A Little Inspiration…

August 27, 2020 by admin

Sophia Popov didn’t quit. Even when nobody would have blamed her if she had.

Because of her perseverance, she is now a major champion with full playing status on the LPGA Tour, having won the Women’s Open last weekend at Royal Troon in Scotland.

Up until very recently, Popov could at best be described as an aspiring tour player – having never gained more than conditional status on the LPGA Tour from 2015 – 2019. Also:

She missed securing her tour card by one stroke at the 2019 LPGA Tour Q School.
Her only option this past Spring (2020) was to play Cactus Tour events in Arizona. (She did win three times in April and May, but only collected $8,800 total in winnings.)
She earned a spot to play in the 2020 Women’s Open by placing ninth at the Marathon Classic in Toledo, OH in early August.
She was ranked 304^th in the world going into the Women’s Open.

During the trophy presentation at Royal Troon, Popov said: “I almost quit playing last year. Thank God I didn’t.”

Turns out that a big part of her struggle over the past six years has been a battle with Lyme disease which went undiagnosed for a long period of time. Wow.

Sophia Popov: triumphant through struggle. – Getty Images

Her story speaks to me because of some challenges I have had this season…and reminded me that there are likely many others on the Single Plane Swing journey who are working through challenge and struggle as well.

Let me explain:

An old shoulder injury reappeared for me this year – a lead-side shoulder AC impingement – which affects my ability to move into the impact position properly.

While I have been able to produce a swing that looks as close to the model as ever, when it comes to playing on the course and hitting a ball on the turf, my condition has led to some pretty sketchy ball striking.

I’ve posted some decent scores – the short game has been solid at times. (Have you tried the new Callaway Jaws wedges…I highly recommend!!) But the ball-striking just has not been there – and honestly, it has been a challenge for me mentally. (Ok…maybe frustrating is a better word.)

On my good days, even when I am not playing well, I enjoy being out there – practicing or playing. But on my bad days, I wonder why the heck I am doing this.

I’ve even thought about putting the clubs down for a while. (You know…screw 2020. All of it. … and look ahead to 2021.)

Like you, I want to be able to hit the ball pure. I want to KNOW where the ball is going when I hit it. And I want to know that it will fly the distance I envisioned for it. ( …is that too much to ask? J )

So, when Popov said: “I almost quit playing last year. Thank God I didn’t”, I absolutely got it. And it inspired me to examine my own thinking about where I am at right now… and where I want to go.

I decided to revisit some truths.

The truth is that I am NOT striking the ball great right now.

But it is also true that I have made SIGNIFICANT strides in replicating the Single Plane Swing model. I can take this swing model progress and build on it…knowing that as I get myself in better physical shape to hit the ball, I WILL get to where I want to be.

The truth is that I have made progress with my shoulder…and if I stay on my physio plan, I will be much more comfortable hitting shots again very soon.

The truth is that I am NOT my golf game. Even though I think that I am sometimes.

And the truth is that Sophia Popov has reminded me that this game ACTUALLY DOES FEEL LIKE STRUGGLE sometimes. But that through struggle, growth is possible. And sometimes – when we break through struggle – we achieve heights we could not have dreamed of.

So, now I am re-dedicated to the plan. Ready to embrace and enjoy the process back to better ball striking. All of it.

And if you are struggling at all – I encourage you to take Sophia Popov’s story to heart. Perhaps it will create some fresh thinking for you, just as it did for me.

Expectations

August 24, 2020 by admin

Replay:

By Paul Monahan, GGA Performance Mindset Coach.

It is fascinating to me how MUCH our expectations can negatively impact our experiences…as well as our ability to perform at our best.

While watching the last round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, I heard one of the CBS announcers – I think it was Peter Kostis – comment on the challenging day that John Rahm was having.

After three solid rounds, Rahm began his final series in second place, with a chance to win another event this year after a phenomenal 2017 in which he earned his first victory as well as ten top ten finishes.

But after 16 holes, Rahm was at two-over par when he probably needed to be a 3 or 4 under par to be in contention to win. Rahm’s frustration was pretty evident.

At that point, Kostis commented that he thought Rahm’s biggest challenge in 2018 would be managing his expectations.

What did he mean? Simply that Rahm had such an incredible year in 2017, that he would have to be careful not to create expectations in his mind about the results he would be able to achieve in any given week.

We perform best when we drop our expectations when we metaphorically leave our expectations in the car. These allow us to see our reality (the game, the shots, the putts…etc.) more objectively…and not have our perspective clouded by our stories.

A little over a week ago I had the chance to attend the Graves Golf Academy 3-Day School in Orlando…the inaugural instruction school of 2018.

During this first day of the school, Tim Graves and his staff emphasize the importance of starting the Single Plane Swing process with the shortest of golf moves possible – the putt – by leading a putting lesson.

