As I've shared before, I read the book "Extraordinary Golf" by Fred Shoemaker about 6 months after I picked up the game of golf at the age of 46. I shot 76 the very next day. Now 50, and after nearly 5 years of applying Fred's principles, my handicap is down to 2 and I'm continuing to improve. In fact, I just experienced my best weekend of golf ever, shooting 68 on Saturday and 72 on Sunday, with 6 birdies in each round! Ironically, this follows some of my worst golf in months.

My learning experience has had many ups and downs and has certainly been very frustrating at times, but every time I return to Fred's approach and get out of my own way, I seem to get back on track.

This afternoon, I read an interview with Fred, which I'm passing along here with the hope that inspires others to try this unique approach to the game too. As Fred explains, it's not a mental approach, it's simply a matter of trust and being present -- and you don't have to fix something you trust.

A Top Teach Talks

Labels: Fred Shoemaker

After much anticipation, I joined a group of artful golfers yesterday to play Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, CA - in an event hosted by The Shivas Irons Society. The event celebrated the Society's 16th anniversary, with "The Secret to Golf Revealed" by guest speaker, Fred Shoemaker. Having never played Pasatiempo, this historic Alister Mackenzie masterpiece became the 50th golf course added to my career course list. In case you were wondering, it's not my "artful 50th" birthday yet. That's still 5 months away.


Pasatiempo Golf Club - 13th Hole, by Rob Babcock

Pasatiempo, ranked #30 in "Golf Digest's 2008 America's Greatest Public Courses" and #55 in the "Top 100 Public and Private Courses in the U.S." by Golf Magazine, recently completed a 10-year, multi-million dollar restoration effort led by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina of Renaissance Golf. Doak's team overhauled Pasatiempo's 18 holes, relying on hundreds of old photographs and drawings to bring back original MacKenzie bunkering, green complexes and tees that had been lost for decades.

The course was incredible - seemingly short, but hard!

The event was a shotgun start and my foursome was assigned to start on the first hole, playing the middle tees (6125 yards, 70.5/136). I was grouped with Ron (a local retiree who had never played Pasatiempo even though he had a 2nd home in Santa Cruz), Todd (the story-telling owner of The Mackenzie Golf Bag Company in Portland), and Dave (surely the friendliest and most competent caddy at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, who was carrying his own Mackenzie golf bag).

We were among the few who decided to walk the course. I thought I was in for an easy walk since the greens and tees were situated close by. But, not only was it a particularly hot day out, I'm convinced that every hole went uphill! Anyway, after little sleep the night before followed by a 3-hour drive the morning of the event, I was zapped of energy early in the round. Fortunately a breeze helped cool things off later in the round.

Tired or not, I had no excuse for poor play since the round was preceded with Fred Shoemaker telling us all about "The Secret." According to Fred, the secret is that we already know how to make a perfect golf swing. We don't have to read books or hire experts to help us "find" our swing, we simply need to look inward to "discover" what's always been there. Fred shared experiences and stories to provide evidence that by simply being present and aware, that which lies hidden beneath our mental noise and emotional interference awaits our discovery - perhaps at Pasatiempo. I was thinking the course name might even provide a tip to untap this hidden ability - to simply take a "pasa" at the ball with good "tiempo."

Inspired by his talk, my round got off to a good start with solid drives on the 2 opening par 4's and an artful chip to within inches on the challenging long uphill par 3 3rd to save par. But I guess I failed to take a pass at the ball with good tempo with my drive on the 4th. A duck hook put me in long grass under a tree, where I stubbornly tried to reach the green with a punch shot that would have had to go under some branches, over a bunker, then stop quickly on the green. Instead, the ball lunged forward about 10 feet. My next shot didn't fare much better. I then tried to lob the ball over the bunker to a tight pin from a tight lie. I ended up in the bunker. I finally got on and 2-putted for a triple bogie! I think I rediscovered my mental noise and emotional interference.

I quickly let go of any thoughts of self-pity and returned to the present moment, taking in the beautiful setting and artful course design. I went on to play a pretty decent front nine, finishing 4-over, with help from a tap-in birdie on the short downhill par 3 8th.

But the challenging back nine proved tougher.

I failed to get up and down from just off the undulating green on 10, but then hit 2 solid 4-woods on 11, leaving a 6-footer for birdie - which I barely missed. Four consecutive bogies followed and put me 9-over after 15. I was particularly disappointed with my bogies on 13 and 15. On 13, a 280 yard drive left me an easy sand wedge in. Somehow, I ended up well over the green from 115 yards out. On the 120 yard par 3 15th, I choose to take an extra club due to a strong headwind. I hit an excellent 9-iron right at the pin, but landed on the back of the green and rolled into the rough, leaving me with a quick downhill chip.


