A few days ago, I posted a tip on the importance of visualization and feel when you are getting ready to hit a particular shot. [Visualization And Feel Vs. Mechanics And Fundamentals] I was pleased to see the rich dialogue that ensued on the blog and, in particular, this comment from Raymond Mckeown who hails from Sydney, Australia.
"Hi Guys,
A very good friend of mine from the States, Dr Dennis Waitley, once told me a story. Dr Waitley was the motivation consultant for the Apollo Moon program, and he was the psychologist for returning Vietnam prisoners of war. He was telling me about an air force captain who had returned after many years in captivity and played in a Pro-am golf day soon after returning. The Captain shot four over and everyone remarked what a great round after being away so long. He replied "That's the worst round I've played in four years!" He kept himself sane by playing rounds of golf at his favorite course in his head.
Somebody try and convince me this game is not played between the ears!"
Thanks for your story, Raymond; I really do believe that this game is played largely between the ears. I've read many accounts from former POWs about how they employed a variety of visualization techniques to maintain a strong mind. I also know that a lot of players feel that the only way to practice is to beat balls on the range, sweating bullets and getting blisters, in the hopes that their hard work will improve their game. While I am sure that all that physical practice will help, I do not believe for a minute that this is the only (or best) way to practice your game. In addition to inspirational personal stories like the one above, there have been many scientific studies that have shown that mental visualization can be as effective or, in some cases, more effective than physical practice. One such study that comes to mind involved a large group of basketball players. The researchers tested each player's free throw percentage at the beginning of the study. They then had half of the group commit to 20-30 minutes of daily practice where the players did nothing but shoot free throws. The other half was told to stay away from the court and to do nothing but mentally visualize shooting free throws for the same 20-30 minutes per day. At the end of the study, the two groups were tested once again and the visualizers showed far greater improvement than those that physically shot hoops every day.
Now, I am not suggesting that you should abandon the practice range and move your practice session to your favorite recliner chair. Far from it! But there are several ways to work this type of visualization into your golf regimen. Many of you live in the northern parts of the northern hemisphere where the golf season has already ended, or will end soon. Hopefully, you live near an indoor driving range or can set something up in your garage to keep swinging a club throughout the next 4-5 months. Regardless of whether you do or not, you should consider setting some time aside every day to practice using visualization. If you can devote as little as 5-10 minutes a day to visualizing what I have demonstrated in my instructional videos and the Foundations Manual, I am certain you will be much better prepared for the upcoming 2012 season.
And if you live in the Southern Hemisphere like Raymond does (where daytime temps are ideal for golf this week) don't let the fact that you can physically play and practice outdoors stop you from setting up a similar routine. Have you ever seen an Olympic ski racer prepare just before he or she climbs into the starting gate? Many of them close their eyes and mentally review every turn, compression and tight gate they will face in the upcoming race. If you are playing a course you know well, you can do the same thing before your match. Spend 10-15 minutes and play a round in your mind. Pay particular attention to holes that have given you problems in the past and visualize yourself hitting a perfect shot that lands and rolls out just the way you want. See yourself walking into your shot the right way and going through your setup routine. Do the same for your putts and you'll likely be rewarded with a better round than usual.
When I was younger, I used to do this when I was driving around town. I would imagine myself hitting all sorts of shots and I know it helped me improve my game. So give it a try...and let us know how it goes by posting a comment on the blog.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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Comments
Hello Janet,I'll be here
Hello Janet,
I'll be here until December 2012, except for a trip home to Alaska for Christmas.
Doc has my email address in his file, and I bet If we ask nicely, he will give it to you so that you can get in touch with me directly. Let's play some golf.
Hit'em Long and Straight,
Bob
True, Adel, but they're some
True, Adel, but they're some things Surge can't control like the position of the sun this time of year.I'm sure when he set up his net in the backyard he put it in the best suitable place for him and his wife.It is her backyard as well and I can't help but notice the nice foliage all around the yard, I'm sure she has a major role in that. So until seasons change or the weather gets to bad to do the videos out there a lot of what we're seeing is what it is. I will say this in closing, it was nice of Surge to conclude a slow-mo swing at the end of this daily in response to a request of Richard ( I believe), He is trying to be as accommodating as possible and I thank him for that.
Welcome back,Robert, glad to
Welcome back,Robert, glad to hear you had a wonderful time with the family for the wedding.Burn, baby,burn :) I was actually thinking of you earlier tonight while I was highlighting in Dr. Bob's book. I have everything that I think will be of benefit to me in yellow now up to the P. Harrington section now. Enjoy your week and I'll pop in in the wee hours during the week to check the blog and see how things are going.
Stay in the Present :)
Steve Great game last night
Steve
Great game last night to bad someone had to lose. At least they only dropped to number 4 and still have a chance.
