May 8, 2008
We have often heard that practice makes perfect. That statement is truer when it is said that perfect practice makes perfect. Who likes to practice putting? The guys on the Tour did it but it was not their favorite thing to do. They would rather play or hit full shots, even though they absolutely knew that their income depended on their good putting.
Practicing putting is not much fun. In fact it is boring. Is there a solution? Yes. I’m going to share a couple games and contests I involve my students in when we talk about putting. It’s fun to watch the students at a school pick up on the idea of the game and get very serious about it. They spend more time having fun putting during the school than they have any time prior to the school. The one person games I did as a young golfer. My contest was to make the putts before I could have lunch. Sometimes it got very hungry.
“21″ is a game for two or more that I was introduced to while I was an assistant at the Philadelphia CC. There were three assistants at the club and we often had time to play 21. When I was the golf professional at the Biltmore Forest CC, the manager and I would play 21 every Sunday after dinner. It was fierce, good competition.
Putting games for one and more.
All of you spend 50% of your practice time on the putting green, right? Probably not. Practicing putting is not usually fun! It is important, but standing on the putting green and hitting putts for hours is not very exciting. Let’s change all that and make practice fun and worthwhile!
Let’s talk about ways to practice putting that will be meaningful and fun. If it’s not fun you won’t do it, and if it doesn’t help, you won’t continue to practice. To consistently score low, you must become a very good putter from six feet and closer. I want you to focus on putts of this length and let the longer putts take care of themselves.
Games for one.
The first “game” requires just one person and four golf balls. Place them around the hole at one foot, opposite each other. Make those putts and reset the balls at two feet, then three feet, etc., all the way to six feet. If you miss a putt at any point you must start over at one foot. When you make them all from six feet, you can have lunch. This is also a very good diet until your putting improves.
There is a slight variation to this game which includes placing six balls, starting at one foot, in a slightly curved line one foot apart. Curve the line so there is room for your putter to swing. Keep putting until you miss and then start over. When you’ve made it from six feet, pick a different line to the same hole. When you make all the 6 footers from four angles, you can have lunch, or perhaps its dinner.
A game for two or more.
The next game is more advanced. You may want to wait to play this game until you feel good about your putting. It needs at least two golfers, and five is too many. You’ll like this game. I have played this many, many times and it is always a lot of fun and good for your putting to boot. It’s called “21″ and here is how it’s played:
1. Each player plays with two golf balls and putts both balls before the next player plays.
2. All players play from exactly the same spot; a point can be designated by a coin or a tee.
3. The “honors” on the first hole are selected by chance; flip a coin or spin a tee. Thereafter, the player making the points on the preceding hole is the first to play and the others play according to whoever made the previous points. It’s just like honors on the golf course. The order of play can be very important since stymies are the rule. The leading player chooses the next hole.
4. Stymies (not being able to move a ball to clear a line for the next player) are the rule; balls are left where they stop until all players have finished. Stymies also mean that if Player B hits Player A’s ball and knocks it into the hole, Player A will get the points. If Player B also goes into the hole, he will get all the points and A will get no points. B can also knock A closer or further from the hole to add a point or take away a point.
5. Points are scored for the ball(s) of one player closest to the hole. If Player A has one ball closer than Player B’s closest ball, player A earns one point. If player A has both balls closer to the hole than either of Player B’s, Player A earns two points. Player B earns no points in either case.
6. Holes-in-one are more interesting. A hole-in-one is worth three points. However, if Player A makes a hole-in-one and Player B makes one on top of Player A, Player B gets six points and Player A gets no points. Only one person makes points for a hole-in-one, regardless of the number of players. It is possible to make four points on a hole; a hole- in-one and a ball closer than any other player.
7. It is possible to earn one, two, three, four or six points on a hole with two people playing the game. Points can go higher with more people because of the hole-in-one rules.