Pasatiempo Golf Club - 16th Hole, by Rob Babcock

But it came together again on the infamous 16th. I hit a perfect 4-wood off the tee that drew a little left and rolled to the end of the fairway, leaving me 105 yards out. With the pin tucked up on the edge of the upper tier near the left side of the green, I took a little extra club. I'd heard horror stories about balls rolling back down to the front of the green. My shot landed 1 foot from the pin, but bounced well over the green, leaving me nearly out-of-bounds with a testy downhill pitch that could easily roll past the pin and down to the bottom of this severely sloped green. I visualized the shot, let go of any fear or tension, and relaxed my arms and grip. I opened my lob wedge way up, opened my stance, and took a perfect pass at the ball with good tempo. I barely landed the green and rolled downhill to just 4-feet past the pin, barely short of the point where the ball would have rolled over the edge to the lower tier. Making the comeback putt made for a welcome recovery.

I made another bogie on 17 from inside 100 yards after another good drive (where our entire foursome teed up alongside each other and hit our drives at the same time). But I finished with a par, finally choosing the correct club on the downhill 143 yard par 3 finishing hole. My pitching wedge and 2-putts got me in with an 80.

Although I'd like to replay a few holes, I did par each of the 3 hardest, made some remarkable shots, and thoroughly enjoyed my friendly foursome, the clear skies and awesome views of the Monterey Peninsula, the challenging Mackenzie design, and of course, learning "The Secret."

But part of uncovering "The Secret" is looking inward to determine "why" I hooked that drive on 4, "why" I didn't just accept that mistake and punch back out to the fairway, "why" didn't I sleep well the night before, and "why" did I consistently pick too much club on my approaches. The biggest reward from this day will come from finding these answers and learning from them. The answers won't just help my game, they'll tell me more about who I brought to the course that day and where I still need growth, in golf and life.

Following the round, the entire group met for cocktails and dinner and enjoyed discussing the course, their rounds, and their challenge to discover the secret and their perfect swings. I think it's safe to say that a few imperfect swings found their way into everyone's round!

To top things off, I found it particularly rewarding that on this day that I played my 50th career course, I found myself seated next to a participant - Larry Berle - who has played all of the Golf Digest Top 100 courses! During 10 years that spanned from 1992 to 2002, Larry found his way on to 117 top U.S. courses (the list of top 100 courses is a moving target over a 10 year span). Larry was introduced to the game by his wife Annie in 1990. She took him to Pebble Beach for his birthday in 1992, where on the 18th hole his caddy informally told him that "you are standing on the greatest finishing hole in golf!" This is where his dream to play the Golf Digest Top 100 was born. Larry has written a book - A Golfer's Dream - that tells the story of his inspiring quest and what he learned along the way. I'm planning on buying a copy!

It was a pleasure to play such a great course and to meet so many interesting golfers like Larry, Fred, Ron, Todd, Dave, and so many others. I highly recommend attending a The Shivas Irons Society event if you're interested in meeting some truly artful golfers. Thanks Steve and Jo for putting on such extraordinary events!

Labels: Alister Mackenzie, Books, Courses, Fred Shoemaker, Pasatiempo, Rounds, Shivas Irons Society

Lorne Rubenstein wrote an article this month for SCOREGolf, A Zone Worth Finding, about a book by Former PGA Tour winner Bobby Clampett, The Impact Zone: Mastering Golf's Moment of Truth. It's the one book Rubenstein read this year, or in many years, for that matter, that says very little about the swing itself, and plenty about the moment of truth - impact.


Golf Impact Shot by photomudger at flickr.com

Rubenstein introduces Clampett's own introduction in his book. "You’ve probably heard that the most important six inches in golf is between the ears. Though the mind unquestionably plays a key role in the game, the most important six inches in the swing truly take place through the Impact Zone - meaning the two inches before impact through the four inches after it. After all, they don't call impact the golf swing's Moment of Truth for no reason."

Each of us, including the tour pros, have different looking swings, a unique style, a signature swing. But when we hit quality shots, we all look the same at impact. If you want to make an impact in this game, think impact.

Clampett shares that, "if we could somehow change the way the game is taught, and begin working from the ground up with a focus on the golfer's swing dynamics, and with the goal of moving their swing bottoms four inches in front of the ball, we could begin to make some real progress - progress that would both grow the game and make it immeasurably more enjoyable for those already hooked on playing it."

