By Mark Immelman, Special to PGATOUR.COM

If, on Friday morning, I threw out the name Charlie Beljan, I am pretty confident that you would not have known who I was talking about. Well, after a birdie blitz on Day 2 -- which ended with a 62 -- he surged to the upper reaches of the leaderboard and into PGA TOUR prominence.

By his own own admission, the rookie was merely trying to get a solid day in to see him through the two round cut and into the weekend. Two quick birdies on his first and third holes going him rolling, and he threatened to shoot 59 before finishing par-bogey.

There is, as always, something we can learn from the play on the PGA TOUR. Beljan was over par early on Thursday, but he settled himself down by reminding himself that his game was rounding into form. He had started to play better by posting three sub-70 rounds two weeks ago in the Travelers Championship. He managed to settle down, and he hit a few greens in regulation and made pars on his next eight holes. He was still 2 over after 11 holes, but he had stabilized the ship. He then made a birdie on the reachable par-5 12th, and he birdied his final hole to shoot an unlikely 70. He arrived at the course early on Friday morning for Round 2, and he hit the gas pedal early. Four hours later, he had nearly shot 59 and had put himself in the final group for Saturday's third round.

So here is what we can learn from the eight-time winner on The Gateway Tour:

If you are playing well, you must make a conscious effort to reinforce that to yourself. Charlie Beljan could have very easily become engrossed with the fact that he was over par early and potentially on the way to another missed cut. That mindset could have undoubtedly affected his performance and manifested itself. Instead, he chose to remain positive and reinforce an optimistic outlook. That approach bore fruit.

The second lesson: Golf is a marathon and you must approach the game as such. Beljan ran a poor first leg of his marathon at The Greenbrier.
He did not, however, make the potentially fatal error of trying to make up for lost time too quickly by making rash decisions and hitting marginal shots. Instead, he patiently bided his time. He put the ball in positions that kept further mistakes at bay, and in so doing, consolidated his situation until his putter got hot and the birdies started to fly.

Good luck.

/mi

Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution” available on iTunes/iBooks.

The players at The AT&T National had to contend with more than just the challenging Congressional C.C. layout during Friday’s second round. The record high temperatures arrived in Bethesda with a vengeance, and the competitors had to contend with a heat index of 109 degrees.

The combination of the tough venue, the firm and fast conditions and the oppressive heat made for some tough going in the first two rounds. The two round cut of 6 over was the was the second highest cut of the season, trailing only the U.S. Open at Olympic (8 over). The field was paced by Hunter Mahan after 36 holes, but more than anything else, it was the merciless heat that beat the players.

Playing in harsh summer conditions can be challenging, but there are ways to improve your chances for success. Just apply my “5 D’s" -- the summertime keys -- when playing in excessive temperatures:

Do your homework: Being adequately prepared for those super-hot days is important. Pack an extra towel, light snacks (nuts or granola bars), suncream, proper clothing, extra golf gloves, and sachets of energy drinks to give yourself a leg up on the competition. Also, if you are walking, use a lightweight golf bag (moon bag) or pull your bag on a trolley to help conserve energy. If you are driving, pack a small cooler with ice and extra facecloths. Keep the facecloths on the ice and use the chilled cloths periodically during the round to cool yourself down.

Drink water: Remember this important reality -- once you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated and if you are dehydrated, you have very little chance for your body to perform to its best. Remember also that fizzy soft drinks do not hydrate you at all. Water is the best way to hydrate, so make it your goal to drink some water on every hole. If you do not want to drink water, dilute Gatorade or a similar product -- and make sure it is diluted because a lot of those types of drinks contain a lot of sugar, and too much sugar can also be detrimental to your performance.

