| Playing The Game |
Stage Four focuses on playing the game, which involves bringing all aspects of the
game into a total package. In Stage One you developed the Fundamentals
necessary for playing the game. In Stage Two you incorporate techniques that
allow you apply your skills more effectively. Stage Three focuses on customizing
your skills to your own particular body mechanics. In Stage Three we discussed
packaging your biomechanics into a total package, one that would satisfy the
needs of Owning Your Swing. Now it is time to Own Your Game, and that is
precisely what Stage Four is all about.
The Secrets of Owning Your Game (slated to be the last book in the Power-of-
Three Golf series) will all aspects needed to Own Your Game. It means bringing
your Imperative, Fundamentals, and Essentials as well as your Inner and Mental
skills into a total package. That package is organized specifically to employ a
complete game, one well suited to the task of playing your best golf.
Let's investigate the importance of Stage Four training. If internalize the
fundamental skills, employ the effective techniques, and customize your stroke
with your particular body mechanics in mind, however, fail to execute a sound
game plan, with proper club selections, and adequate focus, you will fail to
achieve your golfing goals. To use the skills developed in the first three stages
you must master the skills in stage four. In short, mastering these skills means
mastering yourself.
What sort of aspects does Stage Four training involve? For one it involves
discipline. Discipline is an important facet of the game. Jack Nicklaus is perhaps
the most discipline golfer in history and in Jack Nicklaus The Full Swing he wrote,
"This takes a lot of discipline, but then golf demands a lot of discipline at all
times.” What else is important in Stage Four, preparation is important. Jack
Nicklaus has often made comments on the importance of preparation. In The Full
Swing Jack Nicklaus writes, "Golf is really two games. The first is ball striking,
shotmaking - the physical side. The second is strategy, tactics, course
management, self management - the mental and emotional side. Unfortunately
nobody is a "born golfer" in either department. Some people may have more
innate talent than others for one or both elements of the game, but how well a
person ultimately plays depends on how well he or she learns both elements.
And, make no mistake, if you want to be a really fine player it's a long, hard
process. I've been learning both games of golf now for more than 30 years, and I
still see no end to the process." In that quote we can see how the game requires
the discipline to stick with the process as well as places a lot of importance on
preparing properly. As Jack Nicklaus continues to talk about this process he
describes the physical part of the game as being dependent on 80% preparation
and 20% execution. To that end he actually writes, "Reverse those porportions
and you'll always be a hacker." Additionally Jack Nicklaus writes, "I make this
little pitch because here I want to remind you once again, as we begin to talk
about the swing itself, that how effectively you swing a golf club depends almost
entirely on how well you have prepared to do so."
Though Jack Nicklaus speaks of preparing the physical skills, I believe preparation
is also 80% of what he calls the second half of the game. I believe this because
all the skills in Stage Four need to be internalized in to habit. These habits must
all be continually reinforced. When playing golf we find ourselves dealing with the
pressures of the moment, and our ability to manage those situations successfully
are dependent on how solid our habits are maintained.
The habits that will carry through the most pressure filled moments are the ones
that are internalized to the dispositional level. Your disposition is the underlined
set of beliefs, thoughts, attitudes, preconceptions, and all other inner game and
mental factors that determine how you will act or react in each and every situation
you encounter. You might say your disposition is the deepest level of your belief
system. It is the foundation and it contains the cornerstones of your beliefs. It
contains all the influences of your upbringing and social conditioning that you carry
with you into each moment. It involves all the preconceptions you adhere to from
moment to moment. It involves how open or closed minded you are. Do you
allow new information to influence all your preconceptions or do you dismiss all
that is new to hold on to the past?
Basically your disposition is your underlined way of being at any given moment,
and if you want to be successful, then you need to internalize the knowledge,
beliefs, attitudes, behavioral habits, intentions, confidence, trust, and fortitude that
lay the foundation for success. If do what needs to be done to be prepared at the
dispositional level you will experience success as a habit instead of periodically.
In my opinion, spending the effort to create a disposition designed for success is
one of the most important goals of Stage Four training.