Read that carefully. Clampett encourages a swing that bottoms four inches in front of the ball, not at the back of the ball. This is exactly what Fred Shoemaker told our group during an impromptu clinic at Bandon Dunes last month. Assuming our swing bottom occurs naturally near the center of our chest (on an even lie), this indicates that a well struck ball should be placed behind our center (back in our stance). Try experimenting with this and notice where your divot starts - well in front of where the ball was.

Looks like a book I might consider taking a look at!

Labels: Articles, Bobby Clampett, Fred Shoemaker, Impact, Instruction, Lorne Rubenstein

"When you disappear - the thoughts, worries, and judgments you have about yourself - Golf as Art shows up." -- Fred Shoemaker

I had the very good fortune of being introduced to the book, "Extraordinary Golf" by Fred Shoemaker, only six months after starting to play golf on a regular basis in 2005. The book came highly recommended by a friend of Fred's, Tony Criscuolo, whom I had just met in San Luis Obispo. Tony teaches yoga for golf classes nearby at Avila Beach Golf Resort and works with the Cal Poly SLO golf team. I was rewarded with a round of 76 the day after I read the book!


Fred Shoemaker and Jo Hardy of Extraordinary Golf

I consider this good fortune, not only because the book helped me break 80, but because Fred's approach inspired me to coach myself by becoming more aware of my own swing, instead of taking the traditional route of learning to play golf by taking lessons, which often creates a dependence on others for ongoing instruction and tips.

I found myself drawn to Fred's approach, not only for the independence it offered, but for the potential he described for golf to be like art. As a person whose creativity is limited to software design, the possibility of making golf creative was appealing. The key to this creative approach requires only that we let go of the "thoughts, worries, and judgments we have about ourselves," and become fully present in the moment - allowing the genius of our body to create the desired shot.

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Fred while attending a week-long golf event at Bandon Dunes, hosted by Fred and Jo Hardy from Extraordinary Golf, and The Shivas Irons Society's founder, Steve Cohen! I enjoyed an extraordinary week of incredible golf with very interesting people in a breathtaking natural setting in the Oregon sand dunes along the Pacific Ocean. Playing Bandon Dunes has been a dream of mine. Doing so in the company of this inspiring group of golfers exceeded any expectations!


Bandon Dunes 5th by Joann Dost

This trip was intended more for exploration, discovery and adventure than instruction. Fred didn't hold any formal clinics, but was available for questions each day on the range. In response to a golfer's question about playing shots in preparation for strong winds, it became apparent that Fred wasn't your typical golf teacher.

Without going into detail, Fred's instruction quickly had the group convinced we'd discovered "the secret" to making a perfect swing! By incorporating what I learned, I pulled off a Tiger Wood's "stinger" using a 3-wood to reach the long par 5 12th at Pacific Dunes in 2, into a good headwind. On our last day, an older participant with a handicap of about 14, shot a 39 on the back nine at Pacific Dunes on a windy day by using what he'd learned from Fred. His wife nearly aced the 10th!

I expected Fred to have us throwing clubs, which he is well known for, in order to help you discover your natural swing by swinging at the target instead of the ball. Instead, Fred used a new technique that helped us discover our natural swing and tempo. For many of us, this made revolutionary improvements to our ball striking quality and consistency!

Fred's instruction certainly wasn't limited to ball striking. His main emphasis was about enhancing our performance by helping us reconnect with our love for the game and bringing one's "self" to the golf course by being fully present.

I was placed in a foursome with Fred during the first nine holes of our trip, which we played at Bandon Trails. Our first round took place on Monday, before any instruction had taken place on the range or during our numerous group gatherings. Interestingly, I played my best nine holes of the trip during this round with Fred!

Admittedly, I was a little nervous at first about playing with Fred, but not overly so. Thanks to Fred's book, I'd already made a lot of progress learning to play without trying to impress others or worrying about what other's may think of my swing or ability. I did notice however that I was a little tense on the first hole. I pulled both my tee shot and my approach just a little left of my target, then knocked my very first putt from just off the green a good 20 feet past the hole! I then took a deep breath, relaxed, and 2-putted for bogie. From then on, I stayed relaxed, played my own game, let go of any expectations, and took in all the beauty surrounding me.

I finished the front nine just 1-over! I tallied 3 birdies to help offset my struggles in the bunkers, taking 2 shots to get out of 2 separate greenside bunkers.

