Golf Unfiltered – Episode 213
Both Gary Nicol and Karl Morris joined Adam Fonseca on the Golf Unfiltered podcast to discuss The Lost Art of Putting.
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From Archerfield to Australia
It has been a busy and interesting June so far for co-authors of The Lost Art Of Putting, Karl Morris and I.
In addition to our day to day coaching commitments, we have been spreading the word to a wider national and international audience.
While Karl continues to work with a number of players who are reaping the rewards of the smart work they are doing together, he has also been traveling the length and breadth of the country presenting his first class “Breakthrough” programme to golfers at clubs all over the UK.
Karl’s podcast, “The Brain Booster” is gaining an enviable reputation as not only one of the best resources for great information, he appears to have the knack of attracting some excellent guests. If you haven’t tuned in or subscribed to this podcast yet, I strongly suggest you do. There isn’t a week goes by that I don’t glean some kind of useful nuggets from Karl and his guests.
They say variety is the spice of life and from my own personal perspective, I can honestly say that is what makes what I do so fascinating and enjoyable.
My work of late has been anything but dull. A combination of individual and group coaching sessions at Archerfield along with hosting putting Master Classes and TrackMan long drive events for corporate clients has made sure of that.
I am very fortunate in that I have the opportunity to work with golfers from all over the world who seem more than happy to make the journey to Scotland’s Golf Coast to spend some time with me. If you have ever been to Archerfield, you will understand why the journey is worthwhile. It really is a world class destination.
This month alone, I have had clients visit from all over the UK and Ireland and from as far afield as Israel. I also had the opportunity to spend three days with some great people from Austria who were not only keen to develop new skills, they were fantastic company and fun to be around.
Over and above all of the day to day things we do, Karl and I continue to collaborate on a couple of different projects. I have always been a great believer in professional collaborations and partnerships. Two minds are almost always better than one.
Almost a year after launching The Lost Art Of Putting at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open just along the road at Gullane, we are happy to announce that the first draft of our second book, The Lost Art Of Playing Golf is with the editors. It is now up to them to check our spelling, grammar and punctuation and put our musings into some sort of coherent order.
Once we are all happy with the content and layout etc… the plan is to release this at the end of August. If you enjoyed The Lost Art Of Putting, we are confident you will love this!
As if that wasn’t enough to fill our diaries and our days, we have been doing some filming at Archerfield in glorious Scottish sunshine with Peter Finch who has an incredible 200,00 subscribers to his YouTube channel. While we hope the content will be helpful and fun to watch, we know that some of the drone footage Peter shot of Archerfield will be absolutely spectacular! We understand this content will be available fairly soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
On the back of the success of our putting book, we decided we should create a video version as we are continually asked for it. Once again we were blessed with good weather during two days of filming with Craig and Michael from the Sports Publications team, who we know will do an exceptional job. This digital download will be available in a couple of months. Look out for further information on social media and the website.
Every day is a school day and we should all welcome new opportunities and experiences with open arms. Well Karl and I did just that last week when we did a live webinar for the Australian PGA. If you don’t know what a webinar is, which I didn’t until recently, it is basically an internet seminar.
We were asked to present our thoughts on The Lost Art Of Putting to 144 Australian PGA Pros, a record number for them apparently. While it was an enjoyable experience, it was also somewhat surreal in so much as we were talking to people on the other side of the world. While we knew we had an audience, we were essentially presenting to a webcam on a laptop.
When presenting to a “live” audience that you can actually see, you are able to get some kind of idea of the level of engagement you are achieving. This however, was entirely different. Without actually seeing anyone, it really was tough to know. Thankfully, judging by the number of questions we were asked, we know at least some of our audience stayed awake until the end!
To top it all off, I was invited on to the @OntheMarkRadio podcast by host Mark Immelman. Mark is a very engaging and knowledgeable golf coach and we had a really enjoyable 45 minutes talking about The Lost Art Of Playing Golf and the many benefits of being creative on the golf course.
