Billy Horschel Golf Swing Analysis

Here is a swing analysis of Billy Horschel, the 2014 BMW Champion

His setup is sound.  He has a good tilt from the hips and a good amount of flex in the knees.  He has a slight tilt away from the target and slight hip bump towards the target.  These two things are very important in creating a good turn with the entire body (no hip slide) on the backswing.  His grip is neutral to strong in the left hand and fairly neutral in the right.  

 Billy's takeaway is almost dead on his original shaft plane at address.  He uses the turn of his shoulders to get the club into this position.  His arms have elevated upward a little bit and his right wrist hasn't hinged (which would shut the clubface closed)  A great takeaway video: RST Takeaway

He also has a little bump into his right heel as we can see that he has compressed into the ground and his head has moved slightly off the ball (see above left).

He gets a good wrist set at this point and his club shaft has steepened slightly (not a problem).  He is coiling his upper body against his lower body tightly (not necessary for golfers with limited flexibility - you can let your hips turn more: see Jack Nicklaus or Bubba Watson's backswing).

At the top of the backswing, notice how his left arm is slightly above the shoulder line (lending to his two-plane type swing).  He will use the arms a lot more in the downswing to generate the majority of the power and to bring the club down towards the ball.  He has a full shoulder turn and he has made sure not to sway off the ball.   

 Into the downswing now, we start with a slight bump to the left foot and then the hands, arms, and club unit follow.  We can see the clubshaft points right down to where his clubshaft was at address which will allow for a shallow angle of attack to the ball.  His really good backswing has set him up for an efficient downswing and release of the club.

We can see that his hips are turning out of the way while his left leg is straightening.  He has maintained his lag well by allowing the arms to drop more independently of his torso turning.

 Ideally your left shoulder, hip and ankle are on a single line (noted by the blue X's) at impact in a neutral joint alignment where you can rotate your body freely on your left hip socket.

A full extension of the arms post impact.  This is the result of a solid transition and downswing.

Balance is a key for all pro golfers.  It allows them to maintain their angles and stay on plane, ensuring consistency.

The Secrets to Mastering the Greens

Putting is a very simple art and all you really have to do is simply feel the green under your feet and visualize the ball rolling into the hole at the speed that you want it to go in at.


"Not enough credit is given to visualising the correct outcome - the ball dropping in the hole at your desired speed. we spend vast amounts of time working on things which are correlatory to that - but as any good scientist knows, correlation does not equal causation. When good visualisation is combined with the philosophies behind IDEOMOTOR EFFECT, and the RETICULAR ACTIVATING SYSTEM, it can be a very powerful thing" (Adam Young).

Putting technique and stroke mechanics are pretty useless given that the putting green surface is imperfect and you really tend to lose the feel of the distance of the putt when you start focusing on stroke mechanics.

An example of frustration I've gone through:  Putting started to become frustrating because I have this putting rail which helps groove my stroke.  I was practicing with it a lot and I found that although my stroke became a perfect arc, I still was missing putts that I thought I ought to be making.  In addition, my speed control was starting to diminish from so much focus on mechanics.  I ignored visualizing and started experimenting with ball position, eye position, and different putters.  But I still missed putts.  I was trying to go after the perfect setup and stroke to make all my putts.  Well, I forgot that no one makes every putt, so I was just kidding myself going around in circles for about a month.

Finally I read this article on Adam Young's blog "Thoughts on Putting" and found that "on average, players under-read a break on the green by 66%. So on a 3 foot breaking putt, players were only reading a 1 foot break. What this means is 'The better your technique and hence your ability to roll the ball on your intended line is, the less putts you will hole.'"

The next day I putted the best that I have in a good 3 years and sunk two putts over 35 feet.  I was sold on visualization and I haven't gone back.  Take it from Justin Rose who admitted that he also was focusing too much on stroke mechanics,  "I was trying to be perfect with my putting stroke and that is not the way to make putts.  I've had my putting stroke perfect on the practice green and then gone out and made nothing.  I think it's all in your ability to read the greens and I do that with my feet."  Justin Rose Tips (go to 4:00 for putting).




For me now, putting is almost all mental, about 95% mental in my opinion.  I believe this because practically anyone can stroke a putt (just go to a mini golf course and watch all sorts of first time players make putts).  Your brain learns the simple act of putting through the process of self-correction, where no instruction is necessary.  The neurological process of myelination is taking place in our brains where electrical currents are firing down nerve fibers in the brain during the putting process.  The wrapping of myelin around the circuitry allows the firing of the putting process more efficient and effortless.  "This is the neurological basis for what we commonly know as habit, or in sports terms, muscle memory."



All we need to do then is to trust our myelin and our instincts and focus on putting the ball into the hole.  Any thoughts about stroke mechanics is more detrimental than helpful in this part of the game.  Just take a look at the varying setups and strokes of great putters in the past and present (ex: Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Bobby Locke, Luke Donald, Dave Stockton, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, etc.).  

Some Thoughts on Setup
A few suggestions that I have for a good setup are (in order of importance):

1. To have your eyes directly over the ball
2. To have the grip more in the fingers rather than in the palms
3. To have a putter that is fit for you (putter length, lie, and loft are important)

What I've found since I've started to block a few putts is that my eyes were too far over the ball.   I noticed I was feeling like I was just going to block everything to the right of the hole when I was setting up to the ball.  I suggest using an eye alignment aid to put your eyes more directly over the ball if you can.  I use this one: Eyeline putting mirror.  It has gotten me back on track.  

I also have had problems when my grip has been out of balance.  I frequently have my left hand a little bit weaker than my right hand grip.  This seems to make pushes and pulls easier as well as to cause some issues with distance control since I don't get the free-est stroke.

I tried putting the grip more in my palms like so many instructors recommend, but I have found that I have better touch with the grip more in the fingers (with my left thumb on top of my right thumb).   See Dave Stockton's grip below:



Finally I would say that having a solid putter that is the proper length, lie, and loft is my 3rd most important setup suggestion.  When you have a putter that is too long for you (which is all too common since the standard length of putters is 34" and 35") your elbows bend a lot and it makes it easy to start using a lot of wrist hinge in the stroke (This has become less desirable since green speeds today are uniformly much faster than they were in say Arnold Palmer's era).  Obviously if the longer putter feels more comfortable, then by all means stick with it.  However, it seems that I've been a bit more consistent and comfortable with a shorter putter on the faster greens we have today.

For a reference, I'm 5'8" and I use a 33" putter.  Of course, the length you feel most comfortable with depends on your arm length too.    


Some Tips and Tricks
A great tip for speed control on severely downhill/ fast putts is to visualize a hole short of the actual hole and putt to that image of the hole so that the ball doesn't race by.  Use the same knowledge for severely uphill/ slow putts but this time visualizing a hole past the actual hole to swing to.

A great piece of strategy for attacking with your approach shots is to leave yourself with an uphill putt since they are in my opinion the easiest to make or get close.  Downhill putts can tend to get away from you whereas uphill putts are generally more straightforward in that you know the ball won't keep trickling.  You can think about the best places to miss your approaches so that you have a chip uphill



In Summation: my keys

1. Visualize putts going into the hole at the speed that you want
2. Develop positive emotion for putts that you make (ie: give a fist pump, or a "yes!") and no emotion when you don't hole the putt
3. Accept all outcomes and focus on improving your mental game process not your stroke
4. Have a comfortable setup and reliable putter
5. Have Fun!

