Happy Memorial Day Weekend. I played a round of golf at Crandon Golf Club on Key Biscayne, FL yesterday. The last time I played this course I made a new friend named "Iggy" the iguana. This is one of the most scenic tracks that one could ever play. There are many different species of wildlife and the views over Biscayne Bay are breathe taking.
Not only is this a beautiful course but it is also one of the hardest courses in America. As we were checking in for our tee time, my buddy Hurchell noticed a sign sitting on the counter. I had to do a double take. The sign boasted that Crandon was the 3rd toughest municipal course in the country. Only Torrey Pines and Bethpage Black,(both of which have hosted the U.S. Open Championship), are considered more difficult. I knew this was a challenging course but now I understand why. I had an okay round despite the fact that I only got two hours of sleep the night before. And it didn't help that it was about 93 degrees in the shade with humidity of about the same. I was drained by the 12th hole. I was barely able to get my drives over 200 yards. That is not good especially playing the from the blue tees which measure over 6800 yards.
Up until 2005, Crandon hosted the Senior PGA Tour Classic. A who's who of players have won at this tournament including Lee Elder, Gary Player, and Lee Trevino to name a few. Crandon has also hosted Q-School qualifying events. This course, as the sign says presents many challenges that make it worthy of having held professional tournaments. There is a lot of water to deal with especially on the back nine. Many of the tee shots are visually intimidating and it becomes very important to visualize the shot that you want.
I have been working very hard on visualization before each swing. "Whatever you visualize will materialize." It makes a huge difference when you can see the shot before you attempt it. You hear the pros talk about it all the time. Nick Faldo always makes a reference to the visualization process at least once during each round of a PGA event.
Jack Nicklaus said:
“I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head. First I see the ball where I want it to finish, nice and white and sitting up high on the bright green grass. Then the scene quickly changes, and I see the ball going there; its path, trajectory, and shape, even its behavior on landing. Then there is a sort of fade-out, and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality.”
If it is good enough for the eighteen time major winner Golden Bear, then it good enough for me. Have a good one and always hit your target.
I'm just trying to get better at the game I love. This blog is kind of a journal of my progress. I will share all the tips, drills, exercises, and experiences that I am using to improve. Hopefully they will help you too.
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