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PubLinks Golfer Magazine- Winter 2001

"Say it Sincerely"

I recently attended a Seminar entitled the “Art of Great Putting” given through the North Florida PGA for the continuing education of the Members of the North Florida PGA. The seminar was conducted by Dr. Robert Winters - a Sports Performance Consultant and Co-Author of The Mental Art of Putting . I was happily jolted by something he said. Dr. Winters said “the greatest common factor amongst the best putters on the PGA Tour is that they all exude confidence when putting.”

The seminar illustrated the point that keeping a key thought in your mind during a round of golf will boost your confidence in putting, shotmaking, and help you to play and feel better. Dr. Winters suggested the words “I am Confident”. Those words reminded me of a similar saying I was introduced to 16 years ago, it was “I am relaxed and confident”. Not until I had heard Dr. Winters’ words did I even remember my own mantra. I used it consistently for a few years, but as time passed I found that my saying became lost in the back of my mind amidst the rubble of technical golf jargon.
My question to myself was where did it go? How could something so important simply slip through the cracks? Maybe at that time I did not realize the true power and need for consistent positive affirmations in my life and in my golf game. I did all of the other things to be on top of my game - I practiced for hours every day, I ate nutritionally sound foods, I stayed fit physically lifting weights and taking Tae Kwon Do classes. How could something so simple yet so important fade?
With the “coming of the new era of golf” - i.e.: teaching aides, ever evolving equipment, books, and the myriad of video tapes; my golf mind became an entanglement of left brain road maps to nowhere. I did not realize that my mind yearned for the simplicity of the familiar street that ran between my right and left lobes.

I balanced both lobes in the Summer of 1984. I was preparing to play in the Andy Thiele Memorial Open at Deerpath Golf Course in Lake Forest, Illinois. I was taking Tae Kwon Do lessons regularly and asked my teacher - Mr. Park - for something to think about during the event. He said the golden words: “say to yourself, I am relaxed and confident”. Mr. Park was at the time a Master Judo and Tae Kwon Do Instructor and a beginning golfer. He was so in tune with the art of competition and the Zen mind that he was able to make that simple Buddhist suggestion. I said to myself “I am relaxed and confident” on the way to the golf course the morning of the event and also before every shot and putt. I shot a 72 and ended up winning the Andy Thiele Memorial Open by two shots.

A round of golf exposes an individual to the grand spectrum of nearly every emotion. We are often subject to the end result of a shot rather than enjoying the journey of the pre-shot routine, the swing, the feel of impact, and then the beauty of the ball’s flight. Your imagination and the words you use to trigger your imagination are your greatest pieces of equipment. Visualizing yourself to be calm and relaxed (like on a beach in the Tropics), and imagining the ball’s perfect flight while saying to yourself “I am relaxed and confident” can be the difference between making bogies and making birdies.

Dr. Winters also mentioned having the “full picture” during the shot. The example he used was Jack Nicklaus. For those who have seen Jack Nicklaus play through the years have noticed that he would take a long time over each shot and virtually forever over each putt - he made most of them. Dr. Winters said Jack Nicklaus was waiting for the full picture of the hole to become solid in his mind so he could literally be at one with the target. It takes some players longer than others to “get the picture”. The extreme opposite of Jack Nicklaus took place this past week at the Australian Open. Aaron Baddeley won for the second consecutive year. For those of you who watched his mastery on the greens, you observed him size up the putt, step up to the ball, take a quick look at the hole, and then almost as soon as he turned his head back to the ball he hit it. He made many crucial putts and won by two shots. It was a remarkably natural display and very similar to the style of the number one putter on the PGA Tour - Brad Faxon. Aaron Baddeley showed the golf world a wonderful example of a trusting instinct and the bold confidence of a 19 year old. Finding your own personal time to get the picture is up to you.

Being relaxed, having confidence, and getting the full picture can be termed “in the zone”. Many athletes have referred to that term after outstanding performances. “In the zone” in a golf game is when a person is knocking down the flagstick and sinking the birdie or eagle putts consistently. Many of you have had unbelievable putting rounds where you could not miss. Usually that putting confidence is determined by what happens in the first few holes. Whether you were aware of it or not, the successes on the first few holes gave you the confidence you needed to have an “I can’t miss” attitude. To be able to click on our confidence before we even start a round is essential, to wait for it to happen during the first few holes can be detrimental. Being positive heightens your innate ability to master your emotions.
The seminar reminded me of the need to give myself positive affirmations before every round, shot, putt, and in life. The day after the seminar I took a client to the Diamond Players Club in Clermont. I told my client of the previous night’s seminar and I made the commitment to say to myself before every shot and putt “I am Relaxed and Confident.” I shot a very relaxed 70 from the gold tees. My client used the saying occasionally and played 11 shots better than his usual game - a 104 from the white tees.

If you want to play good golf, remind yourself to say in a sincere voice “I am relaxed and confident” before getting to the golf course and before each shot and putt. The results will probably astound you.

