Prelude-V2

Prelude - Developing Your Skills

This information was published in New Horizons Golf
Approach Pocket Coach Volume 2 - Developing Your Skills.
Copyright 2001 by Ed Tischler. All rights reserved.

Prelude

This volume of the New Horizons Golf Approach Pocket Coach Series is dedicated to getting the most
out of your practice. To get the most out of your practice, I recommend you start by developing the
fundamental skills necessary to play the game. Without the fundamental skills golfers continually
struggle to maintain consistency in their play. However, if you internalize your fundamentals you’ll
maintain a consistent foundation during your pressure-filled play.

After internalizing your fundamentals, you will be ready to fine-tune your ball striking skills. Although
many golfers feel that ball striking should be their first concern, I believe it is a fine-tuning issue. The
fact is, you can be a good golfer without being a great ball striker. However, you cannot be a great
ball striker without first developing the basic fundamentals.

Therefore, to get the most out of your practice, establish the fundamentals first. Then you can
develop your ball striking skills. Beyond these concerns we will learn to maintain consistency through
good focus habits and commitment to the practice routine.

As you will learn, this Pocket Coach focuses on the fundamental skills involved in the long game.
Even though I believe it would be wise for all golfers to develop their short game skills first, I know
most golfers are anxious to get to the long game.

If you choose to be wise, you can find a complete approach to the short game in my book Golf – The
Timeless Game – A Natural Way To Play. It covers all aspects of playing golf from putting through the
power swing. You could also look for the short game skills in later volumes of the Pocket Coach
Series.

By the end of this book’s journey it is my hope that you will understand the game’s true fundamentals.
As well as understanding these fundamentals, it is my hope you will take the time to organize them
into a productive practice routine.

One last note before we get started, I am going to describe all the physical actions in terms of being a
right-sided golfer. I apologize to the left-handed golfer, but the condensed length of this Pocket
Coach book makes it too difficult to describe all actions from both sides of the ball. I will, however, use
the terms dominant and non-dominant as much as possible without disrupting the flow of instruction.

This is the table of contents from Developing Your Skills. It may
give you some insights as to the topics covered in the New
Horizons Golf Approach Pocket Coach Volume Two.

Table Of Contents

Prelude

Part One – The Fundamentals

Playing Naturally
The Imperatives
The New Horizons Golf Approach
NHGA’s Five Fundamentals
Focus & Consistency
Ready-To-Hand-Focus

Part Two – The Skills

Developing The Skills
Point-To-The-Target
Finishing The Swing
Pivoting To The Finish
Swinging To The Finish
Turning On The Power
Fine Tuning Your Timing
Finding Your Rhythm

Part Three – Routine Training

Home Training
Range Training
On Course Training
Mange Your Shot Routine
Let's Play Golf

Let’s Play G-O-L-F TM

Playing for a target score is only one way of implementing an on course strategy. I believe to truly
play the game you cannot worry so much about your scoring strategy. I think everyone is aware of
how well they are scoring, and they know they need to score as low as they can. So, since the idea
of scoring is always present you do not need to focus on it. Instead, focus on playing the game.

Truly playing the game involves feeling a game that fascinates you. It involves striving to play the
type of game you usually dream of playing. It’s about finding out your potential and
manifesting it in your play. It’s about engaging yourself in the ongoing drama of sport. It’s about
absorbing yourself into the possibility of expressing your true potential.

It’s about Gaming Out Life’s Fascinations.

So, when you walk out on the golf course, I’m inviting you to take the plunge, to go for it. I’m inviting
you to play golf without putting so much emphasis on scoring low. Win or lose, score low or high,
enjoy the adventure, keep a good attitude, and take something away from every round that makes
you a more accomplished golfer.

New Horizons Golf Approach
I n n o v a t i v e C o a c h i n g F o r G o l f e r s