Dead Aim

I haven't been writing for some time now because my game has been in the doldrums. When you can't score, you tend to feel like you're in no position to suggest to others what they should be doing on the golf course, even if the advice you're giving comes from golf's greatest players.

But recently Steve and I rediscovered the one thing every golfer must do to play their best golf. Harvey Penick had perhaps the best advice you can give to any golfer. He said we must "take dead aim." Golf is a target game. And the best golfers are able to choose, and then commit to hitting, a specific target. That target may not necessarily be the pin, or the exact centre of the fairway, but it is a specific target.

Too many golfers stand on the tee and just try to hit the fairway. The fact is that a thirty yard fairway is simply not a specific enough target to enable you to take dead aim and for your mind body to perform at its best. It would be like playing darts and just trying to hit the board instead of the bullseye. Your target needs to be something small, like the white 150 yard marker in the middle of the fairway. When hitting into the green, the target might not necessarily be the flagstick. But it can't be vague enough to be just hitting the green.

Of course, taking dead aim means identifying your target, properly aiming your clubface at that target and then making a swing with direct intention of hitting the ball to that target. And while that may sound obvious, it is amazing how often we don't do it. When I think of taking dead aim, I can't think of a better example than Jack Nicklaus and the obvious care he took to aim at his target. Jack said that most shots were missed before the club was even taken back, emphasizing the need for setting up to hit your target and having the correct mental attitude.

After another frustrating round today, I realized that I had been caught up in thinking about my golf swing instead of taking dead aim. When I mentioned it to Steve, who was also struggling, he realized he was doing the same thing. We played the last few holes telling eachother what our target was. We didn't always hit it. But we both played better. In fact, I finished with back to back birdies.

The time to think about your swing is on the practice range. When you hit the links, it's time to take dead aim. That's the way to play golf.

Short Game Can Cover a Multitude of Sins

Short game. As Harvey Penick said, those are the magic words. A good short game can cover a multitude of sins. The biggest difference between pros and amateurs is their short game. And yet, when you think about it, it shouldn't be. It doesn't take great physical ability to chip, pitch, and putt.

The other day I shot 71 and I think I hit four greens in regulation. Today, I shot even par on the first nine, hitting two greens. The back nine was another story today as I pretty much mailed it in. But the fact is I'm only going to get worse as a ballstriker as my back deteriorates. But I can still post a respectable score if I manage to chip and putt well. 

Most amateurs--except the guys who are really wild off the tee--can manage to get within fifty yards of pretty much every green in regulation--and usually closer. It's from there that they really start throwing away strokes. So why, I wonder, is almost all golf advertising focussed on the long game. Equipment companies push new drivers that will hit it farther, and irons that will give you more distance. Where's all the ads for wedges and putters? Okay, there are some. But equipment manufacturers and golf teachers focus most on distance and the long game.

Now, I guess it's another chicken or the egg scenario. Do manufacturers and teachers tend to focus on the long game because they think it's most helpful to golfers; or do they focus on it because it's what the average golfer wants to hear? All I know is, most shots are taken within 100 yards of the green. And, if it's score you are interested in, that is where you should be most focussed. And yet, where do we see most players practising? On the range with long irons and drivers in their hands. 

Harvey Penick believed that the average player could take five strokes off his game if he practised his short game for just a week. He was probably right. But most of us won't do it. We'd rather work on getting another twenty yards off the tee. That's just the way golfers are.

Fifty Yards and In

It's been said that, for many of us, the older we get, the better we used to be. At least that's the way we think. 

As golfers, we all get older and eventually get to the stage where we can't move it out there as far as we once did. You wake up one morning and a shot that was once a routine pitching wedge is more like a solid eight iron. It can play with your pumpkin. It can also affect your pocket book if you keep getting conned into buying the latest and greatest driver, or those "hot" new irons; trying, usually in vain, to gain a few yards back.

The fact is, however, that sometimes our memories with respect how good, or how long, we used to be are a bit faulty. But, even if the memories are true, and we really did used to be real pistols on the golf course, there's no saying we can't keep playing reasonably good golf, and perhaps even get better than we once were.

I used to be a long hitter. I know that's the oldest story in the book, but I do have a few long drive trophies collecting dust somewhere. But, I've discovered that the positive side of getting shorter off the tee is that I'm now wearing out golf balls instead of losing them. As Harvey Penick said, "The woods are full of long drivers." The "drive for show, putt for dough" saying has stuck because it really is true. Length is an asset. But length won't win you any money if you can't chip and putt. And, as older folk, we generally have more time to work on our chipping and putting than we ever had.

Most pros will tell you that where most average golfers really begin to throw away shots is when they get near the green. It's true. Good golfers find a way to, more often than not, turn three shots into two around the greens. They pitch and chip it close enough from around the greens to regularly save their pars. 

