Golf Tips: Never Hit the Ball Until You Know Where It’s Going – the Crucial Role of the Target Line
Paul Thornley asked:
The first step to playing fantastic golf is realising that there is an essential part to the game that has been there since the first round was ever played by shepherds with crooks and stones on the links of the Scottish Highlands.
That essential part, the vital thing to remember at all times, is the intended line to the target, from the ball to the hole or the fairway. Now commonly known as the ‘target line’, its importance is a critical thing that you simply must understand if you are going to develop your game.
The point at which you make the commitment to hit every shot down the target line you is the point from which your game will start to improve.
The great Jack Nicklaus never hit a golf shot in his whole life without making sure that he stood behind his golf ball and picked a point just two to three feet in front of his ball that was on the target line.
The essential part of the pre-shot routine is to stand behind the ball, looking down the target line and picking out the intended spot for the ball to end up, then starting the ball down your target line.
World snooker champion Cliff Thorburn, a highly competitive golfer, played off two and was incredibly difficult to beat. His concentration was incredible and it came from his involvement in matches in Canada during his youth where players were competing for prizes thousands of dollars and because of this, every single shot counted.
It was when I asked Cliff what made him so competitive, and how it was he holed so many putts just when he needed them, that I realised the importance of the target line.
Cliff said he would never, ever hit a shot until he knew where it was going; it was as simple as that. Whether he was playing golf or snooker, he would never make a pass at the ball or attempt to hit it until he was absolutely convinced that he knew where it was going. He was meticulous; always knowing in his mind where the ball was going to end up.
And that is the crucial lesson that I learned and focused on all the way through my golfing career, and it is the lesson that I share with everyone I coach. If you want to turn your game around from this point onwards then bear in mind those words that Cliff Thorburn said: never hit the ball until you know where it is going.
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The first step to playing fantastic golf is realising that there is an essential part to the game that has been there since the first round was ever played by shepherds with crooks and stones on the links of the Scottish Highlands.
That essential part, the vital thing to remember at all times, is the intended line to the target, from the ball to the hole or the fairway. Now commonly known as the ‘target line’, its importance is a critical thing that you simply must understand if you are going to develop your game.
The point at which you make the commitment to hit every shot down the target line you is the point from which your game will start to improve.
The great Jack Nicklaus never hit a golf shot in his whole life without making sure that he stood behind his golf ball and picked a point just two to three feet in front of his ball that was on the target line.
The essential part of the pre-shot routine is to stand behind the ball, looking down the target line and picking out the intended spot for the ball to end up, then starting the ball down your target line.
World snooker champion Cliff Thorburn, a highly competitive golfer, played off two and was incredibly difficult to beat. His concentration was incredible and it came from his involvement in matches in Canada during his youth where players were competing for prizes thousands of dollars and because of this, every single shot counted.
It was when I asked Cliff what made him so competitive, and how it was he holed so many putts just when he needed them, that I realised the importance of the target line.
Cliff said he would never, ever hit a shot until he knew where it was going; it was as simple as that. Whether he was playing golf or snooker, he would never make a pass at the ball or attempt to hit it until he was absolutely convinced that he knew where it was going. He was meticulous; always knowing in his mind where the ball was going to end up.
And that is the crucial lesson that I learned and focused on all the way through my golfing career, and it is the lesson that I share with everyone I coach. If you want to turn your game around from this point onwards then bear in mind those words that Cliff Thorburn said: never hit the ball until you know where it is going.
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Poolstars Player Pots Wsop Main Event Seat
Natalie Sky asked:
Qualifying for a Poker tournament in an online freeroll is not unusual – but Patrick Smolenaers qualified for the WSOP main event without even looking at a card.
Patrick beat a number of hopefuls in an online pool tournament at PoolStars.com – a new online pool site – with the prize for winning a seat at the main event in Las Vegas.
“There were some online qualifying tournaments at PoolStars in which eight players came through,” said Patrick. “We all played in a final tournament and in the end I won the tournament to win the seat at the WSOP Main Event.”
Smolenaers had to beat top Dutch pool player Nick van den Berg en-route to victory, and said even though his pool was better than his poker, he would give it his best shot. “I’ve played for a few years so I think I can give some lads a real hard time,” promised Patrick. “I’m going to try to make it through day one and then I’ll shift up a gear.”
Patrick also got the opportunity to play pool against Steve Davis, the six-timer World Snooker Champion and Mosconi Cup Pool player, before taking to the Poker table. Davis is an ambassador for PoolStars, the online pool community which is the brainchild of Poker legend Tony G.
“It’s the online equivalent of a poker room, with the ability to play each other over the internet,” Davis explains about PoolStars. “At the moment you don’t play for money but for prizes but eventually you will be able to play for cash.”
Unlike most pool games that you can find on the Playstation or Xbox, there are no cheat lines to help you so it’s tough – really difficult,” said Davis. “It’s a three-dimensional virtual pool game so you have to get used to the perspective of the table. I understand the mechanics of the game which definitely comes into the equation, so if a lot of good pool players played on PoolStars, they would rise to the top because they understand the physics of the game.”
While Patrick mastered the online pool table, he failed to make it beyond the first day at the poker equivalent, finding himself all-in with QQ against AK, with a King on the river busting him out. Davis fared better though, cashing to the tune of $28,950 after making it to Day 4 and finishing in 389th place.
