Graves Golf

The Perfect Student

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By: Tim Graves, PGA

With all the students signing up for the schools lately, I like to review an article I wrote what makes a “perfect student”.

In this instructional article I want to write about the student … What do we expect / “hope” from our students. This includes students of our schools, camps, our Single Plane Academy Members, or maybe just students who are studying our video instruction and/or watching our webinars or maybe just reading these practice tips.

The first morning of our camps, I like to go around the room and ask our students what they want out of the week, the next 6 months of their golf game, and maybe the next year. What are their goals? What are their expectations?

We typically get the same responses… Wanting to improve their scores, cut their handicaps in half, learn fundamentals better, not have so many “blow up holes”, work on short game, etc.. etc…

After hearing their responses – it typically falls into about 3 catagories (all related):

  1. They want to learn how to improve (score better).
  2. They want to learn how to make less mistakes on the golf course.
  3. They want to be more consistent when they play golf.

What I hear is them saying “I want to learn how to practice and become a better student.”

With that being said – I want to describe the “perfect student” … or someone we believe has the best chance for improvement.  The closer the student is to the “perfect student” the faster he/she will improve.  There is no question there is a direct correlation in this area.

1. The student is open to EVERYTHING being said.

In other words, everything being taught, he/she is receptive too. Too many times, students have heard (or learned) things different before and they put up a mental “road block” when hearing something new. Playing good golf starts by understanding a method of solid fundamentals. The fundamentals don’t have to be complicated or difficult, but the student must learn the fundamentals within the method. Mixing and matching fundamentals of different methods does not work.

2.  The student understands is takes TIME to make changes.

This is a big one… To many want things too fast (me included). I once heard a saying, “If you get something fast, you’ll probably lose if fast”.  Cannot be more true when learning a new move, a new fundamental, etc… If you have patience, give it time, understand it will take a little while to figure out, etc. the change will “stick” and most of the time will be something you won’t have to consistently work on again and again. Rushing the process never works, or at least work for a period of time… Quick fixes are just those…. here today, gone tomorrow.

3.  The student understands you can not break a bad habit, but rather you CREATE a new habit.

This is a big one. I guarantee you if I interviewed golfers and asked them what they thought they needed to work on in their golf swing, a majority would say they need to break this habit, or that habit, etc… To start, it is basically impossible to “break” anything when it comes to a physical movement you have learned or acquired from the past. What is needed, is to determine what you need to work on and then work on doing it perfect (or as close to perfect) every time you practice. In other words, your body and brain are working together to create something that is good, it is not working “against” each other. How many times have you heard (or maybe said to yourself), “My brain says to do one thing, but my body does another”. We need to work on creating new/perfect habits that are much stronger than the old/bad habits which will in essence get our “body and brain to work together”.

4.  The “perfect” student will ASK questions.

This sounds like something you heard in school doesn’t it. But, you’d be surprised how many students will sit in a group, nod their head like they understand everything being said, and then after the presentation is over, will come up to the instructor and ask a “ton” of questions. We love the questions, problem is, if one student has a question, chances are, so do a majority of the other students. So, if you are sitting in one of our schools or camps, please don’t hesitate to ask any question ANY time. If you are watching our videos, webinars, reading e-tips, etc. email us with questions any time. We promise we will do our best to get back to you with answers asap. Please don’t go forward not knowing the answer or “confused” about something.

5. The student understands learning, especially an athletic move / moves, is a PROCESS.

It can be a fun process and the process can be sped up with proper practice, etc. but it is always a “process”. Enjoying the process is the key! Looking forward to making changes and working on those changes is a key! Ultimately understanding there really isn’t anything that is a “quick fix” (as stated before), but rather a process to change and a process to good and eventually, great golf. Understanding the process, looking forward to working through the process, getting help when necessary, will ultimately lead to the golf game the student wants.

Again – As the golf school season begins again (as many of you read this, my staff will be teaching at our academy in Orlando) – thought it would be a good time to list what we would love to see from every one of our students in order that they can improve their golf games to levels they can only imagine now.