Don’t wipe your hands on your clothing: Maintaining a firm grip on the club is crucial to performance and keeping your hands free of perspiration and moisture can be challenging on very hot days. The very best way to dry your palms is through friction so either rub your palms together or, rub them up and down the grip on the club you are about to use. Alternatively, you can dry them on a towel, but avoid wiping your hands on your pants or your shirt at all costs; the reason being that your clothing will more than likely be somewhat moist from perspiration, and your attempts will be ineffective.

Dress appropriately and use sun-block: This logical bit of advice is too often disregarded. Appropriate clothing for a very hot day is a shirt and pants (shorts) made of light colors and fabrics that wick moisture off the body - avoid dark colors at all costs. Wear a hat and make sure that you apply sun-block to all areas of your body that will be exposed to the sun. Finally, wear white golf shoes because if your feet are cooler your overall body temperature will be lower.

Don’t forget to eat: Eating can be difficult on very hot days, but it is crucially important to good performance. Nibble on foods like nuts and fruit (bananas) while on the course to keep your sugar and salt levels up. If you stop through nine holes find something light such as a salad or a turkey sandwich to eat. Avoid dense foods (hot dogs and hamburgers) that are difficult to digest because your body temperature typically goes up when it is working hard to digest food.

Deploy your umbrella: Take your golf umbrella with you if you are using a golf cart or a trolley and you do not have to carry it. The umbrella provides awesome respite from the sun and hence the heat, and I am surprised that golfers do not use it more often. (Use of the umbrella on sunny days is very popular in the East, and it makes a huge difference in the hot and humid conditions out there.) Try it -– I am confident you will be pleasantly surprised.

Good luck.

Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution” available on iTunes/iBooks.

By Mark Immelman, Special to PGATOUR.COM The Travelers Championship at the TPC River Highlands provided pleasant respite for the players and their caddies after the workout they got during The U.S. Open at Olympic. Heavy overnight rains softened the conditions and certainly made the hole-locations more accessible and this made birdies the order of the day through 36 holes. The softer conditions also made the course play a little longer and a bunch of “bombers” showed up near the top of the leaderboard, but even though powerhouses like J.B. Holmes, Camilo Villegas and Blake Adams are lurking they will have to overtake scrambler-extraordinaire, Fredrick Jacobson. Week in and week out, Jacobson is noted on the PGA TOUR for his abilities around and on the greens. For the club golfer, I believe that Freddie is a super player to watch and learn from on many fronts. Jacobson has remained true to his style of play and has only made what appear to be only fine refinements to his swing. He has however always been a fantastic scrambler and he continues to take advantage of the course around the greens. Indeed I remember watching him play many years ago at Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland. Even then I was struck at his canny ability to make pars and birdies from some less than opportune spots on the hilly European Tour venue. This week Jacobson has had 53 putts through two rounds (28 in round 1 and 25 in round 2) and he is averaging 1.615 putts per green in regulation which ranks 8th in the field. In other words, he is having another great week with the putter. There is something to learn from this and that is to strive to break what I what I term "the putting par" each round you play. In my opinion “putting par” is 30 putts per round. I believe this for various statistical reasons -- which I won’t get into -- but no matter whether you are a single-figure handicapper or a bogey-golfer I feel like par with your putter should be 30. So keep tabs on the total number of putts you take each round and record those so that you can keep track of your performance. Make it your goal to break "par" each time you go out and I am sure your scores will improve. Good luck. Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution” available on iTunes/iBooks.

By Mark Immelman, Special to PGATOUR.COM

Everyone knew that, under the auspices of the USGA, The Olympic Club was going to pose a very stern examination to all of the U.S. Open contestants this week. With its slopes (that often camber against the curve of the doglegs), its undulating greens, and the winds that come off the Pacific Ocean, it continually asks tough but fair questions. It often does not give the correct answers from all who challenge it. 

A two-round cut of 148 (+8) and only three players under par and barely so (-1) go a long way to confirming the venerable San Francisco gem’s status as one of the most challenging major championship venues in the game.

