So Greg Norman couldn’t quite hang on. I think his effort was more than commendable and he should be proud of what he has done. Norman made the Tigerless Open something worth talking about.
He didn’t seem to have the same spark on the last day. A nervous and tentative start didn’t help the cause. Despite that he was still in the lead with nine holes to go. For some reason he couldn’t strike his irons with any authority. Just when he could have put some heat on Harrington he played poor approaches to 10, 12 and 13. The commentators suggested he chose the wrong club a couple of times – I think he completely miss hit them rather than choosing a bad club.
Full marks should go to Harrington who played a superb back nine. He snuffed out any remote chance of losing with that 5 wood approach into the 17th. Wayne Grady called it “the shot of The Open”, there might have been better shots played this week but none more important. His two shots into 18 weren’t bad either!
A special mention should also go to Ian Poulter. He put himself into contention with a gritty performance on Sunday. He would be ruing his three-putt par on 17. Two putts there and a par on 18 would have seen him finish on 6 over. This would have made things interesting. But it wasn’t to be. For the second time this weekend he took three-putts when he needed two. Such is life. Let’s hope that we see more of him. Definitely a character who doesn’t lack any confidence.
In the end it wasn’t meant to be for Norman. There’s a fine line between winning and losing and once again Norman was on the wrong side. Not sure if there’s much to say other than bad luck.
I found this week’s event fascinating and compulsive viewing. Here’s my take on this year’s Open;
- Remarkable things can happen when you least expect them
- We don’t lose talent and skill if we don’t practise
- You’re never too old to achieve something special
- Extreme conditions require special shot making skills
- Links golf is more exciting that “normal” golf
- Shooting over par still makes for a good tournament
- A golf course doesn’t have to be super long to be challenging
- Australians are still the best at golf television coverage. Pity we don’t have any tournaments anymore!
- Golf still goes on without Tiger but we sure do miss him
- Luck will always play a part in deciding a winner
Let me know if you have any thoughts…
P.S. In what was a poor golf day for the Aussies, Nick Flanagan and Gavin Coles couldn’t fire on the US PGA after leading going into the final round.
I’ve just finished playing this afternoon – I didn’t have the best game but it was a lot of fun. I always think that the worst day of golf beats the best day of working:)
Today I was joined by a new junior member who really impressed me. He has a distinctive swing, not orthodox, but it definitely got the job done. This little guy played without any fuss and was able to repeat his swing time after time. He shot 4 over, which is a good score on a difficult golf course and a course he isn’t that familiar with.
I hope he doesn’t change his swing. I’m sure there will be pressure to do so as he gets older – but I hope he resists the urge. I’m positive that he can become a super player with what he has – I’d hate to see his natural style compromised and be forced to look more conventional.
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The main topic of conversation today was Greg Norman. He currently has a two shot lead at The Open. There is only about six hours before he hits off in the final round, and I’ve been asked about 100 times if he can win.
Each time I said, “Of course he can!”
Greg Norman has been my hero since the first time I saw him play in 1988. I was so impressed by his charisma and style of play that I gave up a promising soccer career to play golf. There has always been something special about him and it doesn’t surprise me that he is doing so well.
I think all of the near misses, bad luck and poor finishes of previous major losses will hold him in good shape later today. He has nothing to lose and I’m sure he is in a better head space then he has ever been before going into the last round of a major.
The big key is for him to keep swinging and playing aggresively. I really hope he goes for it, keeps taking driver on most holes and doesn’t opt for a safe game plan.
If he can get over the line it will be one of the greatest wins of all time. I’m a little biased, but I can’t think of anything in recent times that would match that achievement. Can you?
I’m astounded that Channel 7′s lead news story tonight was the world record by Grant Hackett in the 800 metre short course Olympic trial. A great effort, but surely Norman’s effort so far is a bigger story? Maybe I’m missing something or just biased?
Anyway, I can hardly wait and I’m off to bed to get some sleep before it gets underway.
Many golfers spend so much time worrying about their golf swing technique that they have little or no chance of playing their best golf.
Traditional instruction focuses almost exclusively on golf mechanics so it really is not surprising that golfers place a high amount of emotional energy on their golf swing. They don’t know what else to do!
I have said that to play golf well you need to take counter intuitive steps – that is, you might need to do things that aren’t obvious or go against traditional concepts.
It might not seem obvious, but your routine is more important than your golf swing. Let me explain more…
A correct routine will enable you to work out what you need to do behind the ball (think) and then give you a process to walk to the ball and execute the shot automatically (and hopefully successfully).
Thinking about your golf swing while you are over the ball is NOT the right thing to do. This will almost always lead to failure.
It doesn’t matter how good your golf swing is – if you don’t get your routine right you will undo all of your hard work. If you can’t hit the ball instinctively and automatically you won’t enjoy the benefits of a good golf swing.
A good routine has two parts, the physical and mental. The physical part of your routine is less important. It allows some variance, for example you may choose to have a practice swing or you may not or you make take three waggles instead of four. It doesn’t really matter.
The mental part of your routine is less flexible. You MUST be consistent with your thinking on each shot. You will become a remarkable golfer when your mental routine becomes consistent over a long period of time. Here are the keys to a good mental routine.
- Work out what you want to do when you’re behind the ball. How far do you want to hit the ball? Where do you want to hit the ball? What club do I need to hit? These are questions that you need to ask each and every time. This process is done behind the ball before you start walking towards the ball. NEVER over the ball.
- Once you know what you want to do you must execute the shot automatically. Automatically should be interpreted as playing naturally or instinctively. This is allowing your subconscious to take control. Subconscious control leads to mastery and remarkable golf and is what I call golf’s vital skill.
Greg Norman was a master at the above steps. He spoke about Think, Choose and Do in one of his books from the 90′s. He thought about his options on each shot, he then chose one and then executed the shot without fuss or doubt. He then repeated the process over and over. I believe this allowed him to dominate golf for so long – not his golf swing.
If you want to be the best player you can be you must lose your attachment to your golf swing. Emotional attachment or believing your golf swing is a priority causes you to become tight and powerless. Your golf game won’t flow and you will be anything but remarkable. Over concern for golf technique and mechanics is the biggest fault in golf today. Let it go! It’s not that important!
A correctly performed routine will allow your game to improve naturally over time. You will continue to learn and make steps forward. You will get better with each round you play. By leaving your golf swing alone that too will get better. It’s like magic – it will improve without you knowing how. This is natural learning at its best and it certainly beats the alternative.
For more information about obtaining a better routine check out my book, Play Golf Your Way – I cover the steps above in greater detail.