When you observe many average golfers, most of them can usually get the ball within fifty yards of the green in regulation--two shots on the par fours. Sure, there are the wild drivers who waste strokes off the tee and have to check themselves for ticks after every round; but most average golfers can do a reasonable job of staying on the golf course. Some aren't long enough to reach the longer par fours. But I think the fifty yard idea applies for most struggling players. If they could only develop a good game from fifty yards and in, they could most likely break 80. 

I like to play with just a six iron and a putter sometimes. When you try this, if you are an average player, you may be surprised by the results. Ken and I played a round not that long ago where we agreed we would use nothing stronger than a six iron. I didn't play particularly well, but still shot 81--I actually shot 73 one time playing our "inside nine" twice with just a six iron and a putter. 

Ken saw no real difference in his score when just using the six iron off the tee. What this tells me--because I think Ken's experience is quite typical--is that the short game is the biggest factor for the average player in determining how well they score. An advanced player gains benefits from being able to hit it long enough, and well enough, to hit fairways and greens in regulation, and the odd par five in two. But, with the six iron experiment, you generally see that it's really the short game ability that holds back the average player. Losing distance from the tee had little or no affect on Ken's score. He was still frittering away most of his shots around the greens.

Most average players want to hit the ball farther. Way more golfing instruction is geared towards helping average players gain distance than to helping them score. Too bad most golfers don't feel quite as embarrassed about their play around the greens as they do about their perceived lack of distance off the tee. I would really recommend that most players try the six iron challenge. It can be an eye opener.

Fifty yards from the green and in is where the poor players really throw away shots. If you can improve in that area, you'd be surprised at what you might be able to shoot. And it won't cost you a dime.

Harvey Penick

Harvey Penick is one of my favourite teachers. He was a good player--probably good enough to have played on the tour. But, early on in his career, he saw Sam Snead hit a golf ball. He, probably wisely, thought, "I'll never beat that guy," and chose to pass up on trying to earn a living on the tour and turned to teaching. That turned out to be a decision that was good for him, and good for countless numbers of golfers.

Harvey was a humble man who loved golf and loved people--the perfect combination for a great teacher. He still got goosebumps as an old man by helping a woman get the ball airborne and be able to play with her husband. He cared as much about the duffer as he did about the many pros who sought his advice. He cared more about his students than he did about himself. He truly wanted to help golfers. It was about them, not him.

I suppose you could write a book about all the terrific things Harvey taught, and the way he taught them. He would be a great model for anyone aspiring to be a great teacher. But, to me, three things that he taught stand out.

First, was the importance of a good grip. Harvey said he could happily talk for hours about the grip. He also taught that a good swing was useless if accompanied by a faulty grip. He told his players on his college team not to worry about the player with a good swing and a bad grip. But he suggested that they had plenty to worry about when playing against a guy, or gal, with a poor grip and a bad swing. Those players had learned, by playing and practice, how to make it work.

The second thing that Harvey taught that would help so many struggling players was how to set up to the ball naturally. So many players struggle with alignment. Harvey advised us to set up to the ball like we were shaking hands with someone on the other side of the ball. How brilliant is that? When you shake hands with someone, do you face to their right or left? Are you all cock-eyed? No. You are square to them. Your chest faces right at them. What a great way to explain square alignment. I've used that analogy to help myself and others.

The third teaching of Harvey's that is absolute 24 carat gold is his teaching to "clip the tee." He would have players put a tee in the ground and practice swinging the club so that it just clipped the top of the tee. He couldn't explain why it worked so well, but clipping the tee made golfers square the clubface at impact. If every struggling golfer practised only that, they would soon find themselves hitting good golf shots.

I was struggling with my drives lately. It was really frustrating, and I concluded that it was down to my bad back that I couldn't seem to hit the ball high enough, or far enough, with the driver. The last two times out I focussed only on clipping the ball off the tee with my driver and, I'm back, baby! Suddenly my trajectory was better and I was driving it at least thirty yards farther--just by remembering Harvey's advice to "clip the tee."

There are lots of other great ideas from Harvey Penick. But I'm absolutely certain that every struggling player would improve and gain so much more pleasure in playing if he would just learn a good grip, shake hands with someone on the other side of the ball, and clip the tee. 

Thank you, Mr. Penick. You were definitely one of the best there ever was.

Make It Vanilla

If it's your score that you're interested in, golf demands a certain practicality.  You have to eventually come to terms with what you are capable of and play your game, evaluating the odds and picking your shot accordingly.  There are no pictures on the scorecard.

I really enjoy trying different shots.  Sometimes they come off and I look like a golfer, and sometimes I end up looking like a mug.  I think Harvey Penick had a really good piece of advice for players of all levels when he said that if you had to pick a flavour for your shot, make it vanilla.  In other words, when you're trying to score, pick the simplest, most effective, and safest shot to play.  There's no need to get fancy, unless a fancy shot is the only option available.  

Of course, when the stakes are low, and you aren't too concerned with your score, you might want to try hitting a particularly tricky or difficult shot.  It's fun to challenge yourself sometimes.  However, when the chips are down, try to remember Harvey's advice and make your shots vanilla.  Vanilla is good.