Dear golfer,
As you know I’m a big fan of playing golf automatically. This means that I prefer to hit the ball instinctively, without undue thoughts on technique or style. I believe this approach has helped me transform my game from tight and boring, into a consistent and powerful one. The difference is staggering – I am now playing the best golf of my life without practice or worry. It’s also much more fun!
Last week I was speaking to a client about how he could keep improving his game. He’s been playing automatically for about three months and has reduced his handicap by 4 or 5. Not bad, but he feels he has reached the limit. He now wants to know what to do next and how he can improve his skill level further.
This can be a difficult time. Learning anything is rarely smooth sailing. There’s ups and downs. This is part of the process and the obvious thing to do is to identify some swing faults and then try and improve them. It seems obvious and the right thing to do but I’m not so sure. I’m a firm believer that improvement can be difficult because you need to take counter intuitive steps to reach your golfing goals.
I’m positive if he keeps swinging naturally and automatically his golf swing and skill level will improve naturally. Gradual improvement is part of the natural learning cycle. Thinking about your swing tends to disrupt this process. Once this thinking mindset finds its way onto the golf course any chance of improvement is lost. If golfers would put their trust in their own learning capabilities I feel those bad times would be reduced, form slumps would be minimised and better golf the likely result. But this takes some patience…
Adults are in a rush. They want things yesterday.
So is there a way to fast track skill improvement without destroying your game in the process?
Yes, and I call it ‘objective’ based coaching.
Objective based coaching works by focusing on a simple task. Ultimately this task, when performed correctly, should point the pupil in the right direction with respect to certain swing fundamentals. It must be easy to understand and also must work in with natural swing form. Let me explain more…
One of my favourite swing training lessons is “throwing the club”. I first read about this in Fred Shoemakers book, Extraordinary Golf. Later, Kendal McWade spoke about it and finally scientific research identified a ‘throwing motion’ to be the correct action on the downswing.
Throwing objects is fairly natural, so it’s easy to understand. It also mimics the correct downswing move so it is a perfect objective based lesson. Far better than concerning yourself with swing plane, hip rotation and forearm release. A pupil focussed on throwing a club down the fairway can take care of most golf of golf’s fundamentals without thinking about them. Ideal!
Some other objective based lessons that work well;
- brushing the top of the tee with your driver
- hitting a line on the ground – ideal for learning perfect contact with irons
- hitting a line in the sand – the best way for understanding how to escape from bunkers. The focus is hitting a line in the sand behind the ball
- placing clockwise or anticlockwise spin on the ball – a great way to learn how to draw and fade the ball with ease
- brushing the grass – great to learn chipping contact and technique
- find a grip that allows you to move the club with speed – rather than having V’s pointing here or there
If you want to improve your skill level then you need to find a lesson (or task) that will help you make improvement without bogging you down. I feel that golfers spend too much time thinking about grip, wrist cock, back swing position, shoulder turn and release. These are simply too difficult to execute consistently and often confuse rather than help. Better to find something that will allow you to sneak up on improvement without destroying your game in the process.
Yes, the approach requires some patience and sometimes your conscious mind is not in control. It may feel uncomfortable but I’m sure it will be more effective than what you have tried in the past. Better still it opens the possibility for remarkable golf. This is what automatic (subconscious) learning is all about.
Good golfing,
Cameron Strachan
I received two calls from a Tony on transit to Townsville this Tuesday. I didn’t take the calls but they went through to voice mail. The first call you couldn’t remember your phone number (I do this all of the time, I never call myself so it can be hard to remember) and the second time you left a wrong number, at least I think you did, I tried calling but it was a Michael not a Tony. Anyway I deleted the voice message so I can’t check.
If you’d like to give me a call back I’d be happy to help.
Regards,
Cameron
Dear golfer,
What a past couple of days I’ve had!
It started on Sunday when my twin brother James (also known as Shug) and I were renovating my new golf studio. We were dismantling a huge room divider and hopefully going to use it for a putting green. I’m lucky because Shug can make just about anything and has a great imagination for turning junk into something useful. When it comes to that sort of thing I have no idea and usually just get in the way.
