Moe Norman Mental Game Approach

Over the weekend I was watching a bunch of Moe Norman videos. While Moe does talk about the mechanics of the golf swing, he would usually revert back to the mental game of golf. I thought this video was his most informative piece of work towards the game:



I've mentioned this before...mechanics are very important. But, in order to strike the ball at Moe's level and to shoot the scores he did (and being a lousy putter), one must have the mental makeup for it. The game has a very small margin for error. 2-3 degrees off can be disastrous. It also tends to work against you because your brain finds a way to adjust around your mechanics. If a piece of your mechanics may cause you to hit the ball low, you can bet that you'll likely incorporate some type of compensatory mechanical piece to try and get the ball higher in the air.

So Moe has a lot of key phrases and words like 'don't be afraid of yourself' and 'winners see what they want and losers see what they don't want.' Some of this may come off like psychobabble, but in the end I feel Moe was saying that he focused on the shot he wanted to hit along with the swing thoughts that would produce that shot. That was his sole focus.

Instead, most golfers start thinking about what they are afraid they are capable of doing....hitting a poor shot. That divides their attention. They start thinking about possibly hitting a poor shot and the swing mechanics that go into a poor shot and they start losing focus on the shot they want to hit and the swing thoughts that go into that shot they want to hit.

Over a week ago I wrote on my Twitter that between the statistics and science behind the brain...it shows that playing defensive golf is pissing away the opportunity to be great.

From a statistical standpoint, we see performance typically goes downward when the golfer starts playing more defensively. They end up having more difficult shots to hit. As I wrote in 2014 Pro Golf Synopsis, golfers are better off having to hit a tee shot with a higher level of difficulty than an approach shot with a higher level of difficulty. If you hit a poor drive on a par-4 because it has a high level of difficulty, you now have 3 more shots to 'make up for it' and save par. But, if you hit a poor approach shot because it had a high degree of difficulty, now you have only 2 more shot to make up for it and save par. And we also see that laying up with a 3-wood off the tee presents its own problems in terms of finding the fairway. Lastly, if you're playing for the 'worst case scenario' and are afraid that a bad swing with the driver will result in a very bad shot; there is ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEE that you would not have taken a poor swing with whatever club you are laying up with and end up in a worse position.

And if you talk to Dr. Bhrett McCabe (www.bhrettmccabe.com), people perform better when they are in an 'aggressive' mindset versus a passive mindset. Think about the person who drives a car very casually versus the person that tries to be 'careful' driving the car. The casual driver will likely reach their destination quicker with no problems versus the careful driver.

I think Moe's mindset had more to do with his ability to strike the ball than his purported autism or mechanics. As he states in the video, he was able to aim and fire instead of aiming and directing. He knew what shot he wanted to hit and focused solely on that and believed there was no reason why he could not do it. And if he mis-fired, it was no big deal. As he said 'a bad shot only hurts my vanity. And vanity is the luxury of fools.' Working on you mechanics is an imperative to good golf. But all that work is for nothing if you don't have the mental approach to trust your talent to hit those shots.







3JACK

3Jack Golf's 2014 PGA Tour Rundown - Week 19

After a long comeback, JB Holmes win the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte:



Here are how my picks did at Charlotte:

Here are my picks for Quail Hollow:

Phil Mickelson: 14/1 (t-11th)
Justin Rose: 18/1 (5th)
Zach Johnson: 33/1 (t-14th)
Jonas Blixt: 50/1 (MC)
Kevin Na: 66/1 (t-18th)
Cameron Tringale: 80/1 (t-60th)
Jeff Overton: 80/1 (MC)
Kevin Streelman: 80/1 (t-14th)
Kevin Chappell: 150/1 (t-11th)

Value Pick: Vijay Singh 200/1


Here are my picks for Sawgrass:

Rory McIlroy: 14/1
Henrik Stenson: 25/1
Zach Johnson: 33/1
Graham DeLaet: 50/1
Jason Dufner: 66/1
Kevin Na: 66/1
Kevin Streelman: 80/1
Matt Every: 100/1
Kevin Chappell: 150/1

Value Pick: Tim Clark 200/1

I will be at Sawgrass for the Wednesday practice round. If anybody wishes to meet up and discuss the advanced statistics of the game, shoot me an e-mail at ProGolfSynopsis@yahoo.com and we can get together.


