Making a Commitment to a More Consistent Golf Game

Outline:Eight Steps

The Fastest Way to Improve Skills

By: Sam Goulden

What’s holding you back from becoming the best golfer you can be? Have you ever thought about it? Take a second to think about this question. Most often, after we have decided we want to be good at something, there are usually three things that can really hold us back: time, money, and/or skill. Often, golf can just be frustrating. There is a period of trial and error that can last seemingly forever. Is it possible to get that period over quickly? The answer is YES!

I can’t take much credit for what I’m about to share with you. To be completely fair, I can’t take credit for anything I share. It’s just a conglomeration of books, lessons, videos, tips, and other various pieces that have fallen into my lap and mixed into my pool of knowledge. To be fair, this book wouldn’t have even happened if I hadn’t come across the teachings of Josh Kaufman. His insights have helped me become infinitely more impactful in my teaching. I’m going to do my best to avoid cluttering his already genius work as I relate the concepts from one of his books to the act of learning golf.

I’m going to outline what I’ve learned from thousands of hours of practice, coaching, reading, watching… basically living golf over the last 17 years. I’ll show you how to take care of the Time, Money, and Skill “problems” in as little as 30 days. You’ll see that you don’t have to have an unlimited amount of money or time and that you can learn the skill portion very, very quickly. To quote Josh Kaufman, a major influence in my understanding of skill acquisition and author of The First 20 Hours, “it takes around 20 hours of practice to break through the frustration barrier, to go from knowing absolutely nothing… to performing noticeably well”.

In this system, we will use our time wisely. We will define goals, understand the skills, get outfitted with proper equipment, schedule meaningful practice, and get the best return possible for our time spent. When using the format for rapid skill acquisition outlined in this book, you will see a very quick spike in your ability.

Outline for learning

1. Define Your Target - What level would make you happy

2. Deconstruct the Skill - Break it down

3. Obtain Tools - Determine what you need to play at the level you desire

4. Eliminate Barriers - Time, Distractions, Cell Phone, Work related mental blocks

5. Dedicate Practice Time (the larger the better)

6. Learn Through Feedback - Getting accurate feedback as quickly as possible

7. Practice by a Clock - Be aware of your time spent each time

8. Emphasize Quantity and Speed - Quantity creates more opportunity for feedback

Part One - Defining Your Target

When we think about a target, a lot of things can come to mind. We might want to drive it farther, hit more greens, get up and down more often, or never three putt. We may just want to enjoy the game and avoid embarrassment. It doesn’t matter. When defining our target, we simply need to determine what would make us happier in this game we have committed to and then move on to step two.

A few things that can help in defining our target: understanding where we are currently, knowing what the average score is for golfers playing more than 12 times per year, determining what makes us happy when we play or practice.

To measure where we are currently, I have outlined a simple chart for game tracking purposes. If you haven’t read the scoring outline, please take a minute to do so. Before we can determine a goal, we have to understand where we stand in our current state. If you are shooting 85 every round, a good goal might me to consistently break 80. If you are shooting over 100 or just starting out, you might focus on solid contact and minimal curve from the tee. Whatever the level, the first step will always be a clear assessment of our starting point.

My target for students is to break 80 consistently (if not already doing so). I set this target based on my results with hundreds of students over the past 15 years. I’ve found that in order to consistently score under 80, a player must have a well-rounded game. To have a well-rounded game, they must do a very small number of things consistently well. If you take the time to understand the mechanics of the swing, set a goal, get the tools you need, and set up a series of thoughtful, uninterrupted practice sessions, you will be able to reach your potential. You may not be a master of all things golf, but you will be able to consistently strike the ball with compression in a relatively tight shot shape pattern. You will give yourself par and birdie chances and eliminate big numbers. You will get better. Period.

With that in mind, define your target. Now. Take a minute to seriously set a reasonable goal that will make you happier in golf (and likely in life).

