Our Play Better Newsletter will usually arrive on Mondays with a review of pro tour tournament results, a preview of the week’s upcoming events and our weekly Play Better Golf tips and instruction links. Mental golf, swing tips and short game improvement will be featured. TOFG reserves the right to a periodic “rant” as well as attempting high quality golf journalism. No promises - remember - this is an “old fart” writing this stuff.

- - Val Spangler, The Old Fart Golfer

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Hi Golfers!

Pardon me while I update and test my comment form to make it a bit more convenient for you to comment and participate in our discussions.

Thanks for your consideration,

- - Val Spangler, TOFG

Do your eyes ever play tricks on you? Mine do. That’s the prime reason aligning yourself for your shot is so difficult to get consistently right.

First, make sure of your target. Have as clear a picture of your target as possible. From the tee it consists of an area and a line from the center of that area to your ball. If you are playing a shot to the green, it is the area of the green you want your ball to land on. Note I did not say the pin nor did I say it is where you want the ball to end up where it stops after the roll. It is where you want the ball to land. This is not as easy a concept to adopt and adapt your thinking to. However, scoring is about putting the ball where you can get it in the hole in the fewest strokes. So, the idea is to be clear about both where you want the ball to land and where you want it to end up.

Second, avoid target confusion - especially in shots to the green. It is easy, after going through the process described above (landing spot and end spot), to then allow your mind to focus on the pin itself. That target confusion can both foul up your alignment and alter your swing even if you have your alignment correct for your landing spot.

Third, avoid last second “static” mind chatter or visual distractions. Assuming you have both a good landing spot target and the your alignment is well set for that landing spot make sure you visualize swinging to that landing spot target and to no other place. Then, its breathe your way to swinging to that clearly defined target.

By “static” I mean “trap”, water, or any other place you don’t want to go. If possible, get your target so clearly visually dominant in your mind you see the spot you are going to land and how the ball will roll to where you are going to mark your ball. The only time that is the pin or the hole is when it is the 18th hole and you know you must hole your shot (on the fly} to win the match, tournament or bet! Be clear on that! It is a rare thing indeed to hole your shot on the fly or land your ball extremely close to the hole with no roll.

So, if you want lower scores through better alignment, you must learn the thought processes for effective target golf. Without that you are bound to either have poor alignment or swing faults because of target confusion or “static” mind chatter because of target confusion.

Target - mind’s eye - target line to landing spot - feet - knees - hips - shoulders - vision - no static.

Practice these elements at home and at the range and build your pre-shot routine around them - results: more GIR and lower scores! http://theoldfartgolfer.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif

- - Val Spangler, TOFG

Let us know what you think about this tip - Agree? - Disagree? - What are your thoughts about targeting and alignment?

TOFG couldn’t help but follow up my last two posts when I saw this quote on my Gmail inbox this morning>

Wheeew! Boy have I earned today’s nap. I got this post written and it’s only 5:45 AM. Not a bounce-back but a pretty good “bounce out of bed”. At least for TOFG.

In a previous post about Paula Creamer’s SemGroup Championship win, TOFG admired her tenacity and determination as represented by her bouncing back from bogeys to birdies. Ultimately she had to bounce back from a bogey on the 72nd hole to win in a playoff with Julie Inkster. What made her accomplishment even more dramatic was the fact she had lost in a playoff the previous week - a different kind of “bounce-back”.

Let’s examine the psychology of “bounce-backs” whether it be on the golf course or in any other part of one’s life. We all experience bogeys or worse on the golf course. How do we recover and not let those poor performance moments have lasting effects?

Confidence, belief in one’s self helps, but, for many of us, confidence is a sometimes thing. So what can we do to better deal with these “speed-bumps”?  OK, OK, I’m mixing metaphors again. Bear with me, please. Settle down, gather your thoughts and refocus but in order to do that you have to LET IT GO.  You made a mistake! Do you get angry? If so, LET IT GO! Anger does all kinds of things to your mind and body - almost none of them good. So, LET GO of it! Don’t beat yourself up - mistakes happen - get on with your game.

The key in golf as in the rest of one’s life is how fast can you recover and get your focus back as quickly as possible so as to not let the mistake affect future performance. Regaining focus means focus on the next shot. Analysis of mistakes should be only momentary on the course and extended only after the hole is completed or even after the round. You have to let go in order to refocus on the next shot. The faster you let go the more time you have to focus.

The psychology of “bounce-backs”?  LETTING GO and REFOCUSING! That’s a good lesson for life as well as for golf. Recommendation: practice letting go and refocusing off the course as well as on. The secret: it’s forgiveness! Forgiveness  beats anger . Far better to forgive yourself (and others) than to harm a relationship or worsen your golf score. Don’t even call yourself “stupid” - that doesn’t work either. Right Phil?

- - Val Spangler, TOFG

After playing solid golf for three days Paula Creamer showed her grit on Sunday winning the LPGA SemGroup Championship in a sudden death playoff with Julie Inkster on the second extra hole. This was Paula’s 6th LPGA tournament win all by the age of 21.

Note the orange highlighted hole scores in the image below …

Her “grit” showed up in several ways but with an interesting stat that I haven’t seen mentioned in the tournament write-ups. They mention that when she bogied the 72nd hole that she had to think about losing in a play-off last week. That didn’t happen! But overcoming that memory was not what struck TOFG when he went browsing through her final round statistics.

Creamer not only bounced back from her final hole bogey - she bounced back 3 times during her round. From bogey to birdie - 3 times in one round - that, my friends, shows remarkable mental toughness and determination.

