Complete embarrassment to sheer delight in an instant!

Recently I was in a Play With the Pro Experience, where I played alongside some valued clients to let them see up close how a professional plays the game when one of them asked me, 

"Paul, when was the last time you hit a really bad shot while playing golf?"

I had to think about it for a while because I'd broken my ankle ten months ago and hadn't played much golf since then. But I finally replied, "It's been a long time since I hit a really bad shot."

Little did I know that my answer was about to be tested!

The next day, I was back on the golf course in another Play With the Pro Experience, preparing to hit my first tee shot at Emerald Lakes Golf Course. I usually verbalise what I'm trying to do on each shot as I go through my routine so that my clients can see that even a pro doesn't hit the ball perfectly every time. Little did I know how much I was about to prove this.

I picked my club and target, and took a couple of practice swings. I set up to hit the ball, and everything was going well until I stone-cold topped my first tee shot!

This was not just a bad shot, it was a complete embarrassment in front of the clubhouse. After I stopped laughing, I couldn't help but think about the question I was asked the day before, "When was the last time you had a really bad shot when playing golf?" The answer was now right in the forefront of my mind  – just now!

However, instead of getting angry and ruining the rest of the round, I asked myself a very powerful question, "Is it possible I could hit a good shot for my next one?". The answer was a resounding yes. This put me back into a neutral state of mind quickly. I now had the opportunity to follow up with another good question, "What do I need to do right now to give myself the best chance of hitting a good shot?" The answer to this question for me is to return to my routine of Read, Plan, Do, and Review. After many years of trial and error, now know that this system works for me when I find my mind wandering away from where it needs to be. 

I hit a brilliant 5-iron from 195m that landed within 6 feet of the hole, but unfortunately, it rolled just over the back of the green. Once I got up to the green, I realised that not only had my ball rolled over the back, but it also ended up in thick, deep grass on a steep upslope. To make it worse, I was short-sighted and had very little green between me and the pin. 

Rather than get angry at something I'm not in control of, I, once again, had to ask myself, "Is it possible I could hit a good shot from here?" The answer was still yes. And once again, the next question was, "What do I need to do to give myself the best chance of hitting a good shot from here?" I went back into my routine and decided to play an explosion bunker-style shot or take a big deep divot of grass and turf from under the ball, and everything comes out and lands on the green, divot, ball and all, hopefully.
I took a big swing, and a lot of dirt and turf flew up in the air. When it settled, my ball landed just short of the hole and then rolled in for a BIRDIE!!!. I couldn't believe it! I had gone from complete embarrassment to sheer delight in minutes.

So, the story's moral is that it's not about how many bad shots you hit but how you respond to them. Instead of getting angry and frustrated, ask yourself some powerful questions and use your routine to help you get back on track. You never know; you might have one of the best moments of your golfing life!

Cheers,
Paul

THE TICK GAME!

Are you looking for consistency in your golf game?
How consistent is your routine?
Maybe the TICK GAME is the answer?

"This game is all mental for me."

"If only I could be more consistent, I would be great."

These are two statements I regularly hear from the same person during a playing assessment or round of golf.

Yet I watch that person expect consistency without going through the same mental process/routine on every shot. Instead, their preparation for each shot is random, and I know their focus goes to some crazy stuff while standing over the ball.

So how can you improve your "consistency"?

First, improve the consistency of the questions you ask yourself before each shot.

Here is a game I would like you to play over the next few rounds of golf.

It is called the Tick Game.
The rules -
Before the round, pick one useful question you want to ask yourself before every shot and write it on the scorecard. I.e. "What would a good shot look like from here?" or "What is my target on this shot?"
If you remember to ask this question before every shot on a hole, you get a TICK for that hole.
If you forget to ask that question on even just one shot, during any of the shots you might have played on a hole, you get NO TICK.

The goal is to get 18 ticks for 18 holes and then do it for at least three rounds in a row.

Once you have gotten to this point, the useful question is now a part of your habitual process(mental routine) for every shot, and you can then decide on another question and add that one into your process.

I have found that most people's lousy scoring holes happen to correlate closely with them not getting a tick on the hole. Not always, but very often.

After 20 or 30 rounds and putting more useful questions in, you will have transformed your mental game "consistency" in a big way.

Don't be surprised if your scores have also transformed.

Try it out and share with me your scores out of 18 in your next rounds.