As I interacted with some students during the putting lesson, I noticed how many were struggling with their mental game. And I know it sounds strange…we were practicing putting.

The guidance from Tim was this: work on matching the putting stroke model and don’t worry about sinking putts. We don’t care about sinking putts; we want to make sure that we are hitting “checkpoints.” If we get good at executing the checkpoints, we will make putts, for sure.

But here’s what I saw: guys were getting frustrated because they weren’t sinking putts. (And some guys were extremely frustrated.)

These were brilliant, accomplished people. They know how to listen and follow direction. But …they were stuck in their expectations.

When we get stuck in our expectations, when we view reality through the lens of hope, the only way we can be satisfied is if those expectations are met. (Makes sense…right?)

But if our expectations are not met then what happens? You guessed it: disappointment – or even worse: apparent frustration.

The guys on the putting green were missing putts they expected to make. And so, they experienced those misses as disappointment and frustration. (They even forgot about the purpose of the practice, to begin with.)

But what if they had been able to set their expectations aside?

They likely would have been able to perform better throughout the exercise and would have:

Remembered the purpose of the practice session
Not worried about the result
Focused on process
Worked on matching the putting model
Enjoyed the experience
Learned
…and maybe even been a little more fun to be around

I often tell my clients, the tighter your grip on your stories or expectations about what should happen, the more difficult it is to experience your reality in productive ways…especially when things don’t go as you think they should.

If you want to get better at this game, (or anything) you must learn to drop your attachment to results and instead, stay focused on the elements that produce the desired results. Like; gripping the club correctly, starting with a proper address, and matching the swing model.

When you miss a putt or hit a ball poorly, remember: that is a neutral event. It is neither good nor bad…it is. Learn to see the things that happen in your environment as they are…and not worse than they are. Learn to see them as a chance to learn something and master a new skill. No matter what happens.

Like John Rahm or the participants of our GGA Schools, we all would benefit by loosening our grip on our expectations…or dropping them altogether.

Paul Monahan, PCC is a Peak-Performance coach, member of the International Coach Federation and a certified COR.E Performance Dynamicsä Specialist. He resides in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife Paula and is the proud dad to three young men. He works with elite-level performers and leaders, helping them to expand their awareness so that they perform at their best more consistently.

He can be reached at paul@paulmonahancoaching.com

Playfulness

August 10, 2020 by admin

By Paul Monahan – GGA Performance Mindset Coach.

(Replay)

Recently, I heard a celebrity speaking about golfing with his buddies. He mentioned that there was one person in his circle of golf friends that he particularly admired because the playfulness that person brought to the course.

He said that his buddies all wished they could be more like that…especially on the golf course. He said that this guy nearly ALWAYS played well – and without a lot of effort.

Playfulness is just one of those things that elude most adults you now.

And if you think about it, it’s not their fault. It’s just a product of the society and culture we all grow up. One that rewards serious, adult, responsible behavior.

But studies show that the more we can tap into our child-like playfulness, the better we perform – particularly when it comes to skills-based, physical endeavors.

Last Spring, Tim (Graves) invited me to attend and teach at a 5-Day Build Your Game Alumni Camp in Orlando. (If you ever get a chance to visit a 5-day camp, do it. It’s a fantastic experience.) It was an opportunity for me to teach performance mindset concepts to the attendees, and also to work on my single plane swing.

Among the many fantastic learning dynamics Todd and Tim create in the 5-day camps are some live scenarios designed to replicate the competitive situations – and the pressure – we may encounter during our weekly games at home.

One of the scenarios is a bracketed putting contest called “21” that lasts from Wednesday to Friday…with the winner earning lots of cool swag – plus bragging rights for a whole year.

I played in the contest that week and happened to face the eventual winner in the semi-final round …a virtual putting buzz saw named Gary Gustafson.

Following an incredible hour-long quarterfinal match against Tom Lagos (Tom is an excellent competitor…watch for my blog/story about that match in a future installment!), I got crushed by Gary by a score of 25 – 2 within about 15 minutes!

After our match, when I asked him what his secret was to such a fantastic performance, he told me this story:

While he was watching the game between Tom and me, Gary noticed a little 5-year-old boy putting on the other end of the practice green. (The boy was there with his mom, just goofing around on the putting green. We saw him too…he was a pretty cute kid, and a tremendous little putter!)

Gary said that he noticed two things that this boy was doing: First, that he was putting remarkably well for his age, and second that he was putting rather quickly.

He interpreted the quick pace of play by this boy as playfulness. Or, generally just NOT OVERTHINKING each putt. And he noticed a sense of joy and eased the boy displayed as he stepped up to each shot, took a look, and pulled the trigger.

