progression on par

Greetings hackers! just a quick update on my status. I have been working tirelessly with my swing coach on some fundamental changes and all seems to be pointing in the right direction. corrected some rotational issues. and found a few small tweaks to be made with body weight and the clubs location related to proper plane. I've been putting in at least an hour a day on each and every task assigned. Im feeling like this season could be different than all the others. thinking some score in the high 60's is within range. Only time will tell but the things we have been building towards I feel are starting to show in the hitting cages and launch monitors. Only a round on the course will prove this. stay tuned! Fairways and Greens!

Be the best

Hello Fairway folks! Today's blog is about being your best. In life each of us have goals or tasks we pride ourselves on being good at. Maybe its planning, or being a mother or father. Whatever the discipline, I find myself asking, why am I not "the best" I can be at whatever it is I am passionate about? Ive been in several conversations with people who like to state that they have an abundance of "natural" talent, that if they wanted to, they could be amazing at whatever it is they were doing. This is all true in my opinion, they COULD be amazing. Failing to take advantage of "natural" talent in my opinion may be worse than anything else. If you feel your a genetic gift, then take advantage of that skill-set and exploit it. If you feel your a naturally skilled parent with great instincts and intuition, exploit that to be the best parent you can be. If you are a natural salesperson, why not take full advantage of a skill set you feel you have at a high level without putting in work? I believe when we commit ourselves to an ideal, we can reach heights we never could have thought of. We simply need to stop being afraid of being great. I believe its the fear of success, not failure that causes us to not realize our true potential. Why are we not as fit as we can be? not enough time? BS! There is plenty of time in the day for almost all of us to dedicate 1hr to being fit. In my case, golf. Why am I not the best golfer I can be right now, at this moment? because I've been afraid of success. My decision not to practice putting in the spare bedroom, choice not to dedicate 1hr each day to range time. These obstacles are easily overcome, we just need to commit to breaking through the ceiling and being the best we can be at whatever we chose. Success is a choice! Fairways and greens "Its supposed to be hard, if it was easy, everyone would do it. Its the hard, that makes it great" Tom Hanks

Actions lead to success

Greetings fairway dwellers! Today's installment focuses on taking action. As we move along and find things we are exited to try, perhaps a new hobby, new fitness program or a new book, we start out focused and motivated. as time goes by, we find ourselves waning on the tasks we set out to accomplish and little by little we deviate from our intended goal. One failure has the power to derail an entire course of action if we allow ourselves to get caught up in that. In my case, the lessons I am taking now to improve my swing have already bared fruit. Not so much in score but in over all swing. In putting the focus on my swing I've neglected to stay the course with my diet and fitness. I have found my self cheating, not eating proper meals, skipping some workouts(to sneak to the range). In doing this I feel im doing my self a big disservice. I need to lead with my actions to obtain the success I'm searching for. More focus on the small things, diet, scheduling workouts and range sessions and sticking to a plan of action and set short and long term goals with both. Staying organized is key so I will be maintaining logs, using my calendars and really putting emphasis on the tasks Ive been putting off. With all this going into play I should be able to do some great things on both fronts and really see the results pour in come early spring! Fairways and Greens!

Focus on the path, not the finish line

Hello folks! figured id start blogging a bit more to give some consistent perspective on where the game is at and the direction we are headed. Lesson two is in the books. after last weeks lesson, I spend quite a bit of range time working on getting the arms more into the swing. I had been holding off the club release far too long in the swing creating a shot that although controllable, did not have much behind it, no purpose. in learning to release the hands I am finding it easier to get additional swing speed without swinging harder. It has also allowed me to create different shots. After one week I feel like this small change has really enhanced my overall feel of the swing. Still have a lot of work on that move to get it ingrained so we are still dealing with some shall we say, strange ball flights. Today's lesson focused on adding hinge to my swing as well as improving rotation through the swing. we also worked on release. on video it was showing me not fully turning through the golf shot but instead simply pulling my body through. after a few drills we have a good foundation to work on for the next week or so. The instruction is good here because it is slowing implementing swing adjustments that appear to be mutually beneficial, one feeds the other. I've also made some gains with fitness related to the golf swing. After starting "speed school" with my trainer I've improved my 20yd time from 3.57 to 3.02. Yes, speed training is very beneficial to the golf swing as the swing although not on the surface is an "explosive movement" in theory. everything winds up to a static position then "explodes" through the hitting zone. the training is designed to build the large muscles(gluts, quads, hams, and core). I'm finding it also increases stability and allows for enhanced mobility through the swing itself. Very excited for this journey! Fairways and Greens!