Fred recognized that I had a good round developing and encouraged me to stay present by centering my attention in my solar plexus between shots. This helped me to breathe normally, stay relaxed, and prevented my mind from racing into the future, considering the potential for a great round. I have to take some credit for playing well, but Fred did provide a very calming influence.

But then Fred switched to another foursome at the turn while we stopped briefly to eat a sack lunch. On the back nine, I'm not sure if it was Fred's absence, a change in the rhythm of the round from stopping to eat, or that I simply started "trying" to score, but I just kept getting bogies. My only par on the back was on the par 3 17th. After the round, I realized I'd barely looked up to appreciate where I was and who I was with during those last 2 hours. I have to wonder what the front nine might have been like without Fred's influence!


Pacific Dunes 13th by Joann Dost

However, I did experience more extraordinary play in subsequent rounds at Bandon and Pacific Dunes. But perhaps due to the back pain I started the trip with, I never put it together for an entire 18 holes. Nevertheless, that wasn't the point of the trip. I was there to for the extraordinary place, people, discovery and adventure - and I experienced all of it!

If you ever get the opportunity to attend an event or golf clinic with Fred Shoemaker and Jo Hardy, I highly recommend you do so. They are wonderful people whose commitment to empower golfers to step into the very heart and soul of the "gaeme", provides access to new possibilities in performance, enjoyment, and learning.

Thank you Fred, Jo, Steve, all who attended, and all the caddies and employees at Bandon, for a memorable an extraordinary golf vacation!

There's an excellent interview with Fred Shoemaker in the latest (4th) issue of The Journal of the Shivas Irons Society. You can learn more about the programs presented by Fred at www.extraordinarygolf.com.

"Use your time between shots to put the past in the past, create a future that is powerful and full of possibility, and live into that future." -- Fred Shoemaker

Labels: Bandon Dunes, Extraordinary Golf, Fred Shoemaker, Golf Destinations, Golf Vacation, Shivas Irons Society

"It is here, on this remote stretch of the wildly stunning Oregon coast, where the finest golf courses in the whole world quietly await you." -- Golf Odyssey

Later this month, I head out for my first trip (of hopefully many) to Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, joining Steve Cohen from the Shivas Irons Society and Fred Shoemaker and Jo Hardy from Extraordinary Golf, for a week-long gathering in celebration of the magic and mystery of the "gemme".


Pacific Dunes 11th by Joshua CF Smith

Fairways & Greens writes, "Without question, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is America's most wonderfully minimalist golf destination. It's still not easy to reach, but that doesn't deter thousands of pilgrims from seeking it out every month. They head out into the dunes with windbreakers and pull carts (or caddies, if they're smart). They bash it around Bandon's broad, bumpy fairways and Pacific's angular, more dramatically undulated layout with the ocean's growl and the breeze's brogue as their soundtrack."

To get in the spirit for this pilgrimage, I just read "Dream Golf - The Making of Bandon Dunes" by Stephen Goodwin. As soon as I began reading, I quickly learned that Mike Keiser really understands the golfer and what we're looking for in a golf experience. Bandon's success makes that obvious.

I was struck by Keiser's description of "what golf ought to be", made after visiting a variety of famous courses in preparation for creating Bandon Dunes. He observed that, "Somehow or other the architects of Pine Valley and Merion and National Golf Links had perfectly expressed the feeling that he had about what a round of golf ought to be, the feeling of expectation and adventure. They'd captured the flow and rhythm of the game, preserving a sequence of surprising, stirring holes, each one different from its predecessors but all of them forming a single, harmonious whole... In plain terms, these courses were the work of artists."

I certainly have those feelings of expectation and adventure about Bandon Dunes and I haven't even played there yet! Just looking at photos of Bandon Dunes and learning about its creation, there's no doubt these courses were the work of artists.

Goodwin describes them as "wild in a way that creates the ideal conditions for play, and beautiful in a way that speaks directly to the dreams of golfers." The place can be described, to quote the words Keiser wrote years earlier, as "nature perfected."