So Gary decided he would take playfulness into his upcoming match. He would set up his putts carefully and deliberately, but he would trust his line and pull the trigger without lots of time to let over-thinking set.

And MAN did his strategy work! His putting was amazing!

Throughout our (very short) match, Gary made a bunch of long putts, as well as plenty of shorter ones. And if he wasn’t making putts, he was super-close, so he was always picking up points. It was an impressive thing to watch. (I had a pretty good seat for that show!)

I think it’s a good lesson for all of us. No matter what the performance or the situation. (Leading in critical moments, negotiating a sale, or playing golf.)

We nearly always perform better when we trust in our ability to do the thing, and step into it without a lot of over thinking. Todd (Graves) likes to say that he tries to “play empty.”

And while there are undoubtedly multiple dynamics that determine success in a skills-based performance like golf, a sense of fun and playfulness during our performances can go a long way.

So, try this: The next round you play, or the next time you practice, be intentional about NOT OVERTHINKING. And step into your shots with a more playful mindset.

Play the game. Have fun. Don’t overthink it!

After all, we call it PLAYING golf…don’t we?

Paul Monahan, Graves Golf Mental Game Coach, PCC is a Peak-Performance coach, member of the International Coach Federation and a certified COR.E Performance Dynamicsä Specialist. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife Paula and is the proud dad to three young men. He works with elite-level performers and leaders, helping them to expand their awareness so that they perform at their best more consistently.

Plane the Trail Shoulder – Can it really be that Simple?

August 10, 2020 by admin

By Tim Graves, PGA

Moe at Address

Moe’s body and arm position at address allowed for him to reduce numerous variables in the golf swing.

When you can eliminate variables, you can become more consistent. In the picture above, you can see a red circle on his trail shoulder. The trail shoulder is positioned slightly above the red plane line. Once we establish this address position, it causes a smooth backswing and downswing….

Moe at Top of Backswing

As Moe takes the club back, the trail shoulder rides merely directly up the plane line. How does he do this?

By rotating his body and folding his trail arm. At the top of the backswing, you can see that the trail shoulder is slightly above the plane line, mirroring the position it started in higher up. With this simple movement, the hands are on the plane line, and the club shaft is correctly on the plane

Moe at Impact

Do you see anything similar here?

That’s correct. The trail shoulder has come right back down the plane line resulting in an up and down motion. Moe called this “the pendulum.”

The only difference between address and impact from this down-the-line perspective is the rotation of Moe’s hips and torso. In this picture to the right, you can see how the hips and chest are rotated open. This has to occur for the hands to lead.

Join Us – Let Us Help You Make It That Simple….

If you have any questions/comments about our Premier Schools, how to become a Member of our Gold Coaching Program, or anything else, please contact us at or call (405) 250-6960

FREE SINGLE PLANE CLUB FITTING

August 10, 2020 by admin

Whether looking to fit/replace a single club to an entire set, from a putter to a driver to your irons, wedges, etc.. it is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL that the club(s) is fit to YOUR individualized swing and single plane specifications.

An UNfit club will hinder your improvement process, an UNfit club will hinder your golf game, an UNfit club will not allow you to reach your potential, an UNfit club can and many times will actually physical hurt you (tendonitis in elbows and wrists are many times causes and exaggerated by club with improper lie angles), and UNfit club is basically worthless to you. I don’t care how much you spent for the golf club(s) – if they are not individually fit to you – they are worthless to your game – and worse than that, can and many times will actually “hurt” you.

The Graves Golf Academy has custom fitting programs established with most major manufacturers in the golf industry. And many of the manufacturers install our grips in their custom department (no other instruction group can say that….). We have worked VERY HARD to set this customizing system up for our customers, students, etc. anyone interested in the single plane golf swing.

Also, because of the amount of equipment we sell from each manufacturer, we are many times offered equipment at a reduced rate for our customers. We are always able to match industry pricing and many times able to beat the pricing. We are also many times able to offer clubs at a significantly reduced price (last year’s models, etc. as these manufactures know how many clubs we sell and “hold some back” for us). Please watch our newsletters (bimonthly) for these specials – as they typically don’t last long as many are interested in these special pricings.

Customization done at the manufacturer (Callaway, Taylormade, Titleist, etc..) is free through the Graves Golf, there is no added cost for the GGA grips installed and customized at the manufacturers. Plus, there is no shipping charge (within US) and no tax (outside of OK) through Graves Golf.

To get a FREE individualized custom fitting please go to: http://moenormangolf.com/clubs/free-club-fittings/

To View Single Plane Fitting Informational / Instructional Webinar: CLICK HERE

Graves Bros – First Tournament in 13 Years

July 20, 2020 by admin

Guess who played in their first tournament together in over 13 years this past weekend???

