Alignment....

[Range Rat]

Nice to hear from you again Happy:

Don't play much anymore, but when I did and a hole or situation didn't look good to my eye, I used visualization of a familiar situation to make setting up easier for me. Here's what I did:

I did alot of practicing @ a certain facility to the point that I knew where everything was...the yardage signs, trees, poles, little valleys, elevations, etc. in my mind's eye. In those situations on the couse that were cloudy to me, I would "superimpose a clear plastic template" of the range over the hole or shot and hit to those range targets that I knew, and could find easily- either thru set up or getting real creative with the motion.

I knew of this local guy who was a POW for many years during the Vietnam War. Most of that time was spent in isolation. In order to keep his sanity he completely designed "in his mind" the house of his dreams- every brick, plumbing routes, wiring, foundation size, etc. The story goes that he eventually built that house.....although I've never gotten around to seeing it.

I thought it to be a neat insight into the minds eye... RR

[HappyGas]

It is no mystery as to why we play our best golf on our "Home Course". We know all the trees, valley's, traps, etc....much like you described in your example of using the familiar ground of the practice tee to make shots easier.

There is a fantastic "Playing Lessons" on Golf Channel that is airing some now. It is Geoff Olgilvy from a couple years ago.....

His Message:

So often golfers show up each day for a game of golf trying to capture the "Feel" that they had the previous day when they were playing well. If they "found something" late in the day on the range, they would immediately attempt to recapture that "feeling" the next morning.

This usually doesn't work.

So his message was simply. Don't have any expectations when you arrive at the driving range. Just be aware of what your swing is doing and embrace that "feeling" for the day. Don't fight it. Just go with it.

I loved this. Here is a US Open Champ telling us to forget any and all "swing thoughts" and simply just go out and hit the golf ball. Find your balance & play. Embrace whatever is going on each day on the course. Don't expect it to be the same as yesterday.

Gotta love this game.