10. Play to win, not score: Hunter Mahan. Most of us play match play but worry about our score at the same time. No pass. Mahan tells the story of competing against his Dad, when winning was everything. Play like that.
9. Use the ground as leverage: Sean Foley. The teacher of the hour, if not the year, reminded us of how important footwork is and how leverage plays a huge role in the swing. As you start the downswing, said Foley, "Push into the turf."
8. On tight fairways, move the arc forward: Rick Smith. And hit down on it. Smith suggests placing a towel a few inches behind the ball and hitting so you avoid the towel. Good stuff.
7 Play the shape of the day: David Toms. Toms' update of Sam Snead's "Dance with the one who brung 'ya" is so easy to forget. Or as an old friend of mine says, "Ride the horse in the direction he's going."
6. Find something good to say about every shot: Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott of Vision 54. Golf World's Ron Sirak, who wrote "Every Shot Must Have a Purpose" with Nilsson and Marriott, passed along this tip. Keeps you out of the "bad coach" mode.
5. Putt like your old man already gave it to you. Bob Rotella. A variation of the Zen saying, "Live as though you've already died."
4. Feel the energy of the putter going through the ball: Jack Nicklaus. Jack's advice on removing the tension and "holding" in your stroke.
3. Beat a slice with your shoulders: Hank Haney. Great tip to remember under pressure when your desire to avoid an errant drive makes you want to freeze your shoulders and "steer" the ball, thereby, alas, producing that banana.
2. When in doubt, concentrate on balance, tempo and consistent grip pressure: Jim McLean My game was a mess this year when Jim gave me this advice over the phone. It turned things around.
1. Don't lie to yourself: Yuri Kolomiets, my son's rowing instructor. Yuri believes in hard work and trusting the ERG (that's a rowing machine) numbers. No kidding yourself. In golf, don't "massage" a handicap that's not true, don't pretend you're willing to put in the work on your game when you really aren't, don't complain about not improving if you're not willing to put in the practice. Want to get better? Commit yourself. 2011 is the year.
Bob Carney
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