Alex Elias Before T.T. Crouch even turned pro, he was able to gain insight on how Tour pros handled themselves, as he said, “Going to Florida Southern, I was able to learn how to practice by being around touring pros that were at our golf course like Andy Bean (11 PGA Tour victories) and Brad Bryant (1 PGA Tour victory). Just being around those guys helped me prepare as a professional, even though I didn’t know I was one yet.” Although Crouch had an inside look on how to practice, Crouch admitted to other realizations that come with turning pro. Crouch said, “In college, the coach is taking care of everything: where you’re going to eat, where you’re going stay, flights, rental cars. Then, when you turn pro, you’re in charge of making your own schedule and handling your own finances.” When Crouch was asked if financials, for example, ever crept into the back of his head when he was playing, he responded, “On the Mini Tours, you’re definitely thinking about money because it’s your way of life and if you’re not making money, then you’re not going to be playing golf very long. The pressure is definitely on you.” Crouch continued, “It’s definitely a learning period in the beginning but once you start playing well enough and making a little bit of money, you start to build up confidence.” As Crouch became more accustomed to playing on the Mini Tours and began recording a few runner-ups and Top-10s, his next learning moment came after he asked Patrick Sheehan, “How do you win?” Sheehan responded, “Just keeping yourself in position.” As a result of Crouch reflecting on his conversation with Sheehan, Crouch was asked if he believes he learned more from being in contention or from when he struggled and/or missed a cut, but was able to learn and grow from his mistakes. Crouch responded, “When I played my best, I played my worst beforehand.” Crouch’s win on The MacKenzie Tour (PGA Tour Canada) may be the best evidence of Crouch’s previous comment. Crouch said, “The week prior to my win, I Monday qualified into an event on The Korn Ferry Tour and think I finished in third or fourth to last for the week. The very following week I went up to Canada and shot -23 and won, not even a week later.” Crouch’s win came at The Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open, as a result of a wire-to-wire finish and an eventual two hole playoff. Crouch said, “I was seven back going into the weekend. In the third round, I shot -6 and he [the player atop the leaderboard] shot +1 to get me right back in the tournament. It definitely wasn’t one of those where I thought I was going to win on Thursday. It more came across on the last nine holes of the week.” With Crouch being in contention, Crouch was asked if the final nine holes felt any different, in which he responded, “It definitely felt different. I felt a lot of pressure because every shot mattered.” Although Crouch admitted that their was pressure, Crouch said, “It’s about being comfortable being uncomfortable. Obviously, you’re going to be uncomfortable in a pressure packed situation, but you need to be comfortable to put yourself in a good mindset.”
Often times, following a player’s win, the player will be asked how they felt coming into the week. At the same time, though, they’re not asked as often about how they feel going into their next tournament. Perhaps, many assume their game is in a good place coming off a win, but there could be additional pressures of trying to follow up a win. Crouch said, “The following week your confidence is at an all time high. The very next round I shot 66 in Windsor. I had five rounds in a row -5 under or better. Quickly, I shot 73 on Friday and missed the cut by one, which shows you how fast it can go from feeling invincible to missing a cut.” Over the course of Crouch’s career, one of Crouch’s main takeaway’s was the consistency of the players on the Tour. Crouch said, “It’s not one aspect. It a guy’s game as a whole. It’s being consistent from Tee-To-Green and making a lot of putts consistently.” Crouch continued, in regards to putting, saying, “There’s a number of guys on the PGA Tour that hit the ball so well that they’re in it every week, but if they putt it well too, then they’re going to win. Almost every week, the guy who won, led the field in putting statistics.”
