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Workaholics

Workaholics – your brain is your prized possession. Sure you think you rock it on the golf course, but you REALLY pride yourself on your accomplishments and how hard you work. You think relaxation is for the weak. Friends and family don’t know how you operate on such little sleep.

Workaholics and the effects of STRESS

Business owners believe in multi-tasking and being able to “tough through” daunting challenges; but stress reduction is not a luxury.

No one gets a badge of honor for not taking care of him or herself.

Chronic stress literally kills brain cells. The same way a smoker hurts his lungs and an alcoholic hurts his liver, a workaholic hurts his brain. We don’t want THAT happening, do we?

Here’s the scoop
When you are stressed out, a bunch of oxygen-rich blood moves faster than usual to your brain and muscles, just in case you need to “fight” or “flee.”  This is a good thing. But constant stress overloads the body with adrenaline, cortisol and other hormones that are intended for “emergency use only.”

You know the YIPES you get right before that five-foot putt for all the skins? Imagine if your body acted like that all the time! Your poor system doesn’t know you’re jerkin’ his gerkin’ — once again — and this awesome survival system is not meant to be activated all the time.

Adrenaline causes your senses become super-awesome, your memory is sharp, and you can handle pain like mo fo! This is very important activity in your body! It prepares you to fight what you’re facing or run away from it. Your body shuts down other less important functions that you don’t need, such as reproduction, growth, and immune systems.

Who needs those if you’re fighting off a charging tiger or running away from a blazing fire?

Also, you might be lacking in the “adult after-hours” activities, (ifyaknowwhatimean) because your body reduces blood flow to your skin. But so what? You’ve got angry tigers to fight off. And that crazy fire!

EEEK!

Your stress response can be too much of a good thing. If your cortisol levels are raised for weeks it can damage and kill your brain cells. Repeating yourself? Losing memory, like which hole you lost your wedge? Poor concentration, like in the middle of your backswing? Repeating yourself?

High stress raises your blood pressure, and you are more likely have a heart attack or stroke, AND make you crave fatty fat fat foods!

Alright, you self-proclaimed “workaholics”. Here’s the good news … not all stress is bad.

A little bit o’ stress releases norepinephrine, which is needed for making new memories and puts you in a good mood. It helps you think creatively and your problems feel more like exciting challenges, which helps your noggin develop new connections.

Stress management is the KEY. Not stress elimination It’s all about balance.

How can you tell if you just love your work, or you really ARE a workaholic?

Bryan E. Robinson, PhD, author of Chained to the Desk: A Guidebook for Workaholics, Their Partners and Children, and the Clinicians Who Treat Them says “The preoccupation with work is really at the core of what workaholism is. I always say that the difference between someone who’s a true workaholic and someone who’s just a hard worker is that the workaholic is on the ski slopes dreaming about being back at work, and the hard worker is in the office dreaming about being on the ski slope.”

So you are probably thinking “Golly Heather, thank you for depressing me with all that information because I don’t have time to take a vacation and de-stress.” WHOE. Hold on Cowboy. You may not care that you are a disappointment in the sack, or that you’re getting a belly, have bags under your eyes, or that you are a bitch to hang out with, but you want your brain to be a rock star, right? You want to get that next promotion at work, right?

Okay, sit back in your chair, relax your shoulders, relax your jaw muscles, take a few slow, deep breaths and be smart about this.

Healthy ways of coping with stress include the following
(It only takes about 20 min a day to benefit.)

• Go for a short walk. (without looking at your cell phone)

• Workout and sweat. (even for a short time)

• Play with your dog. (or whatever you have)

• Get a massage. (my favorite!)

• Watch a comedy.

• Regularly take 3 really deep breaths.

• Limit the time around people who stress you out.

• Delegate items on your to-do list.

Everyone has his or her own way of taking stress out of their lives. Heck, some golfers do Thai-Chi on the tee box to relax and to kick-start that fluid motion.

I’d love to hear about other techniques that work for you—email me.

cura ut valeas (google it)

- Heather Karr, LMT

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Universal Goal Setting

Our Father’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Universal Goal is the key part of my game and instruction.

An Introductory Note: Just as the golfers USGA rule book is authoritative for golf, I have chosen the Holy Scriptures to give me the proper perspective to set goals in all areas of my life.

