Last December, as I was getting close to turning 50, I found myself thinking about the past and the future.
That made me think about those “what would I tell my younger self?” type of articles, so I decided to write one tailored more toward the average golfer, using a few lessons from my own journey from a 14-handicap to becoming a professional golfer.
GolfWRX.com published the article a few days ago at the link below.
Speedgolfrob traveled from Ireland to Detroit for the Belle Isle Golf Ace Race Tailgate Party. Before the main event, we teamed up for a 6-hole pro-pro scramble at Belle Isle Golf.
The weather was cold, rainy, and windy… but people still showed up, and we had a great time.
Rob and I first met at the 2012 Speedgolf World Championships, so this was a fun reunion after many years.
This video is Part 1 of 3 from the Ace Race event.
Part 2: 6 Holes in 6 Minutes is coming next.
Thanks to everyone who helped make the event possible:
Venue: Belle Isle Golf
Ball Sponsor: Seed Golf
Hole Sponsors: Solos Socks Mays Multimedia Black Tech Saturdays JTA Realtors Five Iron GolfDetroit Downtown GOLFBROS Swing Man Golf
Food and Beverages: Green Dot Stables Yellow Light Coffee & Donuts
5 hole-in-ones from 35 yards. Same distance, 3 par-3 holes, 300 attempts. Different wind and slopes. One note: the greenside cam died on two of the makes, so it’s tee reactions only on those. The full video is on my YouTube Channel.
This is Part 2 of my 35-yard hole-in-one experiment at Belle Isle Golf Detroit.
In Video 1, I explained the method.
The simple version is this: I repeat the same 35-yard par-3 shot 100 times, using a clear mental image of the ball already being in the hole, then reacting to that image with a swing.
For Part 2, I scaled it to 300 attempts across three different holes, all from 35 yards at 580 feet elevation. Same distance. Different slopes. Different wind. Real pin locations.
A statistician once told me a pro’s odds of holing out from 20 yards in fairway conditions are about 1 in 105 attempts (under 1%). From 35 yards with these variables, the odds should be worse.
CONDITIONS (100 shots each):
September 26, 2023 – 4th Hole - Under an overhanging tree, over a bunker - Green slope: 7.51% - Temp: 66–68°F - Wind: ESE tailwind ~10 mph, gusts to 20 mph
October 3, 2023 – 5th Hole - Pin: 19 yards on, 5 yards from the left - Green slope: 0.7% - Temp: 70–83°F - Wind: S 1–5 mph, gusts 6–9 mph - Note: Greenside camera stopped recording before two makes, so only tee reactions were captured
September 27, 2023 – 3rd Hole - Green slope: 2.75% - Temp: 63–66°F - Cloudy - Wind: ESE tailwind 10–11 mph, gusts 20–21 mph
This video shows the full Part 2 experiment and how it played out.
This might be the strangest series of videos I’ve ever uploaded.
In Part 1, I explained how I experience telepathy.
This is Part 2. I take you out on the course with me at Detroit Golf Club and have Ben Hogan caddie for me telepathically in real time.
I had a very hard time doing this.
Most of my telepathy experiences have happened in quiet, private spaces. Out here, it was cold, I was layered up and restricted, I was conscious of the camera, and I was nervous about posting something like this.
Bennie, as he has me call him, also wanted me to use a swing I hadn’t used in a long time, and one I don’t particularly like the look of.
All of it made it tough to play, but I’m posting this anyway.
Find simple ways to protect your confidence and keep it up.
One thing I noticed watching PGA TOUR player Olin Brown on the course at Pebble Beach Resorts: even when it wasn’t absolutely perfect, he’d say, “That’s fine,” and move forward, still in a positive state that enabled him to keep playing well.