Listen to Gary’s appearance on OntheMarkRadio below
Spotify | iTunes | Google Play | TuneIn
In other news, Gary Woodland won the US Open at Pebble Beach but as the broadcast didn’t finish until 3am GMT, we had to rely on highlights to see the final outcome.
Woodland appears to be a real classy individual and an exceptional golfer who played a variety of different shots, all unique and all appropriate to the task at hand. He showed tremendous imagination, artistry and the ability to get the job done when it mattered.
Congratulations to Gary Woodland and his team with a special mention to our good friend Pete Cowen who has been sharing his wisdom with Woodland over the last few months. Keep up the good work guys.
Until next time.
On The Mark Podcast – Gary Nicol
Gary Nicol joined Mark Immelmen on the On The Mark podcast to discuss the “Art of Playing Golf”.
Rory wins with freedom
It has often been said that Rory McIlroy at his best is better than just about anyone else on the planet’s best.
Having stayed up past my normal bed time to watch his victory procession at the RBC Canadian Open last night, it was easy to see why.
Going into the final round tied for the lead, it would have been easy for Rory to feel his way into the round and make a push for the win as the day progressed. However, that does not appear to be in his nature.
With five birdies in his first seven holes, McIlroy made the turn in 30, leaving the field trailing in his wake. Rather than try to defend that lead, he put his foot to the floor, making further birdies at the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th and an eagle at the 17th, his only glitches being dropped shots at the 16th and 18th en route to an incredible 61 and a seven shot victory.
Rory split fairway after fairway, hit his iron shots almost the perfect distance hole after hole and holed putt after putt. It really is a joy to watch a top professional in complete control of every aspect of their game.
Yes his golf swing and putting stroke look as good as perhaps they ever have but what was even more impressive was the freedom with which he played. What we witnessed in the final round in Canada was a master class in creativity and shot making. The variety of shots he played was simply awesome.
It’s all very well hitting the ball 330 yards down the middle of every fairway and knocking the paint of the flags with iron shots but ultimately you have to hole the putts to put a score together. Rory did just that with consummate ease. His pace putting was outstanding. Yes he got the lines right but line is nothing without the appropriate pace.
With the US Open at Pebble Beach only a few days away and The Open Championship at Royal Portrush on his doorstep next month, Rory must be among the favourites for both.
His run of form in 2019 is nothing short of astonishing. He has played in 13 PGA Tour events, finished in the top 10 eight times and won The Players Championship and the RBC Canadian Open.
When Rory is on form, he is on fire.
This is great news for golf fans in the UK as he has committed to play in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open the week before The Open Championship where Scottish and Irish golf fans will no doubt flock to see the 30 year old from Hollywood in their thousands.
Rory McIlroy is box office and golf is in a good place when he is in control of his golf ball and his script, the golfing world takes note.
In his press conference after wining in Canada, he was asked if he was surprised to win after missing the cut last week, he replied “No. That’s golf. What people don’t understand is that playing golf at this level, the margins are so fine. I never get too carried away when I’m playing well and I never get too carried away when I’m not. Something like this is always around the corner. My form this year has been great.”
Talking very openly, he continued “This is affirmation of what I can do when I play with complete freedom and trust myself and my game.”
If he continues with that mindset, who knows what he can achieve in the coming weeks. Having been to numerous Scottish and Irish Opens over the years, I know how much these fans love their golf and the support he will receive will be off the charts.
Irish golf is in good hands at the moment with a number of their top players playing some great golf at the moment. Shane Lowry finished T2 in Canada and Graeme McDowell bravely holed a 30 foot par putt to finished T8. G-Mac’s putt meant a whole lot more than a top ten finish. It also ensured he qualified for The Open at Portrush, his home course.
McIlroy confessed to watching leaderboards throughout the final round, largely to see how his good friend G-Mac was getting on. Thankfully, this didn’t distract him too much and he was genuinely delighted to know that his countryman will be joining him at Portrush.
The courses and conditions at both the Scottish Open and The Open itself will both demand that players control their golf ball and themselves. Shot making and creativity will undoubtedly be in high demand as will the ability to hole putts when it matters.