The Elements of Scoring by Raymond Floyd

This is a solid book written by Raymond Floyd on the art of scoring, a great strategical and mental book on how to get the most out of your game.  Really pay attention to the strategy he mentions as it can save countless strokes when you are in trouble.
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The object of the game is to shoot the lowest score you can.  In my experience, for all the other undeniable benefits of the game, scoring well is also the most surefire way to really enjoy golf.  Right now there are probably more people captivated and even obsessed by golf than ever before, yet most are consumed with swing mechanics, driving the ball further, sports psychology and having the latest equipment.  All are worthy subjects that can improve your game and increase your enjoyment, but I think most people miss the forest for the trees.  Most people don't know how to play the game.  I'm going to impart everything I know about playing the game: attitude visualization, how to deal with pressure, anger, and fear, about preparation and strategy.

To me, a scorer is someone who consistently gets the most from his skill level, who often shoots scores that are better than the way he or she hits the ball, and who in that sense regularly beats the golf course.  If you are a scorer you won't always win, but you will know and play the percentages, and you won't often beat yourself.

Mistakes that professionals almost never make

1. underclubbing
2. swinging too hard
3. automatically shooting at the flag
4. not playing away from trouble
5. missing the green on the wrong side of the flag
6. trying for too much out of trouble
7. trying shots you have never practiced
8. panicking in the sand
9. misreading turf and lie conditions
10. consistently underreading the break on the greens

Mental Mistakes professionals rarely make:

1. becoming impatient
2. playing overaggressively
3. having more than one swing though on the course
4. dwelling on a shot already played
5. thinking about score and anticipating shots
6. rushing under pressure
7. practicing without a specific purpose
8. neglecting the short game
9. becoming overly meticulous on the greens
10. forgetting to have fun

Devote yourself to two overriding principles.  The first is to play comfortable.  This means mostly finding out and understanding what is your best possible golf and playing for a little less.  Play for what you know you can do instaed of what you hope you can do.  Take what the golf course gives you.  Play comfortable.  I think this is the best advice I can give anyone about actually playing the game.  It's the road to consistency.  It's so simple, but it makes a huge difference.  The second principle is to avoid the big mistake, the big number.  These big numbers (double, triple bogies and beyond) probably happened because of carelessness of poor judgment as much as bad mechanics.  

Golf is a hard game to play well.  It's fun, but it's hard.  It's full of disappointments and setbacks and days when nothing goes right.  It will exasperate you, I don't care how good your attitude is.  I think we love it because on those rare occasions when we do come close to conquering it, we know we've really done something.  Accept the failures as opportunities for growth, get excited by the successes, enjoy the journey.   Learning and improvement come more easily when the student is having fun.  

Professionals almost always know precisely their strengths and weaknesses as golfers.  Everyone on the PGA Tour averages a score that is under par even with only making 50% of 7 foot putts, hitting 7/10 GIR and 10/14 FIR, getting the ball up and down about 6/10 times.  Two things are going on.  Their mistakes are small ones--a pulled drive into the rough, a mishit approach that ends in the fringe-- and they know how to minimize the damage.  

How far exactly do you carry the ball?   Keep in mind that most pros hit their iron shots with about 85% effort.  I know I do; it gives me better control of both the distance and the trajectory.  Shots that aren't hit solidly generally curve more, don't start on line as often, don't fly as far, and are more easily grabbed by the wind.  Iron shots that aren't solid don't carry as much backspin.  Bottomline: shots that aren't solid rarely behave like you want.  Solidity is a good general barometer of where you are as a player.  If you hit the ball solidly on full shots three out of five times, chances are that your fundamentals are good enough to be a single digit handicap player.  If your handicap is higher, the greatest source of your improvement will be in the short game and in your mental and management skills. 

What is your predominant shot pattern and the pattern of your missed shots?  There's no sense in trying to hit shots you can't pull off.  When you find your predominant shot pattern, build your game around it.  If you're going to be a scorer, you have to use what's most reliable for you.  If you are a slicer whose bad shot goes way right and there's a lake that borders the fairway on the right, the percentage play is to aim to the left as much as possible to prevent a penalty and a resulting big score.  You might call this defensive golf and you'd be right.  But the golfer without great control or skills who's trying to shoot his lowest simply has to avoid hazards to stay away from the big number that's out there waiting for him.  You may be trying to get rid of your slice, so you hate to play for it, but the practice range is the place to address that problem; when you're on the course, accept your problem and plan around it.  

What clubs do you hit well?  Your favorite clubs can tell you a lot about your swing and the kind of player you can become.       

What are your skills around the green?  A sophisticated short game can make up for a lot of deficiencies in the long game.  Read Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible for more.  

How well do you putt from 6 feet and in?  To me, this is the best measure of how good a putter you are.  Read Dr. Bob Rotella's Putting Out of Your Mind.

What is your mental approach during a round?  Remember that you need to master your self communication/ talk.  You do this by mastering your body language (55%):  shoulders are back, head is up and your gestures and movements are confident and calm.  Your tone of voice in your mind (38%):  you are telling yourself to remain calm and confident in a calm voice rather than in a panicked and rushed voice.  The words you are using (7%): You are telling yourself to be calm and confident.

Put in the reps with solid fundamentals and swing mechanics.

Chapter 3 The Universals:  What Every Scorer Does

Play comfortable by understanding what you're capable of and playing at a level just inside that boundary (it's also called playing within yourself).  It means playing golf the easiest way you can.  Avoiding high risk shots in favor of safe ones.  Swinging at 85% instead of 100%.  Playing shots that allow you to relax rather than to feel pressure.  Taking what the golf course gives you.  

On the surface, this might not seem a very appealing concept.  After all, isn't part of the fun of golf to test your ability?  What about stretching your limits?  Well the truth is that you won't be /underachieving at all, you'll be growing as a scorer and your scores will come down, which is hardly a sign of underachieving.  Playing within oneself is a timehonored method of sports performance, one the greatest athletes practice regularly.  Champion boxers routinely start their fights conservatively, to ease into a good rhythm, to make sure they don't make a foolish mistake until they can figure out their opponent and to conserve energy in order to get relatively stronger as the fight goes on.  A comfortable player more easily gets into an easy rhythm that will repeat.  I know so many of my best rounds started with a smooth drive hit just to get in the fairway, and a smooth iron just to get on the green.  As I kept up this approach over the first few holes, I might have made some putts or I might not, but my confidence was growing just from the act of doing things easily, and I gradually got more comfortable trying for more.  If I'd started forcing shots early, I might have made a couple of early birdies, but the chances are good I would've had a harder time keeping an effective rhythm into the round.  It's important to make the distinction between playing comfortable and being "on."  Playing comfortable means accepting what you have that day--no matter how little that might be--and not forcing more.  It's a mindset more than a physical state.  And it's a key to getting the most out of your game.  

It's a lesson that came to me slowly, but once it came, I was in contention to win a lot more often.  Bobby Jones learned the same lesson and wrote that it was a vital part of his incredible run of winning 13 major championships within a period of seven years.  Playing comfortable takes discipline because it's in our nature to push the limits of what we can do.  Jack Nicklaus was the greates exponent of playing comfortable.  Even though he had the ability--probably more than anyone in the field--to drive par 4s and shoot at tucked away pins, Jack would patiently play irons off the tee, shoot at the middle of the greens and to stroke his putts to where they would just fall in on the last roll.  He was establishing complete control of his game, so like Michael Jordan, if he needed more at the end of the tournament, he could reach for it effortlessly, without forcing anything he couldn't handle.  