Remember – A little improvement every day, will lead to a lot of improvement over time.

Please reply to timg@gravesgolf.com and let me know what you think of this article

Tim Graves, PGA

Take Off Your Watch – Tips for Improving

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By Tim Graves, PGA

Wanted to go over a few suggestions to help you practice more efficiently and effectively.

(Excerpts taken from the Talent Code by Dan Coyle)

Graves Golf Academy Teaching
  1. Take Off Your Watch

Practice (Deep Practice) should not be measured in minutes or hours, but in the number of high-quality repetitions you make.

Instead of counting minutes or hours, count the number of “perfect” repetitions you make (drills you perform).

Example – instead of planning on hitting golf balls for an hours, plan on making 25 quality swing with each club.

Ignore the clock and get to your sweet spot zone, even if it’s only for a few minutes, and measure your progress by what counts – number of times doing drill correct or number of correct repetitions.

2. Break Every Move (Golf Swing) Down Into Chunks

Every skill/habit is built out of smaller pieces – what scientists call chunks.

Chunks are to skill what letters of the alphabet are to language. Individually, don’t mean much, put together forms sentences, paragraphs, etc…

To begin “chunking”, first engrave the blueprint of the skill on your mind – then ask yourself:

1.  What is the smallest single element of this skill I can master/or in the golf swing, what is the most important element I need to learn.

– The Grip

2.  Practice one chunk by itself until you’ve mastered it, then connect more chunks, one by one.  Second “chunk” of the golf swing –

– The Set Up

3.  No matter what skill you set out to learn, the pattern is always the same. See the whole thing. Break it down to its simplest elements. Put it back together, repeat.

Next chunks:

– The Backswing

– Top of swing/Transition

– The Downswing

– Leverage

– Impact

– Release

Work on each “chunk” individually – one at a time. Working to master/perfect before going on or working on another. This will save you a lot of time and frustration in the “long run” …

Remember as stated many times – learning the golf swing/making changes is NOT a sprint, but rather a marathon. And if treated that way, your changes/new habits you create, will be there for the “long run”.

Watch upcoming newsletters for additional practice tips for improvement.

Questions or comments please email Tim at timg@gravesgolf.com

Struggle is Your Friend

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By: Paul Monahan, Graves Golf Mental Game Coach

I hope you have had some great experiences on the golf course this year.

However, I know that if you are at all like me, you may be experiencing some struggle in your game right now.

Or, perhaps your game is solid, but you just can’t seem to put it together on the course, or in competitive events – where it seems to matter most.

I totally get that.

Today I went back in the blogs to find this message about struggle and it’s value on our journey to mastery.

Check it out here:

The Sun’ll Come Out…

“It’s always darkest before the sunrise.”

Have you ever heard that before? I have. And honestly, I’m not sure if it’s technically true.

However I think that the metaphor still works for me. It goes something like this:

Occasionally, it seems like we will never emerge from our struggle. While plodding away in the darkness (a metaphor for struggle) things can begin to feel very heavy. And this can cause us to lose hope in ever transcending the darkness (or ultimately overcoming the struggle).

But then something magic happens. After working a long time on something, breakthroughs happen. Insights appear. Hope grows. The struggle ends.

And then the sun comes out. And life is good again.

My wife and I recently spent the weekend in Nashville with our son Kevin who is a young musician and producer. (It was dark and rainy in Nashville…which made me wish for the sun…and partially inspired the idea for this blog.)

For people like Kevin and his peers in the music biz – smart, talented people working very hard on their passions, but having not yet reached the level of success they are aiming to reach one day – the darkness of struggle can be an impediment to realizing dreams.

What is so inspiring about being around Kevin and his music-industry friends though, is that they are so committed to the work that they never stop moving forward. Yes…they are tempted sometimes to compare themselves to others…but the ones who thrive in these conditions are dedicated to the process of improvement. They just don’t get stuck (very often – or for very long) in WHERE they are at any given time. They TRUST in the process so much that in essence, success is already theirs.

