Image: Sky Sports GolfWhen club professional Michael Block was told he was going to be paired with Rory McIlroy last Sunday at the 2023 PGA Tour Championship, Block’s reaction was, “Are you serious? Wow. That should be fun. We’re going to have a good time.” He...
A spell of the putting yips was wrecking my confidence on the course. No matter how hard I tried to sink short putts, they would find a way to avoid the hole. Something odd was going on. I’m usually a decent putter so how can I suddenly lose the ability to sink...
If you’ve ever had the occasional round ruined by too many missed short putts, you might find this blog interesting. I had a putting nightmare a few weeks ago. I couldn’t sink a short putt to save my life. What was going on? Blog: I think I have the yips - Episode...
Last month I wrote about the one-foot putt that separated Ashleigh Buhai from her first career and major win at the AIG Women’s Open. She sank it with style. If it were me, on my recent performance, I would have missed it, and the next one. I’m not confident about...
I can only imagine how it feels to go from the brink of defeat to the total relief and joy of winning that Ashleigh Buhia experienced as she sank a one-foot putt to win the 2022 AIG Women’s Open after four tense playoff holes. It was a nail-biter. Keep calm and...
When you hit a poor shot and the ball ends up somewhere less than ideal, how well do you recover to make a nett par? Do you take your medicine and take a drop or the sensible route, adding up an extra stroke, or do you try and hit a heroic risky recovery shot?...
Three weeks ago I had a dreadful start to my round. It started very badly. With no hope of a low score, I stopped chasing a decent number and changed my mental approach. That decision has improved my game ever since and I think I know why. Beware brothers bearing...
Why do we perform well on some days and not so well the next? Or in my case, why is my first 9 of a round consistently mediocre but the back nine is usually very good? I put it down to warming up and getting into a rhythm. What’s consistent about your golf?...
Neil and I recently visited our alternate course, the hilly fast draining one we play when our home course is booked up solid for days or closed in bad weather. Neil booked a tee time a few days ahead in a nice buffer zone of unbooked slots. Ready to play On the...
Most of my least enjoyable and highest scoring rounds are when waiting to play on a packed course of ever increasing slow play. In theory it shouldn’t affect the quality of my game. I should be mentally strong and patient enough not to let slow play impact my mood...
No matter where we are — the tee, the fairway or the rough — our practice swing always seems to feel really good. Smooth and relaxed, guaranteed to hit the mark. And then we’re over the ball, thinking. Reality sets in: we actually have to hit that little round...
Golf can be an incredibly rewarding game when the weather is fine, you have the course to yourself, you're in good company, playing well and hitting the occasional shot to remember. However, golf also provides plenty of opportunities for a long list of frustrations...
Definition: A gimme (spelling may vary) is a short putt that an opponent excuses you from playing because it’s deemed unmissable. There is no mention of this word in the official rules of golf, and gimmes are not permitted in stroke play, but are commonplace in...