Part Two - Deconstructing the Skill

I have created a detailed outline of the most important key elements to any golf swing along with the drills and practice sessions needed to acquire them in my Square to Square Mastery Course at courses.samgouldengolf.com. In brief, the skill every golfer must acquire has to do with only four things:1. Control the path of the club head through impact2. Control the face of the club head through impact3. Control the low point of the arc through impact4. Continually improve center contact on the faceThese four things are paramount. No matter what you do in your swing, you MUST always strive to control these four key elements.

Why must you control those four factors? Well, the path, face, and low point of the swing are responsible for the trajectory, the direction, the curve, and the distance of every shot. Those are the only things that determine a good shot. Did it launch high or low? Did it start out where you wanted? Was there any curve? How far did it go? Those four questions will become your go to questions after every shot once you start practicing your swing. There are tons of techniques out there and they all intend to help you play better. At the end of the day, whatever technique you choose, the path, face, and low point of the swing are all that matters. And, as you will learn later in this chapter, as you continue to be aware of your contact you will start to get much more consistent results.

The Club Face and Club Path It is human nature to explore logically the cause and effect relationship between our swing and the resulting flight of the ball. We take the feedback received from a missed shot and assume that the stance, alignment, grip, posture, or any number of other variables have caused the miss. We look to pictures of professional golfers to confirm our belief that there is a “correct” grip, stance, or alignment that produces perfectly straight shots. We then go to the range to try the new grip and find that it doesn't cure our slice or hook. We take lessons. We watch the golf channel. We search the Internet. We even try things our playing partners share with us (usually this advice is unsolicited).

What we sometimes don't realize is that the golfers making money on the PGA Tour are not all using the same grip. In fact, their swings are all slightly different in many ways. So how does one player grip the club a certain way and produce straight shots while another player, with an entirely different grip, is able to produce the same straight shots?

The reason is simple; very good players and professional golfers are good at controlling the face angle and path of the club. While one player uses a strong grip to do this and another uses a weak grip, they are both able to create the

desired result. It is clear that in order to control the ball; it is not just about technique. More importantly, it is a complete understanding of the fundamentals, combined with a desire to perfectly produce them time after time.

So where do we begin? The first thing we need to know is HOW the club-face and path control the flight of the ball.

Fundamental One: The face angle and swing path of the club determine the starting line and end point of the ball.

The Club Face

The starting direction of the ball is determined mostly by the horizontal angle of the face of the club at impact. To be precise, it is determined by the angle of the face at maximum deformation. The ball will actually be on the face for a short period of time during impact. Simply stated, WHERE THE FACE POINTS, THE BALL STARTS.

Now, two things will influence any object sent into flight before it hits the ground. One thing that cannot be controlled is gravity. The other influence CAN be controlled and that is the effect the wind resistance has on the ball.

Spin Axis

THE SPIN AXIS OF THE BALL DETERMINES HOW THE BALL WILL FLY THROUGH THE AIR. The term spin axis just refers to the angle of the axis of rotation of the ball as it flies through the air. Almost every object in flight will have a spin axis. A golf ball will be spinning on a horizontal axis, usually with a slight tilt to one side or the other. Because every club in the bag is built with loft, the ball, when struck solidly, will have backspin. It would be nearly impossible to hit a shot, which didn't spin at all. If we were to hit a shot with no spin, it would knuckle through the air. You will understand why soon!

To understand curve, a good visual is to imagine the ball spinning on a purely vertical axis. For a golf ball to spin on a vertical axis (pure side spin with no back spin) is nearly impossible as stated above. But, for our understanding of curve it is sometimes easier to picture this simple image. If the ball were rotating around a vertical axis, it would be getting resistance from the side of the ball turning into the direction of flight. In the image below, the ball is spinning counter-clockwise. Imagine the ball spinning this way as it flies through the air toward a target directly ahead. As the ball travels forward, it is getting resistance from the wind. Because the ball is rotating, and the surface of the ball is covered in dimples, the resistance will come from the right side of the ball.

