developing your fundamentals
is a key part of your
stage one traininng!
Developing consistent skills
begins with internalizing
your fundamentals!
developing your fundamentals
is a key part of your
stage one traininng!
Developing Your Basic Skills
The main focus of Stage One is developing your basic skills. To play well and enjoy the game you need to have at least the basic skills of Putting, Stroke Saving around the greens, Wedge Play, Approach Shots, Lay-ups and playing off the Tee. As you develop those skills it is important to understand the Fundamental Principles that need to be satisfied while playing each type of shot. Keep in the mind that the real Fundamentals are true for everyone. Many teachers describe what they call Fundamentals, however when we take a deeper look into what they are calling Fundamentals we find that they are simply Preferences. We know this because we can find great golfers that do not do what they are describing as being Fundamental. So, let's get a more clear understanding of what is Fundamental to the game and what isn't! Check out the Fundamentals Page in this website for more on the Fundamental Principles.
Use the slide button to pan over to the next slide where we will discuss the differences between true Fundamentals and what we call Preferences. Many of the things instructors claim to be Fundamentals are simple Preferences within their chosen technique, method, or system. Think of it this way, if you are describing something that helps you employ the Fundamentals, but can be accomplished in a variety of different ways than what you are describing is a Preference, not a Fundamental. So, be cautious of calling things fundamental simply because you feel you need to do it. By definition, the Fundamentals of golf are true for all golfers. Preferences involve you way of satisfying the Fundamentals.
Fundamentals or Preferences
What do we mean by Fundamentals as compared to Preferences? Fundamentals are true for everyone, where as a Preference is reflective of the individuals specific type of swing technique. For example, the 3 Fundamental Principles are Accuracy, Power and Good Feel. That is because all golfers want them as an integral part of every shot they play. The Fundamental Skills are those skills that help satisfy the Fundamental Principles. For example, all golfers need to manage the Face to Club Path relationship to manage ball flight. All golfers need to use the body dynamically for Power, and all golfers need to manage Rhythm and Timing for coordination and sequencing. How you perform those Fundamentals is up to the individual and will involve Preferences.
Preferences are things like, you have to have a neutral grip. However the Hall of Fame is full of players without neutral grips. Another preference is that you have to stay Stacked on your Front side. Once again, the Hall of Fame is full of golfers that are Center Anchor and Rear Anchor. For a long time instructors said, it is a fundamental to keep the trail leg flexed in the backswing. However, the Hall of Fame is full of golfers that allow the leg to straighten in the backswing. One last example, in the past it was a convention to rotate level in the golf swing, and now it is convention to use more tilts. How level a golfer rotates, or how much tilt they add into the swing is matter of Preference. And in the New Horizons Golf Approach those preferences are governed by the golfers biomechanical design and method of play.
imperatives - fundamentals - essentials
This brings us to discussing Imperatives, Fundamentals and Essentials. I believe that understanding these topics are crucial to learning the game effectively. Many instructors use these terms and their definitions are often simply accepted. It is also assumed that everyone is using the same definition. In practice, I have found that that isn't the case. And that being so confusion is often created.
Let's start with imperatives -
What sort of things are imperative to playing the game? (#1) It is imperative to hold the club to make a stroke. How you hold it isn't imperative, but you must hold it. (#2) It is imperative to make an intended stroke. If you do not intend to make the swing through the ball, then there wasn't an intended stroke and it doesn't count as a stroke. it is simply part of the rules. (#3) It is imperative to hole the ball on each hole before moving onto the next hole, at least in stroke play. it is simply in the rules. In Match Play the hole is won, tied, or conceded. Once again, simply part of the rules. With that said, the Imperatives are things inherent to playing the game by the rules and by the very nature of being a human playing the game with the required equipment..
We often here teachers describe Imperatives as Fundamentals, It is important to understand the difference between the two. As stated above, Imperatives are simply necessary for playing the game under the rules. Fundamentals involve the things we need to do to accomplish our goals while playing. The key is to realize whether something is simple a basic requirement, or whether it is more Fundamentals to playing good golf.
imperatives - fundamentals - essentials
So, what are the Fundamentals? Since both Fundamentals and Imperatives pertain to all golfers, what is the difference between an imperative and a Fundamental? The Fundamentals are determined by what all golfers want to accomplish while playing under the rules.
