Better Golf Academy: Strategy to Awesome Golf - Three Fundamental Questions Answered

Three Fundamental Questions Answered

11/14/19 • 22 min

Better Golf Academy: Strategy to Awesome Golf

There are so many aspects of the game that are negotiable. That's one of the reasons why I don't talk about swing techniques on this podcast, there are so many different ways to achieve your goal. I can offer one suggestion but someone else can offer something completely different and the result could end up being the same.

But, why do we have to know the science behind it? Because it doesn't change. It's what we all need to work on to improve. But there are 3 key fundamental questions we can answer through science.

How to hit it straighter? Understand the relationship between your clubface and your swing plane at impact.
How to hit it longer? Understand the relationship between swing speed, ball speed, attack angle, launch angle and spin.
And finally, how to hit it over and over again? Eliminate using small muscles and focus on using your large muscles in your swing.

Golf is an endless journey of improving and perfecting. This game of golf can be so complex yet so simple at the same time. It's an individualized game that you can't try to mimic or compare with anyone else. Along with black and white fundamental of science, it also offers a more complex, variety of colors and shades, which is mixed with technique, science, and art.

And it involves mental, physical and even spiritual components that when it's all aligned, understood and executed, you can fully experience the fullness of it and appreciate the infinite details and beauty of it all. You all with me?

I hope all this can help give you a new perspective on your growth and help you reach your full potential.

But, why do we have to know the science behind it? Because it doesn't change. It's what we all need to work on to improve. But there are 3 key fundamental questions we can answer through science.

How to hit it straighter? Understand the relationship between your clubface and your swing plane at impact.
How to hit it longer? Understand the relationship between swing speed, ball speed, attack angle, launch angle and spin.
And finally, how to hit it over and over again? Eliminate using small muscles and focus on using your large muscles in your swing.

I hope all this can help give you a new perspective on your growth and help you reach your full potential.

Previous Episode

How to Get Motivated

In this episode of the Better Golf Academy, I discuss how the motivation works and why after a certain point, or when it gets too hard, or when we start losing steam, drive, and motivation...we slowly fade out and even quit. But what keeps us motivated to continue to pursue our goals?

Dr. Tali Sharot, a neuroscientist with her research focusing on how motivation influences our decisions. And She talks about these 3 foundational principles that help motivate us.

Progress Monitoring. The brain does a good job processing positive effects. And as you progress, it helps you to stay focused and going after your goal. As you know, I always talk about my Engineering days...and the famous quote “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it”. There’s definitely some truth in that.
Social Incentive. We are social people. We really care what other people are doing. We want to do the same and we want to do it better. Example: 9 out of 10 people pay their taxes in time enhanced compliance in that group by 15% bringing in 5.6 billion pounds. Highlighting what other people are doing is a very strong incentive. I truly believe this, one of the most effective results-driven workout concepts out there is still CrossFit. Because of their philosophy of this Social Incentive. It’s brilliant creating a small community of people to encourage each other, compete with one another and keep each other accountable. Social Incentive.
Immediate Rewards. True that! We are impatient, some of us have ADD (me) and we need immediate feedback, immediate incentive and lots of immediate rewards...in whatever form that we can get it in.

I think we can all agree that improving our golf game is a long, and ambitious goal. We need more inspiration than hey, you suck, you need to go practice and get better. We need to intentionally put steps in place to guide us day to day and keep us motivated to get there. And, I think this is a great science that is backed up by research.

Here are the 3 action steps for you:

#1, set specific goals, remember to go to bettergolfacademy.com/9 to download the performance report to help you set your specific goals.
#2, Don’t be a loner. Play together, bet, create competitive situations to push you, care about each other’s performances and improvements. This will create an incentive to work harder and improve. And...
#3, Make turn your goals into tiny habits. Reward yourself often and see your simple progress and celebrate.

I am still so still inspired by the quote by Jacob Riis “...I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow, it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did it—but all that had gone before.”

Let’s keep hammering away. Hundred, thousand, 10 thousand, 100 thousand balls hit, putts hit, chips hit, every club in your bag hit, pursuing excellence, setting goals, achieving them and celebrating the small victories!! I am here celebrating it with you. And hoping for a huge breakthrough in your game, the rock splitting in two moments in your golf journey.

In the meantime, thank you so much for listening to Better Golf Academy, let’s get better together. Yeah? Cool. Love you guys, bye for now.

Next Episode

What is Mindfulness?

In this episode of the Better Golf Academy, I discuss why it is so important in golf to be in the moment.

I truly believe in order to conquer this game to play our very best, we have to control our thoughts. It’s really true what they say, this game is 90% mental and 10% mental. And I so much believe that if we get this part right, it can really change our game.

Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment. Is this easy to do?

It’s Not Easy

No one said it was easy. Staying focus and not allowing your mind to wander is not easy. It takes discipline. It takes practice like everything else. And most of all it takes confidence. What do you mean by confidence? It takes confidence to know and believe and have a conviction that this really works. And, thinking back...I was teeter-tottering. I didn’t think seriously enough about it. Maybe, even though I preach it, I didn’t entirely believe it. I was thinking that if I had the physical talent and ability to shoot well, that I would automatically shoot well and the score will show it at the end of the day. NOT. It takes mental discipline every hole, every shot. Full focus. Being in the moment.

It’s a Journey

How do we get there? I am not there yet. Obviously. But, I believe our pursuit of getting there is the goal, not just getting there. Okay, this reminds me of a quote, I know...sometimes introducing quotes in a podcast is a bit cliche-ish and corny but I think this really applies to what we are talking about today.

“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome”.

This quote is by Arthur Ashe. Who is Arthur Ashe? He was an American Professional tennis player who won 3 grand slam titles. He was the first black player selected to the US Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, The US Open and the Australian Open. He was also an author and mostly known for being a crusader for equality. He really lived with intention and impact.

So, for me, I can look at this event as a total failure. Which, I actually called it that on my dreadful drive back home in my head. But, nah...I don’t believe that anymore. It’s all part of the journey and it’s never about the outcome, or the end result, or the certificate, or whatever's in your life...I truly believe it’s about our attitude, discipline, will and our struggle and fight in getting there.

Look Up

When I started my podcast, my friend Charlton messaged me and said dude, this podcast is for me. I am your poster child. Do you know how many books I’ve read on golf? Every single one. Do you know how many videos I’ve watched? Workshops I’ve attended? He’s a learner. A seeker who’s hungry for knowledge, a true student of the game. When we are playing golf together several months back, I asked him, hey...just curious, from all the books you’ve read, videos you’ve watched and the workshops and lessons you’ve received, what’s the one thing, one main thing that has impacted you the most in your game?

He said. “Look up” huh? So, I went home and looked it up. Yeah, the book Zen Golf talks about the expansive awareness. It’s a practice of Mindfulness. “When you have a difficult tee shot or short putt and you are waiting your turn, it’s not very helpful to stare at it, think about it, and let your mind get very small...instead, look up and breathe out, opening to the awareness around you. He says “in life..as in golf, you give it your best shot when you’re free of tension and self-consciousness.” In life as in golf...lol. That’s my line.

Summary:

So, here’s the deal. It’s not easy. It’s a journey and you gotta remember to look up. Take a breath. Don’t get stuck on the small stuff. Be grateful. You are out here, on a beautiful day, on this beautiful course, with awesome people, playing golf. Look up. Enjoy. Have Fun. And be in the moment.