In my first few posts, I discussed many of the appealing aspects of golf and how to practice in a certain fashion to get the most out of your game, but today I was reminded that it is possible to feel a bit helpless out there at times. I really don’t have anything nice to say about the helpless golfer’s feelings, it flat out sucks. There are examples of it at all levels, and it feels as if you’re stuck in a car with no brakes, going downhill quickly with nothing to stop it. This post is more of a reflection after a rough morning, and perhaps some insight as to how I choose to move on from days like today.

Saturday mornings are often my favorite time of week to play, beating the crowd and playing on perfectly mowed surfaces, but today I woke up on the wrong side of the damn bed. Slow to get up, feeling groggy and off, and despite birdieing the first hole, I knew the way my body was treating me wasn’t going to yield a comfortable day. Everyone reacts differently to their off days, and for me that usually involves a few muttered curses under my breath and getting in the cart to get the hell out of there as fast as I can. No matter how you get the feelings out, it is likely to make you feel like an ass out there and an even bigger idiot when you get home to reflect.

I start to notice a pattern here, where you don’t have a great day, the negative feelings towards yourself grow during the round and after, and this can leak into how we treat our closest friends and family when we go back to life off the course. The giant, negative snowball that is created as time passes blurs our love of the game and those around us, and replaces it with a nasty, out of control hatred for it. Its pretty damn easy to say, “it’s just a game,” and certain things to downplay your emotions, but this never really creates a difference in our attitude. In fact, for me, when someone downplays my emotions like that, it almost makes it worse.

So in reflection, every golfer must remember that there is a beautiful reason that you tee it up, but sometimes our vision of that can get skewed as we struggle to perform. There is nothing wrong with these emotions in my mind, and recognizing that they are present and real is much more powerful than putting them in the “just a game” corner. Even pros take extended breaks from golf on a regular basis, whether its a few weeks, or Sergio taking time to go play soccer to reset his mind. The game can get to you, and I’m reflecting to let you know that it’s normal and nothing to fear.

I’ve heard two great pieces of advice on this topic: you need a reset button, and take it on the chin and play through it. The first was from our assistant coach at Nevada, and his was on a beach. Finding somewhere you can take your mind to to slow it down and relax is a great way to get through it. Some days, this might not be enough and you’re gonna have to just play, play, play, and play some more. Rich Barcelo told me that one.

Truth is, doing these things and simply getting it off your chest are my best advice for you. And keeping a grasp on why the game is important to you as well. If you need someone to chat to about your woes or just have a comment or question, feel free to contact me on the home page or through social media.

Keep pluggin’ and when in doubt, hit chief.

Stephen Osborne

Growing up at a great course and being taught by my father and grandparents, I discovered an early respect for the “old school” traditions of the game. I was constantly reminded to have my shirt tucked in, say “sir” and “ma’am”, and the etiquette of the game. During tournament week, I am still a bit old school in that I like to wear pants, keep my shirt tucked in, and represent my sponsors and myself. But in my off weeks or practice time, I do like to wear shorts, have an untucked shirt if its hot outside, and I love to blast some music when I grind.

I have many friends that I practice with that are the same way. Since the beginning of college for most of us, and even dating back to when I joined PING‘s staff at 15, we’ve been told what to wear and what we can and cannot do. I always was, and still am, so proud to rep the PING logo on my hat and play their equipment, but getting talked down to at the course from members and even coaches puts us in a tough position. When we show up to tournament after tournament, its awesome to practice and play with the guys in a more casual setting, but this can be taken the wrong way as well.

The new wave of golfers, especially the ones that compete at a high level, do not get the respect they deserve from older members of courses and country clubs. While in college, I heard all kinds of complaints when we would go to private courses, from we shouldn’t be allowed out there because we don’t pay the dues to we’re not allowed to use carts. I understand having some rules to go along with being invited to play at a private club, but I don’t understand older members seeking us as a target to complain about. Even at my home club I get snarky questions from people. “Are you even allowed to be out here?” to people calling in to the shop about my shirt being untucked at the back range with music going while no one else is around.

A major reason I loved golf growing up was because despite me being smaller and younger than a lot of people I played against, it didn’t matter once you stepped on the first tee. When I would tee it up, I felt such amazement with the fact that I had an equal and fair chance to do my best and win without size, strength, or age coming in as the most important factors. And it is my perspective that this should be the case in regards to the next generation coming to the course. If they aren’t bothering anybody, then let them enjoy the game how they would like to. The situations of members attacking young players at the course just needs to stop.

Just like anyone who plays the game, there is a reason people are drawn to the course. This post is quite simply a call to action to be inviting of everyone that shows up, rather than questioning or accusing of them. Enjoy your day and let them enjoy theirs because you both belong at the course. Oh, and play fast.

If you have an questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me through social media or on my home page. Or if you want to apologize for being the member who called in about me only for the head pro to laugh about your complaint, feel free to contact me too. I hope you enjoy your time out there as much as I enjoy mine.

