OT how hard it is to finish

[Michael Felton]

I can choke big time on the range trying to impress my teacher or if he comes up when I am about to hit a shot on course. If one of the touring pros drives up when I am about to hit I freak out a little. Not sure why, they see worse than me all the time.

I once went and got a lesson from a guy down in Florida. Great coach. Anyway. I was quite nervous when we were getting started and he noticed and said to me "hold on. I can see you're a little nervous. Let me just say nothing you do is going to impress me and nothing you do is going to surprise me. Whatever you do, I've seen better and I've seen worse. Just hit it." Words to live by. I asked him subsequently if anyone had ever impressed him and he said yes once; he saw Tiger hit a 60 yard hook and a 60 yard slice both with a 5 iron that landed within 5 feet of each other at an exhibition.

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I could write way too long a post....




The players I saw play close to their best for a good period of time, not just a good tournament here and there,
Were in the moment all the time, and had incredible focus on every task, every shot...everything.


Great players have one focused voice all the time


Guys like me have a committee in their head

I hear that. I watched a video a little while ago about Tiger's pre shot routine. It was from the 2000 US Open at Pebble. The video showed about 15 shots that he hit and, whether it was a wedge or a driver or anything in between, from when he stepped towards the ball until impact was between 13.3 and 13.7 seconds every single time. Doing that just doesn't give an opportunity for those doubts to appear. Incredible stuff. Video also quoted Tiger talking about Jack and saying that you could time his pre shot routine and it was always the same. There might just be something to that.

[Jim Nugent]

Two reasons Jack was able to play conservatively:

1)  His prodigious length and control let him tear up the par 5s, which were more like long par 4s for him;

2)  His tee-to-green play and putting were so good, he didn't make many bogeys on the other holes.  He played a lot of regulation golf there, i.e. fairways, greens and two putts.   


So go a few under each round on the par 5s.  Play the rest of the course around even par.  You average 69 to 70 for the season, without risking big blowups. 


And when you to turn on the after-burners, like the last nine holes in 1986, if you're Jack Nicklaus you certainly have the horsepower to do so. 

[Kalen Braley]

Great players have one focused voice all the time

Guys like me have a committee in their head

Pat,


But some of us are team players and we care more about the group than the individual achievement, so don't be too hard on yourself!


P.S.  It was stated earlier that experience and training are the keys to success, but I'm not sure if Norman or Spieth would agree with that!