The Best Golf Courses on the Gold Coast for Beginner Golfers

The Gold Coast is renowned for its beautiful beaches and sunny weather, but did you know that it is also a fantastic destination for golf lovers? With a range of courses suitable for golfers of all levels and budgets, the Gold Coast offers an ideal golfing experience for everyone. In this post, we'll take a closer look at some of the best courses on the Gold Coast for beginners.

Short, Cheap and Easy Golf Courses

If you're new to golf or just looking for a casual game, short, cheap and easy golf courses are an excellent choice. These courses are designed to be less intimidating and provide a relaxed and enjoyable experience for players. Here are some of the best options on the Gold Coast:

1. Meadow Park Golf Course: Located in Tugun, this 9-hole course offers affordable rates for green fees and equipment hire.

2. KDV Sport: This golf and sports centre in Carrara offers an 18-hole mini golf course that is suitable for all ages and skill levels.

3. Chinderah Golf Course: Just across the New South Wales border, this 9-hole course is relatively short and easy to play.

Mid-Level Golf Courses

For golfers with some experience who are looking for a slightly more challenging round, mid-level golf courses are an excellent option. These courses offer a good balance of playability and challenge and are suitable for players who want to continue developing their skills. Here are some of the best options on the Gold Coast:

1. Boomerang Farm Golf Course: This 9-hole course in Mudgeeraba offers affordable rates for green fees and equipment hire.
2. Tally Valley Golf Course: Located in Tallebudgera Valley, this 9-hole course offers affordable green fees and equipment hire and is suitable for players of all skill levels.
3. Lakeside Country Club: This 9-hole course in Coombabah offers affordable rates for both green fees and equipment hire.
4. Tallai Country Golf Club: Located in Tallai, this 9-hole course offers affordable green fees and equipment hire rates.
5. Tamborine Mountain Golf Club: This 9-hole course in Tamborine Mountain offers affordable rates for green fees and equipment hire.

High-End Public and Semi-Private Courses

If you're an experienced golfer looking for a challenging and upscale golfing experience, high-end public and semi-private courses are the way to go. These courses offer intricate and demanding designs suitable for experienced players and may offer additional amenities such as professional instruction and well-appointed clubhouses. Here are some of the best options on the Gold Coast:

1. Tallebudgera Golf Course: This 18-hole course in Tallebudgera offers affordable rates for green fees and equipment hire. It's a shorter golf course ideal for those looking to step up from 9 holes.
2. Emerald Lakes Golf Course: Located in Carrara, this 18-hole course offers affordable green fees and equipment hire rates.
3.  Helensvale Golf Club: This 18-hole course in Helensvale offers affordable rates for green fees and equipment hire.
4.The Club at Parkwood Village: This 18-hole course in Parkwood offers affordable rates for green fees, equipment hire and lessons.

No matter what your skill level or budget, the Gold Coast has a golf course to suit your needs. So why not hit the greens on your next visit to this beautiful destination? Remember to practice proper golf etiquette and respect for the course and other players. Happy golfing!

Best Foolproof Golf Grip Tips!

G'day golfers! Today, we're diving into one of the most fundamental aspects of the golf swing: the grip. How you hold the club directly impacts your control, power, and overall shot quality. Forget complicated theories; we're breaking down the essentials to get your hands in the right position for success.

Finding the Right Foundation: Hand Positioning

Before we explore different grip styles, let's establish some crucial foundational elements:

• Hands Close Together: Keep your hands snug against each other on the club. Think less hockey stick, more unified power source. Separated hands diminish clubhead speed and distance.

• On the Right Part of the Club: Avoid gripping too low or having your hands scattered. We want a focused connection.

• Leading Edge Alignment: Before you even place your hands, ensure the leading edge of your clubface is pointing straight up towards the sky. This sets the stage for a square grip.

Building Your Grip: Step-by-Step

Now, let's explore three popular grip styles to find what feels most natural and effective for you:

• The Baseball Grip (10-Finger Grip):

  • Left Hand: Place the club along the base of your fingers, wrapping your fingers around with your thumb on top (thumbnail pointing back at you).

  • Right Hand: Rest your right pinky finger next to your left index finger. Wrap your fingers around and place your thumb on top.

  • Key Lesson: All ten fingers are on the club. While simple, it can sometimes make it harder to keep your hands truly connected.

• The Interlocking Grip:

  • Left Hand: Same as the Baseball Grip – club along the base of your fingers, thumb on top.

  • Right Hand: Extend your right index finger and interlock it between the little finger and ring finger of your left hand. Wrap the rest of your fingers and place your thumb on top.

