Tip Of The Month

By John Pallot
Director of Instruction

August 2006

I am a pro golfer and reporter. So what was I doing in Ireland mid-July 2006? For others of my ilk all roads led to Royal Liverpool, scene of the 2006 Open Championship. Yet, there was I in the Emerald Isle playing soem of the most beautiful, scenic, exciting and challenging links courses in the world. From the majestic cliffs of Old Head to the sprawling dunes of Ballybunion I felt I'd found golfers' heaven. Separated by The Irish Sea from Liverpool and The Open, I relied upon BBC TV and Erin's free-press for daily reports on Tiger's consecutive second claim on the Claret Jug. His 72 hole total of 270, 18 under, gave him a two stroke winning margin over Chris DiMarco, a Ryder Cup teammate and 2005 Masters runner-up. Tiger's unique strategy of hitting only one shot with driver over the course of four rounds left the other competitors shaking their heads. Here's how Tiger himself explained it. " I developed a strategy to play this golf course that I thought suited me and I felt comfortable with. I went out there and executed my game plan. I adjusted clubs off the tees,just because the wind conditions kept changing, but as far as the overall game plan, I never deviated."Throughout the four rounds, Woods superiority was clear. He was first in fairways hit and second in greens in regulation. More importantly, he took fewer strokes than anyone else getting the ball in the hole. He also became the first player since Tom Watson in 1983 to successfully defend back-to-back British Open Championships.

This month's tip deals with Tiger's game plan. Use this to develop plans of your own. Though you may never win The Open, having a plan will help you to lower scores, more fun on the fairways and grins on the greens.

1) Plan to hit 'em straight. When Tiger takes his practice swing his arms are elongated on finish position. Right hand and arm stays under the left. This prevents the club-face from closing on follow through, thus ensuring long,straight shots. The left hand and arm stays in control on the entire front swing. An effective drill to accomplish this is known as The Shoebox. Guess why? Place the ball four inches from the shoebox. Hit some shots without hitting the box. As confidence grows move the ball closer to the box. You'll feel your club swinging left after impact and the left arm preventing the right hand and arm from closing after impact. If hit correctly the ball should fly straight or fade slightly right.

2) In developing a game plan further, the course must be played several times. Determine on what holes you can be aggressive, where cautious. Tiger's strategy of not using the driver indicated he was thinking his way around the course, realizing conditions weren't right for his driver and not allowing emotions to rule.It's so easy for emotions to take over under competitive pressure with resulting costly, bad shots. Tiger's method of mind instead of emotion to plot his way around the golf course is something we should all seek to do. If one must deviate from the game plan stay with high percentage shots. Example-If your drive's in the trees leaving you with either a direct shot to the green through a small opening or a wide open shot safely to the fairway, what would you do? Playing the percentage shot 99.9% of the time is the best choice. This requires discipline and mental focus. Make mental focus your compass to guide you around the course and enjoy the dividends of personal discipline.

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