If you've ever heard of someone being predisposed to act in a certain way, then
you understand how the disposition works. Most people have reoccurring
situations that involve being predisposed to act or react in a certain manner each
time they encounter a situation. Maybe it is the way you act or react around a
family member when they behave in a certain manner. Maybe it occurs in a work
situation. Or, go figure, maybe it happens on the golf course!!!
For most of use there are many situations that bring out our predisposed behavior
patterns. The real question is, are you predisposed to act in a positive and
productive manner or are you predisposed to behave in a negative and non-
productive manner. I recommend you assess your behavior patterns and figure
out where you can strengthen your disposition.
I once heard Martina Navratilova (the famed tennis star) say that one day she
realized she could lose, and she started losing more often. Before, that point she
was simply in the habit of winning. Everything she did was designed and
organized for the goal of winning. Her routines, her training, her focus, her skills,
and all factors needed to be a winner were internalized with such discipline that
she was predisposed to win. Roger Federer seems to possess the same
disposition for success, a disposition Tiger Woods understands and respects.
The may be one of the reasons the have become good friends.
Keep in mind the process of being predisposed for success is an ongoing
process. Remember Jack Nicklaus' words, "I've been learning both games of golf
now for more than 30 years, and I still see no end to the process." Everyday I
evaluate everything and anything that influences my disposition, and everyday I
find something that can use improvement. When I was younger I remember
thinking, "Even Jack Nicklaus can find things to improve day after day, so why
would I be any different." Tiger Woods is the same, day after day, week after
week, month after month, and year after year continually looking for ways to
improve. Jimmy Conners and Andre Agassi we two tennis stars that seem to be
successful well beyond the age of the average tennis star. Both players had been
asked what they attributed their longevity to, and both players responded that they
simple worked on improving every day.
Observing the tendencies and the leadership of these great players has
encourage me greatly. Because of this the concept of improving has become one
of the cornerstones of the New Horizons Golf Approach. By this I mean
"improving is the standard!" The concept of perfection is held as an ideal instead
of a goal. It is a beacon to work toward, however, "improvement" is the daily
goal. As long as you are improving you are you are on your way to achieving your
goals. All you have to do is stay the course, keep improving.
The hardest thing for people to come to terms with while improving is to be
patient. Improvement is a life long process. People often look at improvement as
if it is the means to an end of a journey. They feel that all they have to do is
complete the journey and they will have the "Holy Grail" of golf - so to speak.
The fact is, the journey will always continue, until the day you die. One of my
students told me, "The older you get you have to strive harder to improve just to
keep from losing ground." He was 72 years old when he said it. And I think he
was correct. When we are younger we work hard so we can actually improve.
When when mature we work hard to make minor improvements that have great
influence. Then when we are older we work hard to improve so we can continue
to enjoy, at least, are present levels of performance. Eventually we strive to
improve just so we lose ground as slowly as possible. It is are basic fight for life,
it is about survival when it be our golfing life, our livelihoods, or a fight to keep
breathing.
With all this in mind, Stage Four training will focus on all aspects that influence
playing the game. It will create a total approach to the game, an approach based
on the principle of always improving, and it will be organized for continued success.
On the right side of this webpage you will find the New Horizons Golf books that
relate to improving your Stage Four skills. You will also find links to articles
written by EA Tischler that shed some light on critical Stage Four influences.
Please be patient with the frequency of those uploads. As you can imagine this
website is a growing project and commands a lot of attention to keep it
improving. However, since improvement is the New Horizons standard we are
committed to the growing concerns that influence this websites improvement.
game into a total package. In Stage One you developed the Fundamentals
necessary for playing the game. In Stage Two you incorporate techniques that
allow you apply your skills more effectively. Stage Three focuses on customizing
your skills to your own particular body mechanics. In Stage Three we discussed
packaging your biomechanics into a total package, one that would satisfy the
needs of Owning Your Swing. Now it is time to Own Your Game, and that is
precisely what Stage Four is all about.