Here are my updated rankings:


DRIVING EFFECTIVENESS



1. Francesco Molinari
2. Bubba Watson
3. Rory McIlroy
4. Fred Funk
5. Kevin Streelman
6. Ryan Moore
7. Heath Slocum
8. Justin Hicks
9. Martin Kaymer
10. Louis Oosthuizen


193. Johnson Wagner
194. Bud Cauley
195. Chad Collins
196. James Driscoll
197. Aaron Baddeley
198. Joe Ogilvie
199. Alex Aragon
200. Tyrone VanAswegen
201. Mike Weir
202. Bobby Gates



GREEN ZONE (75-125 YARDS)



1. Ryo Ishikawa
2. Hideki Matsuyama
3. Brian Stuard
4. Michael Putnam
5. Chesson Hadley
6. Jim Furyk
7. Zach Johnson
8. Adam Scott
9. Ben Curtis
10. Brian Harman


193. Angel Cabrera
194. Jamie Lovemark
195. Richard Lee
196. Derek Ernst
197. Aaron Baddeley
198. Jhonattan Vegas
199. Martin Kaymer
200. Paul Casey
201. Henrik Stenson
202. Graeme McDowell


YELLOW ZONE (125-175 YARDS)



1. Victor Dubuisson
2. Matteo Manassero
3. Marc Leishman
4. Graeme McDowell
5. Dustin Johnson
6. Ken Duke
7. Peter Hanson
8. K.J. Choi
9. Henrik Stenson
10. Lee Williams


193. Andrew Loupe
194. D.A. Points
195. Patrick Reed
196. Chad Campbell
197. Kevin Tway
198. Johnson Wagner
199. Troy Matteson
200. Ben Curtis
201. Edward Loar
202. Jhonattan Vegas


RED ZONE (175-225 YARDS)



1. Sergio Garcia
2. Chad Campbell
3. Graham DeLaet
4. Paul Casey
5. Brooks Koepka
6. Martin Kaymer
7. Robert Streb
8. Jason Dufner
9. Kevin Stadler
10. Dustin Johnson


193. Johnson Wagner
194. Tim Wilkinson
195. Bud Cauley
196. John Rollins
197. Bobby Gates
198. James Driscoll
199. Richard Lee
200. Justin Leonard
201. Greg Chalmers
202. Peter Malnati


SHORT GAME PLAY

1. Tim Clark
2. Kevin Na
3. Jim Furyk
4. Jason Dufner
5. Stuart Appleby
6. John Mallinger
7. Rickie Fowler
8. Ken Duke
9. Bryce Molder
10. Paul Casey


193. Scott Piercy
194. Troy Matteson
195. Martin Kaymer
196. Robert Allenby
197. Harrison Frazar
198. Will Wilcox
199. Peter Hanson
200. J.J. Henry
201. Victor Dubuisson
202. Hudson Swafford





3JACK

3Jack Golf's 2014 PGA Tour Rundown - Week 18

Seung-Yul Noh wins his first tournament of his career at the Zurich Classic:



Here are how my picks finished at the Zurich:

Keegan Bradley: 18/1 (t-8th)
Graham DeLaet: 22/1 (t-29th)
Ryan Palmer: 25/1 (t-29th)
Kevin Stadler: 33/1 (MC)
Billy Horschel: 33/1 (MC)
Russell Knox: 33/1 (MC)
Nick Watney: 40/1 (t-75th)
Brendan Steele: 80/1 (t-52nd)
John Merrick: 125/1 (t-62nd)

Value Pick: Heath Slocum 300/1 (MC)


Here are my picks for Quail Hollow:

Phil Mickelson: 14/1
Justin Rose: 18/1
Zach Johnson: 33/1
Jonas Blixt: 50/1
Kevin Na: 66/1
Cameron Tringale: 80/1
Jeff Overton: 80/1
Kevin Streelman: 80/1
Kevin Chappell: 150/1