A ball spinning in a counter-clockwise manor will get resistance from the right side and the target side causing the ball to slow and seek a trajectory to the left. A ball spinning clockwise will get resistance from the left side, thus seeking a path to the right.

The principle that explains a curving object in flight due to spin is known as the Magnus Effect. A baseball curves due to the rotation and the resistance caused by the seams. A golf ball curves because it has dimples. Any ball that curves in flight does so because of the Magnus Effect.

Note: If the ball had no dimples or had no spin, the only resistance acting on the ball would come from straight on. The ball would move randomly in response to the resistance. This is why dimples are important.

Early on in golf, there was an effort to make balls as smooth as possible. What players found was that the ball would knuckle unpredictably through the air, diving down and shooting left and right. Golfers would scuff the surface of the ball in order eliminate this knuckling effect. A BALL SPINNING AND CURVING CONSISTENTLY IS PREDICTABLE. A ball with no spin or curve is not. Just ask anyone who has faced a great knuckle-ball pitcher!

As we learned earlier, the golf ball will almost never spin about a vertical axis. To get a clear picture of what is actually happening, we must see the true nature of the spinning golf ball.

Take a look at the illustration showing the golf ball spinning on a horizontal axis.

This would produce a shot flying perfectly straight, its only resistance coming from the front and bottom of the ball. As you can imagine, the ball will rise as is spins rapidly backwards while flying forwards. A wedge struck by a tour player commonly produces 10,000 rpms of backspin. As the loft of the club decreases through the set, the spin decreases. The driver will produce between 2,000 and 3,500 rpms.

Curve If the face angle of the club is any amount open to the path, the axis (red rod in picture) will tilt right, causing resistance on the lower front left quadrant of the ball. This will, as you now know, cause the ball to curve to the right.

If the face angle is closed to the path, the axis will tilt left, causing resistance on the lower front right quadrant of the ball. Thus causing a curve to the left.

Now, to control ball flight... If we want a ball to start to the left, the face must be angled some degree to the left. To produce the curve back to the target, the path of the club head must be more to the left.

Take a look at the illustration above. The face angle aim is three degrees to the left of the target, The club head path is five degrees to the left of the target. This would produce a nice curve from left to right.

To curve the ball into the target from right to left, the player must have the opposite path and face angles. If you can learn to control these variables, you can control ball flight.

Some players achieve this without knowing how they are doing it. They are somehow in tune with the laws of physics and yet not conscious of it. Others find

a way to produce the desired club face angle and trajectory by trial and error. Then there are those of us who are taught to do it. The thing is, these simple rules should be printed on the box when you buy your clubs. The best and most expensive tools will not produce any better results if the player doesn't know how to use them.

Forward Low Point A few years ago, Bobby Clampett measured the lowest point of the arc for hundreds of swings on the PGA Tour. He determined that the average lowest point of the swing was 4 inches on the target side of the ball.

The concept of forward low point is thrown around all over the golf industry and in any regular foursome. “You have to hit down on the ball,” the players say to themselves as the ball rolls along the ground. Every player has heard this tip. They just don't know how it works exactly.

Fundamental Two: The club head angle of attack must fit the condition of the lie of the ball The game of golf must be understood on the plane it exists. Most players see the ball on the ground and have the intention to send it into the air and naturally try to lift the ball with the club-face. But this never works. It works in volleyball. It works in tennis. But it does not work in golf. The reason is simple. The ball is on the ground. It would be impossible to get the club under the ball for the chance to then lift it up.

When a player tries to lift the ball, there are two possible outcomes. The first is that the club, in an effort to get under the ball, is thrust down into the ground. This will result in the player having the lowest point of their swing occur before contact with the ball. This can result in what is often called a “fat” or “chunked” shot because the club digs into the ground and pushes grass, dirt, mud, and/or sand into the ball. The second possible outcome is a “thin” or “skulled” shot. The lowest point of the swing is again, well before the contact with the ball. However, this miss just grazes the ground and then contacts the ball on the upswing.