Thus, the Imperatives relate more to the framework of the game, defined by the rules and how we use the necessary equipment. Fundamentally, while striving to score as low as possible, golfers want to play Accurate golf shots with the required amount of Power and desired Good Feel. Therefore, Accuracy, Power and Good Feel are the true Fundamental Principles. Once again, leave any one of those principles out of the the process and golfers are unhappy. So Fundamentals involve the things we all need to do to satisfy the Principles of Accuracy, Power and Good Feel. Including managing Face to Path, Pivot Power, as well as Rhythm and Timing.
When I mention the Fundamentals, people often say, "Oh, you mean like the 5 Fundamentals that Hogan wrote about?" In reality Hogan wrote about 5 Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf. In the book he wrote that each of the 5 Lessons involved more than just one Fundamental, meaning there were more than 5 Fundamentals. Interestingly enough, most of what Hogan described as Fundamentals were simply preferences for his ideal way of swinging. Keep in mind, he didn't feel it was ideal for everyone, he was sharing his version of an anti-hook technique. Also interesting is that he mentioned that he needed to diverge from that ideal in a variety of ways to satisfy his own additional preferences. So, he too realized each players method would involve both the Fundamentals and Preferences.
imperatives - fundametnals - essentials
Now, how about Essentials? An Essential is something particular to the golfer's individual way of playing. In short, it is a Preference. Bobby Jones wrote about "The Jone's Way," and Jack Nicklaus wrote about "Golf My Way." They both understood there was a sense of individuality in the strokes of all great players. However they also both understood that there were things Fundamental to all golfers.
Let's give some examples of Essentials. Many instructors say it is Fundamental to keep the flex in the trail knee throughout the backswing while others say it is Fundamental to allow the trail leg to straighten. Since they are opposite actions, how can they both be fundamentals, since the true Fundamentals pertain to all golfers. What those instructors are talking about are aspects that are Essential to the particular style, technique, method or system of play.
Another example is related to the alignment of how our bodies are balanced throughout the golf swing. Some instructors say you need to shift the body rearward and load over the trail side, others say you need to stay more centered and others say you need to stay more stacked on the lead side. If they are all valid then none of them are Fundamental, even if they are satisfying a Fundamental activity. Instead they are a simply Essential to the particular styles of play being coached.
With that in mind, think of Essentials as the things that make your individual technique work more efficiently. Therefore, they are those things you prefer to do because they help you swing your best. In that respect, they are your Preferences.
Playing Golf Reactively
In all sports we practice for a variety of situations that will arise. In baseball where you through the ball depends on how many players are on base and what bases they are on. You know the situation and based on that understanding your simply respond. Those situations are housed in our memories and imagination. When we recognize each situation we simply respond with the programmed actions.
Golf is know different, knowing the situations and knowing what the best response is in each situation will help you play the game more reactively. The more clear the best choice for the given situation the less indecision there will be and the more confidence you will have to simply respond with the proper action.
Jack Nicklaus once wrote that preparation was 90% of the battle. With that in mind, the more prepared you are by understanding the given situation and your best options for those situations the more likely you will play golf reactively.
The more you understand the situations and the best response for each situation the easier it will be to imagine the intended shot and that will make you more prepared to play the chosen shot reactively. When it comes time to play each shot, your job is to imagine how the stroke and shot both look and feel an then react to that image. Every golfer has had the experience where he or she simply saw the perfect line for the putt and felt the stroke needed to roll the ball down the line and into the hole, followed by simply setting up, responding and rolling the putt in the hole. You've likely had those experiences in other parts of the game as well. The key to playing golf reactively is being really good at imagining the stroke and shot and simply responding to the image.
Athletic Golf
Let's talk a bit more about playing golf athletically. Historically, it was said that golf was not athletic! Of course, most people making such statements never played the game. Presently I would think that most people believe golf is a sport and an athletic activity. With that in mind engaging in some regular athletic conditioning will help you play better and reduce your chances of injury. Ideally, you'll find an athletic trainer with some expertise in training golfers and follow his or her guidance. At a minimum seek out some basic fitness programs for strength, mobility and flexibility.
