Jaacob Bowden's Swing Man Golf Blog

The first time I shot par

by Jaacob Bowden

Recently, someone asked me about the first time I shot par.  What were my thoughts?  Keep the ball in play?  Putt well?  Relax?

I don't recall that first "par" round, however, I do remember my first tournament round in the 60s.  It was actually one of the "safer" rounds I ever played.  Very rarely was a firing at a pin, even on shorter shots...I was favoring the safe side of the green - in places where if I missed I thought I could get up and down. 

For example, there was one hole where I had a full PW in to a green.  The pin was on the right side and I decided to not take chances of short-siding myself and I aimed to the middle of the green even though it was just a PW.  I actually ended up missing to the right and the ball landed about 2 inches from the hole.  I had a tap-in birdie...but had I aimed at the pin and missed to the right like I did, I would have been in some really deep rough without much green to work with.  It would have been a tough par and likely a bogey.

Another hole, I had a chance to get to a par-5 in two.  I could have hit 4-iron in to the front pin, but there was water on the right that went as deep as the first third of the green.  I decided to hit 3-iron to the back of the green so that I would clear the water just in case I missed to the right.  I ended up hitting it straight and safely on the back of the green, and I two-putted for birdie.  I didn't make eagle, but I basically was guaranteeing myself of an easy par.

With the driver, I was swinging very smoothly and without any jerky or rushed tension.  I kept my ego in check pretty well that day and wasn't trying to kill my drives.  I was pretty much just swinging too...very little mechanical thinking.  Consequently, I hit the sweet spot quite a bit and the drives ended up going long and mostly straight. 

I didn't have a particularly hot putter, but i made the short ones and I don't think I 3-putted.

I was also in a really good mental space.  If I ever got thinking about my score or something like that, I was catching myself pretty well and tried to think of something I was thankful for...for example, I would be walking along and I would notice the grass and feel grateful that it was there, which made me feel grateful for the lawn mowers that cut it, which made me feel grateful for the people that built the mower, etc, etc.  This went on and on and I tried to stay with that mind-frame as best as I could.  Overall, I did a good job of staying grounded and keeping my energy out of my head.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I think the mental stuff was the most important that day.  Because I was in such a good space, I was making good decisions, playing smart, swinging smoothly and just swinging, missing in safe spots, and not trying to force a long drive or shot to happen.

Average PGA Tour driving distances by tournament

by Jaacob Bowden

When it comes to hitting the ball off the tee, remember to take driving distances with a grain of salt.  You might be only averaging 210 yards (190 m) per drive at one course...and you hear of a friend that tells you he's averaging 250 yards (227 m) per drive at his home course.  However, when you play each other on the same course - you hit the same distance.  What gives?  You might think your friend is not telling you the truth about his distances...however, when you take in to consideration the various playing conditions of different courses around the country (and world), you might discover that your friend is actually being completely honest.

Take a look at the average driving distances by tournament his year so far on the PGA Tour and you'll see what I mean:

Mercedes-Benz Championship    252 (228 m)
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am    268 (243 m)
PODS Championship    271 (246 m)
Verizon Hertiage    276 (250 m)
Buick Invitational    277 (251 m)
Zurich Classic of New Orleans    279 (253 m)
Honda Classic    281 (255 m)
Arnold Palmer Invitational    282 (256 m)
AT&T Classic    283 (257 m)
The Players Championship    285 (258 m)
EDS Byron Nelson     286 (259 m)
Shell Houston Open    290 (263 m)
Northern Trust Open    291 (264 m)
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic    292 (265 m)
FBR Open    293 (266 m)
Sony Open    295 (267 m)
Mayakoba Golf Classic    297 (269 m)
Wachovia Championship    297 (269 m)

Average = 283 (257 m)

If you play different courses, these differences are also useful to know for your iron play.  Granted that you know how far you hit your clubs, within a few good shots of the first time you play a new course, you should be able to tell for the rest of the round approximately how much to add or subtract for your average shot.  For example, if you regularly play TPC Scottsdale in Arizona and are planning a trip to play Pebble Beach in California, you should expect that your irons will go about 8-9% less at Pebble Beach.

Remember that this doesn't only apply to courses in different cities.  Even within your local area, different courses play different distances.

From 95 mph to 139 mph!!!

by Jaacob Bowden

Today I wanted to share a success story from one of the Swing Man subscribers.

Last December, Steve C signed up to the Swing Man site with typical driver swing speeds in the 95-100 mph range.  After doing the swing speed training, Steve has now reached a top speed of 139 mph and has won two Local Qualifiers in the Super Senior Division for the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championships!!!

Swing speed training works!  Congratulations, Steve!!!

Coolest cat on the block

by Jaacob Bowden

I wanted to share another one of the daily email's I get from tut.com. 

Life's magic is a lot like a swift flowing river, Jaacob. No matter how long you've overlooked it or unwittingly swam against it, the instant you stop struggling you're back in the flow, hat down low, coolest cat on the block.

In other words, Jaacob, your so-called "baggage," ain't no thang.

Coolio-
The Universe

Personally, this message came at a perfect time because recently I played a round of golf where I didn't score as well as I would have liked.  The next day I was walking on the golf course without my clubs.  I had no attachment to any kind of shot or score.  I was just walking and enjoying the course.  It was at this point that I realized the problem from the previous day was that I was just trying too hard to make it happen.

I went back to the driving range to practice with this in mind.  I just made nice smooth cool swings without forcing anything and I began hitting the longest and straightest shots that I had hit in the previous week.  Suddenly, I was "back in the flow, hat down low, coolest cat on the block".