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Alex Elias Carly Peters is an Assistant Golf Professional at Quaker Ridge Golf Club. Quaker Ridge is located in Scarsdale, New York and is the 76th ranked course in the U.S., according to Golf Digest. Peters was named an honorable mention Top 50 U.S. Golf Kids Coach for the 4th year in a row. Carly Peters, Assistant Golf Professional at Quaker Ridge Golf Club, credited the many lessons she learned in junior golf and college golf as the reason for her philosophies today as a teacher. Peters said, "When I played college golf, my Dad, who introduced me to the game, would grab a blank scorecard at my tournaments and instead of writing my score down, he'd write 'awesome drive on 1', or 'great up and down on 2', or 'great club choice on 3', or 'kept your emotions together', on 4." When reflecting on this memory, Peters said, "There’s always going to be negatives on the course but they need to be in one ear out the other. For my students, how you come back from a double bogey is way important than how you made a double bogey. A score is a score but it's about how you handle yourself." In regards to how one handles themselves on the course, specifically their mindset, Peters recounted another experience of hers. Peters, with her fiancé on her bag, triple bogeyed No. 16 and birdied No. 17, during her Playing Ability Test to become a PGA Professional. Peters said, "I said to my fiancé, 'I have to par 18 to get through,' and he turned to me and responded, 'Don't hang on for dear life. You actually have another chance to make birdie. Don't look at it as you have to make par to be safe.'" Peters continued, "I have now adopted that mentality, where when I'm playing I try to focus on the opportunities I have in front of me and tell my students to think the same way." While focusing on the opportunities ahead are extremely beneficial, Peters did acknowledge that focusing on the opportunities ahead and looking too far ahead are entirely different. For example, after a bogey or a double bogey, some golfers will immediately begin looking five, six holes ahead, trying to see which holes they may be able make up a stroke on rather than focusing on the hole in front of them. As a way to avoid that, Peters said, "What I do to prevent that is break down the holes 3, 3, 3 on the front and back. Then, as you begin to play more consistently, you can even do bigger chunks of 6, 6, 6." When discussing how to practice, Peters said, "If you think about any other sport, basketball, gymnastics, swimming, let’s say swimming, you practice in the pool and then compete in the pool, but in golf we’re so engrained that we practice at the range and play on the course. As golf professionals we have to find a way to connect those two better." As a result, Peters said, "I believe in random practice." Peters elaborated by saying, "I don't believe in hitting the same ten foot putt over and over again because that's not how it is on the golf course. Putting is all about practicing randomly, reading different putts and finding what grounds you to make the putts you need to make." Similarly to Peters' philosophy when practicing on the green, Peters recommended what should be incorporated into a pre-round warm up. Peters said, "What I have my students do is hit one drive, then have them step back, take a drink of water, chat with someone for a minute or two, just like they would be on the course walking to their next shot. Then, I have them take a hybrid out and execute the shot, then repeat the cycle in between, then hit an iron and then a wedge. I'll have them play maybe five holes in their head with that philosophy and with each club they only get one try. There's no hitting another hybrid if they mess up." Just as how one will never have the same ten foot putt over and over, Peters' pre-round routine is a reminder that each hole is different and every single club is needed during a round.
Not only is every single club needed during a round, but the confidence to hit every single club is needed, as well. Peters said, "At Quaker Ridge, hole No. 5 is a Par 3 over water and it’s such a mental block for so many members. The carry distance is all that’s important and from the forward tees it is about 105 yards and the hole is about 120. I always say to the members, 'You just showed me you can do this ten times in a row at the driving range. There’s nothing that should be holding you back.'" While the Par 3 5th at Quaker Ridge is just one example, every golfer seems to have that one hole that they believe they can't overcome, but to Peters' overall point, it's entirely mental. Peters said, "Golf is a humbling game and that's why when golfers don't see the results they want, they need to stay positive and be honest with themselves." Matt Alwin Discusses His Advice For Pre-Shot Routines And Why To Trust Your Instincts On The Course1/14/2022 Alex Elias Matt Alwin is the Head Golf Professional at Sakonnet Golf Club in Little Compton, Rhode Island. Alwin has joined AE Golf News twice before. Matt Alwin - Head Golf Professional at Sakonnet Golf Club Junior Golf With Matt Alwin "I'm about five inches from being an outstanding golfer. That's the distance my left ear is from my right. " - Ben Crenshaw
