The Golf Geek

Why your ball might end up in trouble

Allan — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:37:10 +0000

(a lesson in golf from the ski slopes) What do golf and skiing have in common? I don’t think I’ll ever get Mrs Geek back on skis. We tried it, once. I’d spent a week skiing most Easters for around 10 years, and I’d loved it. She’d never been on skis, but was happy to [...]

Your biggest golfing frustrations- and how I can help

Allan — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:16:59 +0000

A slight change of focus today. Usually, I concentrate on helping you improve at golf, using lessons I’ve learned on the course and in life. But today’s a bit different. I’d like you to help me. Help me to help you, that is. I’m guided by my studies and my own journey through golf, but [...]

The Vital Ingredient You Can Do Without

Allan — Wed, 08 May 2013 22:55:23 +0000

What “lemonade rocks” taught me about golf improvement. I’ve only scored 100% in an exam once. It happened in my first year of secondary school, in maths of all subjects. I remember it clearly; we’d moved into the area at the start of the school year so I was an unknown quantity; my classmates [...]

Hello…

Allan — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:09:10 +0000

…it’s been a while. I’m sorry I’ve not been around. While I can offer any number of reasons, one stands out. Just at the time I took my Christmas break from the site, I rotated into one of the busiest posts of my professional career. And this came at a time when I’d been [...]

A Surprising Revelation?

Allan — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 22:33:57 +0000

I have a confession to make. I haven’t played enough golf this year. And I don’t mean in an “I can never get enough golf” way. I really just didn’t get out to play anywhere near often enough. It’s understandable in a way. My kids are 6 and 3, I’m nearing the end of my [...]

Breaking The Chain Of Reaction On The Golf Course

Allan — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 23:30:08 +0000

In my last article I encouraged you to differentiate between your reaction and your response. A response is measured, considered, chosen. Reactions are…less so. A large amount of our frustration arises from the mistaken belief that we’re doomed to repeat our reactions, over and over. Event “X” causes reaction “Y”, always and forever…and so we’re [...]

The Real Reason You Feel Frustrated By Poor Shots?

Allan — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 22:42:18 +0000

Have you ever read a book on the mental game and thought “that’s not realistic”? It’s very easy to say you shouldn’t get angry on the course…but much harder to do. Even in his pomp, Tiger got mad – why else would he be one of the most fined players on tour? And Greg Norman reportedly [...]

Is Pressure Really All In Your Mind?

Allan — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:07:43 +0000

That’s what some mental coaches seem to be saying. But is it true? I don’t know about you, but when I’ve thought I was under pressure, there were a number of things which didn’t feel very “mental”. My heart seemed to be pounding, my neck and jaw muscles felt solid and my mouth felt dry. And [...]

Are You Really Under Pressure?

Allan — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 23:10:33 +0000

I got into a discussion during the Ryder Cup. It was one of those Twitter discussion which is incredibly frustrating – although the other person thought I was disagreeing with them, I wasn’t. Well, not exactly. We were, in my opinion, saying much the same thing…but between the drama at Medinah, and Twitter’s 140-character limit, [...]

Do You Really Want 5 Hour Energy?

Allan — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:48:19 +0000

Would you take a supplement if it made you play worse? I’m not one for kicking a man when he’s down, and I’ve no desire to cheapen the wonderful spectacle that was the 2012 Ryder Cup. Great sport requires two sides, and the American team played their part. But I have to wonder about Jim [...]