If I haven’t met you already my name is John Thompson. I was recently hired as your new Head Golf Professional. I’m 32 years old and have been playing since I was 10 years old. Over the years I learned a lot about how to get my game ready for this season. With the weather that we experience in Iowa, it’s sometimes difficult to keep our games as sharp as we would like. Today, I will share with you some of the things that I do to better prepare myself.
Typically the off season is a great time to work on what you want to get better at. Hoping to play better in the upcoming season. I have been very fortunate to spend time around many great players and learn from what they do. From fitness, to equipment, and even taking some time off to rest your body.
For myself, in order to become a better player and a healthier golfer I have taken advantage of trainers from TPI — Titleist Performance Institute. After a simple assessment, I was able to find out my strengths and weaknesses.The goal is to play longer, pain free, and even hit the golf ball a little further. Learning when to rest and not over do it. Sometimes working hard is actually not working smarter. So give yourself the rest your body needs and the movements you need to make in order to play your best!
With equipment, probably the biggest setback I see with amateurs is neglect in their grips. I regrip my clubs at the beginning of every season to ensure the proper technique and feel. Old grips can cause you to squeeze the club tighter resulting in tension that produces poor shots. The rule I go by is one year or 90 rounds of golf to determine if my grips are ready for club repair. As Butch Harmon says, “your closest connection with the golf clubs is the grip.” He’s the legendary coach of Tiger Woods if the name doesn’t ring a bell.
When working on my game the first place I go to is the short game area. The best thing you can do to help promote lower scores in the spring is to start with chipping and putting. It is so easy to go right to the driver or mid-irons in a practice session, but I guarantee if you can commit more time to this area of your game lower scores will happen. I have found this also to really help my full swing. Due to working on better tempo, rhythm, and center contact. The ratio for practice should be 40% putting, 40% full swing, and 20% short game. The key to winning a beverage off your buddies is in the short game area!
I hope I was able to share a few things with you that might help!