Bandon Dunes 16th by Joann Dost

Bandon Dunes opened in 1999. Designed by Scotsman David McLay Kidd, the course is perched on a bluff high above the Pacific Ocean. The course unfolds along pristine native dunes where expansive ocean views are revealed on nearly every hole. The course is completely natural and routed through an environment of indigenous vegetation. Beyond breathtaking scenery lies the game of golf in its truest form. This is a thinker's course. Winds are ever-present, and the varying elements create a new experience each time you play. [Recommended Reading]


Pacific Dunes 14th by Joann Dost

Pacific Dunes, designed by Tom Doak, opened in 2001. It is remarkably different in character and shot making requirements. Pacific Dunes doesn't feel like it was built as much as it was discovered. Rippling fairways remain just as they were found and natural bunkers line the landscape as they have for centuries. The course emerges from shore pines to spectacular 60-foot sand dunes. When the wind blows, precise approach shots are a necessity. Pacific Dunes is short enough to give you hope, but rugged enough to test every facet of your game. [Recommended Reading]


Pacific Trails 18th by Joann Dost

When Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw began working in the sand to uncover our third course, they faced the challenge of following Bandon and Pacific Dunes. Opened in 2005, Bandon Trails begins atop a massive sand dune, quickly opens in to a sprawling meadow, works higher into the coastal forest, and finally returns to finish in the dunes. The course is enjoyable to walk and is a constant reminder of how the game was originally created among inland rolling dunes with dramatic ocean vistas. [Recommended Reading]

And Old Macdonald, Bandon's fourth course, begins construction this winter and is scheduled to open in July 2010! The Old Macdonald course, designed by Tom Doak on 400 acres northeast of his Pacific Dunes course, will be a tribute to Charles Blair Macdonald, the favorite golf course architect of Bandon owner Mike Keiser. The course will draw inspiration from Old Mac's celebrated design elements, like Alps and Redan holes, and Biarritz greens. The site is all sand, including one huge, long sand dune and a bit of ocean-front property, though not the extensive ocean vistas of either the Bandon Dunes or Pacific Dunes courses.

"Bandon Dunes is taking its rightful place in the most mystical, sublime, and enchanting golfing annals from around the world." -- Andrew Penner

Labels: Bandon Dunes, Dream Golf, Fred Shoemaker, Golf Destinations, Golf Vacation, Shivas Irons Society, Stephen Goodwin

I continued a streak of extraordinary rounds today, shooting a 75 at Monarch Dunes Golf Club (70.7/135) in a Travel League I play in. My score came in good enough to win 1st place net and 2nd place gross. Six of my latest rounds have now come in between 73 and 76! This is a real breakthrough for me. Although I've scored in the low 70's plenty of times before, I've never done so as consistently or with as little effort. I'm really learning to just play and not try so hard anymore! I've even become a good putter, the part of the game that I've struggled with most. In fact, I've been playing so well that several golfers have asked me recently how I got so good so fast!


Tiger celebrates a chip-in birdie on the 16th at the 2005 Masters

My standard answer to this question has always been that I started getting better when I simply began playing more than once a week. But, although more frequent play does help develop and maintain better touch and perhaps even consistency, it doesn't necessarily result in better scoring. I've met plenty of golfers who expected to become better golfers once they retired and finally had the time to work on their game and play more, but who actually got worse.

I've also replied that the game came pretty naturally to me, coming from playing hockey. Hockey has a complimentary swing. I've found that hitting down on the ball is much like taking a slapshot. But again, although my natural ability and a natural swing may have reduced my learning curve, it only took me so far.

Another factor I share is that I learned quickly by coaching myself instead of taking lessons and filling my mind with too many swing thoughts and techniques. I've learned to simply relax, quiet my mind, focus on the target, visualize my shot, and swing. I just trust that my body can do what I visualize it doing. I've never seen my swing or had it analyzed. However, after taking my first and only golf lesson just a couple months ago, I can see where getting help from a pro on occasion could speed up the process of improvement even more. I just wouldn't become dependant on one.

What I realize now is that my improvement really began when I changed who I am on the course. Golf is a great teacher, and I was eager to learn from it.

My biggest breakthoughs came when I let go of scoring and winning and learned to just play and have fun. I learned to appreciate the beauty of my surroundings. I learned to enjoy playing with friends and meeting new ones. I learned to be patient when I was struggling. I learned to accept my mistakes. I learned to let go of doubt and fear. I learned to trust myself. I learned that my next shot, my next hole, and my next round could be extraordinary. I learned the "Art of the Possible" from Fred Shoemaker, who shares in his book Extraordinary Golf, to use our time between shots "to put the past in the past, create a future that is powerful and full of possibility, and live into that future."

So, while I take a moment to celebrate my recent breakthrough, I also give thanks to those who have shown me how to play a game, and live a life, that is full of possibility and excitement.

Labels: Disciplines, Extraordinary Golf, Fred Shoemaker, Rounds

I love to compete. I love to play well. However, I don't put undue importance on winning or loosing. For me, competition provides the opportunity to test myself, demanding my full attention, energy, and spirit. Compared to playing recreationally, competition exposes your strengths and weaknesses more fully. These strengths can be reinforced, weaknesses corrected.