Paula Creamer truly deserved this victory (and she’s only 21). Amazing!

- - Val Spangler, TOFG

Stats are from the LPGA web site. Go there for more of Paula’s background, the LPGA and tournament information.

When you can’t get to the golf course for a real game - try virtual golf. You may be surprised at the fun. You will definitely be challenged by the competition as well as the game courses.

NOTE: This game can be addicting - consider yourself warned.

– Val Spangler, TOFG

When life is rough, perhaps it is wiser to not take too many chances. So it should be when your golf life is “rough”. So what is the wiser choice to make from the rough?

First, Distance! You are not likely to hit the ball as squarely as you would in the fairway. So don’t expect it to go as far. Whether you take “more club” is going to depend partly on how bad the lie is. The deeper the grass, the more likely you should hit a higher lofted club. A higher lofted club - less distance. So, what’s the distance and how’s the lie?

However, if the ball is “sitting up” in the grass, that can change the choices quite a bit. That kind of a lie presents some different challenges. First, you don’t want to go way under the fall and “fluff” it . Or worse yet, “whiff” it . Even if you make good contact the choices are different. The ball could “fly” on you and carry farther. Also, if you catch a flier, it is more likely to have topspin than back spin so it will roll farther.

Given all those variables on carry, roll and distance you have to closely assess what hazards, bunkers or sand traps you have between you and the green. What is the safer target area that will allow you the most room for error in distance? If it is not on the green itself, where is the best place to pitch or chip from?

Notice I haven’t said anything about the pin or where it is located on the green. When you are in the rough, should you even be thinking about aiming at the pin? If you are a persistent “pin head”, I’m surprised you have read this far - you already know all this stuff and shoot for the pin every time anyway. OK, back to wiser heads. Rather than be a “pin head”, be a sailor and “tack” your way around the course. Just as in sailing the path to your target (in golf your lowest score) is rarely a straight line.

So bottom line is - when you have A View From the Rough, be a sailor rather than a “pin head”. Leave the attacking to them and “tack” your way to lower scores. Those who never have to label themselves “stupid” will always enjoy golf more.

- - Val Spangler, TOFG

With this big orange symbol, visitors can sign up to get The Old Fart Golfer posts sent to their feed reader and even get the news in an email alert. This internet blogging thing is a marvel - but not one that is done right without a fair bit of effort. However, any blogger or website owner who doesn’t put the visitor/customer first should find a new line of work or fun activity. Well, here, you do come first. We thank you for your readership.

–Val Spangler, TOFG

Good Morning! … drip … drip … drip … “water on stone”.

Whatever time of day it is when you read this, this post is about a “good fitness morning”. PLUS - it is about changing your mind about fitness with a kind of Zen approach (Water on Stone Fitness).

If you are like most golfers (senior or not), you find it challenging to work regular fitness into your schedule. Here’s my suggestion - start your own “program” (change your mind). Whatever fitness experts say about the wisdom or effectiveness of these suggestions - they work for me. Even if there is no study or scientific proof about the effectiveness of this approach, I suggest to you that it will make you feel better about yourself and make your attitude about life more positive. Whether you prefer the “longest journey starts with the first step” or “water on stone” as one of your personal mantras - take a listen and see if you can’t say to yourself, “This is worth a try!”. AND, it doesn’t cost any money either!

Finding the time! My first suggestion: Morning coffee or tea. My morning starts with tea. Water from the tap into a cup and then into the microwave (1 minute 20 seconds on my micro). OK - Are you ready? Here goes my “water on stone” start to my new fitness program. 15 reps of counter-clockwise rotation of my arms at shoulder height. Then reverse and 15 reps of clockwise rotation of my arms - done slowly with rhythm. Time left? - yes - then 15 reps of raising your arms straight above your head (breathing in going up and out coming down). Rhythmically! Time left? Yes, then you have a choice: either spread your feet about shoulder width and see how close you can come to touching the floor - done gently - 15 reps hands above head, knees slightly bent, stomach in, and, again breathing in with arms up and out going down as far as you can comfortably go (the floor is a good stopping point . The other choice would be to keep those arms outstretched at your sides and rotate to your right then back to your left then to front (one rep). Breathing comfortably as you do this rhythmically. Time left? Yes. Then congratulate yourself! You have taken your first “drops” of “water on stone” on your way to a more positive attitude, start to your day and better fitness based on this change in your routine.

Enjoy your coffee or tea.

If you find the floor touching to be a bit out of reach, do as I do and take a couple of moments stretching those hamstrings at the bottom of the stairs. (One foot on floor and other foot on second or third step and gently bend at the waist keeping the knee of your floor foot slightly bent - then reverse your feet.) Of course this can be done at any time of day when you have a nearby stairs, footstool or other stable surface a foot or two off the floor. (Yes, more “water on stone fitness”)

I find this easier for me when I go down stairs in my condo on the way to the kitchen. I don’t know about you and your mornings, but, for me, after getting out of bed, going to the bathroom and going down stairs (slowly, I might add), I find a moment of rest appreciated and I just rest in the described hamstring stretch positions at the bottom of the stairs.

For those of you who are either younger (I’m 69) or in better shape, “water on stone” fitness may be beneath you. But when the time comes, and chances are it will, keep in mind that “water on stone” principle. It will serve you well and applies at any time in life, in any circumstances - better a little “water on stone” than inaction.

- - Val Spangler, The Old Fart Golfer ( Yes, just another old “drip”. )

PS: If you have a different pattern to your morning, you are an intelligent and flexible person, adjust. Be your own “drip” in your “water on stone” fitness program.

… drip … drip … drip … “water on stone”.