Just finished reading this book. As soon as I finished I went back to the first page and started again, this time with highlighter in hand. I also bought a copy for every golfer on my Christmas list. I think it’s probably the best guide to getting better at golf I’ve ever read.
I’ve already put a few of its recommendations into practice at the driving range, experimenting with different ball positions, stances, thoughts, feels, mind focus, everything. It makes practice so much more fun than just trying to have a “perfect” swing or hit a “perfect” shot every time on the range. It’s all about learning what does what and what works best for you.
And then when you do turn to trying to optimize performance, quantifying and game-ifiying your practice takes it to the next level. I wanted to work on hitting fairways with my driver, so I went to the range and gave myself a 40 yard wide fairway, and when I hit 7/10 in a row, I made it harder by narrowing the fairway to 20 yards, and also by alternating the driver with wedges and irons and going through my pre-shot routine with that pressure of trying to get to 7/10 or at least not getting less than 3/10 to go backward. I swear the last two drives I hit with my bucket would have hit a 5 yard wide fairway. Also, no need for 100 ball buckets anymore. 35, the small bucket, is more than enough to have an effective practice session.
I think for me the biggest question is what locus of focus will be the most effective for me. I know Adam wants us to get to a transcendent focus on the course, but I just don’t think my natural, default swing is good enough to play great golf with a transcendent focus, or even an external results focus. It seems my best golf has always been with a simple internal focus or a simple external process focus (although I just contradicted myself with my “Unconscious Putting” post, where I have had pretty much an external results or transcendent focus just getting completely focused on the line with no technical thoughts or even external process and it’s been fantastic. Putting stroke is much simpler than full swing though). I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, though, as I just heard recently (maybe in the Dave Stockton book?) that when Byron Nelson won those 11 tournaments in a row he had “one swing thought” that just worked for 11 straight weeks. That’s how I feel during my best rounds. I just find an internal or external process focus that just works that day. The few times I’ve tried out a neutral or transcendent swing thought on the course it has been disastrous. I will keep experimenting though, because if I can have the mindset with a full swing on the course in a tournament pressure situation that I have right now with my putting at home following the Unconscious Putting lessons, then that really would be the best of all worlds.
In short, I love the Practice Manual. Everyone should read it and practice that way. Makes golf so exciting and fun, and I am positive it’s going to make me (and you) better, faster. And what’s more fun than that?!
