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How To Break Your Magic Number
(And Shoot Your Best Golf Score Ever!)
Breaking through your Magic Number can be one of the hardest, most nerve raking events a Golfer experiences on the golf course. What's a Magic Number? Your Magic Number is a score that you want to beat for the first time. And many times it drives Golfers crazy when they can't get past it. Which often times leads to purchases of what are advertised as game changing training aides seen on late night infomercials.
Regardless of whether your Magic Number is 100 or 90 or 80 or 70 it's often times a memorable accomplishment for the Golfer. And to show how relative the Magic Number is for all levels of golf, one Golfer that scores in the 80's might say Breaking 100 isn't such a big deal I've been breaking 100 for 5 years.' While the funny thing is that the Golfer that's scoring in the 70's might feel the same way about you breaking 80.
We should all be cheering for each other to break our Magic Numbers regardless of the Magic Number you're trying to break.
Though some Golfers often forget the thrill, joy, tension and agony that they experienced a long, long time ago trying to break 100 for the first time themselves. Breaking 100 is the Magic Number that everybody experiences first. Everyone must go through 100 before they can ever think of breaking 90 or 80 or 70. And if you're still trying to break 100 while your mind is on breaking 90 that might be one reason why you're struggling with breaking 100. You need to break 100 first!
Every Golfer that's trying to break their own personal Magic Number, but is stuck should remember back to their previous experience of trying to break 100. For 7 out of every 8 Golfers that have broken 100, breaking 100 didn't come easy. You experienced many setbacks, you probably experienced a few chances where you needed just a Bogey on 17 and a Bogey on 18 to shoot 99 but ended up with two disappointing Double Bogeys for a 101. We've all lived these stories.
So that brings me to the story of Ray from Canada. Ray, like many Golfers, has been trying to break his personal Magic Number - 100 - for awhile. He just couldn't get past that number. So because a friend of his who had been to GMS earlier this summer had seen great success in breaking his Magic Number 80; Ray decided in July to give GMS a chance in helping him break his Magic Number.
Well, this past week he did he broke through. And he did it in dramatic fashion he birdied 18 to shoot 99! Think of it when you need a Birdie on 18 to break your Magic Number you're so close to that number, but in reality, you're often far away because a Birdie on 18 to break your Magic Number is a fairy tale like scenario.
Bogey would be 101 (disappointing), Par would be 100 (agonizing) but If I Birdie 18 I break 100!'
When we heard about this accomplishment, we wrote Ray I just got the great news from Alex that you just broke 100. Congratulations! What in particular has helped you improve the most?'
His answer I kept telling myself to remember that Hayden said "thinkers are stinkers".
Because, if you can imagine yourself standing on the tee of the 18th hole needing Birdie to break your Magic Number what would be going through your mind? I need to make Birdie here to break (Your Magic Number). So I need to make sure that on this drive I keep my left arm straight, eye on the ball and make a one plane swing. I need to really hit a good drive so that I'll have a short iron into this green so that I can get it close and one putt.'
And unfortunately, because you start thinking you start stinking. That's why so many attempts at breaking a Magic Number fail. We often times get into more of a thinking mode as opposed to sticking with the PLAN that we used on the previous 17 holes. Because for you to be in position to break your Magic Number on the 18th hole you must've been playing your best golf ever the previous 17 holes or you wouldn't find yourself in this situation.
So why not stick with what was working as opposed to going into a thinking mode?
The reason that you're in the position to break your Magic Number is that you probably weren't thinking on the previous 17 holes. You we're probably in the zone or as we say you were most likely too focused on your PLAN.
So when I read that all Ray had on his mind was the infamous GMS motto of Thinkers are Stinkers' I wanted to acknowledge him for this great accomplishment. As well as remind all Golfers that are in a similar situation to break their Magic Number stick with your PLAN. You don't have to think anymore on the 18th hole when you need to make Bogey than you did on the 5th hole where you went on to also make a Bogey.
Because the more you start thinking about how perfect you need to make your swing and how important it is to be in the middle of the fairway on this particular drive and how you need to really hit this driver far so that you have a short iron into the green the more you stink.
Thinkers are Stinkers'
Congratulations Ray on your lack of thinking!
The Monkey often fails on the 18th tee in spectacular fashion because they're thinking about breaking their Magic Number
The Player just continues utilizing the PLAN they had for the previous 17 holes
Go ahead, be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon - Your Instructor For Life
www.GolfMadeSimple.com
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"I Improved From A 15 To A 6 Handicap!!"
(And Scored A 69 & 73)
Hayden,
I had the round of my life last weekend. I attended your class in St Augustine in mid-January 2007. At the time, I was a 15 handicap and had never broken 80. After my GMS class, my game showed rapid improvement. The biggest changes that I saw in my game were much more solid contact with my irons, greatly reduced 3-putts and having a PLAN.
Well, a few months later, I did break 80. My official handicap has steadily improved from a 15 to a 6.0. (In the last 10 rounds only scoring higher than 80 one time)
This past weekend I scored a 69 (2 under Par). The next day, I played again and ended up with a 73.
