COACH BILL's TIPS

This was my first quote (from our closing ceremony - 10/12/22):

“In the battle of life it is not the critic who counts; not the one who points out how the strong stumbled or where the doer of a deed could have done better. The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is not effort without error and shortcoming; who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasm, the great devotion, spend themselves in a worth cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if they fail, at least failed while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have tasted neither victory nor defeat.” - President Theodore Roosevelt

Experience

“Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.” Unknown

Attitude

“The ancestor to every action is a thought.” - Wayne Dyer

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of ATTITUDE on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice everyday regarding the ATTITUDE we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our ATTITUDE.” - Unknown

One of the sayings last night is at the end of this:

Success

• “The first step in becoming successful is getting outa bed in the morning.” - Glen Gabbard

• “I’ve learned to spar or dance with fame and success, but never to embrace it.” - Robert Redford, Actor

• “You can achieve almost anything you wish in life. You only have to determine what price you have to pay and be willing to pay it.” - H. L. Hunt, Oil Baron and father of Lamar Hunt

• “You can use most any measure when you’re speaking of success. You can measure it in fancy homes, expensive car or dress. But the measure of your real success is the one you cannot spend. It’s the way your kids describe you when they are talking to a friend.” Anonymous

Integrity

• “Always remember Integrity is a helluva lot more in demand than intelligence, and you’ll be OK.” - Harold Hunter, and old friend

• Your personal integrity is THE most vital and important part of you and your greatest prize. Not to discount intelligence, but many with high intelligence have stumbled and self-destructed because they gave up their integrity, usually thinking they could barely “push” the limits or “live on the edge”. Your integrity is also one of the toughest qualities to maintain, especially as you become more successful. The temptation to slightly bend the rules or cross over (just once?) to make more money, or satisfy your ego (sex, more power, more attractive and expensive “things” in your life) is a seductive and slippery slope. Once you have “crossed that line”, it may be tough to return to the original person you were and repair that damage. When you make a mistake, the one thing you can do is admit it and apologize...immediately. You will find the longer you wait, the deeper you sink into your own hell. This is true in all aspects of your life, but especially with a spouse, partner, co-worker, or anyone with whom you LOVE or have built TRUST.

• "Reputation and Character are different. You can’t control 100 different (from people) reputations you may have, but you can control your character and integrity." - Bill Holmes

• "The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office." - Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th U.S. President and Commanding General of Victorious U.S. Forces in World War II.

Other sayings that I’m giving to my grandson:

• “Bullfight critics ranked in rows crowd the plaza full. But there is only ONE who knows, and he’s the one who fights the bull.” Anonymous

• “Natural champions are at ease with - even crave for - the loneliness of high places. The man or woman who insists on being one of the crowd will never be anything else.” Rex Bellamy, The London Times

• “Some of my fondest memories in sport were the result of failures, injuries, setbacks or mistakes. I learned far more about myself and gained more character in those difficult times than I ever did when success came easily.” - Peter Vidmar, Olympic Gold Medalist - Gymnast

First, let’s explain the difference in chipping and pitching: (sometimes people use it interchangeably)

Chipping is using a lower lofted club such as a 6,7,8, or 9 iron to “chip” and run the ball to the hole. (Lower flight, less carry and more roll) This involves a larger percentage of roll. Obviously, the longer the club, the more roll proportionately to the flight (air time).

Pitching is using a more lofted club like a Pitching Wedge (47 to 48 degrees of loft), Gap Wedge, Sand Wedge or 58-60+ degree lofted wedge and involves hitting a higher shot to land softer and roll less. In some instances backspin can make the ball stop quicker. If you watch the pros on tour, you’ll notice they pitch more often because their execution, timing and contact with the ball relative to the ground is much more precise. They have spent years and hours of practice under tournament pressure to hit shots well; unless you have a lot of time to spend (along with the proper instruction), or have an impossible shot to chip, your odds are better off running (chipping) the ball. If you are in 2” rough near the green you may want to consider putting the ball with a club that has a little loft like a hybrid club. Normally these will come out with a lot of overspin (the grass below catches the bottom of the ball) and roll out faster than anticipated. A smooth stroke (no popping) is vital. So allow for that extra roll.

If you must pitch it: Pitching takes a more accurate meeting of the club with the ball and then going down into the ground either brushing the grass or taking a divot. The ball must be “pinched” between the club face and the ground at pretty much the exact speed and angle if the shot is hit correctly. In short, it’s a much tougher shot and takes many hours of practice to pull it off. It’s more appropriate when the flagstick is behind (over) a bunker that you have to negotiate a higher shot and land it softly.

Some thoughts: Chips are normally a higher percentage shot to bring off since a shorter backswing involves less wrists action which is more like a putt. With the ball played well back off the right foot or toe. The shaft is leaning toward the target (hands/grip ahead of the club head) and a simple back and through arm and shoulder action is all that’s required… a rather simple shot to hit. A great teacher, Harvey Penick used to say “Take the lowest-lofted club to get the ball closer.” That even means if you are off the green on low cut grass near the green, and have no obstacles, Putt it! Further out a 7, 8 or 9 iron gives you the best chance of hitting the green and getting closer to the hole (your objective, right?)