Playing comfortable promotes physical relaxation.  It's easy to maintain nice, loose muscles and swing in rhythmic tempo which is the key to hitting the ball most consistently (it's the glue that keeps the swing smooth without manipulating the golf club).  One of the best tips I've ever heard was given by Sam Snead when he advised swinging at about 85% effort.  Sam said swing at that pace was conducive to smoothness, which promoted good timing.  He said that the slow tempo and the absence of any violent moves in the swing gave the body time to make corrections, so bad swings didn't send the ball nearly as far off line as a hard bad swing would.  

When you play comfortable you also take enough club.  Rather than trying to hit a 6 iron perfectly-- which I would call a force-- you take a smooth 5 iron.  You have more control, you get up to the flag more often, and you probably hit more shots solid.  

On the mental side, playing comfortable engenders a calm, confident state of mind.  You know you're hitting the shot with greatest margin for error, so there's less pressure to hit the ball perfectly.  I see so many amateurs who are always forcing shots and playing out of their comfort zone.  On long par 4s that they can reach only with their two best shots, they try for too much off the tee, get in trouble, and make a big number.  They would be much better off smoothing something--perhaps even a fairway wood or long iron--off the tee, doing the same with their approach, and giving themselves a chance for a one-putt par and at worst an easy bogey.  The strain of trying to produce perfect shots can get you into an edgy mental state that can affect your whole round.  Professionals avoid this state of mind unless they know their games can handle it.  

In this regard, playing comfortable is crucial in competition.  In the prime of my career, I gained a reputation as being a good front-runner, the reason I think is that when I had a lead, I would make a conscious effort to play comfortable.  My view was that as long as I did, the filed had to come and get me; I wasn't going to go back to them.  That mindset gave me a mental safety net, and very often, I found that after a few holes I would get back into a groove that made more aggressive golf comfortable.  When I've had runaway victories, or led wire to wire, that's precisely what happened.

Playing comfortable takes patience.  If you aren't used to it, you may feel as if you're leaving strokes on the course.  But that impression is formed because the satisfaction you get from the difficult shots you pull off makes you think of that as your normal performance.  The point of playing comfortable is to produce a level of play that you can sustain.  You're trading in the feeling of the rare heroic shot for the better feeling of consistently lower scores.  A comfortable approach avoids risk because they create pressure and a negative mindset.  But once a player in a comfortable mode makes a strategic choice to play a percentage shot, his mind frees his body to produce a smooth swing unencumbered by fear.  A comfortable round is filled with one positive shot after another.  In that sense having a conservative strategy makes it easier to have a confident swing.  

For beginners, they should make sure they play as comfortable as possible.  That means learning golf on easy courses in a relaxed environment, without a lot of pressure to play quickly on a crowded course.  Amateurs should also make a point of playing from the right set of tees, the ones that make comfortable golf more accessible to them.

Avoid the Big Mistake

This is also vital to being a scorer.  As much as a good player knows where his opportunities are, he knows even more where disaster lies.  A scorer knows good golf is not so much about hitting a lot of good shots as much as limiting the number or effect of the bad ones.  It's a game of misses, and a scorer knows where to miss it.  A scorer is an expert at sensing danger.  When he gets on the tee, he weighs the potential dangers in descending order.  The worst is out of bounds, the next is the rough/ thick vegetation/ wasteland that leads to either an unplayable lie or lost ball.  Then there are water, trees, regular rough, and bunkers.  He assesses how dense the trees are, how thick the rough, how deep the bunkers, how sloped the fairway.  From this information he determines where the safe spots on the holes are--where he can afford to put himself in a little bit of trouble--like light rough--in order to stay away from big trouble like out of bounds or water.  Most holes have so-called bailout areas that might dictate a longer or more difficult route to the hole, but which avoid potential disaster.  

Percetages dictate when you should bail out, but there is no shame in being extra conservative when the penalty for the wrong kind of mistake will mean a triple bogey or worse.  When pros bail out, it's usually with an iron off the tee or an approach to the fat side of the green.  For a 10 handicapper, the bailout away from hazards might be in the rough off the tee or short of the green on the approach.  If the penalty for a bad mistake is high and you don't feel confident in negotiating the trouble with an attacking shot, take the bailout and give the hazards a wide berth.  If you're basically conceding a bogey, that's all right, especially if the hole is one of the toughest on the course.  The key to scoring for the average golfer is to avoid double bogey or worse.  I am advocating playing defensively, this doesn't mean playing scared, but it does mean having a healthy respect for the fact that for nearly all golfers, the worst that can happen is much nearer to reality than the best.  Golf is a game of mistakes, and the winner is almost always the player who makes the fewest bad shots--or those that do the least damage.  Only the really skilled can play aggressively--employing power and taking big risks--with success, and even they do so at their peril.  Even for a pro, I like the chances of the golfer who plays within himself and avoids the big mistake.  In this sense, a good round of golf is about controlling the damage done by bad shots.  

Have a safety shot

There are times in a round of golf when the game seems incredibly difficult.  The fairway looks like the narrow side of a 2X4, the green like a distant lily pad, and the hole the size of a nail head (the wheels are coming off, you're on bogey train).  When this happens, and it happens to professionals more often than you think, get into survival mode.  Perhaps you can rescue yourself with a quiet pep talk, but sometimes the feeling of helplessness persists.  The best weapon scores have to handle this kind of situation is what I call a "safety shot."  A safety shot is something that gets you through bad moments without much damage being done.  It's usually some kind of makeshift shot that won't impress anyone.  It might have an unimpressive flight, but it will go reasonably straight, be there again if you need it, and probably begin to restore a sense of control.  If you have an iron shot over water and you haven't been hitting them well, consider an alternative like playing towards the safest part of the green, taking out more club and hitting a 3/4 shot or 9:00 swing.  If it's a shot around the green from a poor lie that you feel is begging to be hit thin or hit fat, take the putter and roll the ball along the ground.  If it's a downhill 10 foot put that looks like it could run 10 feet past, lag it.  What's vital is to keep the ball in play, avoid the big mistake, and stop the bleeding.  

Winning ugly is an integral part of competition and it's an important part of being a scorer.  When Jack Nicklaus gets tight on a tee shot, he resorts to a swing that tends to hit hte ball in the heel of the club.  He hits a shot that starts left, flies lower than usual, and has a dying curve to the right--but it allows him to keep playing without self destructing.  After the bad moment is past, Nicklaus is usually back to his old self.  The danger here of course is to give in to fear too often.  If you find yourself hitting more than a dozen safety shots a round, reassess your approach.  Being a scorer also means understanding those times when you have to confront the challenge of a difficult shot or moment and simply do your best.  The security of a safety shot can be an important refuge when it feels like everything's slipping away.  

A scorer studies the flight of his playing partners' shots to see how strong the wind is, how long the distance is playing, how firm the green is, all sorts of things.  Being a careful observer is a big part of being a scorer.  