Even if it seems dark right now. Even if there is no guarantee that “the sun will out” on their career.

And this is exactly as it should be. Struggle is necessary to grow talent.

Dan Coyle (Author, Cleveland, OH resident and friend to the Moe Norman Single Plane Swing Community) revealed a decade ago in his book The Talent Code the importance of embracing struggle when learning new skills. Coyle references advances in science which show that struggle actually BUILDS and REINFORCES the physical network of neurons in our brain which allow us to successfully build the skill needed to perform at high levels.

(In The Talent Code, Coyle also reveals the importance in practice.)

As you think about preparing for another year of golf, you no doubt may be faced with the idea of struggle as you work on matching the Single Plane Swing model and ultimately plaingy better golf.

Since we never know how long this is going to take – there are many factors and variables to consider – it certainly can seem like the struggle to improve (or maybe just stink a little less?)  is never-ending. If you are feeling that, I want you to know that that is ok.

You are exactly where you should be.

Having said that, there are a couple things you can do.

  • Stop comparing yourself to other golfers. Compare yourself today to the golfer you were yesterday. This is the only comparison that matters.
  • Reframe the Single Plane Swing journey. Remember that it is not about IF you can get this…it’s only about WHEN. (And then drop any attachment you have to WHEN success will come for you. )
  • When things get really heavy for you, step outside of yourself and focus on serving others for a little while. (When we operate from the perspective of “service to others,” our mindset is much more positive and productive.)
  • Enjoy the journey. The small victories.
  • Know that success is already yours. And remember that growth comes from struggle.

Struggle is what is required for growth. Struggle is what is required to layer your neurotransmitters with the amazing brain protein sheath (myelin) that will make the changes to your swing long-lasting. Struggle in practice is what is required to ensure that you can take your swing onto the course and actually play better.

So if it feels a little “dark” right now. That’s ok. It’s actually supposed to.

With some continued focus, intentionality and practice and maybe a little reframing, the sun’ll come out for you and your swing. I have no doubt.

Have a great week!

-Paul

Making Your Lob Wedge Your Best Friend

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By Tim Graves, PGA

First, I want to say, I believe the lob wedge is one of the most important clubs in your bag.

In fact, I believe it is the 3rd most important club in your bag (refer to past e-tips for #1 (Putter) and # 2 (Driver).

Besides your putter and your driver, this is probably the club you will use the most in a given round… if you know how to use it and use it correctly…

The perfect Lob Wedge: The perfect lob wedge (in my opinion) has the following characteristics:

  1. 58* of loft or more
  2. Forged type club (the softest material in a wedge that helps create spin and a very soft feel at impact – allows for the ball to land softly on the green).
  3. C – type grind on the sole of the club. This grind on the club allows to hit off of all different surfaces (soft, hard, etc..) and allows for different ball positions instance to hit low to high (lob) type shots. The C type grind on the sole keeps the leading edge of the club low to the ground when the ball position is “pushed forward” for higher / lob type shots.
  4. Medium to Wide sole on the club – the wider the sole – the easier it is to “slide” across tight lies.
  5. Needs to have swing weight heavier than most clubs in bag besides the sand wedge (swing weight typically between D-4 and D-6) – most lob wedges are built this way as the added weight helps cut through many surfaces (high grass, sand, etc..) and helps create better “feel” around the greens.
  6. Steel shafted. Again – the weight helps as described.
  7. Slightly rounded leading edge on the club – only slight, but this slight rounding also helps cut through different surfaces.
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How to play the Lob Wedge:

For a full shot, (for many ranges from 30 to 60 yards, maybe slightly longer) – the ball is placed in the middle of the stance and swung with a good on the plane single plane swing. (Like any other club in the bag – ball position center of stance).