When it comes to sports we perform actions. Athletes run, jump, kick, throw, swing, etc. So as you learn to play the game strive to focus on actions that get the job done. There is an old saying in golf, "Paralysis by Analysis!" To much thinking leads to paralysis by analysis. Breaking the swing down into too many pieces leads to paralysis by analysis. However, when you focus on the actions instead of the details the game becomes just as athletic as any other sport. It is also often said that golf isn't a "reaction sport," because the ball isn't moving. However, there is a lot more to reaction sports than the moving ball.
For example, in Tennis you react to the rule that the ball can only bounce once. You react to the fact the ball has to go over the net. You react to the lines you have to play the shots inside of when serving in the small box and returning in the bigger box. You also react to the situations of the game, for example, first serve or second serve. You also respond situationally to where the opponent is in the court. You prepare your mind for all those situations and react accordingly. The key to doing so is acquiring a strong image of the situation and knowing the best response in each situation.
A Natural way to play!
As you continue to develop your basic skills I want you to consider keeping your approach as natural as possible. By that I mean playing golf like it is a sport, an athletic activity and is played with your body, mind and awareness all interacting as a team. To play naturally you have to understand how your body moves most effectively. Eventually that will lead you to Stage Three and Your Body Mechanics. For now it means, listen to your body and use skills you've developed in other sports and athletic activities that can be used in play golf more naturally. As you learn to play you'll find that some golfers are what we can Body Players and others are what we call Arms Players. The Hall of Fame is full of both, so you don't need to be one or the other.
Keep in mind we all use both are arms and bodies to play the game. Some us the body more actively while others use it in a more stabilized manner. Where you are on that continuum is defined by the dynamic patterns you've developed and athletic activities you learned in your life. Many of those patterns take too much time and energy to change. And in the end you would likely find that changing them wouldn't make you any better, it will just get the job done in a different manner. The downside to making the changes is that they will most likely lead to injuries that could have otherwise been avoided. With that in mind, I encourage you to develop techniques that match your body mechanics along with your developed athleticism and dynamic patterns. If you played baseball you'll be able to use some of your baseball skills to play good golf. If you are a tennis player you'll be able to use some of your tennis skills to play good golf. Therefore, find those athletic skills that transfer well to golf. Doing so will allow you to acquire the necessary skills in a timely manner and to play the game with longevity.
using Swing-sayings
Using Swing-Sayings can help you play golf more reactively. When i was in college, my Inner Game Coach, Fred Shoemaker would have me swing to the top of the backswing and would give me a cue at the top of the swing. In the beginning he gave me one cue, like "Draw" or "Fade," and eventually we got to two cues. He used cues like, "High-Fade" and "Low-Draw" and I had to play the shot. He would continue switching the cues, so I had to be reactive. I found that I got really good at responding to his cues and thought to myself, If he can say it and I can respond, why don't I just say it to myself and respond? So, I started using swing-sayings as a way to encourage being more reactive.
The best Swing-Sayings are simple and easy to say. They also capture the general feel of the action being performed. The easier the saying is to sing or say the more effective it will be. I have many students that call them Swing-Songs instead of Swing-Sayings. Sayings like, "Swing-Smooth-Finish," "Smooth-Release-Finish," or "Turn-Turn-Finish" tend to work well. Some people respond better with 2 word sayings, some with 3 word sayings and some with 4 word sayings. Find out what works best for your game. Also, some golfers perform better with sayings that describe the action while others perform better with sayings that are less descriptive of the action, but have meaning for the individual. Some golfers like a simple 1-2-3 saying. I've used 1001-1002 regularly. Sayings like "Tick-Tock" and "Back-Through" are common. In putting "Roll-Hole" is common. Some players simply say a number, like "Seventeen" which works for Vijay Singh. I once had a student tell me she uses "Cindy Crawford" as her swing-saying. I asked why and she said, "It is hard to say it too fast and she is really graceful!" It was hard to argue with it, especially since it seemed to work.