  • Key Lesson: Your fingers are physically linked, promoting a unified hand action. Some players with smaller hands or arthritis may find this uncomfortable.

• The Overlapping Grip (Vardon Grip):

  • Left Hand: Again, club along the base of your fingers, thumb on top.

  • Right Hand: Keep your right index finger tucked in. Place your right little finger on top of the knuckle of your left index finger. Wrap the remaining fingers and place your thumb on top.

  • Key Lesson: Your right little finger "overlaps" your left index finger, encouraging your hands to work as one unit. This is a very popular grip among skilled players.

The Crucial Takeaway: Grip in Your Fingers, Not Your Palm

Regardless of the grip style you choose, remember this vital point:

• Grip in the Fingers: Ensure the club lies primarily across the base of the fingers of both hands, not deeply embedded in your palms.

• Why? A finger-based grip allows for maximum wrist hinge and leverage during your swing, generating power and control. A palm-based grip restricts wrist movement, hindering your swing mechanics.

Final Thoughts

Experiment with these three grip styles to discover what feels most comfortable and allows you to swing with a connected feel. Remember, the goal is to have your hands working together as a single unit, gripping the club primarily in your fingers. Get this fundamental right, and you'll unlock a more powerful and controlled golf swing.

Ready to refine your grip and unleash your potential? Book a lesson with Paul today!

Ditch The Three-ball Routine and Do This Instead

Welcome to the putting green! Today, we're not just going through the motions; we're going to show you a pre-round putting routine, demonstrated by my mate Brian, that will truly prepare you to sink putts under pressure on the course. Forget casually knocking a few balls around – this is about training your brain and body to perform when it counts.

What we often see is a missed opportunity for real improvement. Golfers grab a handful of balls, aim at a random hole, and hit them without a clear process. While one might go in, the subsequent putts don't replicate the pressure and decision-making you face on the course. Remember, on the course, you only get ONE putt from each spot. So, let's train like it matters!

Here's the routine Brian is demonstrating, which you should incorporate before every round:

• Read the Green First: Just like on the course, your routine starts behind the ball. Take your time to assess the slope, grain, and overall speed of the green leading to your chosen hole. Ask yourself: "What do I think is going to happen after I hit this putt?"

• Make Your Plan: Once you've read the green, move in and formulate your strategy. This involves two key elements:

  • Aim Point: Where do you need to aim to account for the break?

  • Stroke Size: How big of a swing do you need to hit the ball the required distance?

• One Ball, One Putt: This is crucial! Just like on the course, hit only ONE ball towards your chosen hole. This forces you to commit to your read and plan.

• Review the Result: After your putt, walk up to the ball, regardless of whether it went in or not. Analyze what happened. Did you misread the green? Was your pace off? This review process is how you learn and improve.

• Simulate Course Pressure: We're not just aiming for feel; we're training your brain. Treat each putt like it's a crucial one on the course. Feel the disappointment of a miss and the satisfaction of a make. This mental engagement is key to performing under pressure.

• Create a Game: To make your practice more engaging and realistic, pick nine different holes. Give yourself the rule of one putt per hole and track your "score" over these nine putts. This adds an element of consequence and encourages focused effort.

• Consequences Matter: Notice Brian's reaction to missing putts. That frustration is a good thing! If you don't feel some level of disappointment during your pre-round practice misses, you're likely not replicating the mental intensity of being on the course.

• Repeat the Routine: For each of the nine holes you've selected, go through the entire read, plan, execute, and review process with a single ball. This reinforces good habits and prepares you for the real deal.

By following this pre-round putting routine, you're not just getting a feel for the greens – you're actively training your mind and body to read, plan, and execute putts effectively under pressure. This focused approach will translate to fewer putts and lower scores on the course. So, ditch the casual roll and start practicing with purpose!

Ready to transform your putting game? Book a lesson with Paul Williamson today!

Why You Should NEVER Aim At FLAGS Again | Do this instead!

Target Smarter, Score Better: Why Pin Hunting Costs You Shots

Welcome, golfers! We're here on the fifth hole at Emerald Lakes, and what you can't always see on TV is the strategy behind playing a hole effectively. Today's lesson is crucial for lowering your scores and avoiding those dreaded big numbers: stop obsessing over the pin!

Take a look at this hole. We've got a back-left pin position – what we call a "sucker pin." What's the first thing many golfers do when they arrive at their ball? They laser the flag. They want to know the exact yardage to that little stick. But on a hole like this, that laser reading can be your downfall.