The play through two rounds of the season’s second major had me completely engrossed, and my mind was awhirl with all of the lessons we could learn from the U.S. Open participants: The need for tenacity, discipline and patience; holing out successfully; controlling the trajectory of iron shots; course management off the tee, playing with success from the rough…

Finally I settled on an aspect of the game -- lag putting -- that I feel has been crucial this week. The firm underfoot conditions, coupled with the undulating, fast putting surfaces have made it hard to get approach shots close to the hole. Consequently, the competitors are likely to face more than their fair share of putts from 30 feet and beyond this weekend and proficiency from long range will certainly go long way to determining who lifts the trophy on Sunday.

Just as the gladiators in the U.S. Open have to putt well from long range, you too must putt well from long range and eliminate three-putts if you want to lower your scores.

To improve your lag putting, you must first get out and practice it. Embrace the long putt -- beyond 40 feet -- and practice it a lot. (If you really took stock of your practice regimen, you would be surprised how little you really worked on your long putting.) Further, consider this statistic: the leaders on the PGA TOUR in Proximity to the Hole, Jason Dufner and Steve Stricker, average 33.2 feet, and the PGA TOUR Average is 37 feet. Let me put this plainly, if the average PGA TOUR's player’s approach shot comes to rest around 37 feet from the hole, there is every likelihood that you will putt from a lot further away.

A few key ideas you can employ when hitting long putts are:

Bottom your stroke out correctly: Good contact is crucial to good distance control and lag putting. Consistent contact is ensured when the base of the swing arc bottoms out in the right area. To practice this, place a quarter on the ground where you would normally locate your ball and then strive to strike the quarter as you make your stroke. (If you miss the quarter, then clearly your stroke’s base has not bottomed out correctly.) Once you have become proficient at striking the quarter consistently, address a golf ball and make your stroke. You will sense proper contact and this will go a long way to improving your distance control.

Ensure the correct ball position: Check that the ball position is located in the area corresponding with the base of the putting stroke's arc. This will typically be under an area defined by the nose and the left eye (for righties).

Keep your body still, and hold your follow-through: Good distance control is a product of the correct ball speed which is in turn a function of good contact and the correct swing pace. You can ensure that contact is clean and the swing pace is correct by keeping your body stable throughout the stroke. As you practice, intensify your attempts to remain as stable as possible by engaging your abdominals and keeping your eye on the ball. Also, hold your follow-through for a couple of seconds after contact has been made and watch out that you do not recoil the putter too early. Swing through and hold that finish for success.

Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution” available on iTunes/iBooks.

By Mark Immelman, Special to PGATOUR.COM

When the players tee it up for the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind, they know that, as a rule, anything under par is a pretty good effort.  Year in and year out, the hot temperatures, the firmness of the greens, the demanding layout, and the Bermuda grass rough give the competitors all they can handle from the first shot through the last.

The first round of the 2012 tournament in Memphis was a little out of the ordinary, to say the least.  A front brought cooler, blustery conditions out of the north (the prevailing wind at the course is normally out of the South, hence its name -- Southwind) and both the morning and the afternoon fields of players had to contend with swirling wind gusts of up to 20 mph.  This changed the target lines off certain tees and made hitting iron shots to the small, demanding targets tougher than usual.

At 7,200-plus yards, the par-70 course is a challenging proposition on a calm day -- let alone a windy day -- and the first round proved a grind for one and all.  Scrambling and trajectory control were the order of the day on Thursday and with that comes a lesson for us.  Flighting the ball in windy conditions is always challenging.  There are, however, a few principles that the pros apply that make ball-control that little bit easier.  They are easily memorized by the acronym, SMOOTH, and can be applied by players at all levels of the game:

Swing with ease in the breeze:  Remember that the harder you hit the ball the more it spins -- and the more it spins, the more it becomes prone to wind.  So gear down a little, pull an extra club (or two if necessary), swing easier and watch the ball penetrate the wind with a lot more success and control.

