==================================================== Newsletter - Issue 63 Date 07/27/08 ==================================================== ==================================================== Equipment - Books - DVD's ==================================================== Critique: Dr. Feelgood Right Handed Zero Lat Putter you can view the putter here: http://www.bataviacc.com/drfeelgood.html I had the chance to test out this putter three times this past week during the course of student putting lessons. As I said I would do in the last newsletter, I anchored two 3 foot lengths of PVC with tees to form rails just a bit wider than a golf ball, and had students stroke putts with the Dr. Feelgood to get the feel for a good pendulum stroke and square contact. You could get the same benefit of this drill yourself by cutting two 3 foot pieces of PVC, drilling holes at each end for tees, then making your own putting rails that would be just a little bit wider than your putter. Then go to some practice green and stroke about 300 putts. Set up for very short putts and practice a straight back and straight through firm pendulum stroke, and you'll be amazed at the confidence you'll have the next time you are staring down a short putt. It's the type of confidence that allows you to get the ball to the hole on longer putts more regularly. Dr. Feelgood worked very well for my purposes, but I'm going to give it one thumb down for the function for which it's sold - to actually use during play, and I'm also giving it one thumb down for value. Quite frankly - any amount would be too much to pay for this particular club unless you are using it as a training aid. Don't get me wrong, I'm not shy about spending a fair amount for an excellent putter, but the Dr. Feelgood just doesn't feel that good, and it offers no margin for error on your stroke. Stick with the generous M.O.I that can be found in most putters on the market today. Sorry if Dr. Feelgood feels bad, but It's a no - go. ==================================================== TCT Quick Tips - Getting It Done ==================================================== Good players seemed to make the one shot necessary to make a par on a regular basis. All you need is a good approach, chip, or putt. You don't need all three, and you don't need to be perfect. Sometimes it's more about hanging in there than anything else. ==================================================== Golf Tip : Desire, Belief, and Patience ==================================================== MENTAL TIP by MICHAEL ANTHONY "Desire, Belief and Patience" What do desire, belief and patience have in common? They are all important ingredients of success in anything that you do or try to accomplish. If you want to shoot lower scores, take an honest look at the above recipe to see what you could be doing better. Let's start with desire. How strong is your desire to lower your score? On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest, if you are not doing everything under your control to improve your golf, your desire is less than a ten. That's OK as long as you realize that your success will be limited according to the actions you are or are not taking. If you claim to desire scores lower than what you are willing to work for, you do not have a desire. You have a wish. A wish will never be strong enough to attain the scores you supposedly desire. You have two choices. Either change your goal and accept higher scores, or take more action to lower them. Why frustrate yourself if you only have a wish and not a strong desire? If you truly have a desire and are backing it up with positive thoughts and actions, you have to believe that your efforts will pay off in the end. Otherwise, why do the work? It is important to believe in the processes that you are working on to improve. If you have selected legitimate processes that will result in lower scores, don't keep looking over your shoulder at your scores until you have mastered the process. Always keep in mind that the outcome is merely a by-product of the process. Keep focusing on improving the process until your lower scores become a reality. What happens in many cases is the golfer gives up on the process before the results appear, and blames it on the process not working. Rarely does the golfer blame himself for not working the process. Instead of always looking for new techniques, training devices or equipment to try out in the hope of lowering your score, have patience and master what you are working on. When you plant a seed in a garden, you don't dig it up before it has a chance to grow and bloom. Patience is a very important part of the learning process and golf. When you play golf, belief and patience work together. Before attempting any golf shot, you must totally believe that you can make the shot if everything goes right. Otherwise, change your shot selection. You must believe in your percentages of success for making the shot and have the patience to trust the process. You won't make all of your shots, but if you are patient and believe in your ability to make your share of shots, you will be a lot more successful and accomplish your desire to shoot lower scores. Enjoy, Tom