I have had enough of Johnny Miller. His comments on every shot, decision, and weather condition is just too much. And it is amazing that he knows just what every player is thinking, he must, because he continually says "it didn't break as much as he thought it would". NBC needs to have hole announcers like CBS, and keep Johnny a little more quiet. The tournament is getting exciting, but I am so sick of listening to Miller for the last five hours, it is hard to watch.  Sorry for the blowing of steam, but I guess that is what this blog is for sometimes.

Yesterday we completed our Play Golf America Day at Spring Hill College Gc, where we helped many people with their golf games. I did four seminars about different phases of the game and answered golfers questions. One of my focuses was for people to be honest in assessing their skill level.  So many golfers feel that there is just one little thing wrong with their swing, and if they could just get the correct tip, their game would make a complete transformation. Lucky for me and my career, this is not the case. The search for that one tip, or one magic club is a waste of time. Find a golf professional who understands the "cause and effects" of the golf swing. Analyze your swing and develop a program to build a fundamentally sound golf swing. The correct program will lead to long lasting results.

It seems that golfers have become obsessed with distance. It is always, "if I could only hit my driver 10 yards farther". I am warning you to be a little careful here. I see too many golf swings that are out of rhythm and balance because the swinger is trying to hit the ball too far. I am not convinced that distance is the answer to lower scores for everyone. To find out if distance is your problem, play 18 holes putting the ball in the fairway, 10 yards farther than you normally hit your tee shot. See if this drastically reduces your score? My sense will be that it will not make that great a change. I would really like to here some responses from people who try this exercise.

Golfers need to separate learning a swing motion, and playing golf. So many times a student takes a lesson, and immediately goes to play and expects to have his/her swing fixed. It doesn't work this way folks. You have to learn the new motion first, apply it to the ball second, and then see if you can do it on the golf course. Our bodies and brains are not set up to learn and perform at the same time. We have to make the new motion a habit before it will appear on the golf course. Just because you think about it doesn't mean you are going to do it. 

What ever happened to golf etiquette and respect for the golf course. (I am either getting old and cranky, or people only care about themselves). Because I am at the course so much, I see a lot more than others. The things that just amaze me are how people dress when they play golf, where they drive their golf cart, and their total lack of respect for the course.

People need to learn a courses dress code before they just show up to play. Men, how about a collared shirt and nice shorts. Not a t-shirt and gym shorts.

The golf cart is to stay on the path around the tees and greens, not driven where ever your ball goes. It seems the mentality is, "I rented this cart I will drive it where I want".

And finally, FIX A BALL MARK AND FILL A DIVOT JUST ONE TIME.

I spent a full day teaching today and it seems that students are always battling their feelings vs. reality. What I mean by this is that  the reality of what you are doing and the feeling of what you are doing are usually two different things. As a student you can not rely on your feelings, you must rely on how the swing or motion looks. Make the new feelings the reality, and make the old feeling a thing of the past. Watch yourself repeat the new motion enough times until it feels good. Then you will have developed a new habit.

The following is my email to CBSSports about their coverage of the Masters. If you would like to email them, go to www.cbssports.com, scroll to the bottom under useful links, click on user comments and log in your opinion. The only way change is made is through the consumer responding. 

Your coverage of the Masters was horrible. The great thing about the Masters was all of the golf and golfers we used to be able to watch. Now you show only the golfers within two strokes of the lead, and Tiger. It was boring. I don't want to watch a player talk to his caddie, read a putt, go through his long preshot routine. Show golf shots. There were 44 players and ties in the field, they deserve to be seen. The only thing happening in your broadcast was the viewer listening to Jim Nance and Nick Faldo guessing at what a player was thinking. We want to see golf, not listen to to your announcers guess at to what a player might be thinking. As a PGA Member, golf is being ruined on TV by your broadcasts. CBS was the best, now it is just like the rest.

Well, one more Masters is complete and we have a new Champion. Even though this was not the most exciting finish, it is still the greatest golf tournament each year. I am not going to talk about the weather, and course conditions, for that you can watch the Golf Channel.  What I would like to discuss is the television coverage. When did everything change so that all they can show is the leaders. One of the great things about the Masters used to be how much golf they would show. Now, if you are two shots off the lead they never show your face, unless you're Tiger. I wish they would stop making the decisions on what we want to see, show it all.

You have to be careful when learning to play golf, or to just improve your game, that you don't try and rush the learning process. I had a student this morning who is getting frustrated because his scores aren't where he thinks they should be. Yet he hasn't fixed the main flaw in his golf swing yet. Being to worried about your score when you are trying to fix your swing can be counter productive. Fix the swing then lower the scores. Also understand where you game really is. If you shoot 85, you can't expect a swing change to make you start shooting 75. You have to learn how to break 80, or 40 for nine holes, first.  
Keep swinging 

It is my intention on this blog to put my daily/weekly/monthly thoughts about golf in writing. "Golf" will include the business of golf, golf instruction, products, and anything else I wish discuss. I see so much from the lesson tee and from being on the golf course daily, that I want to explain, complain about, or just get off my chest. This blog is where I am going to give my opinions. I will welcome your views and responses in a hope that this becomes another place for golfers to talk about this great game. I look forward to this new journey. 

Bris