Give this a try the next time you're out practicing or playing.  Don't try so hard.  Don't force it.  Don't think to much.  Just swing...just play...enjoy...and see what happens for you.

There are No Accidents

I thought today's email that I got from tut.com was worth sharing:

There are no accidents, Jaacob.

If it's appeared on your life radar, this is why: to teach you that dreams come true; to reveal that you have the power to fix what's broken and heal what hurts; to catapult you beyond seeing with just your physical senses; and to lift the veils that have kept you from seeing that you're already the person you dreamed you'd become.

And believe me, that was one heck of a dream.

Tallyho,
The Universe

More distance with a draw?

Question:

I have been improving my striking of the driver. I find myself trying to draw the ball. But I feel I am swinging slower. My questions is does drawing the ball increase my distance compared to me hitting the ball straight? I am more of a straight hitter. I have a mental picture of the ball spinning backwards when I hit it straight. does this have some truth to it?

Jaacob's Answer:

I'm glad to hear you have been improving your driver ball striking.  :-)

The ball does indeed have back spin on it.  Loft has the biggest impact on what the back spin rate will be.  I remember back when I had my old Titleist irons, I took some measurements on a launch monitor.  Here were some of the spin numbers.  Notice that the less loft you have...the less back spin.  That's why it's harder to hold greens with longer irons.  Not only are they coming in at a lower angle, but they also don't have as much back spin.

• 4-iron    4,715
• 6-iron    6,410
• 8-iron    8,971
• PW        13,063

Same goes with the driver.  To really get the most out of your distance, based on your swing speed there's an approximate launch angle and back spin rate that will give you the most carry and roll.  Here are some general numbers I work with:

• If swing speed is between 50-70 mph, try a loft that will get you an 18-21 degree launch angle and 3800-4200 rpm spin rate.
• If swing speed is between 70-90 mph, try a loft that will get you an 16-18 degree launch angle and 3000-3800 rpm spin rate.
• If swing speed is between 90-110 mph, try a loft that will get you an 13-16 degree launch angle and 2300-3000 rpm spin rate.
• If swing speed is between 110-130 mph, try a loft that will get you an 10-13 degree launch angle and 1900-2300 rpm spin rate.
• If swing speed is between 130-150 mph, try a loft that will get you an 7.5-10 degree launch angle and 1500-1900 rpm spin rate.

When you put side spin on the ball...it will go to the left or right.  I'm not quite sure of the physics, but given the same launch angle and spin rates, I don't believe a draw or cut would go any further than the other.  Most people would tell you a draw, but if you draw the ball...typically the club was closed, which lowered the loft, lowered the launch angle, and also lowered the spin rate.  The variables changed...of course it will roll farther than a cut.  So I think it's more about launch conditions than whether or not you hit left, right, or straight.

If you like to hit the ball straight, I'd say just stay with that.  If you think you are swinging slower, you very well could be.  Just make sure to get fit for the loft of a driver that will optimize your launch angle and back spin rate for your straight ball.

Lessons and reminders from Germany...

by Jaacob Bowden

Yesterday I played a tournament round in Germany, and as I was reviewing my round afterwards, a few things came to mind that I thought would be useful to share with you.

1)  One of the little tricks I did to keep the tournament tension out of my swing was to blow a very subtle amount of air out my nose during my practice swing and actual swing.  If during my practice swing I could make my swing without any disruptions in the flow of air, I knew my swing was pretty fluid and tension-free.  The result...on all 14 of my tee shots on par 4s and 5s, I hit the ball in good spots and did not drive in to any trouble.  On the ones where I didn't quite make good contact, I was still hitting it equally as far as my professional competitors...and on the ones where I did hit the sweet spot I was 30-50 yards in front of them.  Tension-free swings lead to distance + accuracy.

2)  When it's wet or raining, do the best you can to stay dry, keep warm, and keep a good attitude.  Not everyone will be enjoying themselves, so keeping a good attitude can give you a leg up on the competition.  Know the weather forecast ahead of time and come prepared with things like rain gloves, rain gear, extra layers of clothing, and an umbrella - it can really help you perform better in the adverse conditions.

3)  In soggy ground conditions, consider that your shots may come up quite a bit shorter than you expected.  I forgot and it cost me...had a 25 foot putt instead of a 5 foot putt, and came up just short of the green on three other easy holes.  I still made pars on each of the 4 holes, but I robbed myself of good birdie opportunities each time as well.

4)  It can be tricky to pick out a club when it's really windy and/or raining.  Do the best you can to choose a club that will leave you in a spot where if you were to miss or error in your club selection, it leaves you in a decent spot to still make par.  For example, sometimes that would mean bumping in a small 6-iron when the distance calls for a wedge, because there's a big headwind in your face and the ball would balloon in the air if you hit the high wedge.  I missed 7 greens and still managed to get up and down 5 times (and had good chances the other 2 times) because I was missing the green in good spots.

5)  Be decisive about your shot before your hit it.  I calculated with the downwind that I needed a full 7-iron to get to the area on the green I wanted to be on.  When it came time to swing, I did not trust my decision and only made a partial swing.  I still hit the green, but I had a 20 foot putt instead of being right close to the pin and having an easier birdie chance.

6)  There was a time where our group needed to speed up play to catch up with the group in front of us (even though we weren't being pushed from behind).  Suddenly, there was an anxiousness in the air as we could see the tournament officials watching our group every so often.  I made sure to do some things that would help get us moving faster, but I also made sure to calm down right before my shot and go through my normal routines without letting my shot be hurried.  I played well over the next few holes, but my playing partner rushed his shots and consequently gave up a few strokes (which ended up making the difference in me beating him in the final score).