8. The first player to 21 points or greater is the winner.
9. Any ball that leaves the green costs the player a point.
Option for later on: Any ball that is not within a putter length must be putted in the hole. If the putt is missed, the player loses a point.
With these games you can have fun and watch your putting improve. It will also give you the chance to putt under a little pressure.
John Toepel is a Veteran PGA Tour Player, instructor, author, and professional speaker. He is also the discoverer of Concept Golf, the quickest way to immediate, life-long lasting improvements to anyone’s golf game. To learn more about Concept Golf, including the most comprehensive golf instruction system ever, “The Concept Golf Perfect Shot Making System”, please visit http://www.conceptgolf.com/PSMS.htm and Discover the Par Golfer in You!
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Some people believe that dogs need to be trained when they’re young. To some extent for our own sanity that’s true - especially with housetraining, and teaching your dog that chewing your shoes/slippers/anything that’s accessible, is simple not acceptable.
But despite the old adage “You can’t teach a old dog new tricks”, it’s perfectly possible to teach a dog of virtually any age new behaviours and even party tricks, if you like. Basically dog training boils down to rewarding your dog when s/he does something you like, and correcting your dog when s/he does something you don’t like. Good training establishes an appropriate relationship between you and your dog, and it ensures that your dog understands what you want of him/her.
Of course, the dog may become somewhat set in his/her ways, and be less inclined to be interested in learning. My dogs tend to look at me a little suspiciously these days if I try to introduce a new command. But once they get the idea that I’m giving them a new way to please me, it doesn’t take them too long to start to comply.
The idea is to teach your dog to make his own decisions (believe it or not!) Not complicated decisions, of course, - just whether to do something or not. If your dog makes the right decision, s/he’ll be rewarded. If your dog makes the wrong decision, s’he’ll receive a corrrection and the opportunity to then choose the right decision. Simple!
I’ve been reading some professional dog training secrets. They reminded me of an absolutely crucial point when training a dog - that consistency is critical with your dog. Because your dog is always looking for opportunities to elevate him/herself in the heirachy of your household, even just a little bit … if you don’t insist on a certain behaviour every single time, or conversely if you allow a misbehaviour even once, your dog gets a mixed message about what’s acceptable and what s/he can get away with.
As an example, if you’ve taught your dog to come when called, the only way you can be certain s/he will come every single time you give the command, is if you don’t give your dog a choice until you’re 100 percent certain your dog will respond to your command every single time. That is, you must carry this training out with a long leash or rope, so you can make your dog come each time you call him/her.
Adam’s ebook is over 300 pages long and explains all of this in much greater detail and not only tells you exactly how to train your dog to respond to specific commands, but also the most effective ways to prevent unwanted behaviours, and to have a much better behaved dog in general.
What I really like about Adam’s strategies is that his methods utilise the dog’s natural instincts and drives, and because you treat the dog as if s/he is a member of your pack, rather than a child of your household, you actually end up with a happier dog. Some of the methods described in the ebook are somewhat controversial, but I’d really recommend that you read the arguments he puts forward and make your own decision. I LOVE the ebook. Granted, it’s not a literary masterpiece - actually it doesn’t flow as well as it might, and it’s somewhat repetitive - but the information contained in it is priceless.
(c) 2005, Brigitte Smith, Healthy Happy Dogs
Brigitte Smith is a dog lover with a special interest in holistic dog health.
Pick up your special FREE dog health report - and your dog training information here - Dog Training Tips
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Whether you are considering a teacher for yourself or your
child, a music teacher needs to have the right balance of
likeability and strictness. This is crucial. Friendly teachers
without firmness or insistence lack the ability to push students
in the right direction with the benevolent detachment that is
required. And stern teachers with no ability to show a friendly
side can make the learning experience too intimidating.
