Page 34 - Golf Champion - DEcember 2020

[GOLF LESSON]

OFF SEASON OPPORTUNITIES

비시즌에서의 기회를 놓치지 마라

few years ago, I wrote about the phenomenon of If there’s a part of your game that’s significantly weaker,
A spend the time there. However, as a former colleague
cold-weather climate collegiate golf teams coming
into Spring Season performing as well as their
and expert in both Tour and amateur statistics taught
West Coast competitors who had been able to practice me, and which I reluctantly accepted a decade ago,
on the course all winter. I shared what my teachers had Driving Distance is Key. For many players, the greatest
shared with me, that the opportunity to work through improvement they can make is in their driving distance
mechanics using video and mirrors and indoor training (and the spin/trajectory outputs the can be tracked using
aids helped to refine mechanics that might otherwise get the latest launch monitors). I find that getting even
overlooked by an over reliance on on-course practice. a single lesson with a pro on one of these devices can
With the advent of indoor simulators, particularly those help players practice and improve much more efficiently
that can deeply analyze path, angle of attack, spin, carry than banging endless balls on the range. The key to vast
distance, and total distance, there is ever-more hope that improvement is knowing exactly what will make the
the offseason can be a time of significant improvement biggest difference - and then most importantly - putting
for golfers of every ability. If you are stuck in an off- in the time, with the right oversight, to reap the rewards.
season and want to come out stronger when warm Technology makes that possible, even in winter.
weather arrives, consider the following.
3. Finally, Optimize. Never before have players been
1. Real versus Feel. When I taught more beginners than able to optimize their swing, shaft, club heads, and
professionals, people would ask me why I relied so golfballs. The explosion in the number of shaft/clubhead
heavily on technology with students who could barely combinations has revolutionized the game. With proper
break 120. The truth was that no matter of our ability, fitting, the ball will travel farther and on higher, more
we all have a “sense” of what we’re doing during the consistent trajectories than ever before. If you haven’t
golf swing, but that “sense” is almost always WRONG. yet explored how technology and shaft/clubhead
I remember standing on a Par 3 with a Tour Player combinations can improve your game, you’re missing
pleading with him to accept that he was swinging over out.
the top, and in the face of a ball that started left of target
and spun back right, he insisted that he wasn’t. It was As you think about how to use your time and resources in
unnecessary but common frustration. We feel differently the off-season, I strongly encourage you to find an indoor
than what is real, and technology can help you begin to at practice center with the latest simulator technology. Even
least understand tendencies, and hopefully work toward if you’re only able to spend an hour or two a month, you’ll
more optimal habits. Use technology in the off-season to be amazed by what the experience can give you. Working
qualitatively measure your tendencies, and commit to a with technology, even in winter, will help you bridge the
few fixes that will yield dividends. gap between your sensations and the mechanics that lead
to improvement, and vast improvement is possible with
2. Improve Vastly. As you think about what would most some dedicated practice and optimizing the equipment
benefit you coming out of the off-season, I like to break that you take out to the course when spring arrives.
down scoring opportunities and previous scoring habits.

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