Sam Goulden Golf Blog

I was on the phone with “Kelly” from travelers insurance yesterday and she mentioned that she was having trouble getting the ball in the air - especially with her hybrids.

Well, there is a lot of psychology involved in getting the ball airborne.  The first thing we all try to do in getting an object to move “up” is to swing up at it.  This works just fine in sports like baseball and tennis.  When the ball is suspended in the air, we have no trouble getting the bat under the ball and swinging up at it.  However, in golf, the ball is sitting on the ground.  The trouble with a ball sitting on the ground is that if we try to get our club under the ball to hit up, we will bang the club into the ground.  This causes problem number two.  We now think that we swung too low so the next time we swing a little higher.  We graze the grass and then top the ball.  So, hitting it fat (hitting the ground before the ball) and hitting it thin (topping) are the same problem.. I’ll explain.  If I think that I must get the club traveling up at impact to make it fly, I will have a “bottom of my swing arc” problem.  That is to say that my club will reach its lowest point before striking the ball.  This will cause a club either missing the ground and then hitting the ball too high (thin) or hitting the ground and getting a fat shot.

So, to fix, the psychology of the hit is very simple.  Just remember that in order to hit the ball cleanly,  one must strike it very near the lowest point in their swing “arc”.  Bottoming out too early causes fat and thin shots.  ”Then how does it go in the air”?  The club has loft built in.  Just contacting the ball cleanly will ensure that the ball has loft.

Next time at the range, Kelly, focus on getting the bottom of your swing arc right at the ball rather than before it.

Let me know how you do!

Is it fair to say that we are all a little too caught up in swing plane?  I was working very hard to get my club on a plane that I thought was going to help me be more consistent. In fact, the last two years of practice have been devoted almost entirely to getting more “on plane”.  I have to say, I hit the ball so STRAIGHT with my driver it was sickening.  In my PAT I was -5 through 27 holes because I was in the center of the fairway all day long. That format is set up to play from about 6500 yards.  Distance was not a factor.  When I started playing in other tournaments, I noticed I was well behind my playing competitors.  I also noticed that I wasn’t hitting it far enough to even have a chance.

Over the winter I threw out swing plane and focused entirely on creating more speed through impact.  This did two things.  One, it gave me a 100 mph club-head speed with a 6-iron.  Two, it made me miss fairways. What I had gained in distance I had lost in accuracy.  So, needless to say, this season has been a learning experience.  I have been scoring better as I get more comfortable playing competitively.  But, I have decided that I must blend my need for length and my need for accuracy in order to reach my goals.

I have been working harder over the past few weeks to achieve fundamentally sound “dynamics”.  I am hitting my SW 100-105 yards with a 75% swing.  The great thing is, I’m flagging it!  I hit 2-iron, 6-iron into the bottom of the stick on my first hole last night.  Six inch tap in… Second hole was D, 5-iron to eight feet for birdie #2.  I nearly birdied 3 and I walked off #4 green 3 under wishing the sun would stay in the sky but knowing that my perfect round was coming to an end.

I have just Three very important words to wrap up… Dynamically Sound Fundamentals.

Comment or email for more insight and literature on these topics.

Our founding fathers had it right.  They did not say that all men were entitled to happiness.  They said that we were all entitled to the pursuit of happiness.  This means that we should all be allowed and even enabled to pursue happiness.  

In golf, the pursuit of happiness is why we play.  We hit one shot that encompasses everything we know we are capable of achieving.  We play one round or maybe just nine holes that shows us our ability.  Does this mean that the goal of golf is to achieve the perfect round of golf?  Does the perfect round even exist?  And if we were to play that perfect round, is that true happiness?  

I believe that those of us that pursue golf happiness are actually already happy.  I feel that as long as we are able to correct our mistakes, we are happy.  Does this mean that we will always hit perfect shots or play perfect rounds and thus attain golf happiness?  No, this simply means that we have the golf specific knowledge that allows us to pursue that perfect round of golf.  Golf is “not a game of perfect”, as Tom Watson once famously stated and Bob Rotella made famous.  If this is the case, let’s realize that it’s the pursuit of happiness that makes the game enjoyable.. not “happiness” in and of itself.

In your game, remember that it is the pursuit of the perfect shot that makes the game fun.  Not the perfect shot.. If you hit all perfect shots, it would not be so enjoyable to do so.

Well, we are on the brink of a new season and though the weather hasn’t exactly broken, the spring is just around the corner.  There have been some big changes in my life recently with starting a new position at Glen Echo CC in St. Louis.  As I’m sure many of you know, I have truly enjoyed the past four years at Wolf Hollow.  I hope that the relationships that have been such a staple in my life can continue.  I will have limited time in Washington but am offering golf schools at Big Driver that hopefully will allow us to maintain our growth as friends and players. 