Shug was busy dismantling the required parts (I was an interested onlooker) when suddenly the room divider toppled over and landed on top of him! At first it looked like he managed to catch the divider but then his legs gave way under the weight. At this point I was extremely concerned that this was going to be a very ugly incident – I thought for a moment he could have been crushed to death!
I was relived to see him crawl out from underneath. At first it looked like he had come through uninjured but unfortunately he had messed up his leg pretty badly. I’ll spare you all of the details but he had broken his leg in a few places and also dislocated his ankle. He was rushed to hospital and had surgery late in the day . He is a bit sore and sorry for himself but will make a full recovery. What a relief! Get well soon Shuggy!
Shug is my chief designer and manufacturer of all my golf products. He has done such a great job in turning my ideas into a physical product. I don’t know how he does it – wait until you see the Bunker Buster, it’s fantastic! Unfortunately he’ll be out of action for a month or two, so if you have ordered a product recently there will be some delay in receiving it. I’ll be contacting everyone in person shortly but I thought I’d give you the heads up here. Sorry in any delay but the alternative was for me to assemble the new products and that wouldn’t be a good idea 
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I have spent the last couple of days in Townsville with a club maker with a difference. Mike is a retired scientist ( I can’t remember the field exactly but it had something to do with chemicals) who has turned his hand to golf. His golf clubs have to be seen (and felt) to be believed. He has scoured the globe looking for the best components and then painstakingly assembles each club so they are perfect. It takes him a full two days to make each set. Truly amazing.
Mike uses mathematics and science to make his clubs. The end result is a set of irons that feel and swing the same. This means that your pitching wedge and 3 iron feel similar when you swing them. He has also done extensive research and testing on the driving clubs. One driver he showed me he described as “the perfect club”. The balance of each club is ideal and because he uses only the best components, the clubs look fantastic. His ideas are new but already have attracted the attention of many golf professionals looking for an edge.
What blew me away was after testing my clubs he could tell me what irons I liked and which ones I didn’t like. You know how you have a club that doesn’t feel right? Mike can test it and better still fix it so that it matches a club that you do like. He uses advanced equipment and years of experience to do this. I can’t tell you everything (I had to sign a non disclosure) but let me say that he has thrown away traditional ideas of club making and come up with something that will transform club making in the future.
I should also say that I dabbled in scientific club assembly in the past, but gave up on it when the mathematics couldn’t produce usable golf clubs. The science was right but the clubs were terrible. Mike has taken it to the next level. His clubs are like Samurai swords. A work of art, perfectly balanced and incredibly effective!
The best news is that Mike sees a perfect fit with my coaching ideas (I gave the locals a brief presentation) and wants to work together. We feel that if you mix my natural learning ideas with a perfect set of golf clubs then you will improve your game. From what I have seen this is not hype or a false promise. I believe these clubs will improve your swing and make achieving an automated golf game even easier.
These clubs will not be for everyone. They are expensive and it involves quite a process to get them. You can’t walk into a local shop and buy them. Each set has to be tailored to the individual and each club tripled checked as standard protocol. They take time and a lot of love to produce. You may have heard of customised club making before, but I guarantee you haven’t seen anything like this. I’m only the third person he has shown.
If you’d like to learn more then please send me an email stating “Cameron, tell me more about these perfect golf clubs”. We can then start a discussion to see if you are a fit for them.
I’ll be telling you more about what Mike does in future posts.
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So it’s been a busy few days. I am so far behind on emails that I’ll be spending most of today catching up. I also have some more interesting lessons to share with you. I’ve been a bit slack with my blog the last few days but will make it up.
Good golfing,
Cameron Strachan
Dear golfer,
The following is something that I use to help me relax and focus before an important putt. I know ALL putts are important, but some are more crucial than others. Like the putt for par that will get your round back on track or a putt to win the money on Saturday morning. Here’s what I do…
I find that we can get too preoccupied with these big putts. We waste a lot of energy (and time) by focusing on the possible outcome. If you feel this is you then try turning your back on the putt. Walk away, turn around, look away or close your eyes. When it’s your turn to play, take a moment to get centered then follow your same putting routine. You will now have ‘fresh eyes’ and hopefully be more relaxed.