As a PGA Golf Instructor I heard many pupils express immediate or long term goals such as a handicap range they wanted to attain. Many times their goal was to simply beat a friend, brother, dad or the like. Some golfers have a goal to become the best golfer in the world, another the best in the club and others, the best golfer in their foursome.

At age 17, I declared my goal of becoming a golf professional. My goal was to be a Head PGA Pro at a nice country club like the pro I had been working for.  I was fortunate in reaching that goal as well as some playing goals by age 24.

Western Open-goal setting

Author reaches playing goal by playing in 1969 Western Open

Sometimes life situations force a person to reconsider their goals.

Three years later my worldview was turned upside down. I thought I was heading for a lighted public driving range to prepare for the Quad Cities Open. Instead I ended up at a church service and heard a message that has changed me forever. My story made the front page of the local newspaper when it got around that I was giving up my position at the country club to study Theology in order to become a pastor.  My wife divorced me over that decision.

I shortly re-entered the golf business as an assistant pro and was informed I had to fulfill the apprentice program all over again.  I remarried and on our honeymoon I spied a book  while shopping.  I could only see one word of the title.  The word SUCCESS was in big red letters and really got my attention.  I picked it up and read the full title.

SUCCESS: THE GLENN BLAND METHOD

Glenn Bland’s Definition of Success: Success is the progressive realization of predetermined, worthwhile goals, stabilized with balance and purified by belief.     http://accordingtobridgett.com/wwdb-book-recommendation-success-the-glenn-bland-method/

I tried so hard to set my goals and manage my time that I did not allow enought time to sleep (the balance part in the definition).  I became sleep deprived, began to see double and got confused enough that a patrol car took me to a state mental hospital.  During my initial interview I stated my goal was to become a Golf Czar.  No, I am not joking!  Six weeks later I got out and have been a bit laid back ever since.  I do get excited when I have new inventions.

Do you have reasonable goals? Are your goals well thought out? More than once, I have heard or read the old adage, “those who fail to plan, plan to fail”.  Golf can be addictive. You might be playing too much golf instead of making sales calls, spending time with the family or preparing a sermon. Some drink or gamble too much when playing.  On the other hand you can enjoy what you are doing without feeling guilty if you can justify the time and money that playing golf requires.

 

THE CORRECT UNIVERSAL GOAL FOR WISE GOLFERS

 Be the best you can be with the time and money that you can properly devote to it.  Period !!!

To paraphrase a famous bible verse:  What does it profit a man to be the best golfer in the whole world and lose his own soul.

Mayor Giuliani taking one of my 25,000 golf lessons at the Richard Metz Golf Studio in Manhattan, NY - goal setting

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani trying out my MoreSure Golf Aid

 

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Parody in Golf supported again with Sang-Moon Bae’s win at Byron Nelson.

Sang-Moon Bae Win at Byron Nelson

After an exciting week on tour ( Byron Nelson), we have another new first time winner with Sang-Moon Dae. With very difficult playing conditions, one would understand a player chasing his first time win to fall back on the Sunday leaderboard. Going up against an experienced Keegan Bradley, the odds were clearly against him, as well as expectations. Is Sang-Moons win enough to suggest parody has arrived? Well not on it’s own…

Last week at the Players Championship, we had all the Tiger and Sergio drama, but ultimately David Lingmerth had a putt on 18 that would have tied Tiger. A win over Tiger would have been his first win. Can you imagine?

The week before at the Wells Fargo Championship, Derek Ernst comes away with the win over a leaderboard that includes Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood. In New Orleans, Billy Horschel captured his first PGA win.

All of this parody has occurred since the Masters!

 

 

Granted, the first part of the season looked familiar with the winner list that includes:

  • Dustin Johnson
  • Tiger Woods
  • Phil Mickelson
  • Brandt Snedeker
  • Matt Kuchar

The play of the lower ranked players might be creeping into the minds of the regular tour pros, wouldn’t you think? Will any of this success factor into the US Open and other Majors?

Players seem to be more prepared with skills and mental strength that has traditionally been isolated to a handful of players. I would argue that this parody is good for the game as long as the “big name” players continue to be in contention regularly. Clearly this group of up and coming players have a lot of skills, and the new” big names” will surface in time.

The real question before us is whether the media and ultimately the viewers will accept the parody? The recent Tiger and Sergio feud might be an early indication of the network’s concern that golf is losing some interest? Are we going to see more focus on the “rivalries” and ” battles” between the stars?

The ratings last week approached record numbers.

