Golf vs. Winter

The Northeast has a number of the best golf courses in the world, and the MGA is one of the most highly respected golf associations throughout the United States.  But there is one thing that haunts every Northeast golfer.... Winter. That time of year when water not only hangs over our heads the possibility of adding strokes to our scores, but it actually comes down from the sky, frozen, and forces us indoors.  So we ask ourselves... what now? Now comes the point where we pretend to have a functioning social life. Attempting to hide the fact that in reality the only thing we actually care about is getting a tiny white ball to do what we want. Fortunately, the winter is not all negatives. Here are a few ways that winter actually benefits us and what you can do to improve while not being able to get out on the course:

1. The main benefit the winter brings is a little bit of time to regroup and relax; essentially refreshing our minds and helping us to prepare mentally for the upcoming season.
- read a good book about the game (Seven Days in Utopia)
- watch a short game instruction video or anything particular to where you need the most help (Dave Pelz, Phil Mickelson videos)

2. Another great benefit of the winter is that since playing isn't an option it provides an additional reason for you to hit the gym and get into shape for the upcoming year.
- get a gym membership and set a schedule for yourself STICK TO IT (P90X? also there are numerous golf specific trainers around these days)

3. Set a schedule for the upcoming season and what exactly you plan to do. It helps tremendously to have your season entirely planned out. You can leave room for last minute changes and new tournaments you might get into as the season progresses but if you wait until the last minute for all your entries, application, etc chances are something is bound to go wrong GET IT DONE

The Onset of the Belly Putter

Today was the first day back from Christmas break and as a team we all decided to spend what turned out to be around three hours of work in the golf room. At SHU we have a room in the recreation center entirely astroturf  and surrounded by mirrors with several cups sunk into the floor where we can put, chip and even hit some balls. This room is great since all the snow in the Northeast can certainly put a damper on golfing throughout the winter. With this room we can keep our swings and short game up to par so that we're ready for our tournaments (First tournament Feb. 11th!! Match play at the Reunion resort in Orlando!). 


The season is coming on us fast and the only way to be the best and get the recognition we deserve is to put in the work NOW! Tomorrow we start morning workouts at 6:45. Afterwards, we head off to morning classes and hit the golf room in the afternoon! We're all pumped for the upcoming season and ready to get things going! In the fall our main problem was putting as our average putts per round as a team was 32.23... For the spring we're addressing this issue directly mainly through putting in hard work in the golf room and on the greens but also... BELLY PUTTERS!


The revolution begins


Keegan Bradley is without question the man who started a revolution. Since his spectacular win at the PGA this past year Belly Putters have been flying off the shelves! Until Keegan won the PGA with a belly putter no one had managed to win a major championship with any sort of long putter, but now the tables have turned. Not to be outdone now 3 of the 6 players on our team, myself included, have made the switch to the belly for this upcoming season. The theory behind it is simply.... simple! The fact that the putter is anchored helps you to take your focus off of the mechanics and help you zone in on making putts. This combined with the added work we are going to put into our short games is whats going to make the difference this season. 

“Most golfers prepare for disaster. A good golfer prepares for success.” -Bob Toski

Dedication

Theres a time and place where you reach a point where you realize what means the most to you in life. For me, that point is now and this blog is going to be a staple of my re-commitment to the game of golf and school. As D-1 college athlete you face a broad range of decisions everyday ranging from how hard were going to practice to how hard were going to party (you get the gist... haha). This blog is going to be an in depth look at my day to day experiences as a D-1 athlete; everything from the laughs the team shares on the links to the fights we have in the van. In addition to my experiences, I plan to share other personal interests from swing theories and concepts to golf fashion and apparel that I think should get a little extra publicity.

Tomorrow is the beginning of our Spring '12 season and with it comes a new age for SHU Men's Golf. This blog is meant to capture that high of fulfillment brought on by being fully committed to a goal and doing everything to achieve it. For me, that goal is professional golf and from now on there's no messing around. My teammates and I have a goal in mind, to reach the top, and we're going to do everything in our power to get us there.