Published in Natural Awakenings – 2002

"Zen and Golf "

Zen means to understand the essence of the universe; za, to sit without moving, like a mountain. Zen is neither a theory nor an idea; it is not an intellectual concept. It is a practice: correct sitting. Zazen practice brings about an interior revolution: a deep wisdom whose essence is unattainable through logical thought alone. Zazen and golf is an anomaly in that while playing golf one is rarely sitting unless on a bench waiting to play from the tee. The way a golfer understands how Zen and golf intertwines is when the golfer hits the perfect shot and it feels so effortless that they can’t remember making the motion.

My experience with Zen and golf came at an early age when my father gave me the Book “Zen In The Art of Archery” by Eugene Herigel. Later that year a waitress at the golf course I was working at gave me the book “Golf In The Kingdom” by Michael Murphy. She said her father gave it to all of his golfing buddies and that she felt I should read it. I had received it about two months after I finished “Zen In The Art of Archery”. It was cosmic in that “Golf In The Kingdom” makes references to “Zen In The Art of Archery”. I was seeking information on how to tap into my core and play better golf and the books came my way. “Watch out what you wish for, you just might get it”. – Richard Bach - “ILLUSIONS”

I am a cosmic, karmic, journeyman and also a PGA Class “A” Golf Professional. As a younger man my obsession with golf drove me to play 36 holes a day, hit hundreds of golf balls, swim, stretch, eat right, and lift weights just to stay competitive on the amateur circuits in the Chicago area where I grew up. My golf could have driven me insane with the amount of technical knowledge I was devouring. I felt that the mechanics of golf were so vast that by hitting hundreds of golf balls a day was the only way to perfect the technique. By reading the books “Zen In The Art of Archery” and “Golf In The Kingdom” I had put it out in the universe that I wanted to learn about ZEN, but had not yet found a tangible, practical way to understand it.

One July afternoon while hitting golf balls and sweating on the driving range, a gentleman came over to watch me hit shots and commented on how effortless my swing looked. I thanked him for his flattering comments and introduced myself. His name was Brian and after talking with him I came to realize he shared my passion for the game and a wonderful friendship began. Brian had been a national champion figure skater in the 60s and his deep gaze proved to me that he was so in touch with the art of focus and competition that I knew he could teach me something about intensity in competitions. We met on the driving range daily and hit golf balls and spoke briefly about Zen. I found out that Brian had been taking Tai Chi lessons from an eighty year old Chinese Master. He had started in the winter and met the Master outside every other day. The Master only wore a long sleeve shirt. For those of unfamiliar with Chicago Winters, you do not want to be familiar with them. Brian was able to teach me about the great powers of breath and the internal energies of CHI .

What I learned was that playing golf and taking deep slow breaths brought my young Western mind to realize that I had only been using half of my brain – the left lobe – the rational Western lobe. I recall the exact shot when I first felt my whole mind and body meld into the moment: I was playing the par five 18th hole at The Glencoe Golf Club in Glencoe, Illinois. Brian had helped me to visualize the perfect drive flying 295 yards with a slight draw (right to left shape) and after convincing myself that I could actually “see” the path of the ball in my imagination, I stepped up and made my driver swing. The ball cracked off of my persimmon MacGregor 653 driver and flew 310 yards. For my second shot I had 220 yards to the green and I chose a 3 iron. Now, I was pumped from the drive and Brian reminded me to breathe deep and imagine the shot several times before I hit it. I visualized it and kept the image in my mind as I focused on the ball. The swing felt like a wave of the hand and the ball flew off of the clubface. It landed softly on the green ten feet away. I went through the breathing and visualization again as I lined up the putt and then I strolled up to address the ball, aligned myself (figuratively and literally), focused on a dimple on the ball, and then stroked the ball into the hole for an eagle! Brian and I were elated. Teacher and student in total success. I had made the mind/body connection and repeated it on three different shots and in turn imprinted my own personal ZEN into my being and golf game forever.

Our exhalation is that of the entire universe.
Our inhalation is that of the entire universe.
At each moment, we thus realize the great unlimited work
To have this attitude is to make all unhappiness disappear, and to engender absolute happiness.
Master - Kodo Sawaki

Correct breathing is essential during zazen. It is calm and establishes a slow, strong, natural rhythm. The exhalation is long and deep. The masters often compare it to the mooing of a cow. The inhalation is shorter and happens naturally. This slow, calm, deep exhalation sweeps away mental complications. The mind becomes as clear as a cloudless sky.
When the mind rests on nothing, true mind appears.
Diamond Sutra


Through the practice of zazen, cardiac and respiratory functions are regularized. The brain reacts to stimuli, but returns very quickly to the rhythm of zazen (slow alpha and theta); because of this, stress cannot develop. As in zazen, we can be totally present in the moment, in the plenitude of here and now. Our minds are pacified, without complications, without calculations, without fear. Selfishness diminishes and we follow the flux of cosmic life more naturally. Thus, our relationship to others becomes easier, more transparent. Compassion manifests and wisdom appears. In this way we can cut through to what is essential and life becomes simple. Zazen is the adult form of our lives. It is true happiness, authentic freedom.