Anyway, I know that I could never have be playing anywhere near this well without the skills that you taught me at GMS. I really appreciate all that you taught me and the whole GMS approach. It has really made golf fun (rather than frustrating, as it is for many of my friends). I keep telling them about GMS and what it has done for my game. Hopefully some of them will decide to give you a try.
Regards,
Tim L North Carolina - Sent August 20th, 2008
Attended St. Augustine location on January 2007
"My Son Made The High School Golf Team!"
(After Missing The Team Last Year)
Marc,
Just wanted to ask you to pass on some info to Jeff and a big thanks. My son Christian (age 15) and I were out in Phoenix this past spring with Jeff and had a great experience. Christian's goal after not making his high school's golf team as a freshman the prior year was to make it this year as a sophomore. After a great session in Phoenix and once the weather warmed up in Chicago he played and practiced non-stop all this summer.
I'd say his average score prior to GMS in Phoenix was over 50 for nine holes and breaking 50 was a rare occurrence. Last week at high school golf team tryouts he shot 41, 46, 46 to be the number 4 man on the squad and outshoot 27 of 30 guys that tried to make the cut.
Having a "plan" was the biggest factor that contributed to his success in my estimation. Needless to say he and his parents are ecstatic. I wanted to share this with you and Jeff and say "thanks again".
Steve L - Wheaton, Illinois Sent August 20th, 2008
Attended Phoenix location on March 31st to April 2nd, 2008
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California In September
The Buzz this week is that now that we're into September, we still have 4 weeks left at our Lake Tahoe location. And as the locals say September is the best kept secret in this area. Uncrowded, the best weather and the finest golf course conditioning of the year.'
And although we have many Golfers coming to our Lake Tahoe area location that are singles we've found that couples have the most fun of all. With the Lodge at Whitehawk right on property and your own private cabin where you can sit on the front porch each evening after your GMS class it's just so easy to enjoy yourselves.
So, we still have a few dates available but time is running out to see us at our Lake Tahoe area location. So give me a call (1-888-580-3635) or email (IWantToBe@GolfMadeSimple.com) to find out what dates are still available.
And don't forget GMS will also be in the San Francisco Bay area for two dates only this September at The Golf Course at Wente Vineyards! With this Greg Norman designed golf course winding through the world famous Wente Vineyards
wow, can you imagine a better scenario?
Either way you go Tahoe or Wente Vineyards you can't go wrong with GMS in California in September!
Regards,
Alex
Toll Free - 1-888-580-3635
International - 001.904.460.8355
Email: IWantToBe@GolfMadeSimple.com
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Don't Practice Your Putting
(It's Not Important)
At Last week's PGA Tour event in Boston Vijay Singh and Mike Weir lit up the golf course with some excellent scores. Weir had an opening first round of 61 and Vijay closed out his win with a 63.
What did these two excellent rounds have in common? The putts were dropping into the hole. In Vijay's 8 under Par 63, he needed only 23 putts. In Weir's 10 under Par 61, he rolled his putter only 21 times just a little more than once per hole. WOW!
With neither of these two Golfers in the Top 10 during this tournament as far as Driving Accuracy or Driving Distance (Weir was ranked 63rd and 44th) both depended on their putter. What's exciting about this is that both of these Golfers are known as excellent ballstrikers yet they both used their putters this tournament for success.
Which goes to show you that if you do practice your putting for more than 5 minutes every month you also can overcome a shaky golf swing to shoot low scores.
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"The more you're around Golfers like I'm around Golfers the more you see a self-defeatist mentality. Golfers are often their own worst enemy which is an unfortunate event. Because it pains me to hear a Golfer say I'm playing worse than I've ever played before.' I don't feel bad for this Golfer that they're playing bad I feel bad for them because they're lying to themselves. Yes, you have probably played this bad in the past and once you admit this to yourself you'll be able to make the next step towards improvement.
For example for a mid 90's Golfer that get's frustrated being stuck in the 90's: if they accepted that they were a mid 90's Golfer, they'd be very happy being 7 over after 7 holes. And because of that they might even par the last two holes to score 43 on the front 9 (although if they Bogeyed and shot 45 it would also be good). But because they pressed too hard to play better than Bogey Golf (which isn't good enough for them), they end up finding a way to score the same old 48 (or worse).
The Monkey remembers the one time that they shot a career round and believes that they should always shoot that score. Which isn't the best way to think about it because if Tiger looked at a 65 he scored on a Friday and carried the same attitude as the frustrated Golfer on Sunday during his round when he shot 6 shots higher he might've done what many frustrated Golfers do every day by telling himself this is the worst round that I have ever played'."
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By the way Golf Made Simple has just completed our first DVD. After years and years and offers upon offers from people that wanted to produce a DVD for us we decided we wanted to do it our own way. We've created a DVD to help you become a Player, as opposed to all the other Monkey stuff that's already out there.
Our DVD - How To Improve Your Golf Swing Indoors is improvement GMS Style. What's GMS Style? It's a Results Based Approach as opposed to a Theories and Assumptions Based Approach.
Please Click here to purchase through our website or call us at 1 (888) 580 - 3635.
Click here to purchase on Amazon.com
and/or to read the reviews of Golfer's that have purchased the DVD
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