When pitching (or even chipping) the ball I have found if the hands stay “soft but firm” as explained in putting above, and you depend on the arms and shoulders for the correct distance, you will hit the ball straighter and more solid. Visualize where you want the ball to land. Since most of the weight starts, stays and finishes on the LEFT side (foot), the best pitchers like to turn shoulders and arms around that left leg & foot which results in finishing with the club left of your body (not at the target) ….another un-intuitive principle of golf. Good pitchers don’t guide the club head, but allow the club to “swing” down and around the body. This takes lots of practice from different distances. A common mistake is to turn the club back too far and then decelerate hitting behind the ball. Instead turn the arms and shoulders back only as far as needed to aggressively turn though the shot with the appropriate amount of speed. These are principles you can practice.

These are lessons I’ve learned in many years of playing & competing. Hopefully they can help you:

1. Most of us are “keyed up” and anxious the day of an event. When you get on the course and on the first tee, do 2 things: Breathe and Slow everything down. Ben Hogan used to brush his teeth slower on tournament days! Organize and plan your morning carefully so that you don’t wind up rushing to the first tee by having forgotten things you need or want to do before playing. Walk slower!

2. On the first hole when you are on the green, lag your first putt to wind up closer to the hole so you can 2 putt (unless you are within a couple of feet). This is some of the best advice I ever got. You’d prefer not to have a longer putt for your second! If you do, keep the head absolutely still and make it!

3. This (#2) will work on the rest of the holes especially if you are not very confident in your putting. In the groups you play with use conservative shots. You will beat most peoples by playing smart with shots you can make. Avoid tough shots that you are not totally confident in; it’s tougher to make them under pressure!

4. Understand that everyone (in the whole field) is going to make mistakes or poor shots. Good experienced competitors understand mistakes are part of the game. Don’t beat yourself up. Don’t judge yourself by other (possibly better) players. You can only control your own play. Play smart; by slowing down and focussing on your next shot. The shot you just hit is just as “over” as the Viet Nam War and will do you about as much good to worry about it. The best players play in the future! Watch the pros who make birdies after making a poor score!

5. Even if you play poorly in an event, you will become a better player the next day with your friends. Good competition playing your own ball for the entire event (not necessarily Scramble events) give you the experience to play better next time.

6. Unless you finish in first place, nobody cares what you shot. A fine college coach gave me some great advice: “NCWH” Nobody Cares: Work Harder!

"The mind is a terrible thing to waste". It is the MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN COMPETITIVE PLAY! In over 70 years of playing hundreds of tournaments and taking hundreds of lessons, I've had some successes, but I've also had MANY disappointments, but they taught me a lot of hard lessons.

Tournament or Competitive GOLF is a different animal than casual games with your friends. THINGS HAPPEN in your mind that can be DEVASTATING or CONFIDENCE BUILDING. It's the difference in playing golf with a friend and a one-time match with Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods....not even a fair fight.

SO WHAT HAPPENS TO US WHEN WE ARE IN A COMPETITION??

#1 EVERYTHING SPEEDS UP - Heart Rate, Deep Breathing stops, Muscles Tighten and Expectations Build Up.

#2 OUR THINKING SPEEDS UP - Things come into our minds that weren't there before. IT ALSO NARROWS mostly on what you want to happen...THE END RESULT.

#3 WE START FOCUSING ON THAT RESULT versus the task at hand. WE START THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE instead of what's before us. WORSE, WE START THINKING ABOUT THE SCORE. This is very natural, because the emphasis is about SCORE and the final SCORE. Unfortunately we see that emphasis on all sports and especially golf on TV.

SO INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON THIS BALL - THAT TARGET, WE LOOSE OUR FOCUS on WHERE WE WANT TO LAND THE BALL ON THE FAIRWAY, ON THE GREEN, OR LANDING A PITCH OR CHIP SHOT OR THE SPEED OF THE PUTT TO LEAVE IT NEAR THE HOLE.

Look at the better competitors. They have learned to narrow their focus on the IMMEDIATE TASK - RIGHT NOW! How are they different??

1. They SLOW EVERYTHING DOWN. Including stepping back and planning this shot: They BREATHE and TAKE THEIR TIME BEFORE SETTING UP IN THEIR ROUTINE.

2. THIER PRACTICE SWING IS A SMOOTHER MOTION - Rehearsing a good tempo. THE HANDS ARE ON THE CLUB "FIRM, but SOFT" WITHOUT TENSION. (The muscles perform better this way.) When the hands get hard or tight, it transfers to the forearms and shoulders restricting natural swing and tempo.

3. On the first tee: "Finish the Backswing" allowing the lower body to lead.

4. THEY ARE NOT FOCUSSING ON THE FINAL RESULT OR SCORE. WHICH CAN BE

POISONOUS TO GOOD SCORING. (They can do that after the round.) This is the discipline that good players develop and young players WORK ON.