If the instructor you are searching for is intended for your son
or daughter, you need to be aware of how your child works with
different types of personalities. While adults can often respect
a person they don’t care much for, some children find it hard to
make that distinction. They respect whom they like, and they
like whom they respect. If they find a tutor to be unlikable as
a person, they will have difficulty learning from that
individual. I have witnessed over the years many students who
have struggled with their private teacher. And with children,
the results of a bad student-teacher relationship can be
disastrous. I know students, some with promising careers ahead
of them, who gave up their instrument because they didn’t like
their teacher. They didn’t just give up the teacher - they gave
up everything to do with music! So it is very important to
choose a private teacher wisely.
Private instructors who are accepting students usually make
their availability known through bulletin boards in malls and at
local schools, by word of mouth, or by advertisement in a
newspaper. In larger towns or cities, the choices are numerous.
How can you filter through all of the ads to find the right
teacher? There are some guidelines:
* References - Never choose a teacher without getting a list of
references. If a teacher does not offer to provide references,
avoid that one. Be sure to call at least two references.
- Ask the reference about the teacher’s rapport with their son
or daughter, strictness (strictness is good, but must be
tempered with kindness) and reliability (does the teacher make a
habit of canceling lessons, etc.)
* Program - Ask the teacher about the program of study. It is
important that a teacher be at least somewhat interested in the
student’s interests. But at the same time, a good teacher will
insist that certain techniques will need to be mastered no
matter what style the student eventually specializes in. (Rock &
roll pianists need to learn their scales as much as classical
pianists.) Teachers who are too accommodating (”Oh, I’ll teach
whatever you want me to teach…”) should be avoided.
- An instructor should show interest, and have some expertise,
in a student’s particular stylistic concentration. If you are
interested in jazz, but your teacher knows nothing about it,
look for a different teacher.
* Policy regarding missed lessons. - If the TEACHER misses a
lesson: Most teachers who miss lessons will offer to make them
up at a later date. A good teacher will minimize this
circumstance. If the teacher is a busy performer/ clinician,
they need to be upfront regarding the possibility of missed
lessons. This is something you can discuss with the teacher and
ask references about as well.
- If the STUDENT misses a lesson: You need to expect that a good
teacher will be (and should be) intolerant of habitual
absenteeism. If you are finding a teacher for yourself, ensure
that you have made these lessons a priority, and that you have
set aside the agreed lesson time. If your child is the student,
a good teacher will guard that lesson time jealously. It is not
usually acceptable to cancel lessons because of a birthday
party, sporting event or other social activity. Hiring a private
instructor means devoting time to that weekly lesson and keeping
absenteeism to a bare minimum.
Some other bits of advice: While it is possible to “interview” a
potential teacher over the phone, I would recommend arranging to
meet if possible. You will get a better handle on their
personality and demeanor, and this is so important.
You will need to discuss price. There tends to be a “going rate”
for private instructors, and this will vary from one area to
another. Perhaps you know of others who are studying privately;
you might be able to contact them to get a ballpark figure.
Teachers will usually offer half hour, forty-five minute, or
full hour lessons. For very young children a half hour is
sufficient. Forty-five minutes is great for middle school-aged
children (12 - 15 years of age), and hour-long lessons are a
good choice for older students.
Some teachers will request payment in advance while others will
accept payment per lesson. Though most have developed a payment
policy over the years, some can be somewhat flexible, so don’t
be afraid to discuss it with them openly. There are many
instructors who have been “burned” in the past by students who
have forgotten to pay, so you can expect such teachers to have
fairly exacting payment terms.
People hire private instructors because they want to go further
than they might go in a class situation. If you aren’t ready to
commit to the time to practice (at least forty-five minutes per
day, or more for some instruments), private lessons may be a
waste of time and money. Students preparing for university study
in music should certainly be considering private instruction for
at least the year prior to the audition. The private teacher can
ensure that students know what is expected of them on a
university-level playing test, and can suggest appropriate
repertoire for the audition. And you will love the advancement
that comes with private instruction.
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