Pat O'Brien Putting

About those New Year's resolutions... - www.texaslinksmagazine.com

Pat O'Brien - January '09 article in www.texaslinksmagazine.com

As 2010 begins, undoubtedly there will be quite a few of us thinking about things we want to accomplish in the coming year.  If that list includes getting in better shape and improving your golf game, I have some great news for you.  You can kill two birds with one stone.  If you will commit to improving your range of motion and strengthening your body in the correct ways, your golf game cannot help but improve.

I guarantee it.

I have been blessed to be associated with some of the best trainers in golf who happen to live in Dallas, TX. Two of them, Laci Weeks (pictured) and Damon Goddard of Synergy Golf Fitness, helped me put together this article.  These pictures illustrates three simple tests you can perform to see if you possess adequate balance, mobility and stability.

Mind you, we are not breaking new ground here, as the outstanding Titleist Performance Institute deserves a great deal of the credit.  It has been one of the key pioneers in training people for rotational sports that require dynamic movements.

The first one is the Single Leg Balance Test.  This tests your proprioceptive ability.  Proprioceptors are nerve endings that are found in muscles, tendons, joints and the inner ear.  They let us know where our bodies are in space and time.  Because the golf swing is a dynamic movement, balance is crucial in order for the proper weight shift and sequence to occur to produce a powerful swing.  To improve this requires neuromuscular training, which in turn allows us to make changes more efficiently.

To perform this test, stand with your feet hip-width apart, allow your arms to hang at your side.  Lift one leg off the ground, balance and then close your eyes.  You will soon appreciate that 25 seconds is aver for PGA Tour players to hold their balance.

To Continue with Story and Learn More About Golf Fitness Download OBrien_Jan2010[1]

How to Become a Better Chipper - www.texaslinksmagazines.com

This month's issue of the Texas Links Magazines, I examine how to become a better chipper.  Read an excerpt below and follow up by downloading the article.  Feel free to share your thoughts. (picture courtesy TexasLinksMagazines)

I had the great fortune of watching Payne Stewart practice his short game many times during my early adulthood, and I tried to pick his brain whenever I could.  He had the best hands I have ever seen in person, but mainly he kept it simple.  Here are the things that really stand out from being around him:

Good chippers have good rhythm.  I like to say good chippers are good dancers.  They never stop moving.  They tap their feet, waggle and stay loose.  They stare at the target and glance at the ball.  They do not stay frozen over the ball, letting the tension and anxiety build.

Unlock your inner dancer if you are struggling!

Good chippers understand that technique flows if you allow it.  There is no need to be overly technical with chipping.  Much like the putter, a golf club is a weight on a stick and the toe hangs down.  It's designed to come up out of the ground and swing on an arc, with the face staying square to the arc.  Your wrists will hinge if you allow them.  Your weight will shift if you allow it, like gently tossing a ball.  

If someone ever tells you to keep your head still, or treat a chip like a putt and don't move anything but your arms and shoulders, by all means run and hide!  It's simply not natural to attempt these things.

Good chippers allow gravity to accelerate the club, not applied force.  Good golf in general comes down to eliminating tension.  Picture Usain Bolt sprinting - you won't see him trying hard, with tension in his face and body.  He will be as relaxed as possible, for that is from where true speed comes.  It's the same in golf.

To Continue Reading ... Download OBrien_Oct09_BetterChipper[1]

I would also like to thank Texas Links Magazine. 

Keys to a Solid Putting Routine - www.texaslinksmagazine.com

by Pat O'Brien

September issue of Texas Links Magazine

In the July issue, I wrote about how to use the design of the putter effectively to free up your stroke (see here) . It requires a neutral, balanced setup, where fundamentals matter.

In the coming months, I will discuss grip, alignment and ball position of a proper setup.  While not imperative to have perfect fundamentals, they allow you to return the putter to square more easily.

When you are able to return to the putter to square without thought, you can fully take advantage of a solid pre-putt routine.  The routine is highly individual.  I would merely like to make some suggestions as to what it is should include.

Back in 2004 at The Byron Nelson, Zach Johnson and I developed the routine he still uses today.  It is very gratifying to see it work under the most intense pressure situations.  I am just as proud of helping him create this as I am helping him develop a stroke that repeats time and again.

When Zach is behind the ball, he blends his analytical or left brain with his creative, right brain.  He figures out the break and aiming point while picturing the speed needed to match the two together.  As soon as he walks in for his practice stokes, he is fully into his creative side.  Through relaxation, he is able to quiet the voice in his head.

To follow Zach's solid putting routine - Download OBrien_Sept09_PuttingRoutine