One Shot at a time

When you think about it, there is really nothing you can gain by knowing what you're shooting.  The fact is, in almost all of the best rounds I've ever shot, I didn't know how I stood in relation to par or what I scored until it was added up at the end.  I simply played one shot at a time. The best mind-set for scoring is total immersion in the shot you're about to hit, and after you've hit that one, total immersion in the next one.  Out on tour, a lot of very good players don't look at the scoreboard--even when they're in contention on the final day--for fear that it will distract them from their routine of focusing on the shot at hand.  

Understand Angles (pg 52)

Play your tee shots to create the angle that will give you the most green to shoot to, and try to avoid approaches that force you to carry a bunker to a tightly cut pin.  Whenever possible, know where on the green the pin is cut before hitting the tee shot.  Unless you have a quick stopping lob shot, make an effort to avoid missing the green on the side closest to the pin.  This is called "getting shortsided."  Favor the wide side, from which the recovery is easier because you have more green to play to.

Develop a pre-shot routine

This is a vital part of every shot for a scorer.  The purpose of the pre-shot routine is to trigger concentration, to mentally announce that serious business is under way.  Limit swing thoughts to one per round.  The pre-shot routine is the mechanism to shut off destructive feelings (bad feelings from missed shots or overexcitement that can result from a great shot or score).  If for some reason your concentration is broken during your pre-shot routine, I find it more effective to start all over.  A scorer will not hit a shot if he isn't ready.  Make sure you time your pre-shot routine on the range so that it doesn't take up too much time. 

I find that my pre-shot routine works best when I play briskly.  This doesn't mean that the pace of play has to be fast; I've learned through years of slow play in pro golf how to slow down my movements between shots, and then to play quickly and decisively when it's my turn to hit.  This doesn't mean rushing.  IT simply means moving at a steady pace and always being ready to hit the ball when it's your turn.  Brisk play lends an orderliness and purpose to your playing and keeps you mentally sharp.  Your first look--whether it's a tee shot, an approach, or a putt--is very often your best.            

Play to your strengths
If you're a scorer, you can find a way to play a course that will enable you to emphasize your strengths.  Just because a hole seems to dictate a particular kind of shot doesn't mean you have to hit it.  It's most effective to make the best of what your most consistent shot is, rather than try the so-called correct shot if you're inconsistent with it.  Very few pros today try to hit the shaped shot into the pin (the "perfect shot").  They go with their strengths.  This is obviously even more important for the average player.  If your shot is a high fade or even a slice, stick with it.  What's important is that you accept the limitations of this shot.  If the hole is a dogleg left, you'll be forced to play to the wide side; if the pin is in the back left, you can't shoot at it.

Target, target, target
A scorer is obsessed with his target on every shot.  If he is truly concentrating, for those moments until he hits the shot, the target is the most important thing in his life.  When I'm playing my best, I immerse myself in my target.  I try to let all my senses take in as much about the target as I can, and as I go through my pre-shot routine, I narrow down to where and on what path I want to hit the ball.

Having a game plan
A game plan is valuable because it imposes structure and discipline on your round.  Golf is full of ups and downs, but when you have predetermined design for negotiating a particular course, following it can help you keep your composure and stay away from mistakes.  It's natural after a poor hole to want to get the lost strokes back on the next one, but a game plan will keep you on a track designed for percentage golf.

Just the act of creating a game plan will make you more of a scorer.  It will get you evaluating your abilities against the challenges of the golf course.  By analyzing holes to determine the best route for you, you'll be going through the same process that pros consider critical to success on every course they play.  The nature of the game plan will depend on the golf course.  If it's one with small greens, an overriding strategy might be to shoot at the middle of the green no matter where the pin is.  If it's a long course with wider than average fairways, going for a little more distance off the tee would be appropriate.  IF the course has greens that slope severely from back to front, keeping the ball below the hole is crucial.

Particularly difficult holes are also best played with a predetermined game plan.  Again, this helps control the natural urge to hit a heroic shot.  The important thing, whatever your game plan is to stick with it throughout the round.  With an intelligent game plan, it's easier to play comfortable.  These are the universals.  When I've fully lived up to all ten in one tournament, I've invariably done well.  Again, I'm not talking about the quality of my ball-striking, but the quality of my thinking and my playing.  Try to keep the universals in your head as you play and see how well you adhered to them after your round.  In the big picture, how well you followed the universals will give you a better measure of how you played than your score.  And if you follow the universals faithfully, you will become a scorer.

Chapter 4 Off the Tee
Being a scorer starts with being a good driver.  A good driver isn't necessarily a long hitter, although length used intelligently is a wonderful advantage.  A good driver isn't necessarily consistently straight, although accuracy is an even bigger advantage.  A good driver evaluates what confronts him, knows his capabilities, and makes a conscious effort to avoid the big trouble and get the ball in play.

If you want to get the most out of the tools you have, any kind of shot you can get in the fairway with regularity is a fine starting point.  Other than being a good putter inside 7 feet, the most valuable asset you can have in golf is to be a straight hitter.  Placing the ball off the tee into a position from where the next shot can be hit unencumbered is the most fundamental factor of consistent play.  Most golfers would do well to think of their tee shots as analogous to the serve in tennis: get the ball in play or lose the point.  And you don't get a mulligan if you mess up the first one.

Playing from the fairway or short rough starts a very desirable chain reaction.  First, the biggest disaster shots in the game are usually tee shots.  Once you're on or near the fairway you're far less likely to make a big mistake on the hole.  In match play, being straigh puts continuous pressure on your opponent and makes you a hard player to beat.  In sum, being play off the tee simply makes the game easier.

What about distance? Again it's an undeniable advantage, but in relation to your ability to hit straight, I would say that, all other things being equal, a player who is in the fairway 80% of the time will beat a player who is 30 yards longer but hits the fairway only 40% of the time.  To put it another way, if trying for an extra 10 yards off the tee is going to cause you to miss several more fairways, don't do it.  A long, straight drive is a great way to start a hole, and wonderful for the ego, but if straining to produce such a shot all the time makes you wild, it's simply not worth it.  A long straight one compared to a shorter straight one doesn't help you nearly as much as a really cooked one hurts you.  I learned this the hard way.  When I was a young man, I was one of the longest hitters on the tour, but also one of the wildest.  My idol was Arnold Palmer, and in my early years I played a lot of practice rounds with him.  I admired his forcing style of play and tried to emulate him.  Like Arnold, I strove to hit the ball hard, to cut doglegs off the tee, to take out the driver on tight driving holes.  Obviously, Arnold's style was right for him.  Besides his extroverted, aggressive personality, Arnold was extremely straight off the tee.  That ability allowed him to really challenge a golf course, much the way that Greg Norman's combination of power and accuracy allows him to be so bold.

I was different.  I've never been as straight as those two players, so while I may have thought that constantly attacking off the tee was the right way to play, in fact it wasn't right for me.  The mental strain of trying to hit forcing drives would, once a round or so, cause me to hit a terrible drive that might ruin my whole round.  I also learned that I have a personality that likes to play percentages.  I found that I truly hate to waste strokesm and that I was doing just that by being so aggressive.  I became a much better player when I played a lower risk game off the tee.  Then when I got within 30 yards, I could use my superior abilities in that range to attack with confidence.  As much as I revered Arnold Palmer, I learned I had to be me.