Winter workshop

The off season is upon us! Time to put the season to rest and focus on changing things up to improve and move forward with the game. Some of the items that were listed on the goal sheet this year did not come to fruition. We were unable to break par this year, shot 73 4 times and 74-76 a total of 9 times so we are right there, just need that breakout round. The fitness program has been good, I just need to maintain some consistency with it. Having some more routine in my life now should help out a bit. Adding some explosive exercises has really helped. Speed training seems to impact all athletic movements and applied properly, allows for a more stable and explosive golf swing! The lessons are progressing nicely. working on some rotation work with getting the club more on plane, and releasing the swing instead of holding onto it. Seems to be a bad habit i developed while trying to quiet the hands. I have a solid plan in place for the off season with my coach and with some hard work we feel like "0" or scratch is obtainable by the beginning of the season. interesting learning some of the training methods used to get students to understand the complexity of the golf swing and simplify it to where you can apply all the imagery from the pro level we are inundated with in a simple fashion. All the things you see in slow motion in the golf swing happen in milliseconds so to think we can somehow place the club in certain spots in the swing is just crazy. I am very excited for this off season and look forward to the hard work and the results that will hopefully follow come spring time! Fairways and Greens!

Gaining inspiration from those who have left

The time has come to return to the blog i stepped away from. A good man has left us this month. James Krueger. He inspired in strange ways. He could captivate a room with his story telling and hold your attention even when you wanted to jump across the table and tackle him. His love of golf is partly the reason I took up the game just a few short years a go. My father was my motivator and continues to push me and be my strongest of supporters, but Jim had a way of making me feel like I needed to take that extra step simply because he didn't. He was a passive motivator. You are missed Uncle Jim! Now onto the golf! It has been quite some times since I've written and many things have changed. I've now settled in here the wonderful town of Reno, NV. I've met a great woman who pushes me every day to be the best I can be at anything I take on! I love her and am very excited for what the future holds! Now that things are settled I've been able to assess the current state of my game and take action to improve and become the golfer I believe I can be. Lessons have started again, we have laid down a progression plan based on statistics which is not my favorate way to attack but he feels this will be a good baramoter for how my game is and what needs to be addressed at each lesson. The short game is starting to bare fruit with the practice time being put in. We are working currently with irons. A fitness routine has begun as well to keep the strength up. More to follow as this amazing journey continues! Fairways and Greens

Culmination of persistance

Well about 3 months have past since the last posting and quite a bit has transpired. I had been working tirelessly on developing a fundamental swing from the ground up and I believe I have for the most part. Short game is pretty good, been working on basics to try to aleviate some common mistakes. Nationals is in two weeks and I feel I'm ready to take on the challange that is TPC Sawgrass and see if we can not allow the moment to consume. The shots are there, I just need to keep the mental part of my game solid and things will work themselves out. The goal for the 4 days is rounds in the 70's each of the days. I don't think that is out of the question at all. I'm as ready as I can be for those 4 days so we shall see. In other news, I'm officially a condo owner!! Move in was last weekend, the 25th of August. Things went pretty well. Unfortunately this major purchase has forced me to cut back on a few items, most notably, I will not be returning for the 2013 season of the GCAT. I will still be focusing on my golf game but keeping to local events as the costs are much less. Hopefully by end of 2013 I will have my hdcp down below 3 and that will allow me entrance into the US AMateur qualifiying and a few other tournaments that require a lower hdcp. Also, I will be embarking on a major personal project beginning in October so stay tuned for more news on that. If everything goes to plan there will be another blog created for that particular quest as well as regualr updates on this one as well. Off to the range for some practice!!!! Fairways and Greens!