The Secrets of Owning Your Game (slated to be the last book in the Power-of-
Three Golf series) will all aspects needed to Own Your Game. It means bringing
your Imperative, Fundamentals, and Essentials as well as your Inner and Mental
skills into a total package. That package is organized specifically to employ a
complete game, one well suited to the task of playing your best golf.
Let's investigate the importance of Stage Four training. If internalize the
fundamental skills, employ the effective techniques, and customize your stroke
with your particular body mechanics in mind, however, fail to execute a sound
game plan, with proper club selections, and adequate focus, you will fail to
achieve your golfing goals. To use the skills developed in the first three stages
you must master the skills in stage four. In short, mastering these skills means
mastering yourself.
What sort of aspects does Stage Four training involve? For one it involves
discipline. Discipline is an important facet of the game. Jack Nicklaus is perhaps
the most discipline golfer in history and in Jack Nicklaus The Full Swing he wrote,
"This takes a lot of discipline, but then golf demands a lot of discipline at all
times.” What else is important in Stage Four, preparation is important. Jack
Nicklaus has often made comments on the importance of preparation. In The Full
Swing Jack Nicklaus writes, "Golf is really two games. The first is ball striking,
shotmaking - the physical side. The second is strategy, tactics, course
management, self management - the mental and emotional side. Unfortunately
nobody is a "born golfer" in either department. Some people may have more
innate talent than others for one or both elements of the game, but how well a
person ultimately plays depends on how well he or she learns both elements.
And, make no mistake, if you want to be a really fine player it's a long, hard
process. I've been learning both games of golf now for more than 30 years, and I
still see no end to the process." In that quote we can see how the game requires
the discipline to stick with the process as well as places a lot of importance on
preparing properly. As Jack Nicklaus continues to talk about this process he
describes the physical part of the game as being dependent on 80% preparation
and 20% execution. To that end he actually writes, "Reverse those porportions
and you'll always be a hacker." Additionally Jack Nicklaus writes, "I make this
little pitch because here I want to remind you once again, as we begin to talk
about the swing itself, that how effectively you swing a golf club depends almost
entirely on how well you have prepared to do so."
Though Jack Nicklaus speaks of preparing the physical skills, I believe preparation
is also 80% of what he calls the second half of the game. I believe this because
all the skills in Stage Four need to be internalized in to habit. These habits must
all be continually reinforced. When playing golf we find ourselves dealing with the
pressures of the moment, and our ability to manage those situations successfully
are dependent on how solid our habits are maintained.
The habits that will carry through the most pressure filled moments are the ones
that are internalized to the dispositional level. Your disposition is the underlined
set of beliefs, thoughts, attitudes, preconceptions, and all other inner game and
mental factors that determine how you will act or react in each and every situation
you encounter. You might say your disposition is the deepest level of your belief
system. It is the foundation and it contains the cornerstones of your beliefs. It
contains all the influences of your upbringing and social conditioning that you carry
with you into each moment. It involves all the preconceptions you adhere to from
moment to moment. It involves how open or closed minded you are. Do you
allow new information to influence all your preconceptions or do you dismiss all
that is new to hold on to the past?
Basically your disposition is your underlined way of being at any given moment,
and if you want to be successful, then you need to internalize the knowledge,
beliefs, attitudes, behavioral habits, intentions, confidence, trust, and fortitude that
lay the foundation for success. If do what needs to be done to be prepared at the
dispositional level you will experience success as a habit instead of periodically.
In my opinion, spending the effort to create a disposition designed for success is
one of the most important goals of Stage Four training.
If you've ever heard of someone being predisposed to act in a certain way, then
you understand how the disposition works. Most people have reoccurring
situations that involve being predisposed to act or react in a certain manner each
time they encounter a situation. Maybe it is the way you act or react around a
family member when they behave in a certain manner. Maybe it occurs in a work
situation. Or, go figure, maybe it happens on the golf course!!!
For most of use there are many situations that bring out our predisposed behavior
patterns. The real question is, are you predisposed to act in a positive and
productive manner or are you predisposed to behave in a negative and non-
productive manner. I recommend you assess your behavior patterns and figure
out where you can strengthen your disposition.
