Just a quick update to keep you posted with what's happening on the Website and at Collingtree Park.

I have been doing a number of playing lessons over the past few weeks which have been really good in terms of seeing what people are doing on the course, and then re-evaluating what we need to work on over the coming weeks.  The biggest thing that I have found is how difficult people find it to get themselves lined up correctly.  We have had a number of cases where people are hitting the ball better than ever on the range, but really struggling when they get on the golf course.  We have gone out to play some holes and found straight away that they were aiming miles away from where they thought they were.  No wonder they were having trouble hitting the target  Poor alignment is is one of the most damaging faults, because the subconscious knows that the body is pointing in the wrong direction, so it creates an adjustment in the swing to try to get the ball back on target.  So the swing you end up using on the course is completely different to the one you have been using and hitting the ball well with on the range.

If you are having trouble taking your game to the course, alignment may well be a problem for you.  Give me a call on 07976 401 545 if you want to book a playing lesson so we can check that what you are doing on the range is what you are doing on the course.

I have added 2 new articles to the site this week.  The first is about my Pre Shot Routine.  You can see it here http://www.samjarmangolf.com/innergame/inner-game-technique.html.

The second is about the putting grip.  I have done a few putting lessons this week and the grip seems to be the main thing people struggle with, mainly because it is so different to the grip for the full swing.  If you want to check you are holding your putter correctly,  have a look at this. http://www.samjarmangolf.com/improveputting.html

Lastly, if you haven't done so already and wish to do so, please confirm that you would like to keep receiving these Updates and the Golf Strategy Emails by clicking this link, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and then hitting send.  (or reply to the email sent by aweber last week on my behalf). I am about to change the way these mails are sent, and if we haven't confirmed your mail address, I won't be able to keep sending them.

I am currently working on developing the Golf Fitness side of what we do at Collingtree, and there will be some exciting opportunities for Free Golf Fitness Assessments in the next few weeks.

If you have any questions or need any help with your golf please get in touch.

This is the 11th instalment of the Golf Strategy Email series.  If you haven't seen the first ten instalments and would like to read them, you can find them here.  You will need to Register on the Home Page of my website if you haven't done so already.

I have had a great few weeks since my last email.  I have been busy teaching at Collingtree, have had a week off during which I went salmon fishing in Scotland, and played in the first Euro Pro event of the season, more of which later on.

In the previous few emails I have emphasised the importance of awareness on the golf course.  Of knowing where your mind is, and where your attention is focused, and perhaps more importantly, where it goes when it isn't where it should be.  Perhaps the biggest clue here, is to listen to any conversation that is going on in your head, and to try to work out who exactly is talking, and to whom.  If we saw someone talking to themselves in the street, the easy conclusion would be that the person was suffering from some form of mental illness.

This is the 10th instalment of the Golf Strategy Email series.  If you haven't seen the first nine instalments and would like to read them, you can find them here.  You will need to Register on the Home Page of my website if you haven't done so already.

Playing Season Begins

It's been a really busy few weeks.  I was on the Explanar stand at the Scottish Golf Show in Glasgow, where we gave over 300 people a taster lesson on the Explanar over the three days of the show.  We had some very positive comments from the golfers who tried the machine, and have had a number of Home Training Systems purchased as a result.  My playing season kicked off over the past couple of weeks.  I played the first stage of qualifying for the EuroPro Tour played at Mentmore Golf Club in Bedfordshire.  I hit the ball very solidly for 36 holes, and despite some indifferent putting, qualified easily shooting 73, 72 for a one over par total.  The final stage of qualifying was last week at Frilford Heath Golf Club near Oxford.  I played nicely for the first two rounds, shooting 74, 72 to put myself in a great position with 18 holes to go.  Unfortunately the last round was really disappointing, a 79 dropping me right down the field.  There will be a full report in the Tournaments section of the website towards the end of the week.

It's the end of another year, and I'm already really looking forward to playing some great golf in 2009.  My swing is the best it has ever been, both in terms of the way it looks on the video, and also in terms of it's functionality on the golf course.  I am hitting the ball better than I ever have done and I feel like I understand my swing more fully than ever.  I don't worry about my golf swing any more even when I hit a bad shot because I know what I did wrong and what I need to do right next time. 