Make a short, low follow-through:  This comes on the heels of the swing easy tip and it is just a way to ensure that good balance and poise and a sound swing pace is maintained.  Also remember that a low follow-through helps to keep the ball flight down, so if you are into the wind, make a smooth swing into a short, low follow-through.  A low follow-through equals a low shot.

Opportunities are taken with the putter:  Windy days are challenging and the players who come out on top in blustery conditions are normally the players who scramble and putt well.  So when you get to the first tee on a windy day, adopt a mindset that your ball-striking will probably not be as sharp as usual and that your putter will have to pick up a lot of the slack.  Playing well in the wind requires a good mind-set and attitude.

Outside the goalposts -- Never:  When aiming a shot to accommodate for any cross-wind, never aim “outside of the goalposts.”  Just like a field-goal kicker will not aim outside of the uprights, so you should never do so on cross-wind shots.  So visualize a set of uprights (as if field-goal posts are framing either side of the target, be it the green or the fairway) and make sure that you always aim inside of those.

Take care with your ball positioning:  Ball position in relation to your stance is crucial to controlling the trajectory of your shots.  Sadly, too many people take more care with alignment than they do with positioning their golf ball.  Remember a forward ball-position helps to elevate the ball and a back ball-position will flight it down.  So on downwind holes make sure that you move the ball up in the stance; on into-the-wind shots, move it back.  (Not too far back though as this can cause too much of a descending strike, which can have a negative effect in terms of elevation and backspin.)

Hang in there:  Golf on a windy day is a game of attrition, so hang in there.  Be disciplined about your shot selection and remember that everyone is battling the same conditions.  Too often players give in because the make a few mistakes early.  Resist that tendency with every fiber of your being.  Golf is an 18-hole deal and you must keep fighting, as you never know what the next shot and next hole may bring.

Remember, when it is windy, keep it SMOOTH!

Good luck.

Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution” available on iTunes/iBooks.

By Mark Immelman, Special to PGATOUR.COM Memorial Day is a poignant holiday on the United States’ calendar; it sets aside a time for reflection during which we honor those brave men and women who gave their lives for the freedom and liberty of others. Americans celebrate these brave patriots by flying flags, laying wreaths at the memorials and gravesites and participating in uniquely American summertime activities – baseball, cook-outs and spending time on the beaches. For the golf fan, Memorial Day signals the beginning of one of the great weeks on the PGA TOUR calendar and the start of the summer swing of events including three of the major championships. Jack Nicklaus’s event, the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance, is as notable an event on the world golf stage as any. Played on one of the great courses, Muirfield Village, the event always attracts a stellar field and anybody who is anybody in the world game looks forward to spending the week in the company of the Golden Bear. The Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus, is a man among men and a golfer par excellence. With 18 major titles, countless runner-ups and multiple PGA TOUR victories he is undoubtedly the standard-bearer in our game. Beyond the links he is, and has been, involved in a myriad of golf ventures, from golf clubs to golf apparel to golf courses to innumerable charitable ventures. He has also published a number of manuscripts on golf; the standout being a book that has a permanent place on my bedside table. “Golf My Way” is in my opinion the best golf instruction piece ever. Packed with wisdom from start to finish, it should be read by anyone from the seasoned golfer to the complete beginner. Indeed, every time I open it I come across a principle or a tip that challenges my mind and inspires the teacher within me. With that said I would like to share a golf tip from “Golf My Way” – a tip that Mr. Nicklaus calls “The Universal Fundamental.” It is a tip that can be applied by one and all and I guarantee that it will improve your ball-striking with every club in your bag: “I regard keeping the head very steady, if not absolutely stock-still, throughout the swing as THE bedrock fundamental of golf.” Jack Nicklaus As Mr. Nicklaus points out there are four major reasons for keeping a steady head during the swing: 1. The head, or at least the neck or the top of the spine, is the fulcrum or hub or axis of the swing. As such, any shifting of it up, down, or sideways must inhibit or weaken the spring-like coiling of the body on the backswing that is so essential to the generation of proper leverage on the forward swing. 2. Any shifting of the head, at any point from address to impact, will alter the arc and place of the swing, which, if not a totally destructive factor, is certainly a very complicating one. 3. Movement of the head changes the line of vision, and it tends to force the eyes to alter their image or focus. It is very difficult to hit any object you are not looking at. 4. As the heaviest part of the body, relative to its size, the head has a strong influence on balance. Few people are agile enough to retain their full balance during the exertion of a full golf swing if their head moves. So if you want to improve your ball-striking and your consistency take it from The Golden Bear and focus on maintaining a steady head throughout your back-and-downswing. If I might add, don’t worry that much about keeping your head “down” as that can impede the proper and free pivot of the shoulders. Rather, keep the head still until after impact – you will love what you see! Good luck. Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution” available on iTunes/iBooks.