There's no denying golf is just as much between your ears, as it is execution on the course, which is why Matt Alwin's advice on pre-shot routines and instincts are so crucial. When discussing his pre-shot routine, Alwin said, "Everything I think about to prepare for a shot happens before I address the ball. That's probably not typical, but when I'm over the golf ball, there's nothing going through my head." Alwin elaborated by explaining, "I use the walk from the tee shot to the next shot as kind of my pre-shot routine, where I’m thinking and saying to myself, 'Okay, I’m on the left side of the fairway and the pin is on the left side of the green, let’s not try to attack the pin'. Then, as soon as I put my bag down, I’m ready to go." Over Alwin's years as a collegiate golfer and now a club professional, Alwin has noticed that golfers' pre-shot routine is drastically different on the green than anywhere else on the course. Alwin said, "I almost think players time on the green is too long. Especially in my experience, not only playing golf in college but as a club professional, players have a tendency to kind of drop the anchor on the green and a lot of times it works towards their fault. Players tend to overthink the game on the green when they shouldn’t." As advice as to how players should approach their mindset on the green, Alwin continued, "For longer putts, anything twenty-feet, thirty-feet, where you're unsure about the break at all, then go behind the hole, but for shorter putts trust the initial read. The worst thing you can do on a three, five foot putt is second guess yourself.” Alwin recounted on his own personal game saying, "I can't tell you how many times I’ve lined up to a four foot putt, committed to my line and it’s almost like during the stroke, I second guess myself, open it up and miss it to the right." Just as instincts are of pivotal importance on the green, instincts are key when it comes to club selection, as well. Alwin said, "I played in the Pro-Member at Mountain Lake about a month ago, and on the 11th hole, a Par 3, I was thinking if I hit a 6-iron smooth, I can have it land and run down to the hole no problem, but if I hit a 7-iron and crush it, then I can be aggressive, which may make a birdie a little easier than if I were to take out the six." Alwin continued, "I ended up throwing my instinct out, going with the 7-iron and ended up short left in the bunker." Alwin acknowledged that by not trusting his instinct, he now needed to get up and down to save par, where if he had hit the 6-iron, then it most likely would have led to a two putt par. As a solution, Alwin recommended players play to the percentages. As an example, Alwin used the No. 9 at Dedham Country and Polo Club, where Alwin served as an Assistant Golf Professional from 2013-2021. Alwin said, "If I'm on a hole like nine at Dedham, then I know if I hit driver, I'm going to have roughly sixty-five yards in, but if I hit three wood, then'll have one hundred yards in. I try to play to what I’m comfortable with and for me I’d rather have the one hundred yard shot than the sixty-five yard shot." Alex Elias Member For A Day’s mission statement reads: “Our mission is simple: Play golf, change the world. At Member for a Day, we're passionate about helping non-profits and charitable foundations exceed their fundraising goals by using the power of technology, social media, and golf.” In just over a year and half, Member for a Day has raised over $2 million, auctioning off rounds at Top 100 clubs, and much more. Founder Eric Sedransk said, “The support of the community continues to amaze me. Almost daily we have someone reaching out offering to donate a round of golf at their home course.” Sedransk continued by acknowledging that the countless donations have served as a reminder as to “the goodness in people”. Sedransk elaborated by saying, “We’re living in such a crazy time where there’s so much negativity out there. But when it comes down to it, I believed humanity is inherently good; and this community reminds me of that all the time.” Currently, Member For A Day is auctioning off rounds at a number of clubs, including Friar’s Head, Bel-Air Country Club, and Scioto Country Club, where the proceeds will benefit The Rose Bowl Foundation: “The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation is on a mission to financially ensure the appropriate honoring of a historic past, while building a premier future through making the venue and surrounding activity spaces even more distinguished and iconic as one of the world’s most celebrated entertainment areas.” While The Rose Bowl Foundation is just one example of the impact that Member For A Day has had on numerous foundations, Sedransk was asked about the future of Member For A Day. Sedransk responded, “Expand our reach, continue to offer up amazing golf experiences while supporting the best nonprofits in the world. We’ll also be hosting some amazing events, launching merchandise and continuing to put out charity golf content.” |
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