The main change I have made this year is flattening my swing plane so my arms swing on a much closer plane to my shoulders.  This makes my swing more rotational rather than up and down, and I'm hitting the ball further as a result.  The other big improvement is in my hip turn, which is much more level and stable and less lateral than it was at the start of the year.  This is another factor in the improvement in my ball striking and means I am much more consistent.

This is the 9th email in the Golf Strategy Series.  If you haven't seen the first eight instalments and would like to read them, you can find them here.  You will need to Register on the Home Page of my website if you haven't done so already.

Practice without awareness is just exercise.

In the last email I wrote about how easy it is to get distracted by what is going on in our own minds, and how an increase in awareness can help us minimise those distractions.  The people that get the most out of their games are usually the ones who discipline their awareness enough to focus on the basics.  It is easy to get sidetracked by the latest tip from a golf magazine or a piece of instruction from the television, and we forget that our best golf usually comes from doing the simple things well.  This shouldn't be difficult. We know what a good grip is, we know what good posture and balance is, and we know that our best shots come from a smooth and relaxed rotation around our centre.  As I mentioned in the last email, pressure causes us to forget the basics, but often the problems start on the practice ground where there is no pressure.  Here the issue is different.  An absence of pressure causes a lack of discipline and we get sloppy with our basics.

This is the 8th email in the Golf Strategy Series.  If you haven't seen the first seven instalments and would like to read them, you can find them here.  You will need to Register on the Home Page of my website if you haven't done so already.

Apologies for the delay in getting this email to you.  Last week was really busy with people catching up on lessons missed due to the snow, and others who are coming out of hibernation now the weather has improved. I have also been getting a number of my students set up with the new Game Improvement Module I launched recently.  This is proving really popular with people who are serious about improving their games and achieving their golfing goals.  It is a place for us to plan your strategy, to monitor your progress, for you to keep a record of your playing and practice sessions, and for us to stay in touch, with you having the chance to ask questions and for both of us to comment on what you're doing.  The more I get into this project the more excited I'm getting, because I can see that it will allow you to really maximise your practice time, make the most of your lessons, and provide a structured plan to get you to where you want to be as a golfer.

This is the 7th email in the Golf Strategy Series.  If you haven't seen the first six instalments and would like to read them, you can find them here.  You will need to Register on the Home Page of my website if you haven't done so already.

Last week was another quiet week as far as teaching is concerned due to the weather.  Thankfully things are warming up, the snow is melting and hopefully we will be back on the course towards the end of this week.  Spring is on it's way and the new season will be here before you know it.  You want to get the new golfing year off to a flying start.  Make sure your basics of grip, posture, balance and alignment are all as they should be.  If you need some help with this please give me a call.

The time away from the range has given me a chance to put in place something I have been wanting to do for the past year, but have not had the chance to.  All of you who come for lessons will be aware of the email that I send after every lesson, to provide a record of what we worked on, and to give you a clear direction on what to work on between lessons.  Many of you have said how useful you find this service, and for a long time I have been thinking about a way to expand this, to offer a more organised way for us to plan your progress and to record your improvement.

I'm sitting in my office watching the snow fall on top of yesterday's snow.  Prospects for a game at the weekend don't look all that good.  So rather than the planned article about bunker shots I thought I'd share a couple of thoughts with you about the mental side of the game, so you can have something to practice at home or work while the courses are closed.  As I have said elsewhere on my website, having a good 'Inner Game' or being 'mentally strong' is probably one of the most important factors as to whether you achieve your potential as a golfer. 

Most of us spend a lot of time and effort and money trying to perfect our golf swings.  But if the golf swing was the only important element, we would never have heard of Jim Furyk, Colin Montgomerie, Ben Curtis or Jeev Milka Singh.  All of these players are very successful despite having 'unusual' golf swings.  Golf is a mind and body game.  It is as important to work on the inner game, as it is to work on the technique of the swing or putting stroke.