Golf Competitors by gcoz7 at flickr.com

Whether I win or loose, I've learned the outcome has little meaning or lasting impact. If I happen to perform better one day than my opponent does, that doesn't have much significance. But how I respond to the challenges I face, when my opponent does his best to outplay me, provides plenty of opportunity for lasting learning and growth. By trying my best, I provide my opponent the same benefit. This perspective encourages me to always try to win, but without a trace of hostility and negativity - traits that often characterize competition.

Fred Shoemaker shares in Extraordinary Golf, that "people who compete well and don't get in their own way understand that the benefits of competition happen only during the event. These people seem to play very close to their potential and rarely tighten up. On the other hand, people who think that the benefits of an event come only when it is over will tighten up often. If you feel that the joy and satisfaction of competition can happen only when the game is over - the praise and status that you get if you win - I believe that you will always feel a tremendous amount of pressure and have a hard time playing up to your ability. As much as you try, you can't control whether you win or lose."

The real contest is not you versus another but you versus you. Competition provides a means for your old self to become your new self.

Dan Millman discusses competition too in Body Mind Mastery. He says that, "the natural athlete has a way of forgetting the game's outcome the moment it is over, but he remembers its lessons. The usual athlete learns no real lessons, because he's still stuck in the outcome. A natural athlete can't afford to revel or despair over the past. The ancient Olympic wreaths, made of laurel, reminded their wearers that fame is fleeting, and glory fades. The only lasting value in the competitive experience is the lessons we learn and keep alive."

He continues by sharing, "In the competitive arena, there will always be those more and less skilled than yourself. Some may be near the top of their own mountain; others are perhaps struggling up the first steep paths far below. As you continue onward, make use of competition to stimulate your efforts along the way, but be careful not to become too preoccupied with the peak high in the distance, or with those athletes who are far ahead. If you do, the pleasure of the climb may be lost in craving for the goal. Keep your own natural pace. Whether your path on any given day is clear or rocky, the real and only measure of your achievement can be found in the answer to a single question: 'Have I done my best today?' All winning, losing, titles, and fame fall into the shadow of that question."

The artful golfer looks to competition to learn about who he is and strive towards who he can become.

Labels: Body Mind Mastery, Competition, Dan Millman, Disciplines, Extraordinary Golf, Fred Shoemaker

There is only one part of my game that hasn't improved, putting. I'm striking the ball and chipping and pitching better than ever, but my average number of putts per round hasn't gone down one bit in two years.


The final putt by Kevin Day at flickr.com

Over the past half-dozen rounds, I've tallied more than 20 putts for 9 holes twice. I've had more 3-putts than I care to admit. I even had another 4-putt yesterday. And what's frustrating me most is the number of 2-3 footers that I continue to miss - up to 4 a round. Although the course I regularly play has the most difficult greens I've faced, I've played them enough that there's no excuse for such poor performance.

My growing frustration and lack of confidence putting has reached a point where I have to take action. Yesterday, I shot a 78 with 21 putts on the front nine! Over the weekend, I shot a 73 with 4 missed putts within 3 feet. During a few rounds lately, my poor performance putting crept in to the rest of my game and I shot rounds of 84 and 87, among my worst in 6 months.

My first inclination is too seek help from a pro. However, I'm confident I can fix this the same way I've fixed problems with my swing - by looking inward and increasing awareness. I'll determine why I invite fear and doubt into the moment when I putt.

Fred Shoemaker asks us in Extraordinary Putting, “where do expectations, embarrassment, frustration, and doubt come from? The past? The present? The future? Obviously, they are historically based, from the past. At the moment you miss a shot, your mind goes into the past and recalls similar past events and projects those memories, in that moment, into a future (it will happen again). These past memories, now misplaced into the future (and believed to be the real future), create an upset. And the upset will last until we put something in the future that gives us new possibilities, ones other than endless repetition of an upsetting past. We put the past back in the past (where it belongs) and create a new future where anything is possible. We have the power to choose."

I've integrated this logic into the rest of my game and have learned to leave a bad shot behind me, in the past, and create a new future, but I've apparently chosen to project my past failures putting into the future.

Yes, I'm aware that there are some issues with my putting technique as well, such as the need to keep my head still, but the deeper problem lies with my subconscious belief at the moment I'm putting, that I'll miss.