As a new season starts, I invariably tend to think about my goals for the coming year.  One big change I will make this year is to practice more on short game and wedge play.  We talk a lot about getting our swings in good shape to avoid penalties and give ourselves more birdie opportunities.  This has been the theme of my practice sessions over the past few years and it has paid off.  I now feel very competent when making a full swing on even the tightest tee shot or longest par three.  The time to practice the short game is at hand.  Getting to the green in regulation is the first battle, getting it in the hole is the next priority.  Some of you are at this place now as well.  We have put in the time on the driving range and now need to focus on scoring.  Some of you still need to refine your swings to put yourselves in scoring position.  

This year I want to help you all get to the place where I am now.  It is a great place to be. Knowing that you can trust your swing and just go out and play. I will have video analysis set up to help with the full swing practice.  I have also created a tracking sheet to zoom in on the areas that need the most improvement. Tracking all stats is often an eye-opening experience and one that we can all benefit from. 

I look forward to working with you all this year and I can’t wait to help you reach your goals in 2009!  Please don’t hesitate to call or email to set up a lesson series.  Talk to you soon!

Sometimes I get caught up in the idea of where I’ll be in the future.  I think that my practice is going to lead me to my goal.  I think that if I work hard, I will be rewarded by achieving greatness.  Maybe we all get caught up in thinking about the future a little too much.  Yesterday I was hitting balls and toward the end of my practice session I was really striping it.  I kept thinking about how great it felt to hit the ball so well.  I wasn’t thinking about the next tournament or the next round, just trying to hit each shot perfect at that particular moment.  It felt like every shot was its own event.  I wanted to experience each moment and replicate it.  Just me and my clubs.  Nothing on the line.  No score, no expectations, no “make it or don’t make it”, just balls and clubs and shots.  I can’t think of anything that captures the soul more than taking that one moment and making it count.It doesn’t have to be in a US Open qualifying round or a Hooters Tour event, every shot every day can be as enjoyable as if it were to win a major.  What does that leave us when we hit it bad?  Just another ball to try and hit better the next time.  When you are out for your next round, just enjoy each shot.  Try to be present for each situation and try to experience each moment as just that; a moment to be experienced.  

Everyday we are here on this earth we have options.  We can walk or drive, drive or fly, even go or stay home.  When the situation arises, recognizing these options is the first step toward making a decision.Golfers everywhere are so concerned with the aesthetics and technical aspects of their swings that they may miss out on some of the most enjoyable decisions out there.  Hit a six iron from 100 yards because it’s the only way to get the ball close to the hole.  This is the case today because the greens are frozen and if I hit a wedge it’s going to bounce over the green.  Granted, I don’t hit many 100 yard six irons, but that’s what is fun about it.  I’m trying to do something that may or may not work out.  I pulled it left but hit it the perfect distance and was pleased to know that I could do it.  Last time I missed a green from 100 yards, I think being pleased was the farthest thing from my mind.Remember in golf and in life all we can do is assess the situation, make a decision, and then move on.  Let’s try to keep our eyes open for these interesting and fun options in golf and in life! 

A friend of mine was asking me what technique I use in teaching the other day.  He was more than surprised to hear me reply that I “don’t”.  He replied, “there must be some technique you use in helping people swing”.  Well, I answered, I guess I just have faith in the human technique. The idea is this:  If you have a plan or some sort of ultimate goal, you understand the simple laws of nature that are going to influence your action, and are capable of evaluating your results, you are capable of achieving that goal.   Ever throw a frisbee?  In high school my friends and I use to toss a frisbee around after lunch.  We actually got pretty good at it.  By noticing the different flights and discerning their cause, we made adjustments and began to actually control the thing really well.The goal of the golf swing is to propel an object toward a target.  Similar to basketball, baseball, bowling, tennis, football, soccer….. this list is very long!  Each sport uses different equipment from a club to a bat and even just a hand or foot.  The equipment is designed to work well in its arena.  It is also designed to fit a human being.  If we didn’t have fingers, the bowling ball would not have holes.  I use a club that looks very similar to yours.  Some minor physical characteristics customize my club to my level of play and desired result but for the most part, I have a handle, shaft, head, and face on my club and so do you.  Now how do I get better at using this club?  First I have to understand the physical characteristics of ball flight.  Why does it curve, go high or low, and start left and right?  Understand that and you are on your way to learning.  Just do, analyze, and make an adjustment based on your knowledge of the action.  If the frisbee seems to curve right when it flies at an angle, try throwing it horizontal or parallel to the ground.  Practice getting different results using different methods.  Use your own knowledge to try and determine what will happen if you change the set up a little.  Using this understanding of the swing and the flight of the ball, continue to practice hitting different shots.  This exercise will raise your awareness and make you more capable of controlling your ball, more capable of sending an object to a target.Pay attention to results!  Be aware!  Learn!