My new book, The Four Foundations of Golf, is now available on Amazon ➡
Guaranteed Lower Scores!!!
Alright hopefully I got your attention with that title, I am taking a cue from infomercials.
I have seen too many swing systems and golf products promising “guaranteed” results to your game. Golfers willingly eat them up because they are looking for the holy grail of lowering their scores.
“For only three installments of $99 we will send you all of these videos that will confuse you, and promise to focus you on parts of your game that will ultimately not lead to better scoring. I played on the PGA tour for 6 years, so I must be right. Money back guarantee!”
“Buy this awkward contraption and strap it to your arms while you practice. I am a swing coach to the pros so you will trust me. It will feel completely uncomfortable, and you will hate it after 30 minutes of using it!”
(can you smell the sarcasm???)
You can’t get to your credit card fast enough and buy the video, or the swing product. The days drag by waiting for it to arrive, and when it does you unbox it thinking that some kind of golden light will appear. Then you get bored with it two days later, and it collects dust for the next few years in your basement. You never took those strokes off your game. Also, you never took them up on their offer of sending it back to get a full refund, but they were counting on that weren’t they? Sadly, most of these products are gimmicks that are preying on your desire to find a shortcut to lower scores.
Well I’ve got a tip that will have guaranteed results for your game. Strokes WILL come off. No money will be exchanged either, I’m offering this up for free.
There will be no 12 DVD pack with 40+ hours of footage. You will not have to attach any kind of harness around your shoulders, and look like a fool at your local driving range either.
Hopefully you want this tip now. Well just hang on a little longer, let me build my case briefly here for why it will work.
Dave Pelz has always taken a scientific approach to figuring out how golfers can lower their scores. I consider him to be one of the most important thought leaders in golf. Over a period of many decades he conducted research that tracked the rounds of all kinds of golfers. He figured out that almost 65% of golf shots occur inside 100 yards of the hole. What is even more interesting is that he found 80% of shots golfers lose to par occur inside of 100 yards of the hole.
Take a moment to let that sink in; that is an incredible piece of information.
When I first read this stat in his Short Game Bible (which you should read) my eyes widened quite a bit. I had never really stopped to think about it that way. Like most of you I was obsessed with fixing my swing, and spending most of my practice time hitting full shots with my longer clubs. The golf industry has forced us into thinking that way, and we need to stop.
What is happening 100+ yards out is not the most important factor in determining your scores. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still very important to develop that part of your game. However, spending a disproportionate amount of time on your longer game is costing you valuable strokes.
Most people spend 80-90% of their time working on their full shots. It’s more fun to hit full shots, and we love seeing the ball fly through the air. There’s nothing like hitting the perfect 7 iron, it’s almost intoxicating.
OK are you ready for the tip? It’s pretty simple, but you might not like it.
If you spend the majority of your practice time working on your game inside 100 yards you will shoot lower scores.
Maybe this was a little anticlimactic for you, and I’m sorry if I disappointed you, but this is the stone cold truth. If you want lower scores then you need to work on scoring shots on the golf course. These are your full wedge shots, 30-60 yard pitches, chip shots, bunker play, and your putting.
I know, I know…it’s not as much fun working on these shots. I’m going to offer you a challenge though, and it won’t be easy.
Spend the next year focusing 60% of your practice time on shots 100 yards and in. I will help you come up with techniques and strategy on how you can spend this time. But the first step is committing. I challenged myself to do this over a year ago, and I am playing the best golf of my life because of it.
I guarantee you at the end of the year you will be scoring lower.
So who’s coming with me???!!!
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