Graeme McDowell has very kindly said that a lot of the concepts in “The Lost Art Of Putting” and the work he has done with co-author Karl Morris have helped him regain his confidence on the greens and we look forward to watching him and everyone else in the last two Majors of 2019 in the coming weeks.
Exciting times ahead.
Golf is good for business
We all play golf for different reasons.
Some like the challenges this great game provides, both mental and physical. Others appreciate the health benefits and the opportunity to spend time in the great outdoors in good company.
The feel of a well struck drive. The sound of a sweetly struck iron shot. The sense of relief when successfully pitching over a bunker from a tight lie and the satisfaction of creating a putt that disappears into the hole for a welcome birdie. All valid reasons for putting your clubs in the boot of the car and heading for the course.
Golf can be a great escape from the daily grind of home and work life and the responsibilities that come with them. There are a multitude of reasons why we should get off our backsides and head to the golf course.
Apart from the simple pleasures and occasional frustrations that we are sure to encounter along the way, GOLF IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS.
You only need to look at your TV screens Thursday to Sunday to see professional golf tournaments around the world being sponsored by internationally recognised companies. Why? Quite simply because it works. It is worth their while.
As an ambassador for Aberdeen Standard Investments, I have seen how much time, effort and money these guys have put into golf at all levels over the years. Without them, there may well not have been a Scottish Open on the European Tour or a Scottish Ladies Open which is now a co-sanctioned LET / LPGA Tour event. So as golf fans, we should all be enormously grateful for their incredible input.
Why do they invest so heavily in golf? Again because it works.
In years gone by, big brands and multi-nationals were well known for their lavish, no expense spared golf days with 100 invitees. The problem with that was, inevitably the hosts rarely had the opportunity to spend any time with more than a handful of their guests.
While these big events may be a thing of the past, smaller more bespoke, intimate and more personal events are very much in evidence in today’s business world.
Since setting up TPEGS.com with my business partner, former Ryder Cup player and highly respected SKY golf analyst Andrew Coltart, we have hosted an ever increasing number of golf events for a wide variety of businesses with great success.
While our clients range from relatively small local businesses to international conglomerates, they all have similar goals and intentions. They all understand the value of looking after clients, both existing and potential, in a professional but relaxed environment. Where else do you have the opportunity to spend a few hours with your most valued clients to discuss and hopefully secure that life changing deal?
Only last week, we hosted an event at Archerfield Links for a long term client who have worked closely with in the past. Our client has recently moved from one company to spearhead the wealth management business of AAB – Anderson, Anderson & Brown, a fast growing accountancy firm based in Aberdeen. Why did they want to do this? Because it works. It is good for business.
This event was very special for a number of reasons. Firstly, we were at Archerfield, where the golf courses, accommodation, practice facilities and welcome are truly world class. Secondly, the sun shone for two days, so smiles and sunscreen were very much in evidence. Last but not least, we had sixteen great people to spend some quality time with.
After drinks on the terrace and a lovely lunch in the clubhouse, we hosted a short game and putting clinic in the afternoon, where we introduced our guests to some simple and effective concepts about how to get up and down more frequently. Armed with a copy of “The Lost Art Of Putting”, newly acquired short game skills and lots of positivity, our guests checked into the magnificent Archerfield House.
Drinks on the lawn, no jacket required but sunglasses essential, preceded a wonderful dinner and chat about golf, business and life in general around the table. A few ‘Tales from the Tour’ kept our guests entertained throughout.
The obligatory putting games in the drawing room followed. Evidently these are significantly easier after a few glasses of very nice Malbec as they kept everyone in exceptionally good humour. Snooker challenges and a couple of small wagers followed before our guests headed off to their rooms. After all, they were playing golf in the morning.
After a hearty and healthy breakfast, it was off to the range to warm up before playing the picturesque Fidra Links, which incidentally is fantastic condition.
In addition to a team Stableford competition, Andrew and I provided both a TrackMan long drive comp and ‘Beat the Pro’ challenge on a couple of the par 3s. This of course was all enhanced by calm conditions and more sunshine and smiles.
