NOTE:
One of Don's young students, who will be going to college on scholarship next year, was concerned about more birdies. He's getting close to being a scratch player. Don's advice follows ' but it's not just for advanced players. It makes sense for EVERY golfer.
As to your not making enough birdies, that comes from hitting more fairways and greens, hitting it closer and, obviously, making putts.
You need to start keeping extensive stats on all your rounds, both practice and tournament.
Stats should include fairways and greens hit.
When missed, track where the misses are to see if you have trends, like left/right, and sometimes for fairways: are they straight or doglegs left or right.
You may find, for example, that you drive well on right to left but poorly on left to right.
It could be the shape of the hole, alignment problems, or maybe you need to work on a cut or fade to shape the drive to move left to right.
Your stats might reveal that maybe you miss hit one club way more than others.
This is a clue to get that club checked.
If you are missing greens consistently left or right, the lie angle may be off, or the shaft flex does not match the rest of the set.
Missing short or long, the loft may be wrong.
If you want to take your game to the next level, you need stats.
The more you break them down, the more you find your strengths and weaknesses and what needs more work, and for clubs, what needs to be checked or changed.
When I deal with good players, and they say or complain that they have problems, I will ask about their stats.
They better have them.
I feel that my time and energy to work with them is compromised if they don't know what is going on with their game.
When I play, practice or tournaments, I run my stats through my head driving home or to the hotel.
After every round DJ plays on Tour, the first thing I go to on the computer is his stats. When I talk to him, I know what to compliment, and what to ask about. His answers lead to my recommendations on what he needs to work on.
Not knowing your stats is like not knowing the balance in your checkbook.
If you are a serious player, then you need to keep serious stats.
And if you want to dominate the game — no matter who you play with, whether college athletes or just your buddies in your next foursome — make sure you have a swing that works in perfect harmony with your natural body mechanics and the laws of physics and gravity.
You can learn — in just two buckets of balls — the swing I teach at:
This swing (along with keeping good stats) will dramatically increase your chances of getting more birdies.
Oh, and speaking of stats… my son DJ just happens to be leading the PGA Tour in one incredibly important statistically area.
Keep an eye out for an email on that some time this week.
Good golfing…..and…..go low.
The Surge!