Careful what you listen to on TV!

I often read or listen to exotic explanations of why good players play good or bad. Rarely do these explanations make much sense. I enjoy watching golf on TV but listening to the analysis of a players swing after a good or bad shot is frustrating. Here are a few of the comments that kill me;

“he kept his head still through the shot”

There is not a player on any tour or any good player that keeps their head still during a shot. In fact if you use a camera to watch the motion all players heads move including on putts. A good putters head tends to move away from the target at or just before impact.

“He slid on that shot and hit it right, or left”

Don’t take my word for it, look it up, all good players “slide.” Not on the back swing but on the down swing. The left or forward hip starts to move towards the target before a good player starts the down swing. This used to be a debate but since technology has improved the debate is over. See http://www.boditrak.com/products/golf.php or any other reputable pressure measuring systems.

“He came over the top on that shot”

It is very, very rare for a tour player to come over the top of a shot. Coming over the top indicates that a players club was traveling on a plane that was moving left of the target at impact. Most tour players struggle to not come too far from the inside. Most have to work hard not to come from to far inside and hit snap hooks and pushes. The reason most of these shots are going left has more to do with where the face of the club is pointing and not the direction of the clubs path.

“He came out of that shot”

Players do start to stand up through impact. They can be doing this all day hitting good shots but once they hit a bad shot the announcer claims this to be the culprit.

“He or she doesn’t get nervous”

All players get nervous when under the gun. Just because a player has learned to mask their emotions for the crowd, competitors and TV cameras doesn’t mean they are not nervous. What good players do is find a way to understand what their tendencies are when they are nervous and then make the proper adjustments.

There are so many that we could discuss but I digress. Good players hit bad shots for many reasons and often the error is so small you can’t see it with the naked eye. Here are a few of the reasons good player hit bad shots.

If there is water right a player will typically hit it too far left out of safety concerns.
Did not aim properly
Did not trust the shot they decide to play
Hit too little club. It is very normal for average players to hit the ball from a 150 yards to the center of the green 10 yards short of the green. This shot is not 10 yards short it is probably 25 yards short, 10 + 15 yards to the pin. Pick the proper club.
Did not read the lie correctly.

What you will notice about most bad shots is that they happen before the ball is struck. If you pay attention to your fundamentals you will hit fewer bad shots. So next time you play try to do these simple things and you will most likely score lower.

Make sure you grip the club properly
Make sure you make a smart decision before every shot
Make sure you aim properly
Check you posture, knee flex, shoulder and hip alignment before you swing
Make sure you pick a target that if you don’t hit the ball great you won’t make a big number
Once your over the ball don’t think mechanically and don’t stand over the ball for more than five seconds.
Accept whatever the outcome is with your last shot and don’t let it effect your next shot.
Learn from your good and bad shots and make aiming, club selection and mental adjustments as the round progresses.