The Best of May
3 Releases Book Review, 150 - 175 Proximity, Play with Good Players, Lowering Your Scores, 3-Putts, Training vs Playing, Butch, Scottie, Rory, Tiger and Nelly
Today’s post is another monthly best-of summary to resurface some things you might have missed in May. Click on the link for the full post. Enjoy!
NOTE: UPCOMING READER Q&A MAILBAG!
If you have a question for me, comment below, reply to this email, or email me directly at the2ndcut@substack.com. I will select the best questions for a future deep dive Mailbag.🔢 Stat(s) of the Week 🔢
Ingrain this in your brain. Golf is hard. Getting the ball on the green and avoiding trouble is a good result. Don’t beat yourself up for something that is, by definition, better than the average result!
3 Releases: The Short Game System
A Book Review of Dan Grieve's Short Game System
Overview:
"3 Releases: The Short Game System" by Dan Grieves is a comprehensive guide focused on improving golfers' short game through a systematic approach.
Dan emphasizes the importance of mastering three key types of releases:
Release 1: Chip and Run
Release 2: Soft Landing
Release 3: Lob Shot
Grieve provides detailed instructions, pictures, checklists, drills, and tips for each release type, explaining how they can be applied to various lies and short-game shots, including chips, pitches, and bunker shots.
In addition to the technical aspects, Grieve also delves into the mental and strategic components of the short game. He discusses how to assess different lies and conditions, make smarter shot selections, and manage the psychological pressures of short gameplay.
<CLICK THE LINK FOR THE FULL POST>
Play With Good Players
Jon Martin wrote a great post for his Substack called Play With Good Players. In it, Jon talks a bit about why it can be beneficial and why you shouldn’t be intimidated to do it.
I couldn't agree more. When I resumed playing golf, I had the opportunity to play with a couple of low-handicap players, and there's truly no better way to grasp what it takes to excel in the game. It’s visceral and obvious when you experience it in person.
For me, it was an eye-opening experience. I soon realized that I was swinging way too hard, experiencing too many blow-ups on the course, and my approach game desperately needed improvement.
Check out Jon’s post when you get a chance. (Link)
“In all walks of life, one of the best ways to learn is through observation. By watching someone with more knowledge and experience, you start to learn. You learn about technique and nuance. You learn thought process and simplifying complex tasks.
So, why not do that with golf? I don’t mean watching tour pros on TV. While you can learn from watching golf on TV, it’s a better learning experience spending an entire round on the golf course with better players. You get to see everything, not just the snapshots TV offers.”
Lowering Your Scores 101
Link: Lowering Your Scores 101
How I Would Caddy to Help You Go Low
Recently, I was thinking about how, if I caddied for a friend, I could help them lower their scores simply through better course management. I believe I could help a mid-to-high handicapper shave at least five strokes if not more.
Here's how I would do it:
How to Lower Your Scores:
FORGET THE FAIRWAY. Aim Away from Trouble
FORGET THE FLAG. Aim to the Middle of the Green
Take More Club!
Play Anything over 15 ft as a Lag Putt
Putt it, Don’t Chip
AVOID TROUBLE AT ALL COSTS
That’s the bulk of it. If you follow each of these, I’m confident that, on average, you will shoot lower scores.
If your not fully convinced, check out below for more detail.
<CLICK THE LINK FOR THE FULL POST>
Stat of the Week: 3-Putts
Lou is dead on here. Speed control is #1. Most of us are too focused on reading the lines and our putting motion. When I’m not putting well, it’s almost always due to not focusing on the target and speed.
Two significant changes in my putting game were:
Visualizing my putt by looking at the target. The last thing I do before putting is just looking at the hole. I stole this from a TPI Chasing Scratch video a while back, where the coach said to think of it like a free throw. Would you look down at your feet and think about your stances, wrist, and elbow at the free throw line? Or would you focus on the rim, visualize the shot, and have maybe one simple shot motion thought?
Treating anything over 15 feet as a lag putt. Meaning, I’m not trying to hole it. I’m trying to die the ball in an imaginary circle around the hole. This will drastically reduce three putts.
The last time I played, I putted terribly. It was 95% speed control issues. Getting greedy with long putts and worrying too much about the line.
Remember SPEED, SPEED, SPEED.
Training vs Playing
“You cannot hit a golf ball consistently well if you think about the mechanics of your swing as you play. A golfer must train his swing and then trust it.”
- Dr. Bob Rotella
I used the above quote in Edition #8 of the newsletter and thought I’d take a closer look at the subject of training vs playing.
Reading Dr. Rotella's quote got me thinking about my game, which is currently in flux. I’m not playing poorly by any means, but I’m working on swing changes amid the golf season, and with that comes challenges.
One challenge is not trusting my swing during rounds, and two is having too many swing thoughts. They go hand in hand. Most of us are working on something even if we are not in a full-on swing change.
Too often, we play a round and use that time to work on our swing, or we have twelve different swing thoughts going through our head over every shot. It’s an easy trap to fall into and one that I am guilty of quite often.
Dr. Rotella says:
“The time to worry about swing mechanics must be limited, and the place to worry about them is the practice tee and only the practice tee. On the golf course, you have to be like the good free-throw shooter who eyes the basket and lets the ball go.”
<CLICK THE LINK FOR THE FULL POST>
📺 💻 T2C Media 📺 💻
This video from TaylorMade is excellent. As you know, I’ve been on a big short game kick, and this video delivers. Scottie and Rory detail their various short game shots, how they approach various lies and the feels they use.
The biggest takeaway from this video was the use of the bounce, shallow attach angles, and FEELING like they are hitting draws.
TaylorMade is on a roll with these videos. Here’s another one, with Nelly Korda, Rory, and Tiger talking about drivers. This one wasn’t as helpful technically, but it was amazing to hear them talk casually about various shot types and ways they approach tee shots.
Nelly Korda likes to exclusively hit a low baby draw, while Rory’s stock drive is a high draw and Tiger’s is a cut. Very interesting.
Butch Harmon
This video is for you if you are a golf nerd interested in golf history and the golf swing. It’s over an hour long and packed with insights. Butch talks about golfing with Ben Hogan as a kid, working with Tiger Woods for a decade, and his approach to coaching.
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Have a great weekend!