I find this little technique is particularly useful when I have a short putt but have to wait for my playing partners to play first. I will often walk to the side of the green and focus my attention on something else. This way I’m not over analysing the putt and looking for break or speed that might not be there. When it’s my turn to play I step up to the ball with a clear head and hit it into the hole.
You can also apply it to other shots that may be giving you some grief. If you do give it a go I’d be interested in hearing how you get on.
Good golf,
Cameron Strachan
I can’t help but think that golfers become unstuck when they try and stand correctly to the ball.
They are determined to get every part of the stance correct. They make sure their posture is right, their stance is square and the ball is located in the perfect postition. For the most part these golfers fail…
They try too hard. They fidget and never get comfortable. They look awkward and become so preoccupied with what they are doing that they forget the main aim – to hit the ball.
I think there is a better way.
Forget everything that you’ve ever read about standing to the ball. This includes alignment and ball position.
I have found that comfort is more important. When you stand comfortably, you give yourself a better chance of making a better swing. This is more valuable than any spine angle tip you’ll read in a golf magazine.
Your subconscious will take care of any minor errors with your aim and ball position. You can keep swinging. Over time you will naturally (without thinking) learn the best positions for you and your swing.
Get comfortable from the start and hit the ball. This is all you have to do. It’s more fun and definitely more interesting than concerning yourself with too much detail.
Good golfing,
One of the best things about club golf is the highly competitive fourball match within the group. Usually, the balls are thrown up prior to play to determine teams. The two balls finishing closest together will result in the owners forming a team. It’s the fairest way to do it. On Saturday I broke with tradition and formed the teams based on age. This little stunt backfired on me big time!
Al and Den (the Oldies) were up against the young guns Lachlan (Al’s son) and me. We usually only play for five dollars, but with all of the sledging that goes on you would think that we were playing for so much more. These little side bet matches can take on a life of their own – resulting in fist pumps, cheers and a real team spirit. On Saturday it was more important than that, it was war!
Dennis started proceedings by complaining about how stiff and sore he was. He usually does this to give his opponents a false sense of security. He must have known that this little tactic wasn’t going to work with his younger opponents, because he then started complaining about the fact he had a new driver (he’s being doing this for weeks too) and wasn’t yet familiar with it. Lachlan and I sarcastically sympathised with him as we prepared to play our first shots.
It’s fair to say that the Youngsters didn’t get off to the best start. It didn’t help that Al made a decisive rule change on the first green. These late rule changes are common, but I should have known that these older, more experienced and cunning golfers had a trick up their sleeve. Al declared that the second ball would count. In most fourball matches only the best ball counts towards the score, hence the name fourball best ball. In our match, if the best two scores were tied then the second scores would act like a tie breaker. If they were the same the hole would be halved.
Unfortunately for Lach and myself, the over competitive old boys were playing incredible golf. We were able to match the best score most times, but were were completely outclassed and out gunned with the second ball rule. When we lost the ninth hole to another ‘three pointer’ we were seven down. It was starting to become embarrassing.
The Youngsters regained some pride on the back nine. We won the 11th and 12th holes and had a sniff on the 13th. That would have made things interesting but as was typical that day a short putt failed to drop (I can hear those Oldies laughing). Our experienced opponents put us out of our misery when they halved the 14th hole. Dennis the Menace made another par when he had a shot, just when I thought my birdie would have extended proceedings further.
We got thrashed 5 and 4. It was bad enough that I lost 5 bucks – worse still Al has been applying my automatic learning principles with great results. Now Den is keen for some lessons too. I’ll definitely be charging these guys full price from now on.
I look forward to the rematch.
Good golfing,
Cameron Strachan
Dear Golfer,
I think improving at golf can be difficult because the path to do so is not always obvious. In fact, I believe if you want to reach a higher level of play you need to take counter intuitive steps. These steps are not obvious and actually go against traditional concepts. This approach can feel uncomfortable and requires a shift in mindset. Uncomfortable – yes. Beneficial – YES!
