Singles

We played singles yesterday and finished with 301. Not bad but not great. Next time we are playing is in 3 weeks. We need to improve:

* Foursomes
* Short Game
* Confidence

Steven

Club Series

Today we played foursomes. It was a tough fight, but we could find our rythym and tempo and ended up near the bottom of the group. Afternoon we played bestball and scored much better. Tomorrow is singles and hopefully we can keep the momentum going.

Confidence in tournament Golf

Just got back from Swedish Junior Team Championship. Our team played well but lacked confidence against the other teams. I did not see much difference between the technical aspects of our players and the other teams. The biggest difference was confidence! How do we develop confidence? Dr. Bob Rotella says that confidence is nothing more than focussing on what you want the ball to do! That's it. If you really can feel the type of shot that you want and focus on it's outcome, you are by Rotella's definition CONFIDENT.

So the next time you are on the course, ask yourself: Do I focus on where the ball SHOULD go or SHOULD NOT go? If you answered SHOULD, you are confident and ready to play tournament golf. Good Luck!

Steven

Happy Mid Summer

Well, here in Sweden has another mid-summer come and with it...RAIN! What do you do when it rains on YOUR parade? Well, like me, I went to a mid-summer festival yesteday and new that it had rained the last 3 years and this festival was a 15 minute walk from our house. This year I planned to take Umbrella and Rain Gear just in case...What Happened...The skies opened up! But because I planned ahead, it wasn't so bad. This is the approach we must take in golf.

You can evaluate how you have played in various tournaments or on golf courses before and you can plan for how YOU react in various situations. Planning gives you the confidence to know that even if times get tough on the course, you have a plan B that can always get you through that situation.

Happy Mid-Summer...and don't forget your rain gear.

Baseball swing drill

Here is a great drill to help you get the ORDER of your downswing correct. This drill will help you transfer energy correctly and improve the effeciency of your swing. Good Luck.

Tournament golf

Yesterday I played my second tournament of the year. Although I hit 14 greens in regulation, I ended with (my own score) a 77. Now while the immediate thought is...GOSH...practice your short game, I did not hit the spots I needed so I left myself with impossible up and downs. I tried to hit perfect golf shots.

In tournament golf (or playing for a score), it is most important to realize that the objective is to get the ball into the hole inthe fewest humber of shots as possible. This means figuring out a swing which works for the day and finding the easiest BAILOUT areas for simple up and downs. Put these combos together and you will be well prepared for your tournament!

Warm up Routine

Here is a 5 minute video showing you an easy way to warm up before you play. What you will understand is that the most important thing in stretching is BREATHING!!!

One or Two Plane fundamentals

If you swing with a One Plane golf swing, you can not practice the elements of a Two Plane golf swing.

For example - If you have a Two Plane golf swing, you can not practice the fundamental of having a steep shoulder plane.

Another Example - If you have a One Plane golf swing, you can not practice the *BUMP* in the downswing that a Two Plane golf swing needs.

If you want to know what YOU are, please visit me at the Steven McDaniel Golf Academy.

- Good Luck
Steven