I practice a special form of breathing and visualization before every golf shot and I am able to be in the moment at all times on the golf course. The obsessive practice of hitting hundreds of golf balls has been replaced by a lot of visualization and hitting a few golf balls every other day to keep my muscles reminded of the form. The Zen Masters teach perfect mechanics and also the technique of no mechanics at all. Balance in golf and life is essential and taking the time to feel your own breath will empower you to be one with the universe.

Phillip Jaffe is the owner of Professional Golf Guides of Orlando at www.progolfguides.com. Professional Golf Guides of Orlando is an all in one golf service that teaches golfers how to be better players on the golf course in a playing lesson format. If you or someone you know would like to experience a playing lesson and learn how to tap into your own Zen, please contact us.

PubLinks Golfer Magazine- Winter 2000

"La’ Machine "

One of the most innovative designs to come along in the past thirty years is the USGA’s Iron Byron Machine. For those golfers not “in the know”, the Iron Byron Machine is a mechanical one armed device that the USGA uses for testing golf clubs and golf balls. Named after the Great Byron Nelson for his pure and simple swing mechanics. Many golf club and ball manufacturers often design or purchase their own machine for use in developing a company standard for club head speed, golf ball velocity at impact measurements, and marketing savvy. The Machine is a marvelous technological innovation of hydraulics, lightweight metals, specialized clamps and hinges, and computer hieroglyphics. For any golfer watching one of these machines in action is like watching a bottle capping machine. The thing just punches the ball out there - automatically - and consistently.

How many golfers do you know that have the swing mechanics of such a machine? Over the past year we have seen glimpses of perfection in PGA Tour Professionals such as Ernie Els, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and Jim Furyk. Whoa, did I just say Jim Furyk? Yes I did. Think about it. When the USGA uses its Iron Byron Machine to hit golf balls, it has no backswing. There is one technician to position the ball, clamp the club in place, and set the club in the proper backswing position. The other technician presses the button to trigger Iron Byron’s downswing into the ball. Jim Furyk at impact is one of the most consistent players on Tour, and it is because he is square at impact and has timed all of the muscles in his body to provide power to bring his club into the ball with purity.

When the engineers who designed the Iron Byron Machine got together they took the base root of a golf swing and broke it down into three categories: 1. Backswing (Position) 2. Downswing (Generating Power) 3. Impact (Release). What they devised was a right armed mechanical device that creates power from its hydraulic center (torso), sets on a firm base, and releases the club with envious accuracy. Watch Mark McGuire hit a home run and you will see pure power from the arms and body working together. The abdomen, buttox, and legs are the powerhouse in a golf swing, and the arms (especially the right hand and arm) are the release mechanism.

Many golfers today don’t understand the timing of that powerhouse and often just thrust the arms into the ball while restricting the body. Or, some will start the swing with the legs dancing back and forth hoping that the club will find the ball. The Iron Byron Machine like Tiger Woods is a combination of precise timing and power. Tiger is considered a great athlete for his physical condition and intense competitive prowess.

We had the privilege of having the Olympics in Sydney, Australia this year and observed many fine examples of great athletes performing feats with biometrical principles similar to golf. The Hammer throw, the Javelin, the Discus - all of these competitors created fascinating amounts of speed and power by spinning and or getting a running start. In golf we have to create torque from a stagnate position. Jack Nicklaus and Bobby Jones were swing masters in that they created torque by lifting their left heel on the backswing. The left heel initiated a timing mechanism during the backswing in their legs and torso to create a dynamic motion that helped deliver the arms to the ball with a whip like release. In the Olympics the divers had to take a little bounce on the board to make bigger bounce (triggering and timing). At the British Open this year we observed Tiger Woods hit a ball out of deep rough and take a step with his right foot. He had exerted so much power into the ball to lift it out of the rough that he nearly flew off the ground, but stepped through and over to his left doing his best Gary Player impression.

Dr. Gary Wiren - a PGA Master Professional and author - said in his book the New Golf Mind that he once observed the USGA Iron Byron Machine hit drives 300 yards at the testing facility. After that he was scheduled to play in a golf tournament. When he arrived at the course he went straight to the first tee without any warmup and hit his drive 300. He had played that image of the machine hitting balls in his mind as he drove to the golf course and kept a picture in his mind of the pure mechanical power.

The Iron Byron Machine is an excellent mechanical structure to immitate. The release of the club into the ball is pure and uninhibited. The next time you see a commercial featuring one of Iron Byron Machines hitting golf balls, tune out the hype and observe the simplicity of the motion. You never know, you might just hop out of your car, scramble up to the first tee and crack a drive 350! Otherwise, you could purchase one of the Iron Byron Machines for about $30,000 put it on the Driving Range throw a huge barbeque and invite all of your golfing friends to see how it is really done.

To learn how to swing like “La’ Machine” contact Phil.