I have taken my golf game to new levels by stepping outside the square and thinking a little differently. Below are some of my key thoughts.
Work on Swing versus Leave Swing Alone
I made my biggest breakthrough when I stopped trying to fix my golf swing. Definitely not an obvious step but one that has allowed me to reinvent my golf game
Try Hard versus Trying Less
It sounds obvious to try hard and put in a huge effort. It seems like the right thing to do. By trying less I freed up my mind and my golf swing. Trying hard fails.
Focus On Target versus Focusing On Nothing
I stopped trying to visualise on the target. By not picking a target or reading greens precisely I have reduced tension and self-doubt. Instead I look at where I want to hit the ball and hit it there.
Build A Perfect Swing versus Near Enough Is Good Enough
I have long since given up on striving for the perfect golf swing. I now put up with what I’ve got. The funny thing is that I now swing the golf club better than ever. Funny game really.
Practice Hard versus Practicing Less
As hard as it may be to believe, I actually don’t practice anymore. Practicing too hard or too much leads to self-doubt and a desire to make unnecessary changes. By learning to automate your natural swing there is no need to practice that much. Save your energy for playing – it’s more fun!
Play With Your Head (think) versus Play With Your Heart (don’t think)
Adults like to think and over analyse. Again, this seems like the right thing to do. If you can think less and restore a sense of childlikeness you’ll play better. I guarantee it!
Quick Fixes versus Long Term Improvement
It’s very tempting to search for the quick fix and instant results. Golf magazines do very well by satisfying this urge. By forgetting about instant glorification and focusing on real results with a long term mindset I continue to get better with each game. I think golfers over estimate what they can do in the short term and drastically under estimate what they’re capable of long term.
Be Good At Everything versus Excel At One
Trying to perfect each part of your game seems like the right thing to do. Unfortunately I don’t think this is possible. I believe you’ll save yourself time and energy by working around your faults and weaknesses and playing to your strengths.
Shoot A good Score versus Learning From Each Round
We would all like to shoot a great round each time we play. This would be nice but it’s just not going to happen. If you strive to learn from each game you play you’ll maximise your chances of playing well today and into the future. This is the long-term thing again.
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I don’t expect all golfers to believe in this approach (I’m not aiming at all golfers) but if you’ve been struggling with your game and finding golf improvement difficult, then it could be something worth considering.
Good golfing,
Cameron Strachan
“You’re swinging too quickly!”. How often have you heard that?
If you’ve been playing golf for any length of time then I bet you’ve been told that many times. More than likely after a bad shot or two.
Many golfers like to help their playing partners by giving this type of advice. I don’t like it because I don’t think it helps.
I believe that a golfer offering this advice doesn’t really know what is wrong (or right) and they use the “your swinging too quickly” line because they can’t think of anything else. It seems they believe that giving this type advice will make a difference. “Swing too quickly” gets used so much that it seems some golfers think it could be the answer to everything.
But how slowly should you swing … a little or a lot? This is the problem with this type of instruction. You don’t know and it’s impossible to tell. It’s even harder for the player (the pupil) to understand.
Trying to swing correctly or with a slower tempo is the worst thing you can do. It interrupts your natural flow and style. Your golf swing becomes over controlled and messy. A bit like trying to tie your shoe laces or attempting to make a perfect signature. The harder you try the more difficult it becomes and the more energy you use. It just doesn’t work.
I believe golfers would play better if they stopped trying to swing perfectly or strive for the ultimate swing tempo. Hitting the ball should be the goal, not concerning yourself with how it looks or the speed of the swing.
When golfers let go of their vain attempts at appearance and start to swing the club more instinctively a wonderful thing happens.
Their golf swing resembles a dance. A dance naturally has rhythm, grace and flow. It’s easy to watch and more fun to do. You’re also less likely to cop interference from pesky playing partners that keep telling you to “swing more slowly”. They’ll be too busy trying to copy you!
Good golfing,
Cameron Strachan