I now choose a new future, of creative and artful putting. Stay tuned ;)

Labels: Choice, Disciplines, Extraordinary Putting, Fred Shoemaker

In the Podcast I mentioned in my last post, Fred Shoemaker also talked about doubt and fear. He shared that many golfers, when standing over a shot, see before them a threat instead of safety. They view the narrow fairway, the trees, the shrubs, the lake, the stream, the bunkers, and the rough as threats. In fact, there is nothing physically threatening out there, nothing to be afraid of. By viewing these obstacles as threats instead of safe, the golfer experiences doubt and fear and the body's muscles naturally tense. And of course, the ball ends up getting offline and going right where the golfer feared it would.


Carefree on the Range by Giantlogie at flickr.com

I have a friend who describes himself as a scratch golfer - on the range. He hits every shot long and straight. But as soon as you get him on the tee, look out. His drives transform into something more like a dying quail. Fortunately for him, he has a great recovery game - he gets a lot of practice at it.

When I first heard Fred Shoemaker's Podcast, it occurred to me that every shot should be as carefree as a shot on the range. Now, anytime I face a tight fairway or obvious hazard, I look out, admire the beauty and visualize a wide-open range before me. I pick a precise target, make a tangible connection with it, then swing freely. Although I still occasionally loose my focus and hit my ball offline and into a hazard, at least I wasn't scared about doing so. The freedom I felt increased the odds that my ball would find its target.

Labels: Disciplines, Fear, Fred Shoemaker

I recently listened to a Podcast at TeeTour.com where the host interviewed Fred Shoemaker about his books, Extraordinary Golf and Extraordinary Putting.


Autumn Redux by Linda's Manymuses at flickr.com

During the interview, Shoemaker shared that he doesn't recommend that golfers use swing thoughts or pre-shot routines. He believes that both of these common practices in golf actually remove you from the present moment. The act of having to remember or think about a swing though or routine takes your mind from the present and puts it in the past. The golfer is only capable of creating shots when he remains in the present moment.

Hearing this was music to my ears since I've resisted incorporating swing thoughts and pre-shot routines into my own game. I've found that you can't be creative in visualizing and executing a shot if you just go through the same routine on every shot. Perhaps you can find a level of consistency from routine, but consistency can be boring and limiting.

Breaking out of a routine opens the door to creativity and artful golf.

Labels: Books, Disciplines, Fred Shoemaker, Routine, TeeTour

Even though I've recognized that one of the obstacles that stops me from scoring lower is the over-emphasis on doing so, I keep doing it. Even though I've determined that staying focused and finding joy in each shot is a solution, I keep putting pressure on myself to score lower.


Photo by Hans van Reenen at flickr.com

I've been starting my rounds successfully, creatively executing one shot at a time, taking in and appreciating the beauty around me between shots. But as soon as I see a good round developing, my focus changes. I loose my detachment about my score.

I did it again yesterday.

I had another great start. I shot 2 birdies and 1 par through 7. I missed a 2-foot putt for par on eight to go back to even par, and bogied nine to finish the front 1-over. I was pretty happy with how I was playing.

I got off to a good start on the back too with pars on 10 and 11. But then something changed. I missed another 2-foot putt on 12, then another on 13! I 3-putted again on 14 and missed another par putt on 15. I managed one more par on 16, but missed my forth 2-foot putt for par on 17. Just to finish in style, I missed another easy par putt on 18 to finish 6-over on the back.

I finished with an amazing 21 putts on the back nine - 18 of them on the final 7 holes! Even though I tallied 12 GIRs and 12 Fairways during the round, I also came in with 5 3-putts.

I realize now I'm simply putting too much pressure on myself to break 75. I've broken 75 three times, and each time I did so I just went out to play golf and enjoy it with no emphasis on scoring well.

That's what I need to return to. Playing for the pure enjoyment of the game and opportunity to learn and grow. Good results will naturally follow.

As Fred Shoemaker reminds us, the more you focus on learning and enjoyment, the better you perform, yet the more you focus on performance, the less you perform, learn, and enjoy.

Find out for yourself why you play golf and play for that reason only. And don't make it about your score or handicap. That will take care of itself.

Labels: Fred Shoemaker, Rounds

My recent progress in lowering my index-to 4 is largely a result of improved putting. My scores are getting lower and more consistent - I've scored between 77 and 79 in my last 7 rounds at my home course - even though many parts of my game remain inconsistent at times. Making more putts has increased my number of birdies which help offset those ongoing double or triple bogies, and has helped me save countless pars and bogies. This new confidence with my putting keeps me open to the possibility that I can score good rounds even after shooting a string of poor shots.