By Mark Immelman, Special to PGATOUR.COM Last week the HP Byron Nelson Championship. This week The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Ben Hogan’s back yard. Two weeks, two legends of golf, two of Texas’s favorite sons, one giant helping of championship golf, history, and lessons for one and all to learn. Whilst Lord Byron was known for his kind and gentle persona and is all-round game, the Hawk, Ben Hogan, was notorious for his steely determination, the mystique of his icy glare, his unparalleled focus and his powerful and repetitive swing. A man of fierce resolve, Hogan built a very successful career from nothing and by sheer hard work and grit became one of the leading players in the game. He then suffered a broken collarbone, a smashed rib, a double fracture of the pelvis and a broken ankle in what many thought was a career-ending car-wreck while en route back home from a tournament. Nevertheless, in typical Hogan fashion, he rebounded stronger than ever and completed his Hall of Fame resume, winning thirteen more tournaments including five of six tournaments with three majors in 1953. In total Ben Hogan won 63 tournaments and 9 majors. Alongside Herbert Warren Wind, Hogan also penned one of the most widely read and referenced books on the golf swing. Highly acclaimed and a must-have for any golfer, Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf is a wealth of information and certainly one of my favorite golf instruction reads. I hence would like to share a lesson from Mr. Hogan and Modern Fundamentals with you; a lesson I feel that would benefit golfers of all skill levels. To quote the Hawk: "The grip is the heartbeat of the action in the golf swing." Further, as Hogan pointed out in his masterpiece, "The player’s only contact with the ball is through the clubhead, and his only direct physical contact with the club is through his hands." For this reason it would make logical sense that any player should take real care whilst setting his/her hands on the club. So, with complete deference to Mr. Hogan, I wish to list a couple of things that I feel are important to pay attention to when gripping the club: 1.) Make sure that you grip the club predominantly in the fingers as you wrap the palm of the lead hand around the club. 2.) Mold the hands together by holding the club so that the thumb of the lead hand fits neatly into the palm of the trail hand. Focus on maintaining that connection as it helps to ensure that both hands work together as a unit during the swing. 3.) Retain even pressure on the handle of the club but not too much as that will immobilize the wrists. Remember, without a heartbeat there is no life. So, bring life to your swing by ensuring that your grip is fundamentally sound. Mr. Hogan, a man revered for his ball-striking and control, felt it so important that he listed a fundamental grip as the first of his five fundamentals to success. Good luck. Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or "Like" Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called "Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution" available on iTunes/iBooks.

By Mark Immelman, Special to PGATOUR.COM

The HP Byron Nelson Championship is a preferred stop for many members of the PGA TOUR for various reasons, the biggest of which being a desire to pay tribute to the great man, Byron Nelson.

A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame for his achievements with a golf club in his hands, I have no doubt that if there was a “Good People of Sport Hall of Fame”, Byron Nelson would be a shoo-in for selection. Truly one of the nicest men in golf, and sport, stories of his goodness and kindness abound. An account that best illustrates the caliber of the man goes as follows:

When he arrived at a course he had not played before, Byron Nelson always inquired what the course record was and who held it. Not because he was arrogant and wanted to break the record but because he believed it would be poor form for him to wrest that honor away from the local professional or a club member.