To conclude proceedings, we gathered in the clubhouse for a light lunch and prize-giving before we all headed our separate ways with promises to keep in touch and continue discussions from the previous 24 hours.
Judging by the feedback we have since received, we hope to develop long lasting friendships in the coming weeks, months and years.
The icing on the cake for us was when we received a message to say “Thank you for hosting our golf event at Archerfield, which as always, exceeded our expectations. The whole experience was first class. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the two days and it provided us with an excellent opportunity to spend some much valued quality time with our guests.” Fraser Porter, CEO, AAB Wealth.
Whatever your existing reasons for playing golf, whether they be escapism, health benefits or the pure and simple pleasure of playing the game for it’s own sake, you can now add the fact that golf is good for business.
18Strong Podcast – Episode 234
Gary and Karl joined Jeff Pellizzaro on the 18Strong podcast to discuss The Lost Art of Putting
Max Homa – Relentless
With more and more statistics available than ever before, we now know that the age old cliche “Drive for show and putt for dough” doesn’t always ring true but sometimes it does.
The way the modern game is played, the players who tend to drive the ball long and (relatively) straight and hit their wedges close are generally found near the top of the leaderboard on professional Tours around the world.
Week after week, we see big hitters filling our TV screens as we sit back and enjoy spectacular displays of ball striking from the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Keopka and Rory McIlroy.
That said, it’s no use bombing it 350, before wedging it inside 10 feet if you can’t hole putts.
Last week on the PGA Tour, little known Max Homa went home with the Wells Fargo Championship trophy along with a rather large cheque for $1,422,000, holing lots of putts along the way.
I say little known because until last week, he hadn’t done a whole lot in his short professional career to grab many headlines. I first heard of Homa when I listened to an excellent No Laying up podcast last October, when he was the guest. What I learned from listening, is that Max Homa is an extremely humorous, self deprecating and humble individual who sounds like he would be a lot of fun to be around.
After last week’s performance at the Wells Fargo, I think we can safely add fantastic putter to that list.
His strokes gained stats for the week were pretty impressive, perhaps with the exception of his short game where he ranked 41st, gaining 0.05 strokes on the field.
Homa by his own admission has had his issues with the driver over the last three or four years but last week, he was 18th best, gaining 2.82 strokes. His approach shots to the green were pretty good, ranking 12th, gaining 4.58 strokes.
It was on the greens where he made the biggest impact, leading the way in the putting stats, gaining an incredible 9.89 strokes. Data courtesy of – GolfStatsCoach.com.
Any time you are number 1 in strokes gained putting, you will have a pretty good chance of winning.
As we all know, there are no guarantees in golf but holing more putts than your fellow competitors never does any harm.
At the start of the week, Max Homa was ranked 417th in the world, so I doubt there would have been a whole lot of “smart” money riding on his performance.
Even on the morning of the final day, he was not hot favourite despite being joint leader overnight. However, true to his mantra – RELENTLESS – which he apparently has tattooed on his arm, Max Homa was just that in his pursuit of victory.
His story is one of persistence. One he has chosen to take control of in his relentless quest to become the best possible golfer he can. Yes he has had to deal with some pretty serious setbacks and bumps in the road along the way.
In 2017, he played 17 events on the PGA Tour and made only 2 cuts en route to amassing a meagre $18,000.
Undeterred, he set out on the Web.com Tour in 2018 with the goal of regaining his PGA Tour card and through a combination of seeking out good advice, hard work, determination and good golf, he succeeded.
This in turn allowed the 28 year old from Burbank, California to play the PGA Tour again and achieve a life changing win and move up to 102nd in the world rankings.
Is it possible that you too could take control of your story and your putting?
To find out how, pick up a copy of The Lost Art Of Putting.
Creativity is liberating
Is your aim and intention to improve your putting stroke or to hole more putts?
As far back as I can remember, I have always been told that if we improve our stroke, we will hole more putts. One creates the other. Cause and effect.