Why? Because if you aim directly at this back-left pin and hit it just five meters long, you're tumbling down a hill into serious trouble. Long and left is the absolute worst place to be on this hole, with a nasty bunker waiting. Even long right isn't ideal.

The brilliance of this hole, designed by Brian Marshall, is the generous, wide-open area front right. This is where you want to be! It gives you a massive margin for error. You can mishit it short, long, left, or right, and you'll likely still be on the green with a manageable putt for par or a comfortable bogey at worst.

The reality is, everyone's shots have some degree of dispersion. When you aim directly at a challenging pin like this back-left one, any shot that deviates left or long is heading straight for disaster, leading to doubles, triples, and a ruined scorecard.

Highlighted Lessons:

• Forget the Pin: Stop fixating on the flag. It's a small target that encourages high-risk shots.

• Aim for the Big, Open Areas: Identify the most forgiving section of the green on each hole – often the middle or a specific quadrant away from hazards and difficult pin positions.

• Maximize Your Margin for Error: By aiming for the larger area, you allow for slight mishits while still leaving yourself a reasonable putt.

• Think Google Maps, Not Binoculars: Imagine looking down at the hole from above. Where is the safest, most sensible place to land your ball, regardless of the pin's location?

• Bogey is Your Friend: Especially on tougher holes or with challenging pin positions, playing for bogey by aiming at the safe area is smart golf. It avoids the big numbers that inflate your score.

So, the next time you're on the course, resist the urge to laser the pin immediately. Instead, take a step back, assess the entire green, and identify the big, wide-open area that gives you the best chance for a stress-free par or a comfortable bogey. Target smarter, and watch your scores improve!

Ready to play smarter golf and lower your scores? Book a lesson with Paul Williamson today!

How Do You Read Putts Better? It Starts At The Hole

G'day golfers! Today, we're going to unlock a little secret to better green reading that can also help you keep up the pace of play. It's all about where you read your putts, especially on those longer ones.

Most players tend to read the green exclusively from behind their ball. While this gives you one perspective, you're often missing crucial information about how the putt will behave closer to the hole – where gravity and subtle slopes have the most significant impact on the ball's final curve.

The Power of Reading Around the Hole

As I walk towards my ball, I make a point to also read the green from the side and even slightly past the hole. Here's why:

• The Late Break is Key: The ball will typically do most of its curving, influenced by gravity and subtle undulations, in the last third of its journey towards the hole.

• Multiple Perspectives Reveal More: A putt that looks straight from behind the ball can reveal significant late movement when viewed from the side or beyond the hole.

• Double Breakers Unveiled: Often, putts will break one way initially and then change direction. This "double break" can be easily missed if you only read from one angle.

Example in Action

On this tricky putt, I've got to go over a ridge and then come downhill. From behind my ball, it looks like it might be fairly straight. However, as I walked up and read it from the side and slightly past the hole, I could see it was definitely going to go left to right initially and then likely straighten up at the end.

From behind my ball, I wouldn't have anticipated that late rightward movement. I would have aimed significantly further left than necessary. It was only by reading the green from around the hole that I got a clearer picture of the putt's true path.

Reading for Better Players & Pace of Play

Here's a tip for more experienced players who want to thoroughly read their putts without holding up play:

• Read While Walking: As you walk from your cart or previous shot towards your ball, take the opportunity to read the green from various angles around the hole.

• Gather Information Early: By the time you reach your ball, you'll already have a good understanding of the green's contours near the hole, allowing for a quicker final read and setup.

Highlighted Lessons:

• Read Around the Hole: Don't just rely on the view from behind your ball. Observe the green from the sides and slightly past the hole.

• Focus on the Late Break: Pay close attention to the slopes and undulations in the last third of the putt, as these will heavily influence the final curve.

• Multiple Angles, Clearer Picture: Reading from different perspectives reveals subtle breaks and double breaks you might otherwise miss.

• Read While Walking (for Better Players): Utilize your walk to the ball to gather crucial information about the green around the hole, improving pace of play.

• Trust Your Eyes: What you see from around the hole can often be more telling than the view directly behind your ball, especially on longer putts.

By incorporating this technique into your pre-putt routine, you'll gain a more comprehensive understanding of the greens, leading to better reads and more holed putts – all while keeping things moving!

Ready to see the greens in a whole new light? Book a lesson with Paul Williamson today!