Alex Elias
Earlier this week, after Tommy Fleetwood’s ace on No. 16 at Augusta, Fleetwood tweeted:
While the average golfer will more than likely never know what it’s like to hit an ace at Augusta, every golfer knows the feeling that Fleetwood described: expectations vs. reality. Speaking on expectations, Jack Davis, Head Golf Professional at Essex County Club (Manchester-By-The-Sea, Massachusetts), said, “I think from an expectations standpoint, people love watching golf on TV. I think the average golfer doesn’t appreciate how good you need to be to be a Tour player. For instance, the distance between your club champion and someone who is playing on Tour is ten times wider than you can imagine.”
“The golf industry is set up to influence you from the PGA Tour down, from what people are wearing, what clubs they’re playing, and what courses they’re playing so a golfer’s expectations are pretty much set on what they see on TV,” said Davis. “Just keeping in mind you’re watching the top one hundred people in the world at what they do is a good barometer for what real life is like. Even the the most successful players in the world are hitting only 75% of the greens and 60% of the fairways.” Once realistic expectations are set, the drive to lower one’s handicap can truly begin, but according to Davis, in some cases, it may have do more with course management than a particular swing change. Davis said, “Being a Head Professional at a private club, most of the members are playing here. The easiest way they can get better, without doing anything to their swing, is just learning the golf course. Making better decisions, making better club selections, being able to read lines, and understanding the wind. Then without spending five minutes on the range or getting a new driver, if you think differently, then you can already navigate your way around the golf course better.” “We still need to execute, but if I’m doing an on-course lesson, it’s almost like I’m trying to pretend to be a Tour level caddy. "I always tell my students: 'If I were caddying for you, without us worrying one minute about technique, I could save you five shots through better decisions, better leaves, and accurately reading putts.' It’s kind of a non-glamorous answer, but the first thing in becoming a better player is learning and understanding course management, rather than the time on the range or a new driver." said Davis. As for a specific example, if a player hits a poor shot, Davis said, “Regardless of your skill level, you just have to be realistic. You got yourself into that trouble by not hitting an excellent shot, so why all of the sudden is your skill level going to triple and you’re going to be able to hit this low, carving punch-out from the trees.” “Get yourself back to a familiar position as soon as possible. Take a bogey and be okay with it. Maybe you can save par, but sometimes a bogey is a good score,” said Davis.
1 Comment
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
September 2024
|