“Tweaking my Golf Game”

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow on February 2nd. That means, according to the legend, spring is right around the corner.

The birds are chirping, the air is beginning to have a tinge of warmth and spring is ever so close. With it comes the excitement of knowing that golf courses everywhere are preparing for yet another season. Visions of tee shots splitting fairways, approach shots landing just feet away from the pin and putts disappearing into the cup dance around in my mind!

Ah yes, springtime is here and with it comes the call for spring training. Thats right, spring training for my golf game is on!

I don’t think you have to be a baseball player to bring meaning to the words spring training. As a golfer, I can take advantage of this time to prepare for the upcoming season as well.

Fortunately for me, we are currently staying at Alsatian RV Resort, in Castroville, Texas. Why is this good you may ask? It’s because it is located right next door to Alsatian Golf Club.

And the club offers a special “monthly” fee for RV Golfers who are staying at the RV resort. Naturally we took advantage of this offer and have been taking the time to “tweak” our game.

The first thing I did was hire a golf coach – also known as my husband! Yep, my main squeeze has become my golfing coach.

I figured since he is a low handicap player, he should have some insight to how I can improve my game – am I right?

And man, what a slave driver he is! He has me on the practice greens, chipping area and driving range 3 times a week. He has me doing drills, playing challenge shots and working on my grip and club position during my swing.

I won’t lie, it’s all a little overwhelming. There is so much that goes into hitting a ball that isn’t moving. Needless to say, many times I find myself overthinking what I need to do.

By overthinking, I mean I put too much time into my conscious thinking about how I am playing a shot and my swing mechanics. I begin to second-guess what will be my shot outcome, mentally reviewing past shots, or over-analyzing what I need to change from other missed shots.

This is actually OK during my time on the range, but NOT when I am playing a round!

Thankfully, this “spring-training” is helping with the over thinking of my rounds, as well as my over all enjoyment of the game. But the negative outcome is my handicap has gotten higher. “My Coach” keeps telling me this is normal. He says he is trying to “un-teach” some of my bad habits, and that I should expect my scores to get worse before they get better. Well that sucks!

However, during my last round, I realized the more I practiced, the more my shots were actually improving and the more willing I was to attempt shots I probably wouldn’t have in the past. My confidence in my playing ability is increasing as well. For instance, I was having a terrible time at that 50-80 range for a while, but my 100-120 game was good, so I have started “laying up” to that range. Sometimes it feels hilarious (225 out and hitting two wedges – crazy I know) – but better than a 4H 210, chunked wedge, bladed chip, 2 putt, or sadly, even a 3 putt!

So it appears that “tweaking” my golf game is helping. And this has me wondering….would “tweaking” other areas of my life help as well?

My immediate answer is a resounding YES!! When I identify what I want to improve upon, I create a goal and set out to accomplish that goal. I believe that being forever in search of small things to tweak in my life can ensure that I get better each day. It sure is a formula for success that has worked for me!!

My Reads from the Reds: There are a ton of ways for you to practice. But one thing is for sure – the only way to make that stroke work is through practice.

Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting!

Written by Kathy Festa