My guess is the ratings for Sang-Moon Bae’s victory was average at best.

What do you think about parody in golf? Are we there yet? Good for the game?

 

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The Worst of Charity Scramble Rules

Worst Scramble RulesWhat in the world is happening to Charity Golf Scrambles today? I play in 4 to 5 of these charity tournaments every year which have become a hodgepodge of ridiculous scramble rules.  Some of these silly, erroneous rules have absolutely nothing to do with the game of golf.  Does anyone else agree, or is it just me?  Let’s take a look at some of the worst ones I have recently encountered.

  • The “Free 9 Iron” – At any point in the round, each player of the team gets to hit a 9 iron which is not counted as a stroke whatsoever.  What the ___ is that?  It makes no sense at all.  Talk about delay of game, try and figure out that strategy during the tournament!  Who came up with that, and how did they decide on a 9 iron being the freebie?   Nobody understands it, and there’s a reason why; it’s unexplainable!
  • The Yardstick” – Each team travels with a yardstick in the cart, and you are able to measure off distances you need to make a putt if you choose to.  The idea is that you have to keep track of the amount of the yardstick you use for each putt, until you have exhausted the total length of the stick.  For example, if you leave a birdie putt short by 5 inches, you can just mark off 5 inches off the stick and take your birdie, leaving you 5 less inches to use the rest of the round for future putts. Not only does this guarantee cheating, but it’s another idiotic thing to keep track of.  I know the idea of golf is to get around with as few putts as possible, but not by using a yardstick and a pencil!  This is one of those rules that have nothing to do with golf.  Come on….a yardstick?
  • “Nothing More Than Par” Rule – WOW, I mean WOW.  I had never heard of this one before, until I played in a scramble last week.  All of us in the group were baffled, and hugely disappointed when they sprung that rule on us before heading out.  Think about it.  This rule is the worst. It takes everything ounce of enjoyment out of the short game, which is the most important part of golf.  Chipping does matter unless you make it, no matter how good or bad the chip,  Oh, did I mention this tournament also had a 2 putt rule along with the Max Par rule.  What’s the point of playing at all?

What’s the worst rule you have encountered in a golf tourney?  I would love to hear from ya!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One of the most common flaws I notice is the “swing over the top” golf swing.

Swing over the top

This swing is not on proper plane.

As a PGA Teaching Professional, I see many different types of golf swings on a daily basis.  My job is to study and learn from the best players and continue to help golfers improve and play their best.  An over the top golf swing does not follow a good swing plane to the ball at impact.  A swing over the top is when the club shaft or club head attacks the ball from the outside of the ball.  Ideally, the club should approach the ball from the inside of the golf ball and then swing to compress the ball inside to square.

To get the ball to start on a straight target line and then fly through the air fairly straight, two things must happen to near perfection.  One, the club head must be square when it strikes the ball and two, the club head must work on a proper swing plane.  If one of the two doesn’t reach impact from a proper angle, you will clearly create sporadic ball flight patterns.  If you want to hit the ball straight, you must learn to swing your clubs on a good swing plane and also keep the club face square.  What you’ll need to do is find out what the biggest cause of the problem is going to be.  Is it your club face angle, or is it your golf swing plane?  Consult your local PGA Teaching Professional to get started.

In this video, you will see a golfer that clearly has a  “Swing over the Top”.  This was the main swing flaw that needed to be fixed immediately with this student.  He would either pull his ball left of the target line, or slice across the ball.  When you slice the ball, generally the ball will start left of your target line (for the right handed golfer) and then slice back to the right.

Some immediate drills to try for an over the top swing will be:

  1. Slow down
  2. Practice your swing by pausing at the top (control your transition)
  3. Try the Orange Whip Trainer for control and feel
  4. Use a mirror to watch your swing plane
  5. Understand your swing plane by consulting a PGA Teaching Professional

Lastly, to help you understand your swing plane, you’ll need to see your swing on video fairly frequently to start.  Don’t take a lesson and then wait too long to go back for a check up.  It might be wise to take a handful of lessons close together to start and then gradually pace yourself for an every other week or every three week check up.

To see an example of a swing that is “Over the Top” and how to start correcting the flaws, please click on the following link:  http://youtu.be/mJSo1Oi-hFQ

All the best in golf,

Greg Greksa

PGA Professional

Director of Instruction

Grexa Golf Raleigh

Cleveland / Srixon Staff

www.grexagolf.com