As stated earlier, in order to create a clean strike on the ball, the club must not have interference from the ground. So, if the ball is resting on the ground, the club must be traveling down on its way to the ball with the shaft leaning forward.

It is this “clean strike” that produces the greatest amount of backspin.

There is one shot where the ball is not sitting on the ground. That is the tee shot.

In this situation, and only in this situation, may the ball be struck as the club is on its way down, at the low point of the swing, or even on the way up.

Based on the player's preference, the loft of the driver must fit the angle of approach. A player with steep downward angle of attack must have a higher lofted driver and will create more backspin. A player with a level angle of attack may fit well with a mid lofted driver. A player with an upward angle of attack will need a lower lofted driver. Some exceptions are certainly possible due to a player's club head speed and/or preference in ball flight. Slower swing players that hit downward can actually benefit from lower lofted drivers in order to get the most “pop”. The more variance between the face angle and the angle of attack, the more deflection will occur. This just means that the hit will be more of a glancing blow rather than a head on smash.

Center Contact All of the rules of ball flight can be determined easily by becoming proficient in the areas described in Chapters One and Two. However, if the player cannot consistently strike the ball in the center of the club face, he cannot produce consistent results.

Fundamental Three: The ball must be struck near the center of the face. When the ball and club-face collide and produce center contact, the energy transfer is efficient. Not only is it a pure energy transfer, it allows the fundamentals discussed the first two chapters to work.

If a ball strikes near the toe, the club is turned during contact and much of the energy is lost in the strike. Because the center of mass in an iron is very near the center of the club-face, when the ball and club collide with an off-center strike, the club will turn. Because the ball is on the face for just a short period of time, this turning of the club head will not drastically impact the flight of the ball. Other than reducing the energy transfer.

Also, because of the design of modern woods, the ball will start offline from the perceptive aim of the face. This is because the faces of wood and hybrids are not flat. There is curve from the heel to toe and from the sole to the top line.

The modern driver averages a difference of about 11 degrees from heel to toe. This means that the center of the face may point directly at the target while the toe points 5.5 degrees to the right and the heel points 5.5 degrees to the left. This is called bulge. When the ball hits the very toe or heel of the driver, it can launch as much as 5.5 degrees off line even though the center of the face is square to the target. The curve of the

driver face from sole to top line typically has the same radius and therefore has about an 11 degree difference from low hit to a high hit. This is called roll and also has a drastic effect on the ball's starting trajectory and spin.

It may seem counter intuitive to have the face of the club curved in this way but it is actually a big help in correcting off center hits. The trouble comes when a player doesn't understand how this curving of the face can change the outcome of a shot.

Due to the “roll” of the face, if the ball strikes near the bottom, the ball will launch lower. If the ball strikes near the top, the ball will launch higher.

There is another very cool thing that occurs when the ball strikes on the toe, heel, bottom, or top of the wood. Because the contact is not centered, as with an iron, the wood club will turn or tilt based on the location of the mis-hit.

Gear Effect A ball that contacts the top of the face on a wood will cause the head to tilt back slightly. A ball that contacts the bottom of the face will cause the head to tilt down slightly. A heel hit will close the face. A toe hit will open the face. When the face changes direction, that tilting or turning will create a resulting spin. High hits reduce backspin, low hits increase backspin, toe hits produce draw spin, and heel hits produce fade spin. The term used to describe this is “gear effect”.

Rhythm Center contact is not something that can be manipulated. The most skilled players have spent countless hours perfecting this. I will say, however, the one thing that is most important in creating a consistent strike is RHYTHM. I have asked many of the best players in the world what their keys to consistent contact are and the answer is almost always RHYTHM.

From the most technical player to the feel player, every great golfer can respect that rhythm is a key component of the execution of good golf shots.

There is much written on this topic. I believe that your own rhythm is personal. Try watching players on TV and picking a few whose swings you like. Then go to the range with the visual of their swing in mind and see if it helps you to create solid contact.

Examples of good rhythm are Fred Couples, Kenny Perry, Ernie Els, and of course, Bobby Jones.