When out on TOUR, Lord Byron was a fierce competitor, as his unparalleled record proves, while being a considerate gentleman who always made time for people and young players on the TOUR. He took a few young players under his wing, most notably Ken Venturi and Tom Watson, and mentored them as he passed on the keys to success in tournament golf.

It is my honor to share a couple of Byron Nelson’s quotable tips with you and I respectfully intend to add my take to the quotes, which are timeless and thought-provoking:

“Golf is a lot like life. When you make a decision, stick with it.”

As Lord Byron recommended, commitment and conviction are crucial to success on the course and in competition. The quickest way to scupper your talent and wreck your game is to approach a shot with a doubtful or hesitant mindset. Indeed, I would rather you be convinced and incorrect than unconvinced and correct. The reason being is that doubt has its terminus in fear or apprehension, and those two emotions result in tension. And in my opinion, tension is the single biggest reason for failed golf swings and golf shots. So, make a decision, back yourself, be single-minded and stick with your decision.

“It shows you how important one stroke really is in golf ... One shot doesn't sound like much, but I won eight times in 1944, improved one-third of a shot in '45 and won 18 times.”

It is a cliché, but golf truly is a game that is played one shot at a time and any shot at any time can be the shot that makes or breaks your round and perhaps your tournament. When you come to grips with that truism, I am confident that you will become a better all-round player and competitor. So, as referenced by Lord Byron and as recommended by one of my mentors, Gary Player, each shot should be approached with the mindset that it is the most important shot in the world – it is that important. Once you have considered all of the ground and atmospheric conditions, the state of your swing and ballstriking at that given time, and the risk and reward ratio related to the shot, take dead aim and then make a confident, free swing with no regard for the result. Allow the result to be a product of the complete process you performed and I am confident that you will improve that shot’s probability for success.

Good luck.

Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team.  For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution available on iTunes/iBooks. 

THE PLAYERS Championship -- a championship every player in the world game would love to add to his resume -- always makes for intriguing spectating and television. Staged at the PGA TOUR headquarters, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is one of tournament golf’s venerable venues. A demanding layout with a spectacular finish, the Stadium Course is one of those courses on the PGA TOUR rota that is as much of a topic of conversation and analyses by the pundits as the tournament competitors are.

 

An integral part of that fantastic finish is the island-green par-3 17th hole. The middle of a stretch of holes that comprise the par-5 16th, the 17th and the demanding par-4 finishing 18th hole, the 17th is only 137 yards long -- a short iron for most competitors -- but the capricious spring winds and the nature of the hole make it the perfect setting for both triumph and tragedy. Much like the Coliseum in Rome, galleries surround the hole and the players enter it just as the gladiators would. In reality the short par-3 should really be a doddle for the competitors and I am convinced that if the hole were not surrounded by water it would probably have an under-par tournament stroke average. But that is not the case and each and every player breathes a sigh of relief if he leaves the 17th en route to the 18th tee with a par on the card.

The 18th tee saw an event unfold on Saturday afternoon that caused a lot of chatter from the galleries, the announcers and some of the players. Clearly struggling with emotional and mental challenges, Kevin Na took more than his regular number of pre-shot waggles before he stepped out of the shot and took a violent practice swing as he chided himself with “Pull the trigger, Kevin!”

Inasmuch as it was unbearable to watch, there is a lot to learn from Kevin Na’s travails. I often see clients who struggle with the same challenge of clearing their minds and pulling the trigger and the advice I offer them is simple. Don’t fret the situation and develop a swing trigger.