THEY DEVELOP A CONSISTENT ROUTINE FOR APPROACHING AND SETTING UP FOR THEIR SHOTS. THEY DON'T WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE COMFORTABLE TO HIT THE SHOT. THEY SET UP AND PULL THE TRIGGER! The longer you stand over the ball or putt, THE MORE TENSION YOU INTRODUCE TO THE SWING. YOU MUST TRUST ALL THE PRACTICE AND WORK YOU HAVE PUT IN BEFORE YOU COMPETE. AND THEN BE PATIENT THAT IT WILL SHOW UP EVENTUALLY. Yes, you will have poor shots, but your focus MUST narrow to play this shot to that tqrget and settle for the best result possible. WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG AND NEW AT THE GAME, THIS IS TOUGH TO DO, BUT IT WILL TRAIN YOU TO BECOME A BETTER TOURNAMENT COMPETITOR!

Other things that will give you a better score OR ruin a decent score:

1. TAKE THE SMALLEST PUTT SERIOUSLY. In every tournament I've played, I've watched a competitor take a short putt for granted and miss it. Many people slap at a short putt and miss. THIS STAYS WITH YOU MORE THAN A MISSED DRIVER, IRON OR WEDGE. Especially very short ones - TAKE YOUR TIME -LINE IT UP AND MAKE IT, no matter how short.

2. GETTING ANGRY - BLOWING UP If you want high scores, this is a proven way to do it. Watch the tour pros. THEY SELDOM EVER LET A POOR SHOT RUIN THE NEXT OR THEIR ROUND. THEY ALWAYS OPERATE IN THE FUTURE. They know it costs them dearly if they don't maintain their composure.

3. GOOD OR POOR SELF TALK - After missing a shot or putt, say to yourself "That's not like me." and rehearse a good stroke. Then think about your next shot. The subconscious is a powerful ally or enemy depending on what you tell it. It can't differentiate between a positive or negative thought. It reinforces whatever subject you tell it or THINK. If you think about water, it focuses on water or sand it focuses on sand. What are things you say to yourself that your subconscious listens to? "Don't hit it in the water" or "Stay out of the bunker. "Instead think "Aim Left (or Right) or Hit it to the middle of the green."

Self talk like "You Idiot" or "Dumb sh_t" will come back to haunt you. TALK TO YOURSELF POSITIVELY, your subconscious is listening.

On the First Tee: SLOW EVERYTHING DOWN, BREATHE and "FINISH THE BACKSWING"!

Putting usually seems like pressure, but that multiplies when your are in a tournament or a competitive match. Your mental presence is at least 80% of an accurate putting stroke. CONFIDENCE that you are going to make the putt is the goal of all competitive golfers and is the main trait of fine putters!

You will read about making a good stroke here instead of making putts. Sometimes a good stroke doesn't go in, but the chances of making putts are hugely increased with these principles.

FIRST: Making an accurate stroke IS ABOUT DISCIPLINE. You have a choice in putting:

1. You can lift your head as you hit your ball and watch it roll. (and hope it goes in). OR

2. YOUR CAN KEEP YOUR HEAD STILL UNTIL THE BALL IS WELL ON ITS WAY AND COMPLETE AN ACCURATE STROKE. All the successful tour pros keep their head in position until AFTER the ball has left the putter. (some turn it, but it stays in position)

When the head moves or lifts even a tiny fraction of an inch during the stroke, the putter face changes angles very slightly while the ball is still being compressed on the putter face, normally resulting in a shoved or weak putt. For Right-handed players this normally results in missing the putt to the Right. This is especially exaggerated on left to right breaking putts.

SECOND: DISTANCE (SPEED) IS MORE IMPORTANT IN PUTTING versus DIRECTION or LINING UP THE PUTTER.

Yes, determining the correct line is important, BUT THE CORRECT DISTANCE WILL LEAVE YOU A SHORTER SECOND PUTT if it doesn't go in.

So how do we become a consistent distance putter? You putt with the larger muscles - the arms and shoulders and soft hands. The smaller muscles (in the hands & fingers) want to take over AND WILL BETRAY THE PUTTING STROKE UNDER PRESSURE. Watch the pros. With the faster greens they can control their distance with arms and shoulders. Short putts are normally stroked with small movements of the arms. With some practice you'll learn to trust the arms & shoulders for more accurate distance. On longer putts rocking the shoulders and allowing the putter to go straight back and straight through will give you a dependable stroke resulting in more putts made or closer AND less 3 putts.

THIRD: PUTTING ON FASTER GREENS

The faster the greens the smoother the stroke must be. "Popping" the ball with shorter strokes usually results in poor distance control (and more 3 putts) - especially on the faster greens.

FOURTH: DEVELOP A CONSISTENT ROUTINE

The longer you stand over a putt, the more tension you introduce which is death to a good stroke. IF YOU WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE "COMFORTABLE" OVER A PUTT, you reduce your chances of a good stroke. Design a set routine. Figure out if you want to take practice strokes, the number of "looks" you want to take in a short amount of time. Approach your putt, align the putter face, take your position over the ball, take your look(s) at your target line and pull the trigger.