Fred Shoemaker in Extraordinary Putting says to consider "that the way you are in putting is the way you are in chipping, is the way you are in your full swing, is the way you are with your family, in your business, in life… Imagine that putting can show us our relationship to learning, how our actions and behavior are shaped by our point of view, how we view and relate to our body, and how the depth of our awareness is the only thing that will develop us. Putting can show us the assumptions and beliefs that we have come to take for granted. It can reveal the interference - the doubt and fear that stop us everywhere in life. It can also show the genius of our body and provide a pathway to performance and enjoyment that we can take to any part of the game, or to any situation in life... Consider the possibility that you may be far more able than you think and that when you let go of self-interference and increase your awareness, you will see exceptional ability emerge."

I've definitely found evidence that my strengths and weaknesses on the green are similar to ones I'm aware of in other parts of my life. Time will tell if my efforts to address these putting weaknesses and to find my own body's "inner genius" - to open up this pathway to performance and enjoyment through increased awareness - will translate to the rest of my game, and life.

Regardless, my increased awareness, resulting from being focused in the present moment, has transformed my putting from the worst part of my game into a part I am confident in and can depend on. I can actually now say that I love putting!

Labels: Awareness, Books, Extraordinary Putting, Fred Shoemaker, Putting

Most people who succeed in their various professions each describes being fully immersed in the moment during performance, with little or no thought of technique or results of their efforts. They lose themselves in their own creative process.

In my experience, no other discipline in golf has proved more important than being creatively immersed or centered in the present moment.

Artful golf appears when the mind is centered. When you find your inner center, creativity shows up. Your mind becomes free from the anxiety and interference introduced by judgment of a shot just taken in the past and fear or hope of executing a shot in the near future.

Fred Shoemaker shares in Extraordinary Golf, "when you disappear - the thoughts, worries, and judgments you have about yourself - Golf as Art shows up… Golf as Art recognizes the enormity of the potential of the moment. This can also be called creativity. It is the realization that what could exist greatly exceeds what does exist, and it keeps each moment vibrant, alive, and full of possibility. When a person plays golf in this way - fully absorbed, full committed, merging with the game - it is a marvelous thing. It is extraordinary golf."

Many of us experience this immersion in the moment when we start playing golf, while our expectations are realistic and golf is still a game to us. However, for various reasons, we eventually begin putting pressure on ourselves to perform.

We begin to expect results and we get consumed by outcome. The joy of the game gives way to frustration as we obsess over making perfect shots, winning holes, and shooting lower scores.

I'm personally making progress staying centered during shots, and even at letting go of judgment and reaction immediately following a shot. However, I still struggle to stay in the present towards the end of good rounds. I begin thinking about results and trying to achieve an outcome.

My biggest lesson, among many, came last month when I was playing a round with a friend that promised to be my best ever.

I shot a personal best 2-under on the front nine with 3 birdies and a bogie. On the back, I managed to shoot more pars than bogies by the time I walked up to the par 5 17th tee. I was only 1-over for the round. My best round at this course up until then had been a 4-over 75. Even with a bogie on 17 and 18, I'd beat that score!

On 17, I drove the ball into a lake on the right, which I had succeeded in carrying in all my dozens of rounds prior. I followed that with a couple more poor shots and a 3-putt for a triple bogie. I then drove the ball into a grove of trees on the par 4 18th, and 3-putted again for a double bogie.

The golfer I was playing with was also shooting his personal best round. Entering 17, he was 4-over, only 3 shots behind me. Unlike me, he shot pars on both 17 and 18, succeeding to shoot his best-ever round, not to mention beating me by 2 strokes!

His ability to stay centered through the end of the round made a huge impression on me.

Find your inner center, swing freely, and trust that the outcome will take care of itself. Great shots always follow and Artful Golf shows up.

Labels: Books, Centeredness, Disciplines, Extraordinary Golf, Fred Shoemaker, Rounds

Here at The Artful Golfer, I'll share insights and experiences pursuing Golf as Art, a unique approach to golf that I was inspired to explore after reading Extraordinary Golf, by Fred Shoemaker.

Shoemaker believes that anyone, beginner or pro, can play golf in an artistic way and have experiences so deep and compelling that they will benefit others as well. He shares, "when you disappear, Golf as Art shows up. The resulting void is where all the important discoveries, personal development, satisfaction, joy and fulfillment take place."

Labels: About, Books, Extraordinary Golf, Fred Shoemaker