However, I would question the sequence of that or any other particular cause and effect. What we see and feel are essentially effects. When we watch good putters, we notice that they tend to keep their head very still. We see that their stroke looks smooth and unhurried. It looks like the rocking of the shoulders creates the stroke. As a result we are often encouraged to copy or emulate these traits in order to “produce a better putting stroke”.
These are observations and I would suggest they are observations of effects rather than causes. In golfing parlance, “the stroke creates the putt.”
Surely the task creates the technique rather than the other way round, or as we talk about in The Lost Art Of Putting, “the putt creates the stroke”.
In my line of work, as a golf coach based at Archerfield on Scotland’s Golf Coast, I am very fortunate on a number of counts. I am based at what I believe to be one of, if not the finest Performance Centre in Europe. The facilities are simply outstanding. In addition to two fantastic golf courses, a Tour standard grass driving range, world class short game areas and putting greens, our swing and putting studios within the Performance Centre are fully equipped with the very latest state of the art Technology.
With highly experienced and knowledgeable coaches and club fitters using TrackMan, Sam Putt and Balance Labs, GEARS 3D motion capture and super slow-motion video technology, we leave no stone unturned in our quest to help our students become the best they possible can be.
One of the most interesting aspects of what I do, is that I have the opportunity to work with an incredibly diverse group of people, from weekend golfers to seasoned Tour Pros and everyone in between.
In the last week or so, I had the opportunity to work with a couple of top athletes from different sports. One is a former Scotland rugby international and another Scot, who is an Olympic and World Champion curler who has amassed more gold, silver and bronze (mostly gold) medals than you can count.
In their own sports, they were and are very creative and during our time together, we discovered that their attention was on what they needed to do with the rugby ball and curling stone. Interestingly, despite the fact they were both great technicians in their “own” sports, their attention was NOT on their technique when they were performing at their best.
Perhaps even more interestingly, they had both become very aware of their “technique” or swings when it came to golf and much less aware of what they needed to do with the golf ball. While both their techniques looked good on camera, they weren’t producing the shots they wanted.
After digging a little deeper, we played around with the concept of focusing on the “shot creating the swing” rather than the other way round. It didn’t take long for both of them to confess “that’s what I do when I’m on the rugby pitch / curling rink!”
Almost instantaneously, they both started to create the shots they saw in their minds’ eye. Not only did they find this incredibly rewarding, one word they both used was “liberating”.
Liberating is a word we keep hearing from our students and readers of “The Lost Art Of Putting” from people around the world from as far afield as Australia, USA, The Middle East and Zimbabwe as well as closer to home in the UK.
Whether you are faced with a demanding tee shot, an iron shot into a green, a pitch over a bunker or a fast 10 foot putt with a foot of break, rather than focusing on and perhaps questioning your technique, focus on creating that shot or putt.
As golfers around the world keep telling us, from tee to green, creativity is liberating.
To discover how creating putts can enhance your enjoyment of this great game and order a copy of The Lost Art Of Putting.
New season, new putter?
Every winter we always make the same statements.
Must get the clubs out the garage again and head to the driving range.
Must play more next year.
Must play better next year.
Must putt better next year.
Must buy a new putter in order to putt better next year.
We often talk to our students about forming a relationship with their putter and embarking on an incredible journey of discovery with it.
Statistics will tell you that you will use your putter more than any other club in the bag. That said, it makes perfect sense to take some time in selecting the correct tool for the task at hand, namely holing putts.
We have all been in the Pro Shop and found ourselves drawn almost magnetically to the putter rack in search of ‘The One’ that will finally put an end to our putting woes.
We pick one up, make a couple of practice strokes and say to ourselves ‘that feels great’ as we imagine holing putts from all over the pace to win the monthly medal or The Open Championship, before heading to the counter to pay for it.
However, do we really take time to think of this latest acquisition as a precision tool designed to do a specific job? Is it the correct length and lie? Does the design suit your particular stroke or style? Is the grip the correct thickness? Is the weight and balance going to help or hinder you in your quest to hole more putts?
We strongly recommend you take the time and effort to get your putter custom-fitted. Most golfers nowadays buy custom-fitted drivers, fairway woods, irons and even wedges but have you ever thought about having your putter custom-fitted? If not, we suggest you do.
