We’ve watched Phil get out of trouble time after time. We’ve watched Tiger get out of trouble often. And before these two magicians, we watched Arnold get himself out of trouble. But few of us have the skills of these experts, and practically all of us, handicappers and pros, get into trouble a number of […]
Enlightened Golf
What we can learn from Patrick Cantley
Patrick “Iceman” Cantley may well be our modern Ben Hogan, who was also known as the “Iceman.” In the last two tournaments of 2021, Cantley took down two of the best in today’s game, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm. Like David defeating Goliath, like the tortoise besting the hare, like the Trojan Horse deceiving and […]
The Element of Distraction and How to Overcome It
I had had a good practice session at the range the day before my round, and had high expectations for a major scoring accomplishment. But right from my first wayward tee shot, I could tell something was amiss, and, sure enough, I shot a rather miserable 47 front nine, pocked by bogeys and doubles and […]
College Golf: Where are the Black and Brown Golfers?
Please go to golf360.substack.com for the contents of this post. In fact, all my subsequent posts will be available via this new url. The archive at mindfulgolfer.com will remain intact for the time being. Thank you. Stephen
Notes, Questions, and My Two Cents
Long hitting Jason Kokrak won his second tournament of the year at Ben Hogan’s old haunt Sunday, beating Jordan Spieth and his cheering minions by two shots. I think if Kokrak can figure out how to control the spin of his wedges, he may be close to unbeatable. Faldo thinks he should get new wedges […]
Learning from Fabulous Phil Mickelson
Taking over five hours, with time between shots and holes, golf requires mental focus, perhaps more than any other sport. From three-foot putts to irons over water to drives down tight fairways, you need to stay focused to insure all your relevant body parts are in sync with your brain’s neurons; for anything out of […]
Swing Speed: The Good, the Bad, and the Hyperbole
From the talking heads on TV to the touring pros themselves, swing speed is all the rage. Bryson DeChambeau is the current focus of the discussion, although he’s just doing his thing in order to win more tournaments. I don’t think too many others will take the time to put on 40 pounds of muscle […]
The Lesson
Well, I finally did it, thanks to a gift from my golf bud, Steve P. I took the plunge and saw the very able pro at Tri Mountain in Ridgefield WA, Michael Parker. Essentially, he diagnosed this old fart with a kind of old-fart kind of a swing. This was a bit of a rude […]
Go, Jordan, Go!
A hole in one for Jordan at the Arnold Palmer! And last I looked he was tied for first. His driving still needs some sharpening, but his putting is starting to look like the Jordan we all remembered him by. He’s coming out of his slump, for sure, as the last three events and this […]