PoolStars is an easy to use set of software – and a great site designed with your ease and fun in mind.
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Qualifying for a Poker tournament in an online freeroll is not unusual – but Patrick Smolenaers qualified for the WSOP main event without even looking at a card.
Patrick beat a number of hopefuls in an online pool tournament at PoolStars.com – a new online pool site – with the prize for winning a seat at the main event in Las Vegas.
“There were some online qualifying tournaments at PoolStars in which eight players came through,” said Patrick. “We all played in a final tournament and in the end I won the tournament to win the seat at the WSOP Main Event.”
Smolenaers had to beat top Dutch pool player Nick van den Berg en-route to victory, and said even though his pool was better than his poker, he would give it his best shot. “I’ve played for a few years so I think I can give some lads a real hard time,” promised Patrick. “I’m going to try to make it through day one and then I’ll shift up a gear.”
Patrick also got the opportunity to play pool against Steve Davis, the six-timer World Snooker Champion and Mosconi Cup Pool player, before taking to the Poker table. Davis is an ambassador for PoolStars, the online pool community which is the brainchild of Poker legend Tony G.
“It’s the online equivalent of a poker room, with the ability to play each other over the internet,” Davis explains about PoolStars. “At the moment you don’t play for money but for prizes but eventually you will be able to play for cash.”
Unlike most pool games that you can find on the Playstation or Xbox, there are no cheat lines to help you so it’s tough – really difficult,” said Davis. “It’s a three-dimensional virtual pool game so you have to get used to the perspective of the table. I understand the mechanics of the game which definitely comes into the equation, so if a lot of good pool players played on PoolStars, they would rise to the top because they understand the physics of the game.”
While Patrick mastered the online pool table, he failed to make it beyond the first day at the poker equivalent, finding himself all-in with QQ against AK, with a King on the river busting him out. Davis fared better though, cashing to the tune of $28,950 after making it to Day 4 and finishing in 389th place.
PoolStars is an easy to use set of software – and a great site designed with your ease and fun in mind.
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Is A Woman Referee Such A Big Deal?
Gordon Bryan asked:
May 2009, and Michaela Tabb becomes the 1st woman to referee the snooker world championship final. It gets a lot of publicity, but is a woman referee really any big deal?
Well the short answer is that yes, it is a big deal. A lot of people say it’s sexist to focus on the issue, that women officials in sport are no different to their male counterparts. Hmm, I think that’s wrong, and here’s why…
Woman refs in sport *are* different than the men, precisely because there are so few of them. In Michaela Tabb’s case, she freely admits she was fast tracked up the ladder by the world body, but let’s get things in perspective. When she says ‘fast tracked’, it still took her nearly 10 years to get to the top, i.e. the world final. Also, although world snooker helped her get through the door, it was then up to her what she did with it.
Tabb is a realistic woman, who says she got where she is by some good fortune, coupled with ambition and hard work. The fact that she is the first is a reflection of her hard work, and a superb example of goal achievement in action. It takes a lot for a man to referee the world final, so for a woman to do it in such a male dominated field is worthy of note and congratulation. To avoid doing so for fear of being labeled sexist is nonsense in my view.
Whether there should be more women officials is another discussion – my view is that there certainly should. My (well read) copy of ‘Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus’ tells me that women can take a more objective view, and stay calm under pressure, perfect for top level sports officiating. Look at the NFL, never a woman umpire, look at the football Premier League, no women refs, and even women assistant refs have come under fire from managers.
So to sum up, yes a woman referee is a big deal, the time will come when it isn’t, but at the moment Michaela Tabb and people like her are breaking down barriers, and more power to them is what I say!
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May 2009, and Michaela Tabb becomes the 1st woman to referee the snooker world championship final. It gets a lot of publicity, but is a woman referee really any big deal?
Well the short answer is that yes, it is a big deal. A lot of people say it’s sexist to focus on the issue, that women officials in sport are no different to their male counterparts. Hmm, I think that’s wrong, and here’s why…
Woman refs in sport *are* different than the men, precisely because there are so few of them. In Michaela Tabb’s case, she freely admits she was fast tracked up the ladder by the world body, but let’s get things in perspective. When she says ‘fast tracked’, it still took her nearly 10 years to get to the top, i.e. the world final. Also, although world snooker helped her get through the door, it was then up to her what she did with it.
Tabb is a realistic woman, who says she got where she is by some good fortune, coupled with ambition and hard work. The fact that she is the first is a reflection of her hard work, and a superb example of goal achievement in action. It takes a lot for a man to referee the world final, so for a woman to do it in such a male dominated field is worthy of note and congratulation. To avoid doing so for fear of being labeled sexist is nonsense in my view.
Whether there should be more women officials is another discussion – my view is that there certainly should. My (well read) copy of ‘Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus’ tells me that women can take a more objective view, and stay calm under pressure, perfect for top level sports officiating. Look at the NFL, never a woman umpire, look at the football Premier League, no women refs, and even women assistant refs have come under fire from managers.
So to sum up, yes a woman referee is a big deal, the time will come when it isn’t, but at the moment Michaela Tabb and people like her are breaking down barriers, and more power to them is what I say!
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