For a short pitch or high lofted shot (not lob or flop shot yet…):

  1. The ball is placed slightly forward in the stance (forward of center). As higher you want the ball – the more forward you put in the stance.
  2. The weight (body’s weight distribution) is 50/50. You do not put more weight on the lead foot.
  3. Stance is slightly open – about 10 to 20* at max.
  4. The hands are slightly ahead of the ball at set up.
  5. Choke down slightly for more control and better feel.
  6. You swing the club with VERY soft hands. This means light grip pressure on the club.
  7. You work on the fold/fold type swing. Meaning you fold your trail arm in the backswing and lead arm in the through the swing. Nice and easy….
  8. You accelerate through the shot – your hands should finish at shoulder level or above. If you think the swing is too long for the shot – shorten the backswing, but still keep a solid and extended through the swing.
  9. Swing toward the hole – as Moe said: “Try to pull the flag out with the head of the club”. This was his analogy of making sure the club is swung down the line toward the hole.
  10. Make sure the weight is evenly distributed throughout the shot and the feet stay down throughout the shot.

For a flop shot (high lofted short shot): Follow the points above except the following:

  1. Ball position – as forward in stance as comfortable. Off lead heel or further forward is good.
  2. The weight distribution is still 50/50 or slightly toward the back foot. Keep weight balanced throughout the shot.
  3. The club slides under the ball… Think of sliding under the ball rather than hitting down on the shot.

To be honest, after teaching 1,000s of students in the past, this is always a difficult shot to master – it takes time, but once you get the “feeling” it actually becomes pretty easy and a great “shot saver” in the round. Here are a few faults many students have difficulty with while they are trying to learn the flop shot:

  1. Weight transfer – you need to keep your weight back to center during the shot – exaggerate this as much as possible. It is almost impossible to get the club to slide under the ball if you are transferring your weight too much forward.
  2. SOFT HANDS – if you think you have lightened the grip pressure enough – do it some more. The softer the grip pressure the easier it is to fold/fold in the shot which brings consistency and great feel with this shot.
  3. Acceleration – shorten the backswing enough that you feel you need to be pretty aggressive in the through the swing. A backswing that is too long creates deceleration in the through swing which leads to fat and/or thin shots.
  4. The swing toward the hole – great area to practice on swinging toward the target. Chances are if you are coming across your full shots (cut/slice) you are also doing the same in your pitching/flop shots.

In a good high pitch/flop shot the ball should land relatively soft on the green with minimal roll. In fact, if you listen to the shot, you will hear a “thud” when it hits the green. A good shot comes in soft, has minimal role… many pros call it landing like a “butterfly with sore feet”.

Hopefully, this helps those who are looking to help their short game – especially that all needed lob shot around the green.

Please feel free to contact me at timg@gravesgolf.com with any short game questions, questions about your wedges or any other club fitting questions.

Remember my saying: “I’ve never seen a good player with a bad short game and have never seen a bad player with a good short game.”

For your perfect wedge fit: CLICK HERE

LOWERING SCORES USING GRAVES GOLF BY DESIGN (Putting)

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By Tim Graves, PGA

I’m not gonna preach at you today about how important your putting stroke is.

If you’ve been around for a bit, you know that I’m VERY passionate about putting!

When it comes to creative and simple ways to check each aspect of your putting stroke away from the golf course, I’ve tried them all.

It was through many years of trial and error that I developed what I consider a great, as well as simple way, to check each aspect of your putting stroke away from the golf course.

You see, to practice efficiently, you must check a couple key areas:

  1. Squareness of putter face
  2. Eyes over the ball (target line)
  3. Squareness of shoulders at address
  4. The path of the putter head during the stroke

Being able to check these fundamental positions each and every stroke is key to having productive practice sessions.

With the development of the H3 Putting Mirror, I now have a way to ensure each fundamental of my putting stroke is perfect.

Simply put, this is a vital tool during my off season practice.

If you aren’t using an H3 Putting Mirror, I have to ask you, bluntly,

“Why?”

