Number One – Perfection. Most Golfers would deny it, but we’re all trying to be perfect out on the golf course. You may say – ‘I know I can’t hit every shot perfect’. But how many times have you hit an OK shot onto the green from 125 yards away and complained because you were on the opposite side of the green as the flag? You should use this Green in Regulation to build confidence. You should be making your PLAN to make your putt – yet you’re complaining about hitting a Green in Regulation.
How do you react to the above statement?
The Monkey says – I didn’t hit that ball solid at all. What did I do wrong?
The Player says – Ok, I got away with that one. I need to take advantage of my good fortune and make a good putt.
Number Two – You have 13 different swings for the 13 different irons and woods in your golf bag. You swing your Driver different than your pitching wedge. You swing your 3 iron different than your 7 iron. You swing your hybrid different than your 5 wood. Annika has said it. Tiger has said it. Vijay has said it. What have they said – “All clubs should be swung the same way.” You have enough swing thoughts without thinking about how you need to swing your 5 iron differently than your 8 iron. You need less swing thoughts to ‘Play As Well As You Want To’ – not more swing thoughts!
How do you react to the above statement?
The Monkey says – I need to learn a new Driver swing. I’m swinging my irons well with my upright swing – but now I need to learn how to flatten my swing for my Driver.
The Player says – I just want to swing everything smooth. And I know if I make a bad swing with my Driver, I’m probably making the same mistake with all my clubs. The ball just goes more off line with my Driver because the less loft of the Driver creates more sidespin.
Number Three – I don’t care who you are, your putting needs to improve. On the Registration Evaluations we receive from every Golfer that comes to see us at Golf Made Simple – 8 out of 10 Golfers say that the strongest aspect of their game is their putting. Yet, it is the complete opposite – only 2 out of 10 should be making this claim. The problem with saying that your putting is the strongest aspect of your game is that if you say it enough, you’ll actually start believing it. And when you start believing it, you’ll practice it even less than the average Golfer does – which in fact is less than 7 minutes per week per Golfer. And how can putting be your strongest aspect of your game when only 2 out of 10 Golfers average less than 36 putts per round!
Putting is 35% to 40% of your score. So for the average Golfer – if you had 36 putts in a round; that means you probably scored around a 95. If you had 40 putts in a round; that means you probably shot around 105. What’s the quickest, easiest way for a 95 Golfer to break 90? Have 30 putts in your next round! What’s the quickest easiest way for a 105 Golfer to break 100? Have 34 putts in your next round!
How do you react to the above statement?
The Monkey says – I’m a pretty good putter; I hardly ever 3 putt.
The Player says – I know when I have 30 putts or less per round that I’m going to have one of my best scores. That’s why I practice my putting as much as I practice my Golf Swing.
Number Four – The overwhelming flow of ‘Golf Tips’ that are presented to Golfers not just every month in Monkey Digest, but every night on the Monkey Channel. And don’t worry if you miss one because I’m sure you’ll hear it from one of your golf buddies as you’re warming up on the driving range before the round – ‘You know, I’m not sure how well I’m going to play today since I’m working on something new in my swing today. I heard an Instructor on the Golf Channel talking about having a two plane swing and I’m going to try it today. So, I’m not sure how I’ll play today.’ ‘Jimmy, it seems as if you’re working on a new tip every Saturday morning we play. And you’re right, you never play well when you’re trying something new. Why don’t you just settle on one thing and make it consistent as opposed to swinging from tip to tip like a Monkey?”
How do you react to the above statement?
The Monkey says – I don’t really read the tips. Though, I might try a few the next time I’m on the golf course if I start to struggle a little.
The Players says – When I’m on the golf course, all I do is Play to my strengths. And if I have some trouble – I just try to make my swing smooth. Then I’ll go to the practice range after the round to figure things out.
Number Five – You’re playing for score. ‘Play for your PLAN – don’t plan for your score.’ Now many Golfers don’t even have a PLAN. How many Golfers is that? Well, we have over 1,000 Golfers that travel from every continent (except from Antarctica) to see us every year for 3 days of Golf Made Simple. And out of the over 1,000 Golfers that came to see us in 2005 – we had counted that only 83 had a PLAN for each hole that wasn’t based on making birdie or par or bogie. So that comes to less than 8.3% of Golfers that are not letting score get in the way of a good score. Now many Golfers won’t understand what I mean by not playing for score – and that’s understandable because that’s what over 92% of Golfers do each shot they take. But, let me put it this way – What percentage of the 83 Golfers mentioned above were low single digit handicaps? And what percentage of the 92% mentioned above struggled to break 90 and 100?
How do you react to the above statement?
The Monkey says – What do you mean? Of course I play for score! That’s what you play for. If I’m putting for Par, I want to know it.
The Player says – I just play one shot at a time. I want to always put myself in a position to make my next shot easier. And if I do this – the good scores will just happen without thinking about it.
The Monkey will read what the Player says and say – That’s what I do.
The Player will read what the Player says and say – I need to do that better!
Go ahead, Be a Player!
Regards,
Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life