TIGER'S COMEBACK: HOGAN STYLE

Two years ago I published Hogan’s Ghost in which I dedicated Chapter Eight to Tiger’s comeback. Here is some of that:

As of this writing, September 2014, it is no secret that Tiger Woods’ lifetime goal to surpass Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 Major Championships is in jeopardy. With Tiger’s recent injuries and surgeries it appears that he will remain mired at 14 Majors. Tiger’s last Major victory was the U.S. Open, June 2008.

At this point, I am going to draw some parallels between Ben Hogan’s post-accident situation, where he nearly died in a collision with a bus, in 1949 with Tiger Woods’ situation of 2014.

In November of 1949, when Hogan resumed physical golfing activities he was 37 years of age, and he had won only 3 major championships during the entirety of his, up to that point, 20 year professional career.

In November, 2014, Tiger will be 38 years of age when he says he will resume his golfing career. I submit that not only are they approximately the same age, but they are roughly of the same playing ability and talent levels all things considered.

“I was a much better golfer before the accident than I ever was afterward.” Ben Hogan

A diminished Ben Hogan, by his own estimation, came back from his accident to win the 1950 U.S. Open, and then preceded to win 5 more majors, over the next 4 seasons. Should Tiger replicate what Hogan did, at roughly the same age and after suffering major injuries, Tiger should win at least 6 more Majors. Shouldn’t he?

If Tiger does what Ben Hogan did, would Tiger get what Hogan got? My answer is yes, if he does what Hogan did, and my answer would be “Who knows” if he doesn’t, but my guess would be No!

Ok, so what did Hogan do?

First, Hogan learned that his “old golf swing” wasn’t going to work any longer. His physical limitations forced modifications to what he used to do. His injuries didn’t require a “new swing” or an abandonment of his principles. (He wrote the “Five Lessons” many years after this period of adjustment.)

“I used to go in on my left leg as much as anybody, or more. …I used to play the ball up and go forward to catch it.” Ben Hogan

So how was the ball striking after the rehab and the rebuild? Well, when he was 54, which was ten years after his last major win:

"Hogan shot 281 for a third-place tie. Of the 281 shots, 141 were taken in reaching the greens. Of the 141, 139 were rated from well-executed to superbly executed. The remaining two were a drive that missed the fairway by some 5 yards and a 5-iron to a par-3 hole that missed the green by about the same distance. It was difficult, if not impossible to conceive of anybody hitting the ball better over a four-day span." Cary Middlecoff

(You may have noticed that Hogan averaged 35 putts per round, in the above reference, which explains the 3rd place finish. The putting drills which are now part of “Hogan’s Ghost” were not part of Hogan’s practice routine as per his admonition.)

So what am I saying? Hogan “dug it out of the dirt” again, and so can Tiger Woods. All he has to do is that which works, and the golf ball will tell him what works!

“The ultimate judge of your swing is the flight of the ball.”  Ben Hogan

Second, Hogan modified his “practice” to accommodate his broken body. He became much more focused on “deliberately practicing” than in the past. He loved to hit balls, but now he had to be mindful of the toll being demanded for excess. He had to make each ball count for something, and he always wrote down what he was doing and how it was coming.

“I am trying to play myself back in shape. I just haven’t had enough competition. I’m hitting the ball as well as I ever did, but I’ve lost the knack of scoring.” Ben Hogan

You must be aware that Hogan played a very limited schedule after the accident. In fact, he only played in 6 official events in 1953, winning 5! So where did the “competition” come from? I submit it came from his preparation.

Scoring drills, as outlined in Chapter Four of Hogan’s Ghost, provide the repetitions to improve scoring skills, and The Advanced Scoring activities, highlighted in Chapter Five, provide the competition to sharpen those skills to major tournament levels.

Third, Hogan knew he wasn’t as good as before, and he knew everyone else knew as well. But what he knew, that no one else even suspected, was that he didn’t have to be as good as he once was. He just had to be good enough.

“Placing the ball in the right position for the next shot is 80% of winning golf.”  Ben Hogan

In Chapter Six of Hogan’s Ghost, I disclosed the true secret to Hogan’s greatness. As a refresher, I told you that ½ was “how” to practice and the other half was “what” to practice. He didn’t practice golf swing! Hogan practiced “positioning” and trajectory.

I submit that Tiger will win 6 more majors in the next 5 years if he does what Hogan did!