Yup – Myself (Tim) and Todd played in a best ball tournament at our home course (Oak Tree National) in Edmond, OK.

It was the 2020 Oak Tree National Member’s Best Ball Tournament.

First – a little back ground about Oak Tree National…

It has been / is rated as a top 25 hardest course in the US.

There are currently 18 touring professionals who call the course their home course (including Viktor Hovland, Matthew Wolff and others..)

It is a TRUE test of golf. There literally is NOT an easy shot on the golf course. Every shot is a test of your golf game…

What a great course to play your first tournament in over 13 years (Todd…)

Todd and I thought it would be fun to “break the ice” in a fun weekend tournament at our home course – see what the brothers could do against some good players.

Couple of facts and then some fun observations I witnessed that will help all the single plane golfers reading this.

Fact #1 – I (Tim) have played close to 250 tournaments since Todd’s last played in a tournament. Yup… 250

And there is DEFINITELY a rhythm to playing in tournaments.

I witnessed Todd trying to find his rhythm again.

Not rhythm in his golf swing (it was great… see below) – but more about his rhythm surrounding the event.

When to arrive before the event, how to warm up, what order to warm up, how early to arrive to the first tee, how to mark your golf balls for tournament play, etc… etc..

The ONLY way to regain your rhythm – YOU MUST PLAY IN EVENTS. You will develop your own “rhythm” – and comfort zone, this can not be done unless you put yourself in tournament settings.

Funny Story #1 – On our 27th hole (9th hole of day 2) – Todd hit a 2nd shot on the fringe of the green. Was a good 2nd shot, but came to rest in a sprinkler head on the edge of the green.

Todd needed to take a drop off the sprinkler head…

He looked at me and asked “How do I drop the ball… I haven’t taken a “tournament drop” in 13 years and the way you drop the ball has changed at least 3 times in just the last 5 years….” I proceeded to give Todd a quick lesson on a legal drop…. and a quick laugh…

Fact #2 – I (Tim) have played at least 250 tournaments in the past 13 years. You figure each tournament averages 2 rounds (some single round, some up to 4 rounds) and most of the tournaments I play in threesomes… That comes down to close to 1,500 different golfers I have played with… (some more than once – so let’s say over 1,000) different golfers I have played with – and all are good (some great) golfers. A majority of these golfers are PGA professionals.

I will tell you WITHOUT A DOUBT – there is no better driver of the golf ball than Todd… it’s not even close… listen to me VERY carefully – and there are many of the professionals listed above who are reading this article – NONE get close to driving the ball as accurate as Todd. – NOT EVEN CLOSE.

It is a treat to be able to follow him on the tee (we partnered in the best ball format) and we are playing one of the MOST difficult driving courses in golf – all of golf – and I know 99% of the time he is going to pipe it down the middle…. is he the longest – we are too old for that now… we were playing 20 somethings and holding our own against them, but the ability to hit EVERY fairway is AMAZING.

Yes, we perform demonstrations for our students and customers all the time – so it is nothing new to see us hit our drivers… but when the “heat is on in a tournament” – it is something completely different. The ability to hit consistently perfect straight drivers with perfect trajectory in a tournament on one of the most difficult courses in golf… impressive to say the least. I have missed witnessing this over the past few years (13…)

This is the TRUE testament to the single plane swing! Put the longest club in your hand under heat on an incredibly hard driving course and pipe it every time….

Funny Story #2 – On our 35th hole (#17 2nd day) we stepped on the tee leading by two.

#17 is a 210 yard Par 3 – all carry over water to 1/2 island green. The pin was 10 yards on the green with a high lipped bunker around the entire front of the green. (See below)

Todd hit a 5 iron at the pin and it plugged in the bunker lip short of the green. Was a good shot, came up about 2 feet short.

He took a drop (with more coaching from his brother) and then had to hit a chip with the ball about shoulder level with him standing in the bunker.

He looked at me and said “If I touch the grass behind my ball, it is going to roll back in the bunker… what do I do..?”

My answer… “Don’t touch the grass!” (brotherly love at it’s finest..)

I looked at our playing competitors and they were laughing (a lot..)

He got up and down from that lie… pretty amazing shot.

Fact #3 –

“You drive for show and no doubt about it – you putt for dough.”

When it ultimately comes down to it… the order of playing good golf comes down to:

Your Putter
Your Driver
Your Chipping / Pitching / Short game
Rest of Your Bag..

In that order. And every time you tee it up for something that puts a little pressure on your game – this order becomes more and more and more relevant.

We ended up winning the event by 2 shots.

We made a couple nice putts coming down the stretch to seal the win.

But more importantly – we had an absolute blast.

A few minutes after we finished and accepted our hardware – Todd looked at me and asked when was our next event…

He’s got the itch again….

watch out everyone…

the Graves’ Bros are back!

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