Why pros are PROS

Thumbs Down Method Newsletter - April 2006

Welcome to the maiden Thumbs Down Method newsletter, the first of many throughout the 2006 golf season. My inspiration for this first issue was actually the same as the one which prompted my decision in 1996 to write the Thumbs Down guide(s) for better ball striking. Back then, self preservation lead me to search for a cure to correct my out of control slice and save my golf game, which I never found until I developed Thumbs Down and fixed it by myself.

Not only did I never find my cure, but all the articles I read in the magazines, all the simple TV tips from pros and top instructors only made it more complicated, confusing and counter-productive for me. Simply put: things got worse, not better for me. There's no questioning the knowledge or credibility level of the top sources in golf, but I found they rarely communicate their message in a language a non-pro (the typical player like me and you) can relate to and even understand. Trying to apply their tips when I practiced all too often ended in frustration instead of the joy I initially intended.

I couldn't have scripted the perfect example of what I'm describing any better then recently after scanning through a copy of the leading golf magazine and reading a tip written and demonstrated by one of the world's best pros. Anytime a top player offers a way to generate more power with less effort, a large audience of amateurs (like me) are anxiously reading and wanting to know more. This quick tip shows a picture of the player just after striking the ball, with head down and forearms rotating as the club extends about two feet beyond impact. I've seen this pose dozens of times and refer to it as classic power position. The typical player that views a picture like this is hoping for a simple explanation to discover some new magic move or secret that changes their game forever, but rarely gets it. Instead they use a lot of technical language we don't understand and the average amateur can't relate to. Watching a world class athlete do what comes natural to them, then hearing their explanation of what they're thinking is often not what we're expecting them to say. In fact, most of the time it's a frustrating and confusing experience.

To elaborate, when a player describes that one of their key power moves happens AFTER the ball is struck, it means that solid ball striking comes too natural to them. I guess hitting thousands of balls every week does that for you. For the rest of us, there's nothing natural about it. In fact, I believe that the moment of the golf swing that's all too often "glanced over" is the most important split second in the entire golf swing (all 10,000+ steps). For me, unless the club makes solid contact with the ball, with the clubface squared and following a line to your target, nothing else really matters. It's clear that pros and instructors agree, but it's confusing when they describe it by telling you to "shake hands with the target." To further drive my point home, go to the practice range and try this tip: Match your swing plane on the through-swing with your backswing and downswing. I dare you!

In sharp contrast, I've dedicated an entire book on the importance of starting with solid ball contact, then working backwards to the golf swing. I believe that the first 3/4 of the golf swing is merely preparation to impact and the final 1/4 (on the downswing when your hands are just above waist height) is where the swing REALLY begins. It's the zone you need to master when you warm-up and practice. The Thumbs Down method is all about MASTERING THE IMPACT ZONE first. Get this part right and your swing magically gets better.

Golf is a complex game. There's no question there are numerous steps in the golf swing that are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT - too many at times. All I know is that when I taught myself to square the club at impact, I finally learned to consistently hit the ball solidly with all my clubs and control where the ball is going. Oh, bye the way ...my swing has also noticeably improved as a by-product of changing my swing thought priorities with Thumbs Down.

Professional golfers are in a class by themselves. They're SO good as compared to the rest of us it's mind boggling to believe. What they do and how they explain what they do is equally difficult to fathom at times. In their attempt to KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID "Kiss", pros and top instructors use technical terms which don't often translate into better golf for the rest of us.

To REALLY kiss, it's as simple as
Thumbs Down ...for Thumbs Up results.
In golf ...it doesn't get easier than this!

Thank you for subscribing to the Thumbs Down method newsletter. The subject matter in this issue forms the foundation for future newsletters, published throughout the 2006 golf season. Please distribute this information freely to fellow golfers, friends, family, etc. As always, email me with any questions about your ball striking or golf game in general at Info@ThumbsDown.info. To order a copy of The Front Nine edition of my Ebook go to http://www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/ Also visit my blog and comment at www.ThumbsDownMethod.blogspot.com

Alan Martin

A Thumbs Down Attitude Helps Me Discover Scoring Opportunities in Every Shot

...by Nick Petti

Has one awkward shot ever thrown you off your entire game? Do you know the kind I mean? A shot that throws you so off balance you take it into the next shot, and the shot after that, until you've made a complete mess of your scorecard?

The kind of shot that has you begging for golf instruction from your golf equipment supply guy?

Here is a great way to discover the scoring opportunities hidden in every one of those awkward shots and how you can gain the edge-up on your opponents who are not aware of what I'm about to tell you.

Please forget about your swing for one moment and burn this piece of golf instruction made simple into your brain.

Golf is a mind set.

It is cerebral. It is a thought process. Of course a little good luck never hurts, but, to achieve the advantage of that winning mind set, you have to acquire an attitude that is becoming of relaxed focus.

Use whichever attitude works best for you to gain that winning mind set and get ready to lower your score and add 20 yards to every club in your bag - except your putters of course.

Now, for me, it's a little secret I call my thumbs down attitude - which is perhaps a story for another day - and my Callaway golf attitude. If I'm swinging what the best in the game swing, my attitude toward my game improves.

When I'm faced with one of those awkward shots, I think it through. I put on my Callaway golf and thumbs down game face, and I focus.

I see myself swinging true. I see myself keeping my balance and my head from moving, then...

I see the line my Callaway golf club must travel. I set up my shot by considering where the club head is in relation to where it needs to be for the greatest distance and accuracy. And I keep in mind that the ball is going to have contact with the club head for several inches through my swing.

After a few practice swings I judge what relationship my feet should have with the line and I find a comfortable stance - then relax.

Relaxed focus and attitude are keys to golf success.

When you try this, first be aware of any problems you may encounter keeping your balance. Shift if necessary until you find a comfortable position where there is no tension in your swing. Keep from swaying as you are about to the hit the ball, but stay loose.

I free my muscles and focus my mind on swinging my Callaway golf club smoothly. Thumbs down keeps my relaxed focus as I address the ball, which enables me to stay square on impact.

Remember, if you are fidgety when you address the ball, you are not going to achieve relaxed focus. This is not a time to be thinking of golf instruction from your golf equipment supply guy.

It is a time to keep your feet still and make sure you see the ball from the beginning of your swing through the end. An awkward shot demands relaxed focus.

This will be your edge-up on opponents.

You really can discover the scoring opportunity hidden in every awkward shot. Just remember that a relaxed golfer is a focused golfer and a focused golfer usually scores lowest.

Don't let the awkward shots beat you. Relax and think them through. Maintain the edge-up on your opponents and you'll beat them every time.

That's what I did today, despite the rain and 30 mph wind gusts.

Now, there is some "golf instruction made simple" worth sharing with my golf equipment supply guy: my focus from relaxation and my attitude from Callaway golf and thumbs down.