My book “Hogan’s Ghost” is available thru Amazon.com. You can see what I do at http://edmyersgolf.com/ #golfsparring. You can contact me at edmyersgolf@gmail.com

“STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES”

It’s that time of year again when hundreds of players from all of the recognized tours from around the world have lost, will lose or are in the process of losing their “cards” or playing privileges. As the adoring public revels in the successes of the few at the Ryder Cup, Tour Championship or the Race to Dubai, the vanquished are licking their wounds, making their excuses, and they are making plans to stage a comeback. And what are most of them planning on doing? They’re going to look up a new, or old, golf teacher and take golf swing lessons. Then they are going to “practice” really, really hard when they finally find that something they were missing last year. 

Albert Einstein is commonly attributed to have said “the definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.”

He probably didn't but it sounds good, so let's go with it.

All that playing professionals have done their entire golfing lives has been to practice really hard, hit lots and lots of golf balls and take lessons. Lots and lots of golf balls and lots and lots of lessons. So unless, and until, they are going to learn how to do it in some new and magical way, which could take years, or a lifetime, they already do it well enough. That’s how they became touring professionals in the first place! Do you want to know how a one-time professional golfer becomes the new assistant manager at the neighborhood IHOP? He makes swing changes before he banks a couple of million dollars. That’s how!

Now, I’ll get to the point. Do you want to know what these players need to do to earn and then keep their playing status? They must learn how to score! There is one overriding fact: the guys who shoot the lowest scores make the most money. The guys who, 98% of the time, have the lowest scoring averages keep their cards. Obvious! But, what’s not so obvious is that there is no direct correlation between how well a ball is struck and how low the score will be!


So what am I saying? The art of scoring is always turning, somehow, 3 shots into 2. Which, is almost always accomplished by managing the strengths, the weaknesses and the variables of one's game. And it never hurts to have a short game and putt really, really well!

“Golf is 20% percent talent and 80 percent management” Ben Hogan

My book “Hogan’s Ghost” is available thru Amazon.com. You can see what I do at http://edmyersgolf.com/ #golfsparring. You can contact me at edmyersgolf@gmail.com

ARE YOU READY FOR SOMETHING NEW!

Golf Scoring Academy

I’m going to establish, as featured in my book Hogan’s Ghost, a structured training experience here in Memphis that focuses on Scoring. Meaning turning 3 shots into 2 more often. That is of course if one of my PGA Tour player clients wants to hang his name over the front door. The Academy will not be a short game school, and it will not be a golf school. There will be no golf swing or other forms of instruction. There will be no conflict with any teacher or instructor. In fact we will solicit their referrals! What we do is Practice, Drill and Rehearse, and then we go out and do it.

“There are two things that don’t last very long. Dogs chasing cars and pros putting for pars.” Lee Trevino.

This Academy will offer a Basic Scoring Program where we Practice and Drill and an Advanced Scoring Program where we Train, Prepare and Rehearse. Each program has its own separate and challenging workbook. We also have my highly successful Remedial Program, which is supervised practice, where players will have the opportunity to work on their fundamentals, drills proposed by their instructors or deficiencies as revealed by the scoring program they are enrolled in. All of these programs are demanding, and they are based upon the idea that “it pays to be a winner,” and the concept that “the only easy day was yesterday.”

Who are potential clients?

Over 200 2016 Web.com players will not earn a PGA Tour card this year.

Over 100 2016 PGA Tour players will lose their card this year.

Over 120 2016 PGA Tour Champions will not qualify for the play-offs.

There will be over 500 entrees for the Web.com pre-qualifying Q-school.

There will be over 400 entrees for the Web.com 1^st stage Web.com Q-school.

Those ranked in the Official World Golf Rankings from 200 to 1857.

There are over 1000 players who are ranked 1857 in the OWGR.

I also believe there will be 150 PGA Tour players who don’t qualify for East Lake

Not to mention:

There are over a 1000 players on Division One college golf teams

It is estimated that there is over 153,000 amateurs with single digit USGA handicaps.

Not to mention the 1,000’s of international players.

The secret to success, if you will, is to have and demonstrate the required determination, desire, dedication and discipline to constantly strive for perfection. You will shoot lower scores, while not doing stupid stuff! Stop chasing cars!

