Myrtle Beach: Competition Helps your Golf Game

This week in Myrtle Beach, we had two ten-man teams going head-to-head in Ryder Cup style matches over five days.  The first four were better ball and the last day was singles.  Our team entered the singles down by three, went 6-4 and lost by one.  I went 2-3, won my singles match, but only played my best on the last day.

I had a fabulous time and was reminded of a few lessons along the way. If you want to play your best golf, you need to compete – regularly.  You may have experienced significant changes to your golf routine over the past few years, with the ability to compete being removed because COVID restrictions.  I sure have.  For serious golfers, competition is an essential tool for keeping their game sharp as it hones their focus and steels their nerves.  I was reminded of this because I hadn’t competed in anything since February of 2020 and it showed.

Mental preparation is essential for golf competition, but there is no substitute for being exposed to regular competitive pressure.  My symptoms were classic.  I often stood on the first tee with my head full of mechanical and competitive thoughts, and the mix was toxic.  I got off to poor starts the first four days and finally started to play like myself on the last.  Oh, there were stretches of good play mixed in, but the poor starts were the common thread since I had not been under the competitive gun.

A few key takeaways:

• Do compete in your regular golf game.  It gets your head in the right mindset for competition.
• Do pair your down-the-middle stay out of trouble players against ego-based players.  Down the middle puts excessive pressure on the ego-based player.
• Do not make any mechanical changes to your game before leaving on a golf trip.  They won’t hold up under the pressure of playing on strange courses or in competition.
• Do not take too many chances in a close match and remember, par usually wins the hole.

Giant 8-foot friend we found at Thistle

Overall, I loved this trip.  The weather was glorious and the course conditions superb at all five venues.  The best part was the companionship and camaraderie.  I was in a condo with our team captain, and our nightly libation fueled conversations about how we wanted to match-up the next day were fascinating and great fun. 

Final thought:  Why do the real Ryder Cup captains require two years of preparation where we did the same thing in two hours with a couple gin and tonics?

Play well.

2022 Season is underway!

Yesterday, I opened the season in excellent fashion.  I was trying to bang the rust off my game, prepare for next week’s golf trip to Myrtle Beach, and have fun.  Check. Check. Check. 

After a brutally cold January, yesterday’s mid-50s temperatures were a welcome respite, however when I showed up to the course, the wind was blowing, and it was cold – but still playable.  The tendency on these first rounds is to do too much and I may have stepped slightly over the line because my golf muscles are sore today.  I started with a range warm-up where I hit at least three balls with every club in the bag.  Normally, the first thing to come around is full swing followed by short game and that was the case.  I tapped into a swing thought that I found from my last practice session in December and surprised myself at how solid I struck it.  This held up through the entire round and I probably hit driver better than any round in 2021.  Where I struggled was on the partial wedges and around the green because touch shots require the most practice. 

On the greens, I found that it’s amazing what some consistent rug putting will do for your stroke.  I had been working in my basement and was pleased with the way the practice transitioned.  A little trick I found is to set up your indoor putting station with a slow putt and a fast putt.  My basement has berber carpet, which is kind of bumpy and slow, and I set up a 10-footer on the surface.  I also laid a yoga matt down for a fast 4-footer.  Switching between the two helped to prevent my mind from becoming complacent and focusing too much on mechanics.

Back on the course, I was playing for score but also hitting shots that weren’t appropriate for the current situations, because I knew I would need them next week.  Mainly, I focused on 3-woods off the tee for position, and chipping with lower lofted clubs since there is not much tall rough around the Bermuda greens in Myrtle.

To put a damper on things, another inch of the white stuff fell overnight ☹ and I’m trying to figure out how to get some live short game practice in before traveling.   It’s going to be tight.  On the trip, we’re playing:

• Meadowlands
• Long Bay
• Grand Dunes – Members
• Tidewater
• Thistle

I will try to capture enough pictures and information on the first three for new course reviews.  If anyone has information on current playing conditions at any of these tracks, please send!

Play well.