starting my own business

It has been a tough decision to go out on my own and start my own instructional business.  I thought it was going to be easy and quick.  It has not been quick at all.  There were several hoops I had to jump through in order to get to where I am now.  Business plans, shopping for equipment, setting up a website, developing a name, designing a logo, and oh yea a place to teach!  It has always been a goal of mine to do my own thing and in just a week or two it will all come to a reality.  Thank goodness for my marketing degree, colleagues, website designer, friends, and family.  I could definitely not have done all of the legwork on my own.  My website is done.  Now I am hitting the pavement trying to meet new clients and let everyone know what I offer.  Check out the website please!
http://www.potentialgolf.com/

What??

It's incredible when you get into a bad putter's head and ask them what they are thinking about.  I hear things like, "i feel like i have to hit it to a foot to make a birdie", "if i don't make this 8 footer for birdie im an idiot", "i should make this", "if i dont make this birdie putt it's ok, ill still make par", "i'm just trying to get it close from 25 feet".  Most of these people don't like putting, make excuses about the greens, dread walking onto a green or practicing putting for that matter, try to score better by hitting it better, don't percieve putting as fun, think their technique is flawed, switch equipment alot, and change grips frequently.  These students are barking up the wrong tree.  If you percieve putting as a chore that you hate you will never make anything.  If you are trying to miss or hoping to get it close, you will never make anything.  It's all about attitude and having a short memory.  If you miss a putt just make the next one.  A 4 foot birdie putt counts the same as a 40 foot double bogey putt.  1 stroke.  Shouldn't we be trying to make every putt no matter the distance or for what score it is for.  I know I do.  Get rid of all the have to's, shoulds, and if's.  Just putt to make and have that mindset of an 8 year old playing putt putt.  If you think about it too much or are afraid to miss you might end up looking like this guy!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wQq9YWZ568

Tiger's putting woes

This is a tremendous article that was written by Rick Reilly.  It is pretty funny, very informative, and interesting.  I didn't know that Tiger is winless on the PGA Tour after that day in 2010 at the British Open that he went to the Nike putter.  Tiger was one of the best putters on the planet in his hayday.  Unfortunately for him his life has been turned upside down.  He lacks the support he once had from his father, he lacks the fun he used to have before everyone thought he was a sex addict, he lacks the confidence he once had because he is second guessing his technique (which doesn't look good in my opinion), and that Scotty Cameron putter he won 13 majors with.  Dude, you don't need the money from Nike!  Or do you?  Gotta pay that child support!  Haha.  It's gonna be fun to watch what happens in the near future with this broken man....
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7624365/tiger-putting-woes
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7624365/tiger-putting-woes

Congrats

Congrats to Yoshio Yamamoto for winning the Hooters Tour Carolina Series event held the last three days at the Barefoot Resort's Norman Course.  Yoshio carded rounds of 69, 70, and 70 to win by one and cashed a winner's check of $3900.  Yosh said the key to his tournament was just to stay patient and let it come to him.  PAYtients was the key this week!!

Expectations

"Your own expectations are dangerous.  The good times and the bad times in golf are so different," Graeme McDowell.  After a stellar season in 2010, McDowell plummeted in 2011.  The main reason?  According to him it was all in his mind.  His expectations were so high after the US Open win it was hard for him to achieve anything, much less have any success.  When you set your goals/expectations so high that you can't reach them you are setting yourself up for daily disappointment.  This process can snowball.  It is very important when you set your goals for the upcoming season that you do a few things:1) write them down, 2) tell everyone around you about them (accountability), 3) make them extremely attainable, 3)  Set a timetable for checkups, 4) Figure out what you are going to do on a daily basis to achieve these goals (regiment).  If you do these things and work at it, there is a great chance you can have some success.  Good Luck.

Daly Quits Again

When is enough enough?  John Daly withdrew from an event in Australia this week because he ran out of golf balls.  It all started when he hit a wrong ball out of a bunker and proceeded to three putt from a few feet.  On the next hole he hit 7 balls into the same water hazard.  Are you kidding me!  I used to think this guy was great for golf, and he was for a while, but this has turned into a circus.  Johnny boy has withdrew over 30 times in the last 10 years.  He is a complete embarrassment for himself and anyone who gives him an invitation to play in an event.  Attitude is everything in golf and you have to have a good one to be on top.  Big John has the worst one and he is fittingly at the bottom.  His current world ranking...666!

Technical Tuesday

The term accelerate in putting is getting a lot of you in big trouble.  Yes the putter head should accelerate but only at the right time.  Bad putters move the putter head the fastest after impact because they think they need to accelerate.  Doing this really hinders your distance control and roll of the ball.  Good putters get their putter head up to top speed quickly in the forward swing and maintain that speed until impact and then it gradually slows down.  To make it simple:  If you struggle with distance your backstroke is probably too short and you are accelerating the club head too late(after impact).  In order to improve: Practice a backstroke that is longer than your follow through.  It will seem very "punchy", but that is ok.  Let the weight of the ball slow you momentum of the putter.  Light grip pressure helps.  Any added force at impact or after impact is deadly!!