In this Podcast Ian Renshaw, an Associate Professor at QUT, Ian and I discuss Tiger’s practice history and what we can learn from study expertise.
Topic Covered:
Becoming one with the club and ball.
The Games Tiger played and you can play too to heighten your awareness of what the club and ball can do.
Ultimately so that you can self-coach yourself.
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In this week’s podcast, Ian [Renshaw] and I talk about chapter two in our e-book Swing like Tiger – Tiger’s Toy. In the chapter, and on the podcast, Ian and I discuss how we want you to become a student of your golf clubs. We want you to interrogate them, to feel them, to hold them in different ways, to heft and wield them, and to listen to the sounds they make when you swing them. Our goal is that you become an expert in your golf clubs.
Even as a baby, Tiger’s Toy was a golf club. “…Tiger’s dad, Earl, gave Tiger a cut down putter that he used to drag around the house instead of a comforter or a teddy bear…right from the word go, Tiger was learning to use that tool. He became at one with that tool. The club became a part of him…” [link to podcast at 06:50?] How long did it take Tiger to become at one with his tools? Well, here he is on US television hitting balls at just two years of age! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxPmzIKBris
So, you’ve listened to the podcast but what can you do THIS WEEK to improve your awareness and feel for a golf club, become one with that tool? Well, there are loads of games and drills that you can try at the end of chapter two of the book. You can find our e-book and e-course at www.swingliketiger.com - come join us if you haven’t already.
For our Practice Thinkers our recommended game of the week is The 3 Gate drill [link]. This game encourages you to explore club path and club face orientation, setting up to a target but then manipulating path and face to change start line. We’d love to see your results from playing this game, hear how you got on in the forum, so please share your results and learnings with us. Mark, one of our Practice Thinkers is going to lead on this, encourage the conversation in the forum - get you involved, get you getting better at golf, becoming a Practice Thinker.
Later in the podcast we explore awareness of the club still further “…There are lots of examples of Tiger’s dad's talking about them playing in the dark. Or when he would call shots in the middle of Tiger’s backswing and Tiger would have to manipulate himself and the golf club to hit that shot during his golf swing…”
“…Now, if you're a high handicapper, we're not asking you to do this kind of exercise immediately. There are much simpler exercises for you to try. A simple one is to shut your eyes and take the club to top of your backswing and guess where the head of golf club is. Most amateur golfers can't do that. They have no idea where the head of the golf club is. So, something you could do in the house or in the back garden - shut your eyes and imagine there's a ray of light coming out of the club face. Go to the top of your backswing and guess where that ray of light is pointing. A lot of golfers will not be able to tell. And that, to me, is a key indicator that you are not at one with your golf clubs like Tiger is. Not even if you were to swing in small motion. And that's fundamental, isn't it?...”
The bonus video for chapter two of Swing Like Tiger shows Tiger at a clinic describing how he practices deliberately hitting the ball out of the heel of his driver to give him a “heel cut” (or a necky fade as we would call it in Scotland!), a low fade that he could rely on to get the ball in play further than his three wood but more controlled than his normal driver swing. Why not play our Toe, Heel and Centre game and explore the idea of hitting the ball in different areas of the clubface. Like Tiger, we want you to hit shots off the heel, toe, and centre of the club.
· Can you hit three shots in a row from each part of the club?
· Can you hit each one in turn?
· How many can you do in a row?
· How many can you do in a row with a different club each time?
What do you notice in terms of start direction, ball flight and outcomes? We’d encourage you to explore this and share your results and reflections in the Practice Thinkers Forum.
“…If you're aware of what the tool [golf club] can and cannot do, and you're aware of what it's doing in the present moment, of how you're feeling, how you're swinging today, then you can manipulate it…I love the story Jack Nicholas tells about how Jack Grout, who coached Jack from twelve years old. Jack said that Grout taught him in a way that allowed him to self-coach himself, so that he could change his golf swing in a tournament, he [Jack] described how he had done it several times, even when leading a Major with six holes to go and the ball wasn't doing what he was wanting it to do, so he manipulated his club face and golf swing to make it do what he wanted it to!...”
When did you last explore in this way? Get involved, get better at golf, become a Practice Thinker
The Practice Thinkers website is now live. www.practicethinkers.com
It's completely free to join, full the free games for you to play on the course and on the range. We also have our Habit Tracker in there so you can track your practice and the games that you are playing. There’s an armoury spreadsheet that we go into more detail about when you sign up. Finally, there's a great forum for you to share your thoughts, experiences of practice, and ask any questions as well as request new games. There are over fifty games uploaded already and they cover all aspects of the game – driving, iron play, putting - on course and on the range.
This week, anybody signing up to Practice Thinkers will be entered into draw for a month’s free online coaching with me, which has a value of £200. Sign up for the Practice Thinkers Games Depot today. If you’re already a Practice Thinker you can fill out the survey on my website for a free thirty-minute consultation, following that you'll also go into a prize draw for a free month's practice consultation with me.
And there's a Bertie bonus! If you don't win and still want to talk to me about how to become a practice thinker and improve your game and your practice just complete the short survey and see if you qualify for a free thirty minute consultation with me, something that has a value of £100. https://www.practicethinkers.com/free-practice-chat
Get involved, get better at golf, become a Practice Thinker
Until next time, Pete