In general I believe in a conservative approach.  Unless you are very skilled, and have a temperament that can forget mistakes, it's the best way to go.  At every level.

The first rule, then, of tee shots on so-called driving holes is to get the ball in play.

Carefully assess the hole
We'll talk about this more specifically in chapter 6.  The point here is that a scorer makes a thorough point by point analysis of a hole before ever hitting the shot.  Can it be reached easily in regulation?  Which way is the wind blowing?  Where is the trouble, and on which side of the fairway is it safer to err?  Where on the green is the hold cut?  Is the best club a driver, or something less?  Does it fit my strengths or does it tempt my weaknesses?  How have I played that day, and what was the pattern to my misses?  There are many possible questions and a scorer asks the right ones.

Tee the ball correctly
When hitting a driver, tee the ball so at least half the ball is above the top of the club.  This will allow for a natural positive angle of attack that launches the ball high on the face, the best spot for less spin and more launch.  Conventional wisdom says to tee the ball low when you want to hit it low, especially into the wind.  The problem with this is that it can promote hitting the ball with a descending blow, which imparts more backspin than a ball hit slightly on the upswing.  Backspin into the wind will make the ball rise, which will defeat what you're trying to achieve.

When to go for distance
There are holes where the penalties off the tee are minimal, and the rewards for hitting a long one can be significant.  At the professional level, a good example is the 15th at Augusta.  It's a 500 yard par 5 with a pond in front of the green.  There is almost no trouble off the tee, so a mishit would simply mean laying up short of the pond, the same as if you hit a straight but short drive.  It's worth it in this kind of "no lose" case to go for a long one.  Amateurs will face similar situations.  When a hole is wide open with little or no trouble off the tee, and the reward for extra length is tangible (such as reaching a par 5 you wouldn't ordinarily be able to get to in two shots), then the gamble of playing the driver is worth it.  Even though you are going for a bigger hit, you're still playing comfortable.
On the other hand, if a hole is just plain easy, with no trouble off the tee, but very reachable in regulation, there is no point in taking a big swing.  You might only succeed in making an easy hole hard.  

Hitting downwind also gives you more room to make a big swing.  A strong following wind will straighten out errant shots.  But on a tight driving hole that's downwind, the margin for error closes again, because the farther the ball travels the harder it is to keep in the fairway.

Look at the hole as an architect would
A well-designed golf hole has alternate routes that are based on the concept of risk versus reward.  Generally there is a bold route off the tee that requires more risk, but if successful has a proportionate reward and a good chance for a birdie.  There is a safer route that leaves a longer and more difficult second shot, but is easier to execute.  Deciding which route is best for you depends on your skills and temperament.  Sometimes a risky shot fits into your strength, but rarely if ever should a player who struggles to break 80 take the riskier route.  The safe route will keep you away from the disaster shot that's been keeping your scores so high.  It's better to hit to the fat part of the fairway and away from trouble.  It will probably fewer birdies, but it will cut down on the bogeys and worse.  If you try to cut a dogleg, cut the corners that go the way you usually curve the ball.  Sometimes the architect puts features into a hole that can be taken advantage of.  For example, a flat spot on an otherwise sloping fairway may lie short of where your normal drive would end up.  In that case, it might be advantageous to take less club and place your shot on the flat spot as if it were a green on a par 3.  Keep in mind that some fairways have slopes in them that can as catapults if you can land your ball on them; use them to your advantage.

Learn to hook the ball
The fastest to become better from the tee us to learn how to curve the ball right to left.  It will improve your game in many ways.  You'll be longer, you'll be able to hit a more penetrating shot into the wind, you'll have the skill to curve the ball out of trouble, and you'll be able to play more holes the way they were designed.  To be a scorer it's at essential to at least know how to curve the ball both ways.  Make sure that you have a strong enough grip and to have the clubface closed to the path on the downswing and into impact.  Learning golf mechanics is usually a process of taking a step backward in order to take two steps forward, so accept that you'll temporarily lose some confidence and hit some wild shots.  The important thing is to challenge yourself to try your new shot, and relish the road to improvement.

Find the right driver
A driver can be the latest in technology and be a terrible club for you.  Before you buy a club, go to a professional with a launch monitor to check your swing speed, launch angle, spin rate, and whether you need an adjusted lie angle, shortened shaft length, different flex and/or kick.  Then you can get fit properly.

Catch it solid into the wind
You don't want to get too much spin on the ball.  A strong headwind will accentuate errors and you want to minimize them.  Maybe learn the Tiger stinger, or have a special driving iron or fairway wood that drives the ball low under the wind.

An exercise program can add yards to your drives 
We all laughed at Gary Player in the early days, but it turned out Gary knew what he was talking about.  Basically the more flexibility and strength a person can develop, the longer he will hit the ball.  For amateurs, flexibility is paramount because they sit in offices most of their working days.  Flexibility is something the body loses quickly, but also something it can regain quickly.  As far as strength goes, the main sources of power in the golf swing are the hips and the trunk.  Style your workout in this direction, and you'll undoubtedly pick up some yards.  This is one reason senior-tour players are hitting the ball longer than ever.

Focus on the target
Trust your swing and execute through your routines.  The way to give it its best chance is to have faith in the centrifugal force of a freely swung clubhead.  If you get first-tee jitters it's nothing to be ashamed of.  I believe they help me focus, because very often, my first shot is one of the best I hit all day.  Here's how I get myself ready to hit my first tee shot.  First of all I hit a few drives at the end of my pre-round practice session.  While doing so, I pretend I'm hitting my first tee shot of the round--complete with the gallery and the natural adrenaline inside me.  My thoughts are focused and making a smooth, controlled swing.  When I get to the first tee, I try to direct my thoughts to execution--not what's at stake or who is watching me.  I make sure my movements and my mood are relaxed and slow.  When it's my turn to hit, I make a conscious effort to go through my normal routine.  It's important not to take the easy way out on the first tee by just getting things over with.  By giving in and getting off to a poor start, you only increase the pressure on yourself for the rest of the round.  If your nerves or lack of confidence is severe, there's no law that says you have to hit a driver off the first tee.  Hit your "safety shot" if you have one, or drop down to a club you're more comfortable with, a fairway wood or even as little as a 5-iron.  It won't go far, but if you hit it solid, it will get rid of the butterflies without any damage done.  The key, even if you hit a bad first-tee shot, is knowing that you approached the shot carefully and gave it your best mentally.  That knowledge alone is a good start to any round.

Zen Golf by Dr. Joseph Parent

This book is my favorite mental game book that I've ever read.  It really gives some great techniques helping with focusing on the present and taking one shot at a time, as well as a great method for calming the negative thoughts that tend to get our focus.  What really makes this book a classic is that it transcends golf and applies life in general.  If you haven't checked it out yet, definitely take the time to read it.  Dr Parent evolved his principles of Zen Golf from studying and practicing Buddhist meditation and psychology, as well as an enduring passion for golf.   One of his meditation teachers, Osel Tendzin is an avid golfer.




Zen Golf by Dr. Joseph Parent

Introduction
I'm a golf coach, but I don't instruct golfers on their swings.  I teach them how to use their minds on the golf course and how to play from their hearts.  I try to give golfers a different way of thinking about how they play the game and how they treat themselves on the golf course.  I teach golfers how to play "Zen golf."