Did not play yesterday fighting a sinus infection went to the range and had a terrible time of it. Did play today and still felt under the weather cool and windy gust to 25 did not have much game today either but did keep my 70's rounds intact fought for a 79 six in a row and counting. ÃÂ ÃÂ
This is totally off subject
This is totally off subject but can you tell me if Surge's Daily Videos are no longer being notified to us automatically. Until recently I received emailsÃÂ which I could open and watch the video As I hadn't received any for a few days I went into the PPGS site and found that they were there under Daily Videos and there were indeed some that I hadn't seen. Does this mean that we nowÃÂ need to go into the site every day instead of us receiving an email.
This is no big problem - I'm merely asking as I don't like to miss any. Its amazing how many little points can be forgotten and I am often prompted to go back and re-read the manual.
DON; YOUR CAMERA NEED A LONG
DON; YOUR CAMERA NEED A LONG (DEEP) SUNSHADE. ÃÂ THE GLARE IS MESSING UP YOUR PICTURE. ÃÂ PLEASE DON'T GO TO MUSIC ON YOUR VIDIOS. ÃÂ SILENCE IS GOLDEN. ÃÂ THE OLD BOOT FROM KENOSHA.
ÃÂ it appears the video ÃÂ
ÃÂ it appears the video ÃÂ is underexposed and out of focus...can hardly see facial expressions
Guys soccer team, intramural
Guys soccer team, intramural football field, girls soccer field, the hallway in the chemistry building, the quad, or anyone with an accent.
Anyone that ever even lived next door to a mean dog would be able to kick better than that.
Thanks again for all.ÃÂ ÃÂ
Thanks again for all.ÃÂ ÃÂ Didn't get to play today, rain ALL day!!ÃÂ So, helped at the Humane Society, thinking maybe this afternoon, but, no.ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ Hope to play tomorrow for sure, but, they say very cool, we shall see.ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ IM going out anyway!!
As always, I will think of all the things you have told me.ÃÂ IM hoping to be playing until the middle of December, oh dear, after that?????ÃÂ Jan, Feb, Mar.......not good.ÃÂ ÃÂ
ÃÂ
When putting is weight same or more right or left?ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ I point toe up a little, good or bad?ÃÂ It seems to help me.
ÃÂ
Thanks,
Marilyn
ÃÂ
ÃÂ
Bob, great to hear things are
Bob, great to hear things are going well for you at the PGCC. Happy you got to run into Bronson at the tourney, I always enjoyed his postings back in the day. I couldn't agree with you more on your statements about the role the subconscious plays on our games. Dr. Bob Rotella states the same thing in his book "The Fifteenth Club" that happen to have here on my comp desk. I'm striving to get some control over the mental side of my game. Now to go check out those grip videos I mentioned in my posting.
Stay in the present & happy golfing!
Don,ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ I am
Don,
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ I am an avid follower of your video instruction forÃÂ over a couple of years.
However, in one of your recent instruction features, on the 4th.November entitled 'Proper Way To Line Up',ÃÂ your ball position set-upÃÂ seems to be off your right heel and not between your left heel and the centre of your stance.
I thought it was just the camera angle on previous videos of you hitting the golf ballÃÂ until this one, which had white marker sticks down which emphasised this anomaly in your swing set-up.
Is there an explanation for this?
Ted Murphy,
London, UK.
Hi Marilyn, think about
Hi Marilyn, think about making a smooth swing with the head still on a shot into your favourite hole.
What he is talking about has
What he is talking about has drawn a lot of attention on the blog. To simply state the no wrist action statement, once the the dynamic balance of the fore arm is achieved, the angle on the line formed by the radius and ulna bones is not able to bend vertically with out cupping the wrist. At the point that the bump the forces involved try to create both the cupping of the wrist and a lay back of the club head into the SBG.
What you are referring to as wrist action is the move from the address position where the weight of the club creates a "droop" down from the alignment of dynamic balance. Moving from this "droop" position into the mitt does change the angles of the wrist, but this is not what Don is referring to as no wrist action.
As to the photo on page 96 you are close on the angle. 142.8* as measured in Photoshop. The face on photo on page 99 has an angle of 137.3* between the yellow dashed line and the bones of the hand. This is only a 5.5* angle difference between address and the point shown on page 99.
What Surge swingers are aiming for is to get into the position of dynamic balance by the time the club is in the mitt and strive to maintain it through the entire swing. For an interesting insight go to the video "Good Wrist Action Is No Wrist Action, Part 11" and follow the discussion with Bruce Chaffin, the Rolfer Golfer.
Hello Janet,
Hello Janet,
It's good to hear from you!ÃÂ I haven't seen any of your comments since I arrived in SoCal for school.ÃÂ Maybe we can get together one of these days and compare notes on the Surge Swing.
Hit'em Long and Straight,
Bob
ok, today was not a good day
ok, today was not a good day for golf, seem like I have never played before!ÃÂ Darn, darn, everything was off, you name it, it was off, how can you play well all week and then fall off the wagaon...seemed like I was rushing all day?ÃÂ Really a downer, but, my mind was just now with it...topped the darn ball allot...