When in doubt, hit chief.

Stephen Osborne

Many amateurs who come up to talk with me have two key concerns with their games: consistency or something to do with short game. The easiest thing to do is practice better, but I realize that with limited time at the course, it is often difficult for someone to commit a significant chunk of their golf life to going to the chipping and putting green is difficult. As I said in my previous post about practice, I highly recommend that 75% of your time is spent with a putter or wedge in your hand. But I’ll be the first to say that the most important, and most fun, part of golf is actually getting out there and playing so I’m going to give you a few tips rather than just tell you to practice more.

A constant issue I see in people’s short game is their inability to stay athletic on a shorter swing. I think that often times when the swing is shorter, it is neglected that you must remain athletic through the ball in order to get the best results. I like to think of the full swing as shooting a deep three in basketball, but putting and chipping are more like short-range jumpers from 6-10 feet. If you have played basketball, you know that these shots require some visualization, practice, and a similar stroke to your three point shot. When approaching the short game, it may be easier for you to stay athletic on longer wedges and pitch shots, then work your way down to shorter swings with the same athletic concepts.

To build on this, I see a lot of great putters putt in different ways, but all of them are using their natural athleticism to get the ball in the hole. Brooks lines it up on the toe then shifts the sweet spot out to the ball, while someone like Tiger or Rickie has a very sound setup and stroke. Finding what’s best for you can be done by going out to the putting green and hitting a few mid-range putts with no thoughts besides getting it in the hole.

So many times, the key issue with the short game comes from freezing or locking up instead of doing what your body does best: playing like yourself. Being yourself, rather than trying to be perfect, also addresses the consistency concern I mentioned earlier because when you do what you do, its easier than trying to do something mechanically different on touch shots.

Next time you are out on the course, I challenge you to go be yourself and have fun doing it. The beautiful thing about any sport is the player’s ability to have their own idiosyncrasies and perform with them. Challenge yourself to do this without the help of an instruction video and I guarantee your consistency will also increase.

If you have any questions on how I stay athletic and do my own athletic motion around the greens, feel free to contact me through social media or click on the “Contact” page on the home screen.

Have fun, be yourself, and as always, when in doubt, hit chief.

Stephen Osborne

Many times, the winners on Tour are blatantly doing one or two things better than the field and taking advantage of their differences to win the golf tournament. When this is not the case, the winner trends towards the top of the list on bogey-avoidance and birdies. In hindsight it’s easy to see why the winner came out on top, especially when they run away with it, but creating advantages with foresight is a giant separating factor. Stepping into a shot, tournament round, or week and seeing your advantages appear before the the statistics tell you what you already knew is quite possibly the greatest skill for high-level amateur players and professionals to have.

Giving a personal example, I flew out to Georgia for the NCAA Regional Championship in May and had an advantage before I even left the airport. All the weeks that year where I had nothing school-wise to do, and could prepare as I saw fit, I played well. That had happened a couple of times before in the season and this tournament fit into that as I finished finals about 6 days before the event. Arriving in the state, I fired a couple good rounds with the team, so I saw my game trending in the right direction as I predicted. By the time I got to the course, I knew my game was ready and despite my coach being concerned about a certain tee shot after I leaked it in the water.

He looked at me and told me, “there’s no shame in making this a three shot hole,” and the entire vibe for the week was changed when I looked back and responded, “I’m hitting driver every day and I’m going for it every day too.” I was only 2 holes into the practice round, had looked at the yardage book, and saw yet another advantage that the course was long and wet, giving probably about 10-15 guys a legitimate chance to win, half of whom probably wouldn’t play aggressive enough to get it done with the team aspect in play. I chose to hit driver on that hole, and a lot of other holes, and ended up coming t-4 that week.

While I didn’t win, I was completely and entirely proud of how I played that week because of the advantages I saw beforehand, and seized the opportunity to use them to perform. A couple of putts go the other way and I get it done that week. It was as simple as that and on top of the performance, I wasn’t expecting was how quickly I accepted my performance and how proud I was of it. I lost in a playoff to go to nationals with my head high and I didn’t need a second to rethink what I did that week, I left it out there.

Whether it’s on a single shot, for an entire tournament, or maybe even a stretch of the season, I hope you try to create your own advantages to create personal success. In your men’s day group, at a new course you’ve never seen before, or even playing somewhere for the 100th time, try to create an advantage for yourself. If you want to talk about some examples I’ve seen on tour, more of my experiences, or your own ideas, please reach out to me through social media or the “Contact” button on the home page.

Create that advantage, especially when it means hitting the chief.

Stephen Osborne

As I’m wrapping up this week of practice, I couldn’t help but think of the advantages great players take in their time off the course to improve their time on it. For me, playing golf is the center point in my life, whereas for many of the people I see and play with on the course, that is their hobby. So whether your time as a professional is spent in the office or at the course, there are some things I do to improve my game and professional life.