My book “Hogan’s Ghost” is available thru Amazon.com. You can see what I do at http://edmyersgolf.com. #hogan'sghost. You can contact me at edmyersgolf@gmail.com

Overachieving is Overrated!

Saw an interview with Zach Johnson, who is the poster boy for “overachievement”, and he was none too happy with the assertion that he is less “talented” than his bigger, stronger and more athletic rivals. Johnson was quite forceful in his defense that in some ways he is more talented than he is given credit for. Johnson stressed that dedication, desire, determination and discipline are the indispensable ingredients to his success, and they must be viewed as talents! Why you may ask? Because the game of golf, and your ultimate success, is based upon your ability to post a score, not upon your ability to hit the ball. This is counter intuitive, I realize, but it’s none the less true.

“There are no born golfers. Some have more natural ability than others, but they’ve all been made.” Ben Hogan

Now, I know that it may take an adjustment in thinking to accept the idea that discipline, for an example, is a natural ability that can be nurtured, practiced and improved just as ball striking can be practiced and improved. So what's self-discipline? It’s “the ability to make yourself do things that should be done.” Zach Johnson says that he makes himself do the things that improve his ability to discipline his practice, training and preparation which improves his ability to score.

So, what are those things? First, he hired a “Statistician” to review his performance, in both play and practice, in order to identify those things that must be improved. Second, all practice is scheduled in advance by his team which, focuses on improvement. Third, everything is recorded in logs, diaries or what I call “Practice Books.” (My book, “Hogan’s Ghost” shows you how you can bring discipline to your preparation should hiring the help you need not be an option.)

In the past, I have sent unsolicited promotional copies of “Hogan’s Ghost” to players who, in my opinion, would benefit from a fresh prospective. With Gene Sauers winning of the US Senior Open and Jimmie Walker winning the PGA, leaves only Sean O’Hair as a book recipient who hasn’t benefited. But, it may be the case that Sean didn’t actually get it, or he hasn’t read it. In any case, if someone would check with Sean to see which option is true, I would appreciate it.

“LUCK is the consistent ability to capitalize on events over which you have no control. VISION is talented people thinking the unthinkable and attempting the impossible. COMMITMENT is the willingness to pay the price necessary to cause luck and vision to happen.” Jack Nicklaus

My book “Hogan’s Ghost” is available thru Amazon.com. https://lnkd.in/b5xh8us. You can see what I do at http://edmyersgolf.com. #hogan'sghost.

Why Your Game Sucks!

“I practice and play every day and I don’t get any better” is a statement that I have heard many times in the past from tour pros to weekend warriors. They are frustrated and disappointed, and they should be! First, because what they call practice isn’t PRACTICE and second, what they think of as playing is really just recreation.

 “The intensity of playing competitive golf is completely different than just horsing around playing 18 holes and practicing.” Nick Faldo

First, practice has a definition, which is: “performing an activity or skill repeatedly so as to improve or maintain proficiency in it.” So, practice is repetition. I use a system labeled as “Deliberate Practice,” which is based upon the definition that Ben Hogan used in his practice. You can learn about deliberate practice from my website: edmyersgolf.com.

What’s a skill? “An ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic, and sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carryout a complex activity.” 

Second, for the sake of discussion, there are 32 specific, measurable and definable skills associated with playing great golf. So, all that is required is sustained effort to improve all 32 skills. I would suggest that those skills that have demonstrated substandard results be improved quickly.

Now, for the bombshell. If you are practicing perfectly there isn’t any way to insert, replicate or create pressure in practice. You can insert stupid, ineffective and worthless, not to mention damaging, but you can’t add intensity. Practicing then, by definition, isn’t preparation for playing competitive golf.

So, if it isn’t practice that prepares you for success, what does? Preparation to be effective consists of three major areas: Remedial, Practice and Training.

Remedial is learning and/or making changes to the golf swing, setup, stance or grip etc. They are specific activities usually preformed statically, independently or in slow motion.

Practice you have already learn about above.

Training consists of Drills and Rehearsals. Drills are game application of skills where pressure and accountability are introduced. My book, Hogan’sGhost, details these activities and my basic scoring program provides a workbook featuring 40 hours of instruction and drills. Drills, like practice, are conducted mostly on the range or practice area.