Thanks for all of your help, maybe I will get it back tomorrow...
marilyn
Feed back is good when it is
Feed back is good when it is a constructive suggestion rather than a complaint. So here is my whack at the ball... The problem Surge has here is only going to get worse as the sun gets lower behind him over the next few months up there in winterland. As Boogm points out, he might not be able to change the location of his backyard setup or his camera angle. Maybe he could try recording at a different part of the day? Meanwhile, listening to what he says is great value, considering what he charges us for these lessons!
Will be out tomorrow for sure
Will be out tomorrow for sure.ÃÂ Yesterday, illini football, darn,,,,
I will try and remember all, and keep my head down on my nice smooth shot!!ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ Then up the tree and slow down.!!
Thanks for all your help.
marilyn
Grunner:
Grunner:
ÃÂ I cannot agree that ALL feedback is precious. Some can just be plain out meanness, not that this is in that catagory though.
ÃÂ All Constructive Feedback, is precious, just so long as the one with the suggestions has not missed the forest for the trees, as many past complainers/suggesters/feedback-ers have seemed to do.ÃÂ
ÃÂ I agree that there was a bit of glareÃÂ and darkness in this video, but the message was still very clear, and hopefully not missed as a result of the visual parameters.
Best wishes and PMG
You nailed it Roy. We have
You nailed it Roy.
We have the directions and the entire swing is forward enough for us to be able to see it.
There is a built in "check point" at any point in the swing we choose since the palms are perpendicular to the ground throughout the swing.
The forward arm stops at the toe line (which we can see).
Much easier than trying to see if your palms are on an obscure "plane line", part of which is behind us.
It was a great game. Could
It was a great game. Could have gone either way but in the end the best team on that night won.
If we played 10 times they would probably win 6. It would also fill up all of theÃÂ local hospitals with injured players.
There has been talk of a possible rematch if Oklahoma State and Stanford lose but I hope that doesn't happen.
I just don't think it's good for football even though they may be the best two teams.
I hope LSU runs the table and keeps another championship in the SEC.
"the same thing that wins has always won, just a bunch of different excuses when you lose" ~ Bear
P.S. I do wish we had a kicker though. ;-)
I am still getting e-mail
I am still getting e-mail notifications of new videos. You might check to make sure your e-mail service provider, or your e-mail software, is not flagging the notification e-mails as spam.
Marilyn, great to see you
Marilyn, great to see you enjoyed your play on this nine. May your enjoyment continue and happy to see your feeling better about your play.Keep up the attitude & play.
For you video critics out
For you video critics out there, the message today is in the spoken words.ÃÂ Listen, and don't worry about whether the video is perfect or not.
Hello fellow Surgites, haven
Hello fellow Surgites, haven't commented for a couple days because we just drove to Southern Cal to attend a wedding of my second cousin Jessie and her groom Alex. Anyway, lots of family and a good time was had by all. No golf related stuff for the last three days though. Oh, I'll live. Just got home (from the 5ÃÂ hour drive) and am catching up on all the daily videosÃÂ and comments by everyone.
I haven't had a chance to update my golf swing on video for the analysis surveyÃÂ but I may find myself on You Tube soon anyway because of the crazy fun we had dancing at the reception last night. I cleared the floor! Was a disco king of sorts back in the day(yes the 70's) ÃÂ and rarely get to cut loose any more.
ÃÂ ÃÂ Back to work tommorow and hopefully golf later this week. Really appreciate Surges keying on these subjects of improvement through the mind and visualization. I too have been studying and working on that side of the game alot and am sure a better game is coming for me.
Too as the weather worsens, particularly for our friends in most of the USA, we'll have less opportunity for real golf and more time to read and study both Surges many videos for our mechanics and other books and such for our heads.
Good golfing all, whether in your heads or on the green stuff!!
PMG
They won their first 6 games
They won their first 6 games anyway. ;-)
It doesn't get any easier for them next week though. Wisconsin is pretty good.
Robert:
Robert:
ÃÂ Glad to hear you're progressing well. Thanks for the info on Bronson as well.
Jeff I am surgite in Tampa..
Jeff
I am surgite in Tampa.. looking ÃÂ to practice and play with other Surgite. Interested?cont@verizon:disqusÃÂ Ericct EFV@verizon.net
Keep it vertical
Robert
Robert
Nice to se you're doing well.ÃÂ It sure looks like you found your calling.ÃÂ If you love what you're doing, it's not work.ÃÂ Keep us posted and I'll be looking for the shades and the smile. ;0))
Steve:ÃÂ Yup - you are
Steve:ÃÂ Yup - you are right on about the check points.ÃÂ By the way, your swing is looking strong!ÃÂ You must have a fast clubhead speed.ÃÂ Mine is staying about the same (slow) but I'm finding the sweet spot more often so my average drivingÃÂ distance has gone up about 10 yards.ÃÂ Anyway, hope your week goes well, and keep hitt'em straight!ÃÂ R2
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