Even a 3-5 minute practice session in your living room with the H3 Putting Mirror will ensure:

  1. Your eyes are over the ball (target line), which will help you see the line, as well as create an ideal stroke.
  2. Ideal shoulder alignment that you can check in the mirrored surface.  Square shoulders produce an ideal stroke.
  3. You’ll see a perfectly square club face, as well as the ideal stroke with the guidelines on the H3.
  4. Raised edges will make you catch the ball on the upstroke, creating a perfect roll every time.
  5. CNC milled holes to develop a putting gate to further hone the perfect stroke each and every time.

THE 3 Ps OF PUTTING AND USING THE H3 PUTTING TRAINER

What are the 3 Ps of putting?…  simply stated, it is “Practicing your Putting with a Purpose”

Folks, it is actually pretty simple and painless, you just have to DO IT RIGHT!!!

Now, before you think to yourself, “Yeah, I know, Tim always says how important putting is, but I really need to work on my full swing first”, please read the following stats and “studies” that have been conducted and then I will explain how you can literally improve your game overnight…

First – You must first realize the importance of putting. 43% of scoring occurs on the putting green for the average player (male shooting 97, female shooting 107). As the scoring increases, so does the % of putts. For a scratch golfer, the percentage lowers to about 40%, but no lower.

Graves Golf By Design statistics are as follows:

30 handicap golfer (aver score of 100) – average 45 putts per round

20 handicap golfer (aver 90) – 40 putts per round

10 handicap golfer (aver 80) – 35 putts per round

Scratch golfer (aver 70) – 30 putts per round

Professional golfer – 28 putts per round

Second – You would think “that only makes sense” as the 30 handicap golfer will hit it further from the hole than the 20 handicap golfer, thus have more putts…. but you would be wrong. If you think of the way golf is played and the way putting stats are kept (just add up how many putts you have once the ball is on the green) – the 20 handicap golfer actually will hit more greens in regulation than the 30 handicap golfer (the 30 handicap golfer will be chipping from the side of the green, etc..). Meaning, if you take the average distance to the hole once the player hits the green, typically the 20 handicap golfer will be further than the 30 handicap golfer… in theory if both had equivalent mid/short games – but here lies the problem.

Third – There are only 3 areas that matter in putting (or any part of the golf swing) – Path, Face Angle, and Speed. Putting is affected by these 3 areas and only these 3 areas. Meaning, everything you work on in putting (for example the grip, set up, etc..) affects either path, face angle and/or speed. The better your path, the better your putting, the better your face angle at impact, the better your putting, the better your speed, the better your putting.

Fourth – READ THIS VERY CAREFULLY: Studies have shown that of 10 golfers who practice their putting, 5 will get no better, 4 will actually get worse, ONLY 1 will improve after practice. Please read this again – of those who practice their putting, 10% will improve after the practice, 50% will not, and 40% will ACTUALLY MAKE THEMSELVES WORSE. (This study was performed numerous times testing golfer’s putting prior to their practice session and after.) As is said by the individuals who performed these studies, “Golfers can add, subtract, multiply and divide, and they DON’T like these odds.” I don’t know about you, but if I have a 90% chance of not improving when I practice, “I ain’t practicing” (as they say in Oklahoma…)

Okay – now that everyone is on a “downer” about their putting practice, we’re here to fix that.

Over the years of playing and practicing with some of the best players in the world (including Moe, Tiger and many others), competing against many of these players, studying numerous techniques of the short game, etc… etc. we have created/perfected a method to improve your putting.

H3 Putting Trainer – How to Practice Your Putting with a Purpose EVERY TIME you practice. (In other words, every time you practice, you will one of the 10% who improves!!)

This is a Putting Trainer that works – WE GUARANTEE IT!!! This is how you (and most professionals) improve your putting. The system is not hard – in fact, it is very simple and doesn’t take that much time. Every minute you practice using the H3 Putting Trainer, it will improve your putting… which in turn will improve your scoring and decrease your handicap – SIGNIFICANTLY!!