Before you splash out, find someone who can and will conduct a thorough and comprehensive fitting process. If you’re lucky, they might have a SAM Putt Lab. If you’re really lucky, they will have a TrackMan with the Performance Putting software.
TrackMan for putting? Yes, TrackMan for putting. We all know how good it is for club and ball data on full shots, we want to know what the club AND ball are doing on any given shot don’t we? So why wouldn’t we want to know what the putter AND THE BALL are doing when we hit a putt. After all, we need to know how the putter is going to influence the ball if we are to become a better putter.
Can you imagine going for a custom-fit session for a new driver and looking at club data only? No ball tracking? Of course not, that would be ridiculous! So why would we not want to know what the ball is doing in a putter fitting?
Without knowing what the ball is doing, you might as well wear a blindfold.
If you are in the market for a new putter, think about it carefully and where possible, make use of the latest technology to confirm that your new ‘magic wand’ does in fact help you hit your putts on a good line at the appropriate pace.
Please note that regardless of how much of your hard earned cash you invest in a new putter for the new season, the one thing that does not come included in the price is a ‘user’s manual’. That is one of the many reasons Karl Morris and I wrote ‘The Lost Art Of Putting’ which is available on Amazon and at – thelostartofgolf.com
Hole more putts. Shoot lower scores. Have more fun on the golf course.
Is what we see really what we get?
Do you love watching the world’s best players on TV most weekends?
What do you enjoy most, watching their swings or the shots they create?
Historically, we have been encouraged to watch players swings by commentators as dissecting a swing and exposing why the ball went long, short, left or right, gave the men with the microphones something to talk about.
When the ball finishes in the left hand rough off the tee, we are told that the player “came over the top of that one.” The swing is then replayed in slow motion and the commentator or analyst will start to go into the technical details of what happened to cause the ball to miss the fairway by 5 yards.
This is pretty much how the analysis, coaching industry and golf culture works, which is largely unhelpful. Think about some of the golf lessons you have had. You meet the Pro, have a quick chat and are then asked to hit a few shots with your 7 iron to a flag on the range.
You hit 4 or 5 shots a 7 iron. Good bad or indifferent, you ask the Pro “what is wrong with my swing?” He will then form an opinion based on his knowledge and tell you what you need to do to in order to swing the club better. If you make a good swing, you’ll hit a good shot right? If that way of thinking is working wonders for you, then we suggest you continue just as you are.
The big problem with that “system” is that if we always ask what went wrong with the swing, we will automatically start to tinker with it, changing this, that and the next thing. You want to become more consistent, so in a bid to achieve that goal, you are constantly making changes. Whether that is a change to your grip, stance, posture, backswing or whatever, do you honestly think that you can achieve consistency through constant swing changes?
Rather than ask “what is wrong with my swing or my putting stroke?”, would it not make more sense to ask “what is wrong with my shots or putts?”
If you miss a six foot putt two inches to the left of the hole and it finishes two feet past the hole, would you ask what was wrong with your stroke or what was wrong with the putt? If you start to question your stroke, there are any number of conclusions and solutions you could come up with. Trying to decipher how much of that information is useful and applicable could take some time and even then, you would probably be guessing.
If you question what was wrong with your putt, you would soon figure out that you got the line and pace slightly wrong. End of story. The journey from two inches left and two feet past the hole is a whole lot shorter and less complex than the journey of trying to figure out what went wrong with your stroke, alignment, eye position, tempo, path, length of backstroke or follow through, never mind did you keep your head down! Trying to figure that on when you still have 15 holes to play could lead to all sorts of ever changing and conflicting thoughts and ideas.
We have said it before and will say it again, what really matters is it what the ball does or indeed needs to do in order to go in the hole. It needs to travel on the right line at the right pace and as pace determines line, if you’re smart, you’ll pay particular attention to the pace. Without the right pace, how can you possibly get the right line?
When you are glued to The Masters this week, you will see a number of different putting “styles” but each and every player will have the same intention on the greens, to get the ball in the hole in as few shots as they possibly can.