A New Focus on Fundamentals

Until a few months ago, my time at the golf course was split between playing and practicing. I used to play 3 days a week, and also do about 3 practice sessions every week.

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As my time commitments have increased in other areas over a period of time, I now have less time available for golf. The practice sessions have, of course, become the first casualty of this paucity of time. Now I play 2-3 times a week, but have virtually stopped going to the driving range or the practice putting green. As a result my game has stagnated, and I no longer have as much fun on the course as I used to.

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As I pondered this turn of events last night, I realized that I needed to do something different to rekindle the passion for the game that I felt just a few months ago. As a result I have decided to give up the game for 3 months.

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I will not play a round on the course for the next 3-months. Instead I will use the available time to focus on the fundamentals of the game with renewed vigor. Over the last 2.5 years I have learnt a lot about golf, and about myself. This sabbatical from golf will give me an opportunity to figure out how to get better at this wonderful sport.

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My approach over the next 3 months will be based on a few guiding principles.

• Almost all good sportsmen have excellent fundamentals. Aberrations like Jim Furyk are very few and even in such cases, a single quirk in technique is highlighted and talked about endlessly without alluding to the fact that 99% of their technique is still extremely sound
• A problem with one of the "true" fundamentals is likely to hinder progress even with great commitment and hard work
• My 47 year old body has limitations - primarily around flexibility - but there are ways in which I can reduce and even overcome those limitations. It will just be more work in the gym!
• It takes some time and many repetitions to build "muscle memory"

My tools will be

• My video camera - it has already been an asset to me over the last couple of days, helping me understand a few "interesting" things about my swing
• A good set of practice balls, and few other practice aids
• Quick tips from my friend and best coach in town - Aditya Kanitkar. I intend to use him as a sounding board and expert rather than a conventional coach
• Videos and articles on the Internet - Rickert Strongert's videos on http://www.videojug.com/ will surely be a part of my schedule
• My imagination - some would argue that it never existed or is already extinct, but what the heck, let me see if I can find it and use it!

How do I improve my golf game?

Golf has been a struggle for me lately. Apart from a three-round purple patch I experienced about a month ago, I have not even been close to holding my handicap, which is currently at 21. When I had hit a handicap of 18 several months ago, it seemed like 15 was not very far away. It is.
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Given my other time commitments, I don't have much time to practice, and without regular, focused practice, it is hard to improve at anything, let alone golf which is a difficult pursuit.

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A few days ago I was chatting about my challenges with my friend Viren Ahuja. Viren lives in Mumbai and was in Pune for a few days to get his 12 year old son to play a few practice rounds in Pune to keep him sharp for the national junior ciruit. Viren is a savvy media guy, and used to run his own advertising firm in Mumbai for a long time. Like me, he has given up his former career to start a golf company. He runs a golf academy in Thane, and is looking at several other business opportunities in golf. Viren is a good golfer himself and is a very keen student of the game. While we were chatting, the subject of holding and improving our handicaps came up.

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Viren has a very interesting take on holding one's handicap, which sounds very logical once you hear it, but like many other things, it is not very obvious. He asked me which part of the game I was good at, and which part I struggle with. My short game is reasonably good and has remained stable over the last one year, while I am plagued with inconsistency off the tee and while hitting all my long clubs. He then asked me which part of my game took up the bulk of my practice time. Lately I have not been practicing much, but the little practice I do is almost exclusively on the driving range.

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"That is the bloody problem!" was Viren's response. His point is that we take for granted what we are good at. We do not work on it to keep it sharp and improve it. Instead we focus a lot of our time on what we are not good at. In my case, the day my short game is not on, I struggle mightily. It happens more often now, since I have stopped working on it!

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So here is Viren's advice. If you want to hold your handicap, spend at least 50% of your practice time on your strength. Use the remaining time to work methodically on your weakness. That will ensure that you experience a consistent improvement in your game.