Here are highlights of the H3 Putting Trainer:

    * Mirror for proper eye and shoulder alignment 

    * Beveled leading edge for easy ball placement 

    * Easy to see red line for proper path and face alignment

    * Red line to check ball under eye line and head still during putting stroke

    * Blue alignment lines to help the putter go back square

    * Blue alignment lines to square your shoulders

    * Putting gate holes to use tees to get path correct in back stroke (set up for different sized putters)

    * Putting gate holes to use tees to get path correct in through stroke (set up for different sized putters)

    * Raised edges for proper stroke.  Upstroke at impact, and proper back stroke

Here is what the H3 Putting Trainer checks (check points) every time you use it:

  • Square putter face at set up
  • Eyes over the golf ball (ball under eye line)
  • Golf Ball is forward of center at set up (creates overspin)
  • Golf Ball is set up in the middle of the putter (sweet spot)
  • Shoulders are square at set up
  • Only the shoulders move / rock in putting stroke.   Remainder of body still.
  • Hands lead maintaining shaft lean through impact 
  • Golf ball is impacted at center with no side spin (only overspin) and on center of putter 
  • Golf ball is hit on an upward blow
  • Hand are leading (H1)
  • Hands down the line (H2)
  • Hip check reminder (H3)

Everyone – no matter where you game is now – needs to improve their putting. You need to create more consistency in your putting. As shown, it is absolutely the faster way to lowering your scoring.

Remember the 3 Ps of Putting – Always Practice Your Putting with a Purpose and the best way to practice with your putting with a purpose is to use the H3 Putting Trainer.

H3 Training Aid:  CLICK HERE

Opportunities are Everywhere

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By: Paul Monahan, Graves Golf Mental Game Coach

Note: Two years ago, following a week at the Alumni Camp in Orlando, I wrote about how we have opportunities all around us to practice tuning-up our mental game. As you get back on the course in more normal settings over the next few weeks – wherever you are – keep in mind that there are LOTS of opportunities to strengthen your mental game:

Just had a great week in Orlando at the GGA 5-Day Alumni Camp.

It was a fun week of learning, instruction, growth, as well as some great conversation about what it takes to perform at a high level.

My job at the camp last week was to help the attendees to expand their awareness of the mental and emotional dynamics that allow them to show up at their best.

Said a little differently, I was there to help them learn how to tune into their energetic presence…the mix of physical, mental emotional and other elements that merge to form what I refer to as performance energy.

I believe that the key to performing at your best consistently over time is to build awareness of self… and a knowledge of how the things around you are impacting your thoughts.

How does the experience of standing on the first tee with an audience of other golfers watching you impact your ability to access your skills? Does it make you feel nervous? And if it does, can you identify the actual thinking that produces that nervousness?

If you can identify the thinking, then you are well on your way toward increased awareness. And then you can do something about thoughts that are unproductive, versus ideas that are supportive of your efforts, goals, objectives…etc.

For example, you might realize that you are nervous because you don’t want to be embarrassed by duffing your tee ball into the woods. You don’t want the harsh judgment of others. Understandable.

But what’s another way to look at that? Perhaps all the guys behind you want nothing better than to see you hit it well. They too are capable of hitting it into the woods – by in their minds, they are behind you, pulling for you to hit a great shot.

Or perhaps, they don’t care that much at all. So then you can forget about all that worry and anxiety. After all, it’s just misplaced energy.

All that is left, then is for you to step up and hit it where you want to. (And accept that you can handle the results…no matter where the ball goes.)

We talked a lot last week about increasing awareness of what is happening on the golf course to play better golf.

But here’s the interesting thing: you can practice increasing your awareness all day long, anywhere you go. In traffic. At work. In your interactions with colleagues or those closest to you. There are opportunities ALL DAY LONG to tune into the thought patterns that are driving how you interpret your experiences.

My message to the group last week is the same message I give you here: if you want to improve how you play on the golf course, practice growing your awareness of self in every moment you can. Not just on the golf course, putting green, or during play, but in every situation you experience.

Try it this week. You will be surprised at how easy it is.

The opportunities are everywhere.

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