Its often rare to have 50 to 60 degree weather a few weeks before Thanksgiving. Please keep it coming Mother Nature. Remember, we patiently waited for you to give us sun after a month full of rain in June!
I played yesterday, 11/7, with my Dad and Mike 'the Irishman' Murphy at Lexington. We cruised around the course in less than 4 hours. I take November rounds as 'bonus' days in New England, adding to my appreciation of the game. I can honestly say my game has held up well this deep into the season. I played a stretch of 8 holes at 2 under par and 12 holes at 1 under par. The other six holes pushed me back the relative to par, so I closed with a 77. My Dad's sand play was picturesque with deft touch on #8, #10, and #14, each settling close for pars. The Murph man drove it well and scored around par on the final 9.
How do I think my game has stayed consistent this late in the season? Couple things: 1) I highly recommend serious golfers or non-serious golfers looking for a new workout program to pick up Mark Verstegen's 'Core Performance Golf' golf book. I picked it up for less than $20 on Ebay and its become my off-season bible (and likely year-round for the foreseeable future). The front cover says it will increase your drive 25 yars, lower your score, and play pain-free. Within a matter of a month, I feel like I've gotten to a higher level with my understanding of golfing energy. By focusing on the right muscles and movements of the golf swing, I feel like I have total control of my game. In the past, I've struggled this time of year and felt like I couldn't coordinate a golf swing, i.e. "no feel" for club position, transition, etc. Using this program, I've opened up my golfing muscles and have come to the course with the most important tool in fine shape, THE BODY. The book includes nutrition tips, at home workout options, on the road workout options, and easy to understand workout descriptions. Verstegen is known to be one of the top trainers in the country and works with several professional athletes.
I must warn you that you might feel uncomfortable doing some of these workout moves at the gym or find it tough to pull off (such as medicine ball throws). There is also some equipment worth buying. The cost of investment is covered multiple times over by the benefits, yielding a strong NPV for those investment saavy people. I'd be happy to pass along tips to anyone interested. Even if you are scared off by the workout routines, you can still pick up great on-course nutrition tips, daily nutrition tips, and simply adopt the pre-round stretching routine. You will walk to the first tee feeling fully warmed up and stripe your first tee shot down the middle. Non-golfers or non-serious golfers will gain more flexibility and more functionality, improving everyday living.
This is a big part of my offseason plans. More to come on my plans this winter and some tips on how to improve your game during the winter blues in New England.
Keep on golfing!!
KF
Oh yeah, #2 thing for consistency this late in the season is practice putting at home. My routine is to take at least 10 practice putting strokes per day against a straight line, such as the the edge of a rug or the base of a wall. I do it before work or before bed. Only takes a 1 minute. You don't even need to hit a ball, but pretend its there. Focus on maintaining a steady head and keep the putter on a straight line, internalizing the feeling of a straight backstroke and making a confident stroke THROUGH the ball at a pace that matches the pace of your backstroke. Take notice how it feels to make a good putting stroke down the line. When you get to the course, even if you haven't played in weeks, you won't be pulling back the putter like an intoxicated human, but more like a sharp precision machine with confidence to make any putt.