Too often when one becomes concerned with starting the swing or hitting the shot, the event begins to become bigger in the individual’s mind than what it really is. In a sense, the player becomes a victim of his/her own alternate reality. So get back to the truth and remind yourself that it is fine to take a little extra time (as long as you have not dawdled en route to the shot). Remind yourself also that the shot that you are over is only as good as the next one. Indeed Ben Hogan described the “next shot” as the most important one.

Secondly, develop a swing trigger. A great example of a swing trigger is the right knee “kick-in” as used by Gary Player. Before Player swings the club back he kicks the right knee in and this move forms a brace for the backswing and creates enough flow and movement to trigger the backswing. In my opinion the knee kick is the best trigger for the golf swing. If that does not work for you other triggers that could be employed are: a turn of the head to the right (see Jack Nicklaus); a slight turn of the hips in the opposite direction of which they would turn in the backswing. Even a blink of the eyes (as if you were clicking a picture of the ball with your eyes) to start would help. Anything that makes the start rhythmical and less cerebral will go a long way to helping you to get that club swinging back smoothly.

Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State University (Ga.) golf team.  For more information about Mark and his instruction, visit his web site, markimmelman.com or follow him on Twitter @mark_immelman or “Like” Mark Immelman Golf Instruction on Facebook. He also has a golf instruction e-book called “Consistently Straight Shots – The Simple Solution available on iTunes/iBooks. 

Quail Hollow is one of the classic golf courses on the PGA TOUR. It is scenic, undulating and always in immaculate shape. Besides its superb conditioning and the easy Southern charm of the facilities, Quail (as the membership affectionately dubs it) boasts a nice mix of left-to-right and right-to-left doglegs, and a good blend of difficult and easy holes.

Quail Hollow certainly rewards good play, but it will quickly penalize errant play. That makes it an excellent tournament venue.

The future PGA Championship venue welcomes the players with a par 4 of 410 yards that calls for a fairway wood off the tee and a short iron into the green. The gentle opening hole is followed by a par 3 that measures about 180 yards, but plays a little shorter as it is downhill.  The Queen City gem is not all Southern hospitality though. After delighting a player for fifteen holes, Quail Hollow suddenly turns nasty with a three-hole closing stretch that rivals any in the game for degree of difficulty. The Green Mile (holes 16, 17 and 18) makes for a fearsome trio of challenges and any player in the field will happily play in even par.

Quail Hollow is home to many accomplished players, one of whom is right near the top of proceedings through two rounds. Webb Simpson lives about a mile from the course and this week’s Wells Fargo Championship is a home game for him.

To me,the tournament at your home venue presents a unique challenge. One would expect that the home member should play well, but all too often it is not that easy. Playing the home-game well requires and poised mind-set and there is a lot for us to learn from Webb’s performance thus far.

Most competitors fail to perform as well as they would like when they enter a tournament staged at their home venue. In my opinion, the reason being is that they make too much of the fact that they are playing at home and they go into the event with a lot of expectation and anticipation. Indeed Simpson, by his own admission, was anxious to perform well at home. “I was just nervous, man,” Simpson said. “I needed to calm down a little bit. I want to do well for all the people that are there watching me and I think I put too much pressure on myself.” Webb admitted that he often prayed for calmness during the first rounds.

In my opinion, his approach was right on the button as the result of nervousness, expectation and anticipation is normally an increase in tension and tension is as big a problem as anything.

So play your home game like Webb has done so far. Approach it as you would approach any other tournament, and try to keep things as normal and routine as possible. Find a way to reduce your tension, be it meditation, breathing or prayer. Dot the “I’s” and cross the “T’s” in preparation. Cover all of your bases as you would in any other tournament, but trust your local knowledge of the course and use it to fortify your confidence and your trust. Then, go out there and strive to execute your plan as you revel in your local support.

Mark Immelman, the brother of PGA TOUR professional Trevor Immelman, is a well-respected golf instructor and head coach of the Columbus State (Ga.) golf team. For more information about Mark and his instruction, please visit his web site, markimmelman.com