Monitoring Center Contact A few years back I started marking my golf ball with a red dot... well, more like a glob of red sharpie. I would set the ball on the tee with the dot on the back of the ball. After I hit, there would be a red dot on my driver face where the ball and club made contact. This is an easy way to determine where the ball hits the face while you play.

When on the range, you can use “impact tape” or even just a piece of masking tape. If you do this, make sure to pull the tape after three to five hits. If you leave the tape on for repeated hits, it will get smashed into the face of the club and be difficult to remove. Another way to monitor the contact point is to get some spray foot powder on the face. It’s easy to remove the spray and reapply after a few shots.

I suggest using the dot. Just being aware of the intended contact point will do amazing things. But what's more, when you have the feedback after each shot, you'll start to improve your accuracy without actually doing anything. By giving your instinct an image of the last shot, you send a message to either repeat the last shot or make a slight adjustment. You don't need to consciously think about this. THE BRAIN'S ABILITY TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON POSITIVE INTENTIONS AND FEEDBACK IS MORE POWERFUL THAN YOU KNOW!

Part Three - Obtain Tools

The things you need to play really good golf may surprise you. We see ads for brand new drivers promising 15 more yards and irons that spin more than last years model… I can assure you that every player who can break 80 can do so with seven clubs or less. I know this from my own experience in building the ideal set makeup for beginners, intermediate players, low handicappers, and pros. You will not need to spend a ton of money to get better at golf. Will a brand new set of custom fitted clubs help? Yes. Is it necessary? No.

The starter set I build for players shooting over 100 contains a driving club, hybrid, 6 iron, 9 iron, sand wedge, and putter. That’s it. Six clubs. The reason is simple. The skills needed to break 80 require a solid drive with minimal curve, a solid long fairway shot, solid and accurate short irons, solid chipping and pitching, and consistent putting. We focus on each of these areas with their correlating clubs until we are hitting consistently solid and compressed shots with every swing. Then, we start to add a few fillers. Or, if we find our swing has changed drastically, we can get custom fitted for a new set that suits our consistent swing.

If you already have a set of clubs, you probably have a good starter set and might even consider tossing a few of those guys in the trunk for a little while. Just pick out your favorite wood, long fairway club, mid iron, short iron, and wedge.

One quick suggestion about the tools you will need to learn and groove your swing: choose some clubs you like. You are going to be getting really acquainted with these clubs and they will start to feel really good in your hands. You may want to continue using them for a while. Choose a set you like.

The tools basic must haves: New grips Forgiveness – you don’t have to get something built for a pro to learn to

play like one Weight and length to match your ability – just ask a few of the guys who

work at the golf shop if you have questions.

Part Four - Eliminate Barriers

If you really want to get the most out of your time, you are going to need to set aside time for practice and it’s going to have to count. Let’s talk about time. Assuming you would like to have eight hours of sleep a night, you work 8 hours, you commute one hour total (average commute in the US is about 25 minutes but there is a little time in there for your coffee stop), that leaves you with seven hours. With a shower, meals, kids, etc. you are pretty limited with what you have to work with. All the more reason to set aside a practice session that you can commit to.

Rule number one for your practice session: No distractions. This means no distractions. Cell phone off (not on vibrate), work concerns dropped, no kids, wives, or girlfriends, no friends, you get the idea. You need to lock your mind on the task at hand and get to work. You have your target, you have your information and understand the absolutes you need to work on, and you have your practice area. One quick note about your practice area: for the beginning sessions and other mini sessions, this can be as simple as an old rug or a spot in the lawn to work on your absolutes. Wherever it is, it must be free from distractions.