Zen means "action with awareness" being completely in the present moment.  The qualities that accompany the Zen experience include expansive vision, effortless focus, a feeling of equanimity and timelessness, abundant confidence, and complete freedom from anxiety or doubt.  Interestingly, this exactly the way champion athletes describe "being in the Zone."  It is also strikingly similar to the way golfers describe the feeling of a perfectly struck golf shot, a feeling every golfer wants to have again and again.

Performance anxiety, emotional reactions, and distractions interfere with golfers' abilities.  Overcoming such obstacles is the key to breaking through to lower scores.  The stories and lessons in Zen Golf are about freeing ourselves from fear and doubt, and activating confidence--what every golfer needs.  Many books and articles on the mental game will tell you, "Stay in the present, keep focused, clear your mind, don't get down on yourself."  What makes Zen Golf special is that it teaches you how to do those things, with time-tested mindfulness and awareness techniques and exercises for working with thoughts and emotions, for settling and centering your body and mind, for changing unhelpful habits.



Through years of playing, practicing, and coaching the mental game of golf, three aspects emerged as the ideal beginning, middle, and end for any golf shot.  I refer to them as the PAR approach to golf instruction--Preparation, Action, and Response to results (xvii).

Keys to preparation: clarity, commitment, and composure.  Necessary for developing a sound, consistent routine.

The ideal state of mind for action: feeling confident, focused, and in the flow, with body and mind synchronized in the present moment.  This allows you to execute a shot free from the interference of mental chatter or paralysis from analysis.

The best response to results: one that enhances future performance.  You'll be introduced to a unique "post-shot routine."  This special way of relating to the outcome of a shot is highly effective in fostering confidence by building on success and learning from mistakes without negativity.


It is my hope that this book will help you tap into the unconditional confidence that is already there in your heart.  May it enable you to ride the ups and downs you encounter with poise, humor, and humility, making the game of golf and the game of life ever more rewarding for yourself and your playing companions.
  

Part 1: A Different Perspective
"Confidence is an unconditional state in which you simply possess an unwavering state of mind that needs no reference point.  There is no room for doubt; even the question of doubt does not occur...This unconditional confidence contains gentleness, because the notion of fear does not arise; sturdiness, because in the state of confidence there is ever-present resourcefulness; and joy, because trusting in the heart brings a greater sense of humor.  This confidence can manifest as majesty, elegance, and richness in a person's life."  --Venerable Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior

Chapter 1: Empty Your Cup
A young man had read all the books he could find about Zen.  He heard about a great Zen master and requested an appointment with him to ask for teachings.  When they were seated, the young man proceeded to tell the master everything he had understood from his reading, saying that Zen is about this, and Zen is about that.  After some time, the master suggested that they have tea.  He performed the traditional tea ceremony while the student sat at attention, bowing when served, saying nothing.  The master began to pour tea into the student's cup.  He poured until it was full, and kept pouring.  The tea ran over the edge of the cup and onto the table.  The master kept pouring as the tea ran off the table and onto the  floor.  Finally, the student couldn't contain himself any longer.  He shouted, "Stop! Stop pouring!  The cup is full--no more will go in!"  The master stopped pouring and said, "Just like this cup, your mind is full of your own opinions and preconceptions.  How can you learn anything unless you first empty your cup?"



The empty cup approach doesn't mean giving up your intelligence and following blindly.  The point is to receive everything that's taught in an open way, withholding judgment about it until you've tried it for a while.  Try your best to understand what is being communicated, then give it a fair chance to see whether or not it works for you.  Beginner's mind is a mind that is open, eager to learn, an empty cup.  If your mind is open, empty of preconceptions, it is always inquisitive, receptive to whatever arises, and ready to engage.

When we begin, we have no thoughts of having already accomplished  something.  Then we can learn.  But after a while, it can get stale.  We may think we know something and lose our motivation.  Our cup starts to fill and there is less room for something new.  When we become aware that this is happening, we can take a fresh start and return to beginner's mind.  We may find it challenging to keep to our beginner's mind.  But it is so worthwhile.  With beginner's mind we can learn from everyone and everything we encounter.

Four Kinds of Students
In describing the learning process, the Buddhist teachings once again make use of the metaphor of the cup.  Four types of cups symbolize four kinds of students.  Instruction is symbolized by water being poured.

The first cup is upside down, representing a student who is supposedly there to learn, but pays no attention.  No matter how much is poured, nothing gets in.

The second cup is right side up, but has a hole in the bottom.  We hear what's being taught, but we forget it all too soon (in one ear, out the other).  We didn't chew on it and digest it and take it to heart.

The third cup is right side up and doesn't have a hole in it, but the inside is covered with dirt.  When the clear water of instruction is poured in, the dirt makes it cloudy.  This symbolizes the way we can distort what we hear, interpreting and editing it to fit into our preconceived ideas or opinions.  Nothing new is actually learned, anything new that doesn't match our opinion is resisted, ignored, or disregarded.

The fourth cup represents the ideal way to be a student.  It is upright, receiving what is taught.  It has no holes, retaining what is taught.  It is clean, open to learning something new.  To whatever extent you can, be like the fourth cup.    

An upright, clean, open, and fully covered cup is the ideal way to be a student.

Most golfers profess to want to improve their games.  When people find out that I coach the mental game, many of them say, "Boy, do I need that."  But most aren't really interested in learning--like upside-down cups (6).

It's delightful when someone who, like the fourth type of cup, comes back and describes the results of working on what we discussed, and has even begun to apply the instruction to other aspects of his or her game.


Thinking outside of the box:

To complete the Nine Dots Exercise (where you connect nine dots with only 3 or 4 straight lines without lifting your pencil from the paper) you need to go outside the artificial limits of the 'box' that the nine dots seem to define.  If you assume you have to stay within the box, four continuous straight lines will always leave at least one dot unconnected.  You have to think outside the box.  The point of this exercise is to show how we limit ourselves by our assumptions.  Looking at things with a big mind, with a larger or different perspective, increases our choices dramatically.  It allows for so much more creativity.  Sometimes aiming for the rough is the better play than playing down the water lined fairway, sometimes aiming for the slope at the back of the green will be a much more easier way to get the ball closer to the pin.  When uncomfortable with your long irons and you face a shot with hazards surrounding the green, instead of going for the green, take a page out of Zach Johnson's book from the 2007 Masters, where he laid up on every par 5 that week and went on to win.  




Par for the course: 
'Par' is an example of an illusory 'box' that mid- to high-handicap golfers create for themselves.  They would do well to think outside of it.  Less than 1 percent of all golfers have completed a round of  golf in par or better.  That makes it a rather unrealistic target score for all but the most skilled among us.

Measuring yourself against the par on the scorecard is a setup for failure for the average golfer [...] when it was first used, the number set as 'par for the course' varied according to the difficulty of the course under conditions under which a competition was played.  If it was played in a howling wind and driving rain on a long, tight golf course, par might have been set at 85 that day.

A scorecard on the other hand doesn't change with the weather.  I suggest that you set your own par for the course.  Change the par written on the scorecard to reflect your handicap, as well as the conditions, making it your 'personal par for the day.'  Before each round, on your scorecard, cross out and rewrite the par given to each of the harder holes on the course.  Add one for as many holes as you receive handicap strokes (and one or two more if the weather or course conditions are extra challenging).  The harder par-4 holes are now par-5s, etc.  For high handicappers (over 18), on some holes your 'personal par' will be two strokes higher than the par on the scorecard.

