group. We play in the afternoon and at this time of year are teeing off right around 2:00 pm. The days are getting longer and we can easily finish the front nine before it gets dark.

Knowing that my mental game was my undoing over the weekend, I prepared myself by adjusting my attitude and focus. I just concentrated on being positive, not swaying my lower body and swinging the club, not hitting the ball.

And after shooting a 40, I think it worked. And, I can honestly say that there were only a couple of shots I didn’t hit solid. I had 1 double, 1 birdie and 5 bogeys.

There is still a lot to do but there is reason for optimism.

Tags: better golf, golf improvement, golf swing improvement, how to improve your golf, improve golf, improve golf game, improve my golf, Improve Your Golf, improve your golf game, lower golf score, play better golf// Category Improve Your Golf, Mental Golf // Add Comment »

Well, after the weekend from hell on the golf course, it was tough to pull myself out of bed for more abuse this morning.

I did spend some time last night analyzing what went wrong. I firmly believe it all starts with the fragility of the mindset at this level. It doesn’t take much to make all the positive work I do get lost like it never existed.

It did help writing about my experience this past weekend ~ it helped to put things in perspective. I totally let a bad start and some outside influences get under my skin. This morning I only thought about the things that helped me improve in the last two weeks before the tournament.

Head still, don’t sway the lower body, and swing the club not hit the ball.

I made great contact for 9 holes. The score was 43, which after this weekend I was very pleased with. The best part was there was only 1 double bogey, and 3 pars. I see where it could have been better, which is very encouraging.

Tomorrow, 9 holes in the afternoon with the boys followed by the dawn patrol for 9 holes Thursday.  Let’s keep swinging.

Tags: golf attitude, golf concentration, golf mental game, golf mental game tips, golf psychology, inner game golf, mental game golf, mental game of golf, Mental Golf, mental golf game, winning golf// Category Mental Golf // Add Comment »

The format for this months tournament is a two day low net. This format puts pressure on high handicappers like me to avoid the big number on any holes.

That has always been my biggest fear during these tournaments. It’s amazing how your inner fears can make them inevitable.

I arrived at the range early to hit a bucket of balls. I tried to concentrate on what I was working on yesterday – swing the club, don’t hit the ball. I felt good that I was hitting just about every shot solid.

I didn’t want to use up all the good shots on the range, so I headed over to the putting green. I felt I was as ready as I could be.

I got to the first tee feeling relatively confident. However, it’s always a bit nerve racking hitting that first tee shot with a crowd watching.

The minute I addressed the ball it seemed like every good calming thought I had ran screaming out of my tiny little mind. I felt myself tighten up before I even brought the club back. I popped my tee shot up like a Phil Mickelson flop shot. The horror of everyone seeing this only made me want to run to my ball and hit it as fast as I could. I did accomplish this; unfortunately I topped this one about 20 yards. Panic had set in and there was no turning back. I thought to myself, “I’ve blown the weekend in the space of 2 minutes.”

I managed to get the ball on the green in 5 shots. I followed this up with a very solid 3 putt. Starting off with an 8 on a par 4 really doesn’t do well for the old confidence.

I must admit I was really rattled. All my hard work the last two weeks was long gone. I proceeded to hack it up on the front to the tune of a 50!

It’s always good to get to the back nine with a fresh mindset. I was determined to right the ship.

The 10th hole is a tough par 4. I hit a good drive; hit the green and two putted for par. It sure was nice to breathe again. The next hole is a short par 3. I have been horrible in the bunkers of late so my only thought was don’t put it in the bunker, anywhere but there. That sealed my fate. I pushed my tee shot into the worst part of the trap. They don’t call them traps for nothing. I think the real trap is between my ears!

Long story short is I couldn’t get the ball out. Mercifully after FIVE tries I was on the green. A solid two putt and I’m taking an 8 on the easiest hole on the course.

Lights out, game over. I turned in a horrific 103 – a new worst for me. I was devastated.

I won’t bore you with the details of round two the next day. On the bright side, I did have a great birdie, but still posted a 101. The 19th hole was a welcome relief. I was ready to swear off the game forever.

I realize that the problem lies between my ears. I have to find a way to have a stronger mental approach that is not so fragile. I will get back on the horse in the morning and play the back 9 before work. I will not let the worst weekend of golf in my life beat me down.

Tags: Bogey Golf, golf hacker, high handicapper, mental game of golf// Category Tournament Tough // Add Comment »

I decided not to worry about scores this week. I played 9 holes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I spent the time just concentrating on what I learned from the previous week’s video.

I concentrated on keeping my head still and less movement with my lower body. The other thing that I focused on was not being so upright with my take away.

The results have been very encouraging. I am hitting the ball with much more authority. I also seem to be getting more distance with my irons than I did last week. Progress is steady, but slow and psychologically I have a goal to make the poor shots more tolerable than in the past.

Another thing I worked on this week is my putting in the 3-5 ft. range. Getting better at this distance will let me be more aggressive with my first putt. In the past I have always been worried about going too far past the hole. It’s amazing what a difference the mindset is when you are not worrying about a 3 ft. come backer.

I am a member of the Coronado Municipal Golf Course. This week is what I refer to as tournament week. Every month the Coronado Men’s Golf  Club has a two day tournament with a different format each month. This weekend’s tournament format is individual low net. This is a challenging format for us high handicappers. One hole can cost you the whole weekend. The first thing I have to do is get that thought out of my mind.

I plan on playing 9 holes at least 3 times this week in preparation. I will also spend some time chipping and putting. I will keep tract of my scores when I play 9 holes. I will post a blog Friday before the tournament to let everyone know how the practice went.

I have also found a DVD teaching series that I am going to order. I will let everyone know if I feel it’s a worthy product. They are making some very bold promises. We’ll see.

Tags: golf improvement, golf practice, hitting the ball, improve golf, improve golf game, Improve Your Golf, improve your golf game, playing in a golf tournament, putting// Category Improve Your Golf // Add Comment »