I once heard Martina Navratilova (the famed tennis star) say that one day she
realized she could lose, and she started losing more often. Before, that point she
was simply in the habit of winning. Everything she did was designed and
organized for the goal of winning. Her routines, her training, her focus, her skills,
and all factors needed to be a winner were internalized with such discipline that
she was predisposed to win. Roger Federer seems to possess the same
disposition for success, a disposition Tiger Woods understands and respects.
The may be one of the reasons the have become good friends.
Keep in mind the process of being predisposed for success is an ongoing
process. Remember Jack Nicklaus' words, "I've been learning both games of golf
now for more than 30 years, and I still see no end to the process." Everyday I
evaluate everything and anything that influences my disposition, and everyday I
find something that can use improvement. When I was younger I remember
thinking, "Even Jack Nicklaus can find things to improve day after day, so why
would I be any different." Tiger Woods is the same, day after day, week after
week, month after month, and year after year continually looking for ways to
improve. Jimmy Conners and Andre Agassi we two tennis stars that seem to be
successful well beyond the age of the average tennis star. Both players had been
asked what they attributed their longevity to, and both players responded that they
simple worked on improving every day.
Observing the tendencies and the leadership of these great players has
encourage me greatly. Because of this the concept of improving has become one
of the cornerstones of the New Horizons Golf Approach. By this I mean
"improving is the standard!" The concept of perfection is held as an ideal instead
of a goal. It is a beacon to work toward, however, "improvement" is the daily
goal. As long as you are improving you are you are on your way to achieving your
goals. All you have to do is stay the course, keep improving.
The hardest thing for people to come to terms with while improving is to be
patient. Improvement is a life long process. People often look at improvement as
if it is the means to an end of a journey. They feel that all they have to do is
complete the journey and they will have the "Holy Grail" of golf - so to speak.
The fact is, the journey will always continue, until the day you die. One of my
students told me, "The older you get you have to strive harder to improve just to
keep from losing ground." He was 72 years old when he said it. And I think he
was correct. When we are younger we work hard so we can actually improve.
When when mature we work hard to make minor improvements that have great
influence. Then when we are older we work hard to improve so we can continue
to enjoy, at least, are present levels of performance. Eventually we strive to
improve just so we lose ground as slowly as possible. It is are basic fight for life,
it is about survival when it be our golfing life, our livelihoods, or a fight to keep
breathing.
With all this in mind, Stage Four training will focus on all aspects that influence
playing the game. It will create a total approach to the game, an approach based
on the principle of always improving, and it will be organized for continued success.
On the right side of this webpage you will find the New Horizons Golf books that
relate to improving your Stage Four skills. You will also find links to articles
written by EA Tischler that shed some light on critical Stage Four influences.
Please be patient with the frequency of those uploads. As you can imagine this
website is a growing project and commands a lot of attention to keep it
improving. However, since improvement is the New Horizons standard we are
committed to the growing concerns that influence this websites improvement.
If you have any questions regarding New Horizons Golf Approach please contact EA Tischler at (408)203-7599, or email your questions to EA Tischler newhorizonsgolfer@yahoo.com. |
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Copyright 2009 Ed Tischler / New Horizons Golf Approach. All rights reserved.
STAGE FOUR TRAINING
| 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 |
On this side of the page you can preview New Horizons Golf
Books that relate to Stage Four Playing the Game concepts.
Keep in mind the 4 Pocket Coach books listed on this page
do involve physical skills however, they are also important
to the task of playing the game. You can also click on links
to articles that relate to Stage Four training. Periodically
visit this page to see what new articles are posted.
Books that relate to Stage Four Playing the Game concepts.
Keep in mind the 4 Pocket Coach books listed on this page
do involve physical skills however, they are also important
to the task of playing the game. You can also click on links
to articles that relate to Stage Four training. Periodically
visit this page to see what new articles are posted.
Stage Four Books:
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| Focus On Golf is now available on line at a variety of on-line book sellers. |
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Stage One Fundamentals Schools
click here - California Golf Schools
or Hawaii Golf Schools.
click here - California Golf Schools
or Hawaii Golf Schools.