This is an interesting perspective for me, because what my friends and playing partners get to do on Saturdays is what I have the chance to do every day. It is wonderful to see people get to the course early and excited on weekends after working all week, and is one of the times where I see people thoroughly enjoy golf. It puts the game in a certain light for me where I feel incredibly lucky to get to wake up and get better each day. And during these days, whether it is the only time you get to play or your fifth round of the week, I advocate that your main goal be to enjoy it.

In my practice, I try to take one half or full day off each week in order to mentally recharge and remind myself that life has more to it than golf. Whether I spend these days hunting, sitting around watching TV, or sleeping in, I find that working out and meditating do wonders for the body and mind as well. Whether your time off work is at the course, or time practicing is spent at home, keeping good care of your health does the most good for you as an overall person.

It doesn’t have to be much, and I know that getting to the course is the best part of the week for a majority of golfers reading this, but be sure to take care of yourself and appreciate the good you have. In reflecting what the game means to you, as I challenged you to do in my Creating Your Game post, this also offers you reflection on the other important things in life. Whether your course is in the office, playing golf, or raising a family, I challenge you again to add these to your reflection.

To let you in on what I do, I use the HeadSpace app to help me meditate, reflect, and sleep better. The main reason I chose to get this app is the guided meditations and reflections, because it can be challenging to zone in your mind on your own. I usually do this once a day right before I go to sleep. Time off the course or on my off days is also the part of my life I get to spend with my family and friends, so I make sure to get a little family times during practice and play days on top of spending time with them on the days off. The last part of time to myself that I think is a big help is doing something active for 20 or more minutes a day. This can range from chasing the kids around the yard for parents, all the way up to a specific workout routine.

My hopes for this post are to help you recognize the great things in your life so when your at your course, you can enjoy it more fully. Nothing beats knowing you have a beautiful life on top of your profession, and it is a great advantage to have for building your attitude.

If anyone wants to talk about the meditation app, some reflection that I do, or share off course hobbies with each other, please contact me on the home page or social media. I always love to hear about a good hunting trip!

Happy reflections and “me” time to all of you, and as always, when in doubt, hit chief.

Stephen Osborne

In a round of golf you’re only really playing for a couple minutes a hole. Between routines and shots, especially in professional and college events, you’re left with a hell of a lot of time. Whether I’m playing with some buddies or in a tournament, I love a hectic, club-throwing, cussing and kicking meltdown. Now I want to make it very clear that I never wish bad play on anyone, but I’ve seen some beautiful explosions.There is just something about grown men and women, great golfers and bad, expressing their frustrations with the game in a physical way.

The most epic story I’ve ever heard took place during a qualifier for the Nor Cal Stroke Play where I was playing and my friend witnessed absolute carnage on the fourth green. Yes, four holes in, everyone on the course could hear the classic caddy-cuss out and see smoke coming from the dude’s ears. As the story goes….

The fourth hole at Haggin Oaks is a reachable par 5 with water short of the green. Keep in mind that this turned out to be a generous qualifier where you simply needed to have a pulse to get in. There was a water ball and tensions between this guy and his caddie started to rise, followed by a nuked fourth shot over the green to avoid rinsing it twice (Over this green leaves you with a chip shot that runs away from you a little bit). And legend has it that no one remembers how many chips it took him to get to the back fringe, where the player proceeded to leave his putt 4 feet short.

It was at this point that he looked at his dad, who was caddying for him, and the meltdown began. I was just a few holes up and heard the bloodcurdling screams back and forth. F**k this, s**t that, and everything in between. The player then proceeded to four putt from 4 feet as he went jimmy-rocket hands on the downhiller out of pure rage, then missing a few thereafter. His father/caddie was then removed from the bag with a big f**k you, to which he responded by throwing the bag at the player and walking in. I’m talking about flinging the bag at him too, just a beautiful meltdown display right to the bitter end.

But perhaps the best part of this came at the next tee, where the player walked up obviously flustered. He took some of the deepest breaths of his life, then proceeded to say, out loud, “14 more holes baby, time to lock in.” After all that, he was ready to lock in! Nothing fires me up more than a bounceback after a meltdown, but his chances dwindled away on hole 7 and he failed to play decently below average golf to get in.

All that being said, hearing these stories from friends and seeing them for myself are incredibly funny in the moment, but I hope the game does not drive you to throw a toddler tantrum as an adult. I don’t mind anyone showing some extravagant passion out there, but at the end of the day, you’ll come off the course and not be defined by a number. Your friends and family hopefully don’t give you too hard a time for the bad days, and if they do, give them hell on the good ones.

If you are really that frustrated, I highly recommend you take a look at the practice plan from my last post, and consider seeking mental help on and off the course if it’s truly a problem or endangering anyone. I love to see people demonstrate their athletic prowess through club throws, but please don’t throw them at people or the putting surface.

And to finish I’d like to offer a moment of silence for the meltdown dude and his father, I hope they’ve found peace at home and on the course.

Have fun, don’t be afraid to drop a comment or contact me, and as always, when in doubt, hit chief.

Stephen Osborne