You will become much more at ease approaching a difficult hole from this new perspective.  It will also encourage more patience in recovering from a miss-hit, knowing you have that extra stroke or two to get to the green.  You'll also feel much better at the end of a hole or the end of a round by using this perspective-changing technique.  For a 20-handicapper playing the hardest hole, instead of dejectedly saying, 'I made another double-bogey,' you get to say, 'I made my par!'  at the end of your round, instead of saying, 'I shot a ninety-one,' you get to say, 'I finished at one under par!'  It's pretty clear which will make you feel more encouraged about this round and more confident about the next one.  The idea of reaching the par on the scorecard seems an insurmountable task when it is twenty strokes away.  Getting there little by little with rewards along the way is much more workable (Parent 10-12).

Thumbs up and smile!

Cover the Roads With Leather

Somewhere in ancient India, there was a king whose feet were very sensitive.  He complained constantly about the kingdoms roads which were rough and rocky.  Finally, the king decided he would have all the roads covered with leather, so that he could walk on leather anywhere he wanted to go and his feet would be comfortable.  He invited the best craftsment in the land to bid on this formidable project.  One replied, "I can do the job, but it will cost all that is in the kingdom's treasury."  Another said, "I can cover the roads with leather for half of what is in the treasury."  Then an old woman came to the king and said, "I can do the job for ten rupees.  I'll just strap a piece of leather under each of your feet and you'll be walking on leather wherever you go." 

Complaining, wanting all the conditions to be just the way we'd like them, doesn't get us anywhere.  In fact, we're just distracting ourselves from the task at hand.  Instead of complaining, recognize that everyone has to play the same course.  Sure there are times when the morning groups have bad weather and it clears for the player teeing off in the afternoon, or vice versa.  So what?  Golf and life aaren't fair on a day-to-day basis.  But those good and bad breaks even out over the llong run.  

Learn to play a variety of conditions.  Adapt yourself and your state of mind to whatever you encounter.  Cover your feet in leather and you'll be walking comfortably no matter how rough the road.  

My teacher Osel Tendzin gave one of his students this very powerful instruction about complaining:  Don't complain about anything, not even to yourself.  

How Big is Your Mind

A Zen master asked a student, "Where is your mind?"  The student said, "When I perceive my thoughts it is as if someone were speaking inside my head.  So my mind must be in my head."  The master motioned for the student to approach him.  When the student stood right in front of him, the master banged his fist down on the student's big toe and said, "Now where is your mind?"

If we notice a sensation in our foot, it is actually experienced in our mind.  So perhaps our mind is the size of our body.  But we also experience what we see, so perhaps our mind is as big as our field of vision.  What if I asked you to imagine the farthest star in the farthest galaxy?  Now how big is your mind?  Ultimately, our mind has the potential to be as big as the universe.  The more open our mind, the bigger it is.  The more consumed by worry and petty concerns, the smaller it is.  Tunnel vision might be very focused, but if you miss a critical variable in your planning, the shot will be a disaster.  Temper tantrums make for a very small mind and lead to awful decisions.  Worrying about missing a four-foot putt makes your mind feel about as tiny as a thimble.  Playing your best golf comes from having the biggest mind.  Whatever you encounter, connect with the space around it, see it in as big a context as you can.  Look at the lay of the  land and start reading your putt when you're fifty yards from the green.  See the big view.  

If we get "ball-bound" before we swing, we lost track of the space we're sending the ball into.  A small mind interferes with making a free swing that follows through toward the target.  After a good drive or iron shot, watch it fly, without a lot of comment, just appreciating the whole picture.  Notice how open and expansive, how big your mind feels.  Connect with that experience and call it up before your next shot.  You'll be surprised by how much more you see and feel.  

***Big Mind Exercise:  On a level area of the putting green place a ball about 20 feet from the hole (flag removed).  Set up for the putt, focusing on the hole, and get a feel for the distance from the ball to the hole.  Instead of stroking the putt, stand up and turn to face the hole.  Now close your eyes, walk towards the hole and holding the putter by the head, try to put the grip end of the putter into the hole (Don't count steps, just put the putter grip down when you think you've gotten to the hole).  

Most people stop short of the hole taking smaller, tentative steps as they get closer to where they think the hole is.  The hole is the assumed limit, the end of the "box" they can't go outside of.  Their mind is only as big as the space between the ball and the hole.  There is also an optical counterpart to this psychological effect.  Visually focusing tightly on an object foreshortens the perceived distance to that object.  In other words, it looks closer than it actually is.  Combine that with being afraid to go past the hole, and the ball never gets there; that's one reason why we leave putts short so often.

Now set up to the putt again, but this time look beyond the hole.  Expand your view to the far edge of the green, then come back to the hole, seeing it within the larger space.  Now walk again with eyes closed and try to put the grip end of the putter in the hole.  This time you were probably much closer to the hole, or even a little bit beyond it.  That's the impact of letting your mind be bigger.     

In summation, when getting ready to putt, let your view include more of the green and see the distance to the hole within that bigger space.  Bigger space, bigger mind.  Bigger mind, bigger results.  

You are not your thoughts

The student respectfully approached the master, bowed, and requested instruction.  "My mind is very difficult to control," he explained.  "When I want some thoughts to go, they stay.  When I want others to stay, they go.  How can I control my mind?"  The master said, "The mind is like a high-spirited wild horse.  If you try to control it by locking it up, it will be agitated and restless.  If you try to force it to be still, it will kick and fight even more.  "Take a bigger view of control.  Within the big meadow of awareness, let the wild horse of your mind run here and there.  With nothing to struggle against it, it will eventually settle down on it's own.  When it has settle, you can tame it; when it is tame, you can train it.  Then you can ride the horse of your mind, and it will swiftly take you wherever you want to go."

Many times I've heard golfers lament, "I know I have the talent, if only I could get out of my own way."  What is it that's in the way?  Most of the time, it's your thoughts.  While playing well in a tournament, we might think to ourselves, "Well you've gotten away with it so far, but you'll screw up before too long."  Believing in this thought gives it power.  It creates feelings of doubt and anxiety, which interfere with our swing and produce errant shots.  That makes us believe the thought even more, amplifying it in our mind.  Eventually, the fear of failure becomes so powerful that our game is badly disrupted and the prophecy of the thought has been fulfilled.  Yet aren't thoughts our own creations?  Why would we knowingly create something that interferes with what we intend to accomplish?  Let's take a closer look at our thoughts--and how we relate to them--from a different perspective.

Usually, it feels as if our thoughts and our mind are one and the same.  Our thoughts seem to completely fill our mind.  It's as if we are in a continuous stream of conversation with ourselves.  Without hesitation we act on these thoughts and fears instead of having the freedom to choose whether or not to respond.  

If we look carefully, we can see that thoughts arise in our mind, but they are not our mind.  By observing our thoughts and the feelings that precede and follow them, we can begin to experience a gap in the sequence of impulse-to-thought-to-action, and we can choose how to respond rather than automatically react. 

****Awareness of Thoughts:  The practice of working with thoughts is fundamental to Buddhism.  To begin, sit upright on a chair or cross-legged on a cushion remaining as quiet as possible.  Eyes open, gaze slightly lowered, rest your attention lightly on the breath.  This has a settling effect on body and mind.  Let your awareness include bodily sensations and other perceptions, without letting them distract you from the breath. 

