The Best of January
Saban and The Process, 7-Woods, Golf Goals, GIR's, Speed Training, What is a Good Shot?
Today’s post is another monthly best-of summary to resurface some things you might have missed. Click on the link for the full post. Enjoy!
Nick Saban and The Process
Link: Nick Saban and The Process
I’ve mentioned Saban before in my piece titled Goal Setting, which focuses on ways to set and achieve your golf goals.
Why is a process mindset better?
“Studies have found that process goals are more effective than outcome goals. This is because they focus on the how versus the what. Dr. Alex Auerbach says they do this by providing a clear action, anchoring you to the present.”
But above all else, the process is really all you can control. You can’t control an outcome or your score.
<CLICK THE LINK FOR THE FULL POST>
Irons, Hybrids, and Woods…
Link: Edition #30
High-lofted woods are becoming increasingly popular on tour, with around 25% of players using a 7-wood now. Players like Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, Cam Smith, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland, and Xander Schauffele have recently put one in the bag.
Here’s a great excerpt from Golf Digest explaining the advantages:
The 7-wood has other important advantages. It’s better than a hybrid or utility iron from the rough. With its longer shaft, the 7-wood launches higher and spins more. That’s vital because playing out of the rough reduces launch and spin. It’s also more forgiving. When golfers talk about how forgiving hybrids are, they are comparing them to the corresponding iron, not a 7-wood. A 7-wood head is considerably larger than a hybrid, making it much more forgiving with a moment of inertia (which increases stability and mitigates ball-speed loss on mis-hits) that is significantly higher. - Golf Digest Link
Long Story short. I will be adding a 7-wood to the bag this offseason. Depending on yardage, this will most likely replace my 3-hybrid or 4-iron. I might even throw in a 9-wood if I can.
<CLICK THE LINK FOR THE FULL POST>
New Year’s Resolutions and Golf Goals
Link: Edition #28
On January 1st, many of us came up with our New Year’s Resolutions or goals for the coming year. We’re excited and motivated. The gym is crowded; coworkers are on diets, and friends are budgeting. Unfortunately, many of these well-intentioned goals will be abandoned after a month, maybe two.
As golfers, how can we avoid this and make sure we adhere to and achieve our goals? There’s no guarantee, but there are some tangible, simple things you can do to improve the odds of success.
I’ve talked about Goal Setting before in the aptly titled post Goal Setting. I’ll summarize here:
In the book Mastering Golf’s Mental Game, Dr. Michael Lardon says to improve, we need to build a set of clear goals, both process-oriented and results-oriented. They should be attainable without being too easy.
Goals are important because they form the backbone of a positive feedback loop—one of the most effective tools you can use to stimulate the human brain. If you set clear, specific, productive goals and you improve in a measurable way toward those goals, your motivation to continue to improve increases. The more motivated you get the harder you work—and the more goals you’re able to reach.
1) Write down your goals
Research shows that you are 20 to 40% more likely to achieve your goals when you write them down. That’s a lot.
Why is this?
<CLICK THE LINK FOR THE FULL POST>
My 2024 Golf Goals
Link: My 2024 Golf Goals
I’m standing at my desk watching the snow fall here in Maryland, and it feels like the golf season will never arrive. But in 60 short days, spring will be around the corner, and the golf season will begin. So now is as good a time as any to write down my golf goals for 2024.
If this seems boring, feel free to skip it—no offense taken!
In Edition #28, I discussed better ways to set and achieve your golf goals. Here's a quick reminder:
Write Down Your Goals
Pick Clear, Measurable, and Attainable Goals
Write Down A Few Process Goals for Each Main Goal
Focus on the Process
Relatively simple but effective. So, without further ado…
My Golf Goals for 2024 📋
1) Get my Handicap below 2.0
2) Average 32 Putts a round or better
3) Break 70
<CLICK THE LINK FOR THE FULL POST>
Stat of the Week: GIR % and Distance
Link: Edition #31
Lou Stag comes through again. The chart above from Lou perfectly illustrates the correlation between GIR’s hit and distance. Link
The further you are, the lower the odds of getting on the green. It’s that simple, and it’s why distance is such a huge advantage.
Also, referencing this chart is a good way to set better expectations for yourself. How often have you been 150 yards out in the fairway and mad you didn’t get on the green? (I have and still do this way too much)
As you can see above, a five index gets on the green just 50% of the time from this distance, and a scratch golfer is only on 61% of the time.
Awareness of the odds and setting better expectations can vastly improve your mental game.
<CLICK THE LINK FOR THE FULL POST>
What is a Good Shot?
Link: What is a Good Shot?
What is a good shot?
It’s a simple question, but many golfers don’t know the answer.
In Jon Sherman’s book The Four Foundations of Golf, he has an entire chapter dedicated to this question.
Here’s Jon’s introduction to the chapter:
“Golfers are incredibly demanding of themselves, and it often hinders their ability to enjoy the game and play better. One area in particular where most of us struggle is how we evaluate the quality of the shot we just hit.”
This is so true and, without a doubt, has been one of the best game-changing pieces of advice for my own golf game.
Jon sums it up perfectly:
“Having a fundamental understanding of reasonable outcomes based on your skill level can be transformative for your game. Your mood can improve, you will make better strategic decisions, and your scores will drop.”
This isn’t hyperbole. You can drastically improve your golf game without a single swing change. Your results improve, your mental game improves, and it becomes a self-reinforcing flywheel.
<CLICK THE LINK FOR THE FULL POST>
Speed Training
Link: Edition #29
I’ve talked about speed training a few times before. I said this in my deep dive “Longer Drives” regarding The Stack System:
I’m a big fan of The Stack system developed by Sasho MacKenzie. It’s a loadable weighted rod paired with various training programs on the Stack App. I highly recommend this if you are looking to gain swing speed. It simply works, and the app makes everything extremely easy to follow.
In the tweet below, Pro Golfer Michael Kim talks about his experience with speed training and one of the biggest misconceptions that amateurs have.
I had the same misconception. I was worried that my accuracy would drop and possibly ruin my tempo. That didn’t happen. I stayed around the same from an accuracy standpoint, and if anything, I felt like my tempo improved.
It’s not magic. Speed training is just like lifting weights. It takes time and effort. If you stop, you’ll probably lose some gains over time. But if you keep it up, you’ll slowly add sustainable speed to your swing and yards to your drives.
I rarely swing like I do with my Stack. What speed training does is elevate your “cruising” speed. So, my 90% effort swing is faster now, but I’m still swinging with 90% effort. I’m never 100% all out.
<CLICK THE LINK FOR THE FULL POST>
If you have any questions or comments about the newsletter, please comment below or email me at the2ndcut@substack.com.
Have a great weekend!