Part Five - Dedicated Practice Time

If you believe the academic studies about skill acquisition, which I have put faith in and seen their value, you now know that it takes about 20 hours of practice to acquire any new skill. From learning a language to reprogramming your golf swing, you can get your new skill grooved in as little time as you can fit into your schedule. My personal favorite way to learn a new swing is to separate my sessions into three 30 minute spots per day over a one week period. This is of course just learning the new swing. It doesn’t account for the rest of the game which will definitely require an equal amount of attention. I know most players don’t have the luxury of three separate practice sessions per day and I suggest a three-week period for the transformation. If you can commit to sneaking out to your favorite practice spot (free from distractions and barriers) once a day for one hour, you can have your new game grooved in that three week period.

If you can’t find an hour a day for golf that’s ok. You’ll see a major improvement after just 10 hours. If you manage a session every other day you’ll be much better in three weeks and fully grooved in just a month and a half.

Part Six - Learn Through Feedback

While you're out there working on your game, you’ll rely mainly on the feedback from your results. Understanding the ball flight and paying attention to your cues is vital in the process of learning your new swing. You have a goal and that is key but you must also be able to tell when you are achieving that goal. Simply practicing isn’t going to lead you to competence if you are not allowed to make adjustments based on the feedback from every single swing or shot. You have to be fully aware of the goal for each shot and also know the right questions to ask yourself to determine your success. It’s fine, and actually good, to make mistakes during your grooving process. These mistakes will shape the adjustments needed to improve your game. For each shot you hit you will need to be able to tell exactly what the club was doing during impact with the ball.

Ask yourself these three questions: Was the launch high or low, did it start where I intended it to, what was the curve, how far did it go? If you’re familiar with the absolutes of the swing, you’ll know what caused the flight your ball had and you’ll be able to make an adjustment.

For each shot, make two or three practice swings to allow for conscious awareness and correct movements. Once you can successfully achieve your desired swing in practice, then move on to the ball. After the shot, assess the flight, and make an adjustment if needed in your next set of practice swings. Again there is an in depth description of the proper path, face, and low point of the swing and drills to achieve this in the Square to Square Mastery Course.

Part Seven - Practice by a Clock

If you’ve ever practiced an instrument, you’ve probably had the experience of sitting down and playing for a period of time and then looking at the clock and realizing that you were there for either way shorter or way longer than you thought. Sometimes you get lost in the process of learning a new song and practice for hours. Other times you will feel as though you’ve been at it for ever only to look at the clock and see it’s been 20 or 30 minutes. This is why a timer is helpful.

Set your timer, put away your phone, and dedicate yourself to concentrated practice for that period of time. No matter what, you will be focused for that session and you will have controlled the time you spent.

The other great thing about practicing in this manor is that you will have set a goal and achieved it. You will be creating the habit of achievement which will bleed into you subconscious, and then, into other areas of your life. You might find yourself satisfying your goal so easily enjoy the feeling so much that you add a 15-minute cardio routine or a set of push-ups each day. I have heard from many of my students who have adopted this timed practice that they feel so good about themselves after each session that they have started adding timers to almost everything they do.

Part Eight - Emphasize Quantity and Speed

In countless academic studies, students have been separated into groups and asked to complete a task. One group would work on building one perfect model while another group was asked to build as many models as possible in the time allowed. Amazingly, time after time, the students who built many models actually created the best ones. The time they spent making each one was minimal but the number of models they made helped them to learn efficiency and correct mistakes on the fly. They learned the best way to make one perfect model by making multiple models without trying to be perfect.

In your practice, I suggest a 40-ball bucket. If you take two or three practice swings for each ball, focusing on your goals, at the end of the 40 balls you will have made between 120 and 160 swings and spent between $4.50 and $6 (depending on your location). Also, you’ll find out how long this session takes you, considering you will be timing each session. The length of time it takes each individual will vary but you can expect anywhere from 25 to 60 minutes for this particular session. If you have more time and would like to work on it some more, feel free to get another 40 balls. Or, you could spend the remainder of your time on short game or some other area of the game you have determined needs a little attention.

After a few sessions, you will start to get a real sense of accomplishment each time you hit the range or short game area. You will start to look forward to getting out there and getting your session in. Oh, and by the way, you’ll be grooving your way to a consistent golf game!