Rehearsals are conducted on the course. By “controlling the circumstances” pressure, stress and intensity can be introduced through the round. There is no “horsing around.” Stress is normally introduced by uncertainty. Stress alters blood chemistry. Stress is a killer. I have developed a program for both amateurs and professionals. Give me a call at (901) 258-9612 to discuss your suitability.

“I did my interviews afterwards and I said it didn’t affect me at all,” Lowry said. “But when I look back on it, it did.”

My book “Hogan’s Ghost” is available thru Amazon.com. https://lnkd.in/b5xh8us. You can see what I do at http://edmyersgolf.com. #hogan'sghost.

Stress is a Killer!

"A tournament is an anticlimax to preparation, the way I see it." Ben Hogan.

What an exciting US Open tournament despite the distractions. Congrats to Dustin Johnson. As Dustin said he had “knocked on the door several times” and now he’s overcome the “crushing defeats” of the recent past to become a major champion. Meaning he had gained the necessary experience forged in the crucible of combat to finally prevail.

That being said can you believe the meltdowns of his fellow competitors? Talk about crushing defeats! But look at the bright side, each one has gained valuable experience. They have felt the stress that internalized pressure can produce. They now know the feeling, but to a lesser degree, of what combat does to the ability to think, respond, act and to function.

But wait, some of my favorite veteran players, who have melted down in the past just did it again. How many times has Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott been in the hunt and thrown away a tournament? I’m not going to be super critical of the new guys because they did gain some valuable experience and no one expected them to do anything anyway.

Now with that being said, a “Meltdown” is the third, and most extreme form of “Choking.” A meltdown is the inability to do what you think you do, or to do the things you have done. It occurs when the blood chemistry alters your physical reality. Adrenaline, Cortisol and Norepinephrine are introduced into the blood stream when we are stressed. They have the effect of speeding up some things, suppressing others and in general they change our ability to react, respond and to perform. For example, Paul Azinger said he could feel his pulse in his finger tips and he couldn’t eat because his taste buds were effected. Azinger recounted, during the telecast, that Tom Watson had said that he couldn’t win until he learned to slow down his heart rate by controlling his breathing.

So what’s the take away from this? Preparation. which is more than practice and playing before a tournament, must take into account the kind of pressure that stresses us. Preparation then becomes training. The military learned a long time ago that soldiers that train in simulated stressful activities can perform as well as those who have actually experienced those activities!

I submit that for a tournament to be anticlimactic, preparation must be intense, effective and stressful.

Next time I will address the differences between practice and training. (And I am a combat veteran.)

I wrote a book called “Hogan’s Ghost” which is available thru Amazon.com that will help identify the problems and suggest solutions. https://lnkd.in/b5xh8us. You can see what I do at http://edmyersgolf.com

Do the Math!

Did you see the movie The Martian? I did last week, and the reasons for my frustration with professional golfers became clear. “Space does not cooperate!” Translation: what you think, believe, trust and hope doesn’t matter. Your “process” doesn’t matter because life, reality, success and failure are not based on you. Life does not cooperate. If our hero astronaut had stuck to his process, he would have died. If you stick to what’s not working in the current environment, your career is going to die!

“Do the math:” make a calculation or come to a conclusion based on the relevant facts and figures, typically with the implication that the result is or should be obvious.

From the movie: “This is it! This is how I am! Now, you can either accept that or you can get to work. That’s all it is. You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem. Then you solve the next one. Then the next. If you solve enough problems you get to come home.”

Here is what I’m talking about. “I am frustrated with my poor results lately. There is no doubt about that. I work really hard on my game, and it feels bad to play poorly for an extended period. In the last 11 weeks, I have played nine PGA Tour events and made just one cut. That is not good.” (He has now missed the cut in 13 of 14 events, and failed to qualify for the US Open.)

Then he says: “when I take a step back and see a broader perspective, I know that I am doing great. My "big-picture" trend of improvement and accomplishment is incredible; and I have the work-ethic and attitude to ensure that it continues. My process is all about steady improvement over time, and my plan works. I'm not changing. I'll keep getting better, and I will get out of this rut.”

“I have felt that my game is better than the scores.” Wrong! Your game is the scores you post! Your job is to post scores. Your job is to survive. You do that by solving problems, not by working on them. Do the math!

I wrote a book called “Hogan’s Ghost” which is available thru Amazon.com that will help identify the problems and suggest solutions. https://lnkd.in/b5xh8us You can see what I do at edmyersgolf.com