As thoughts arise, you simply let them come up and go by, neither inviting them to stay nor get rid of them.  Noticing them is enough; there's no need for analyzing or judging them.  Doing this for just a little while creates the space that allows you to gain insight into the quality of thoughts.  They come and go in your mind but they don't have to occupy it completely.

Doing this awareness practice regularly begins to change your relationship to your thoughts.  You begin to see the contrast between being off somewhere in the past or the future and being here in the present.  When you are present you are simply being aware.  Whatever thoughts or feelings come up you can be aware of them without having to act on them.  

There may be moments when little or no mental chatter occupies your mind.  In that space of simply being, whatever sights, sounds, smells, or sensations you experience become vivid and clear.  

In Buddhism, mind and awareness are synonymous.

Basic Goodness

One of the most fundamental principles of the Buddhist and Shambhala traditions, as taught by my teacher Chogyam Trungpa, is that the true nature of human beings is basic goodness.  As he said, "This is not a matter of talking yourself into believing that everything is okay; you are genuine and good just as you are."  It is the simple direct appreciation of being alive that is common to everyone.  Golfers recognize it in that moment after a seemingly effortless swing sends a golf ball soaring into the sky.  

It is a perspective of richness, wholeness, that nothing in our fundamental being is flawed or missing.  Acknowledging our own basic goodness means taking the attitude that there is something fundamentally, essentially right with us.  How we feel about ourselves as a person doesn't need to depend on the quality of a particular golf shot or the outcome of a round.   

That perspective is very different from the attitude most prevalent in the world today.  There is a need to prove our worth again and again, that stems from the underlying view that there is something fundamentally wrong with us.  We think that in order to be who we want to be, we need to be something different than what we are.   That is "poverty mentality" the feeling that we're not good enough, that we're broken and need to be fixed, that we are missing something that needs to be added to make us whole.  Like the gold statue, over the years our basic goodness has become covered over by self-doubt and fear.  Your memory of your natural contentment has faded, and we think that the way out of our feelings of inadequacy is to gold-plate ourselves into looking better.  

We usually relate to our golf game from that kind of poverty mentality.  Our swing is the gold statue of our golf game.  When we make a poor shot, we usually assume something is wrong with our swing.  Therefore, we think we need to do something to fix it, to add something to make it whole, to change something about it to make it right.  That's like adding golf plate on top of clay.  Quick fixes and patch-up jobs during a round will only take you further and further from understanding what you're doing when you swing, just as adding more gold on top of the clay takes us further from the real gold underneath.  However by not fixing your swing you will start to recognize patterns and be more realistic in your targets and yardages.  Seeing the patterns in your shots without trying to change them will allow you to be more aware of what you're doing to produce them.  That gives you the information and insight you need to go to the practice tee and work on changing your habits.

We don't need to gold-plate our swing; we just need to dissolve the clay of interference that obscures the pure gold of what our body already knows how to do.  This leads into a "richness mentality."  Recognizing basic goodness as our own nature becomes  the impetus for discovering unconditional confidence.  Then the wayward shots no longer become punishment or confirmation of our failings, but clues that help us discover how to remove more and more clay so that our game can eventually shine like solid gold.  

Jim Furyk has one of the most unique unorthodox swings on tour but it works for him and he hasn't ever changed.  

Unconditional Confidence    

How well we play golf is often a reflection of our level of confidence.  We'd all like to have the feeling that every drive will find the fairway and every putt will find the hole.  It's important to recognize that there are three kinds of confidence.  

False Confidence: doesn't help at all.  It's just talking big, kidding ourselves.  It can lead to taking unrealistic chances, usually with disastrous consequences.  We may be trying to impress others into thinking we're better than we actually are.  The truth comes out in no time on the golf course.  

Conditional Confidence: depends on recent results.  We are confident "on the condition" that we continue to play well.  When things go well our confidence can build until we feel like we can make every shot.  But if things go badly, we start questioning our ability.  From there, down we go.  If we're worried that we might hit a bad shot and we do, we feel even less confident for the next one.  It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.  The antidote to this is unconditional confidence.  

Unconditional Confidence: arises from connecting with our basic goodness.  We believe in ourselves as decent people and in our golfing skills for our level of play.  This doesn't mean that we expect to hit every shot perfectly.  It does mean that we can handle whatever the result is.  With unconditional confidence, our self-worth as a human being doesn't depend on how well or poorly we strike a golf ball.  We see our nature and our abilities as basically good and the difficulties we encounter as temporary experiences.  Instead of assuming something is wrong with our swing and trying to fix it, we reflect on what may have interfered with our intention on that shot.  This approach makes it possible to quickly turn things around and play well again.  

Unconditional confidence takes a big perspective, independent of moment-to-moment results.  The bigger the perspective we have, the better we can ride the inevitable ups and downs within a round, over several rounds, or even longer.  We can handle difficulties with a sense of humor, knowing that these things come and go.  We can regard experiences of success with a sense of humility; these also come and go.  Whatever we encounter, we can be fearless in the moment.  That's the expression of true confidence.  

clearing the interference

Like the sun appearing from behind the clouds, if we clear away the interference, our confidence will come shining through.     

More Curious than Afraid

Too often as we are about to break through to a new level of success, fear gets in the way.  It could be a fear of failure or a fear of success.  If we try our hardest and still don't succeed we might feel devastated.  We might feel that doing our best is still not good enough.  If we give in to that fear of failure, we find a way to sabotage our round so that we won't be in the position to fall just short at the end.  We succeed in avoiding the anxiety, but we never give ourselves a chance to win.  The fear of success is contained in our projections of what will be expected of us afterward and the fear of not being able to meet those expectations.  Again, we often find ways to undermine our success to avoid the anxiety we anticipate. 

Like Ishi, we can take an attitude of openness and curiosity about the future regardless of what we might encounter.  Facing challenges this way will help us step through our fears and give ourselves a real chance for success.  It's been said, "Life is like a turtle.  If you don't stick your neck out, you never get anywhere."  However stepping into the unknown future can have negative repercussions if the ground isn't properly prepared.  The key here is pre-acceptance.  You need to settle the issue in your mind that you are making a choice with pre-acceptance of all the possible results, both good and bad.  If you shoot at a pin near a deep bunker, you have to be willing to accept landing in the bunker as a risk you're willing to take against the chance of having a short putt for birdie.  Without acceptance, your disappointment and frustration when things don't go your way will only make matters worse.  

Pre-acceptance means taking the attitude that you can handle whatever results you encounter.  This reduces fear of unwanted outcomes, meaning less interference with making a free swing.  And that means a higher percentage of good results.  If you accept the possibility of having to scramble, you'll find yourself scrambling a whole lot less.  

Preview in How to Make Every Putt 
Use this connect the dots drill as an exercise to get better at visualizing putts

1. Imagine the line you expect a breaking putt to take, then set ball markers on that line every foot or two.  
2. Connect the dots in your mind to get a clear image of the line you think it will take, then focus on getting the ball started on that line.  
3. Watch how the ball rolls out, then adjust the ball markers to create a more accurate line
4. Continue practicing this way until the putt rolls right along the line made by the markers and into the hole.