Value Pick: Vijay Singh 200/1



DRIVING EFFECTIVENESS



1. Francesco Molinari
2. Bubba Watson
3. Fred Funk
4. Rory McIlroy
5. Kevin Streelman
6. Ryan Moore
7. Derek Ernst
8. Louis Oosthuizen
9. Justin Hicks
10. Jamie Donaldson


198. Chad Collins
199. Daniel Chopra
200. Aaron Baddeley
201. Bud Cauley
202. Tim Herron
203. Scott Verplank
204. Alex Aragon
205. Tyrone Van Aswegen
206. Mike Weir
207. Bobby Gates




GREEN ZONE (75-125 YARDS)



1. Ryo Ishikawa
2. Brian Stuard
3. Chesson Hadley
4. Michael Putnam
5. Hideki Matsuyama
6. Jim Furyk
7. Zach Johnson
8. Adam Scott
9. Jonathan Byrd
10. Padraig Harrington


198. Peter Hanson
199. Wes Roach
200. Richard Lee
201. Aaron Baddeley
202. Derek Ernst
203. Jhonattan Vegas
204. Paul Casey
205. Henrik Stenson
206. Martin Kaymer
207. Graeme McDowell


YELLOW ZONE (125-175 YARDS)



1. Victor Dubuisson
2. Matteo Manassero
3. Marc Leishman
4. Graeme McDowell
5. Dustin Johnson
6. Peter Malnati
7. Ken Duke
8. Hideki Matsuyama
9. Kevin Na
10. K.J. Choi


198. Johnson Wagner
199. Patrick Reed
200. Chad Campbell
201. Troy Matteson
202. Edward Loar
203. Darren Clarke
204. Kevin Tway
205. D.A. Points
206. Ben Curtis
207. Jhonattan Vegas


RED ZONE (175-225 YARDS)



1. Sergio Garcia
2. Chad Campbell
3. Martin Kaymer
4. Graham DeLaet
5. Paul Casey
6. Brooks Koepka
7. Robert Streb
8. Jason Dufner
9. Kyle Stanley
10. Kevin Stadler


198. Bobby Gates
199. John Rollins
200. Peter Malnati
201. Justin Leonard
202. Daniel Chopra
203. Tim Wilkinson
204. Bud Cauley
205. Richard Lee
206. Scott Verplank
207. Tim Herron


SHORT GAME PLAY

1. Justin Rose
2. Lee Westwood
3. Jason Dufner
4. Bud Cauley
5. Zach Johnson
6. Robert Streb
7. Kevin Na
8. John Mallinger
9. Luke Donald
10. Tim Clark


198. Jim Renner
199. Robert Allenby
200. Chad Campbell
201. Bobby Gates
202. Will Wilcox
203. Alex Aragon
204. Graeme McDowell
205. J.J. Henry
206. Bronson La'Cassie
207. Hudson Swafford








3JACK

Bunch of Streamsong Videos

Streamsong Golf and Resort is located in Bowling Green, Florida which is about 75 minutes from Disney World, 60 minutes from Tampa and 40 minutes from Lakeland. This is somewhat of an en vogue idea with golf course design. Build a course in the middle of nowhere where the land is cheap and good for golf course design. Have a legendary design team create a links style or 'Australian Dunes' style course where there is no need to bring in and grow trees. Put a hotel by the course and charge a lot of money for the public to play there.

I have not played Streamsong, yet. But, everybody I've known that has gone there has raved about it. Here are a bunch of videos on Streamsong that I think people would enjoy:















3JACK

3Jack Golf's 2014 PGA Tour Rundown - Week 17

Matt Kuchar wins at Harbour Town:



Here's how my picks at Harbour Town faired:

Matt Kuchar 16/1 (1st)
Zach Johnson 22/1 (t-61st)
Graeme McDowell 25/1 (t-23rd)
Hunter Mahan 35/1 (MC)
Kevin Stadler 50/1 (t-38th)
Russell Knox 80/1 (t-9th)
Justin Hicks 100/1 (t-38th)
Kevin Chappell 100/1 (MC)
Roberto Castro 200/1 (MC)

Value Pick: Jason Bohn 200/1 (MC)


Here are my picks for New Orleans:

Keegan Bradley: 18/1
Graham DeLaet: 22/1
Ryan Palmer: 25/1
Kevin Stadler: 33/1
Billy Horschel: 33/1
Russell Knox: 33/1
Nick Watney: 40/1
Brendan Steele: 80/1
John Merrick: 125/1

Value Pick: Heath Slocum 300/1


DRIVING EFFECTIVENESS



1. Francesco Molinari
2. Bubba Watson
3. Fred Funk
4. Rory McIlroy
5. Kevin Streelman
6. Ryan Moore
7. Louis Oosthuizen
8. Derek Ernst
9. Billy Horschel
10. Justin Hicks


192. James Driscoll
193. Joe Ogilvie
194. Gonzalo Fdez-Castano
195. Chad Collins
196. Alex Aragon
197. Aaron Baddeley
198. Bud Cauley
199. Bobby Gates
200. Tyrone Van Aswegen
201. Mike Weir


GREEN ZONE (75-125 YARDS)



1. Hideki Matsuyama
2. Jim Furyk
3. Ryo Ishikawa
4. Adam Scott
5. Brian Stuard
6. Danny Lee
7. Chris Stroud
8. Zach Johnson
9. Scott Stallings
10. Marc Leishman


192. John Mallinger
193. Jamie Donaldson
194. Aaron Baddeley
195. Richard Lee
196. Peter Malnati
197. Andrew Loupe
198. Wes Roach
199. Derek Ernst
200. Jhonattan Vegas
201. Henrik Stenson


YELLOW ZONE (125-175 YARDS)



1. Victor Dubuisson
2. Peter Malnati
3. Matteo Manassero
4. Peter Hanson
5. Marc Leishman
6. Graeme McDowell
7. Dustin Johnson
8. Ken Duke
9. Lee Williams
10. Hideki Matsuyama


192. Angel Cabrera
193. Johnson Wagner
194. Patrick Reed
195. Chad Campbell
196. Troy Matteson
197. Darren Clarke
198. Kevin Tway
199. Ben Curtis
200. D.A. Points
201. Jhonattan Vegas


RED ZONE (175-225 YARDS)



1. Sergio Garcia
2. Chad Campbell
3. Brooks Koepka
4. Joe Ogilvie
5. Martin Kaymer
6. Graham DeLaet
7. Robert Streb
8. Heath Slocum
9. Kevin Stadler
10. Paul Casey


192. Peter Malnati
193. John Rollins
194. Max Homa
195. Bronson La'Cassie
196. James Driscoll
197. Justin Leonard
198. Tim Wilkinson
199. Ben Curtis
200. Bud Cauley
201. Richard Lee


SHORT GAME PLAY

1. Lee Westwood
2. Jason Dufner
3. Bud Cauley
4. Zach Johnson
5. Justin Rose
6. Kevin Na
7. Robert Streb
8. John Mallinger
9. George McNeill
10. Luke Donald


192. Greg Chalmers
193. Andrew Svoboda
194. Tommy Gainey
195. Troy Merritt
196. Bobby Gates
197. Alex Aragon
198. Graeme McDowell
199. Bronson La'Cassie
200. J.J. Henry
201. Hudson Swafford





3JACK

Miyahira: Posting on the Left Leg

Here's a video from 3Jack Golf Top-50 Instructor, Kelvin Miyahira, discussing the concept of 'posting on the left leg.'







3JACK

Ping S55 vs. Ping i25 Irons

Here's a video from European professional, Mark Crossfield, showing the differences between Ping's S55 and i25 iron models.



I plan on trying both of these model of irons from Ping sometime this year as I am interested in irons with more of a bounce angle as the Florida turf does not interact that well with low bounce angle clubs.

While I have traditionally favored a blade design, I feel that today's irons there is not a lot of difference in the MOI around the sweetspot in irons outside of the 'game improvement' models. I don't need a lot of forgiveness with irons, particularly since I utilize MOI matching. But, what tends to be more important (IMO) is the CoG placement. Crossfield's video shows the importance here as he is obviously a low handicapper with a good swing. That would make one think that he is best suited for the S55, but the i25 model ends up being the better fit.




3JACK