Hi, I’m Cordie Walker! I talk to top coaches, players, and researchers to find what actually works!
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Golf has been frustrating me more than ever this summer.
I wrote down three reasons I keep playing tournaments even when it sucks... mostly because I needed the reminder. Maybe you do too.
In this issue:
Why you’re playing worse than you practice, and how to fix it.
New podcast on transfer practice.
Coach Will’s new book is here
Well Played: chipping releases, a Scottish island adventure, and what I’m reading
Three reasons I keep playing tournament golf. I had to do some soul searching while working through this article.
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If you’ve watched GolfWell for a while, you’ve seen Coach Will in our videos and podcasts. He’s a good friend and a longtime contributor to the channel, and his new book, Unlock Your Golfing Potential, launched today.
it's all of his best stuff summarized and simplified down into a practical book. I’d recommend picking up a copy!!
And I’d love to see the GolfWell community support him on launch day.
NEW: Why You’re Playing Worse Than You Practice (and how to fix it)
We had gotten a handful of comments from listeners asking for us to dive into TRANSFER PRACTICE. So that's what we did on the podcast this week.
And it started with a story from the week before.
My swing was looking good on video in the net. Then I tried to take it to the course while we were filming, and I played my worst golf on camera.
Test the change before you take it to the course. Can you make the move and still strike the ball well? Then try switching targets, dealing with variability, and hitting from different lies.
Work through the system. Luke laid out a progression: no ball, foam ball, real ball, the range, a solo round, a round with your group, then a tournament. Don’t expect a change to hold up in a tournament if you haven’t tested it in the settings before that.
Know when you’re practicing and when you’re playing. Working on a swing change can mean accepting some bad shots while you change the pattern. When it’s time to perform, the goal is to go out with WAAAYYYY fewer swing thoughts and play with what you have.
Short game coach James Ridyard had this brilliant visual showing examples of the releases in chipping, worth clicking through this carousel. And then watching the full video.
Great idea and even better video. Camping on an island in Scotland until you break the course record. Gosh that sounds like something I'd sign myself up for.
Why I Keep Playing Tournament Golf (even when it sucks)
Tournament golf sometimes feels like a punch to the gut.
I played some of the worst golf I can remember since getting back into competing. And it came right when I wanted to play my best... club championship and the U.S. Mid-Am qualifier.
It makes you question a lot... Why do I spend so much time and money practicing this? Have I actually gotten any better? I swear I’m shooting the same scores I did when I was 17.
Part of me wants to stop putting myself through it and just chill out. But I think I’ve finally figured out the three reasons I keep coming back.
(and I'm using this little article as a reminder and mantra to use going forward)
1. I need something to train toward
Having an event on the calendar motivates me. It gives me a reason to prepare and eventually makes me go find out whether the work is helping.
Without something on the calendar, you probably don't train very hard or really put in the work and thought that you should
In life and in golf, there are moments when you have to put a score on the board. You don’t get to explain how good your practice was. You have to go do it.
Learning how to prepare for something, follow through, and look honestly at the result is part of the process of getting better.
2. I’m learning how to deal with failure
I don’t handle bad rounds as well as I’d like. When I’ve put in the work and still play terribly in an event I care about, it’s hard not to wonder whether any of it is worth it.
But I think you can be pissed off with your results and still want to keep going. I can say, “That wasn’t good enough today,” then ask what went wrong and what I’m going to do about it.
That’s the part I need to practice. Let myself be disappointed, look honestly at what happened, and come back with something to work on.
I want my kids to see that, too. They’re going to fail at things they care about. I want them to see me struggle and learn how to deal with it, even when I’m not very good at it yet.
Can you have the grit to keep going?
And be focused on the growth from mistakes?
3. It makes me pay attention
So much of life now is distracting ourselves from whatever feels uncomfortable. Hop on Instagram. Hop on YouTube. Distract ourselves.
Tournament golf forces us to be present, care about what’s going on, and step outside of the day-to-day comfort zone.
I’ve signed up for something that matters to me, and now I have to stay in it even when it gets uncomfortable.
That’s part of why I think it’s worth doing. If I want to grow, I have to go through difficulty.
I know that, but I still catch myself wanting to avoid it.
Can I stay here, deal with what’s in front of me, and give it my attention instead of looking for a way out?
We’re practicing more than golf...
I guess that’s why this matters to me. We’re working on life skills out there.
Preparing for something difficult. Learning to pay attention and keep trying when we’d rather check out.
Playing tournaments doesn’t mean we learn this... But I think it's a choice we all should make.
Make the choice to learn and grow.
Let those moments give us a chance to work on how we respond, and we get to take that with us when we leave the course.
Play well, Cordie
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