The Four Foundations of Golf: How to Build a Game That Lasts a Lifetime

Product Information

Then I spent hours of meaningful practice to settle on a wedge technique that I could feel comfortable with. Slowly, I became more and more comfortable with these shots while I played. But there were still plenty of times where I chunked a shot, or worse, the dreaded shank! But because I was so determined to solve the problem, I felt confident I could overcome these adverse outcomes. My three sons will read this book, specifically Part One: Managing Expectations. While you can reference specific areas of Jon’s book directly without issue, I highly recommend you read Part 1 first. This section, along with the work of many of Jon’s references, showed data and educated or corrected me on defining: what is a good golf shot; what is a good round; and setting realistic performance expectations. Part 1 is applicable beyond golf (as is the Mental Game, Part 4). With these earlier chapters in the mental game section, I’m ultimately building a process you can commit to on every shot. I will get into specifics on what I believe are productive elements of pre-shot and post-shot routines. Overall, grit is the commitment to going through these routines on as many shots as possible.

Approaching each hole or your entire round with a target score can be counterproductive. It puts you in a results-oriented mindset when you should be more focused on your habits and process on the course. Instead of being the golfer who starts their round thinking they want to shoot a specific score, shift your mindset to being the golfer who will evaluate each situation independently and make an optimal decision. You don't need to be perfect to have a great round of golf; you need to be patient. At least one part of your game is going to abandon you. If you can remind yourself that mistakes are OK and have the mental resolve to dig in, your scores will improve. Understanding that being 20 feet from the hole or 40 feet really has little difference on scoring. There isn't a real trade off with pin hunting on approach shots versus aiming for the middle of the green. Even the pros don't achieve amazing proximity on average on approach shots. And, the reality is a pro and a high handicapper are both statistically unlikely to one putt from outside 8 feet so taking risks to get the ball close on approach just doesn't pay off. Gains can be made by high handicappers, like myself, in working on speed control with putts. Just getting the ball within two putt territory and avoiding 3 putts. Learn mental techniques to calm yourself, build routines, and stand over the ball with more confidence It wasn’t easy, but now I genuinely believe that I am good at both. But I had to change my processes and habits along the way. As I kept slowly chipping away and celebrating my tiny accomplishments, I was also proving my new identity. I did not want to be the dissatisfied golfer who looked at the course with fear anymore. Using Grit On the CourseRecovery shots are one of the most misunderstood scoring situations. Golfers of all levels can separate themselves by making smart decisions. Instead of thinking about saving par, shift your mindset to saving bogey. After an errant tee shot, it’s very common to go “on tilt.” However, choosing the more aggressive strategy will likely compound your initial mistake and result in a double bogey (or worse). PGA Tour players make bogey 80% of the time in recovery situations. What you see on TV is not real; keep reminding yourself of that statistic! The correct strategy is to advance the ball as far as possible while making sure your next shot will have a clear path to the green. Sometimes, this means punching out sideways. Here's most of the highlights I took while reading through Jon Sherman's The Four Foundations of Golf. Honestly, I already forgot what the four foundations actually were, because there were so many good nuggets. Every golfer wants to know the secrets to golf. But they are always looking in the wrong places. There are four foundations to building a successful game - expectation management, strategy, practice, and a sharp mental game. In each of these sections, you will receive tangible and actionable advice. When you’re looking to solve a problem in your golf game, having grit and the proper habits is usually a winning combination. I recommend the book Atomic Habits to just about everyone who follows Practical Golf.

An absolute must-read for any golfer of any level. I’m in my early 40s and wish a mentor, coach, or my dad had put a book like this in front of me when I was 9 years old (albeit the data Jon references was not available in the 1990s, but you get the point). Along the way, I witnessed many of the same behaviors in others. What is most interesting is that having grit elsewhere in life does not necessarily mean it will translate to your golf game. I’ve played with successful business people, professional athletes, and plenty of other high achievers who undoubtedly have serious grit. But it was nowhere to be found once they teed it up. After a few bad swings, they would lose their composure and continue in a negative mindset for the rest of the day. The Four Foundations will teach you how to be your own coach, and not waste time on methods that don't work. Stop listening to your friend's questionable tips and learn what all the greats have figured out. If you like detailed, straightforward information with plenty of examples, you will love this book. It will reshape how you think about golf entirely and give you the tools and strategies to transform your entire game. Its much more in depth. LSW and Every Shot Counts don't discuss the mental game or go into as much detail on practice or how to manage expectations. Its from a more balanced, rational and relatable perspective for the average golfer.While I’m no master of grit, my experience has shown me its value over the years. Some parts of the game came easier to me at times than others. But eventually, I hit a lot of frustrating walls.

Golfers tend to use their scores to measure how their day went. Because of the game’s inherent volatility, this can significantly alter enjoyment levels. Scoring ability is a relative concept in golf, but the scoring range is not. Whether you are a PGA Tour pro or a beginner, your scoring can fluctuate tremendously from one day to the next. It’s very normal! When most golfers improve, they typically can tighten their scoring windows and make their poor performances “not as bad.” A lot of golf is about mistake avoidance. Thinking about scoring potential as a bell curve can be helpful. Don’t expect low-probability events on the low side, and try to accept those that occur on the high side. Are you struggling to take your golf game to the next level? Learn the philosophy that has helped thousands of players worldwide lower their scores and improve their relationship with golf. Tell your friends: If you have friends who are golfers, please let them know about the book! I wrote it so that a player of any level can learn actionable ways to lower their scores. Since I am self-publishing, I am relying on the golf community to spread the word. There are many reasons why “golf grit” is harder to develop. It’s much easier for some to give up when you become embarrassed and your ego is damaged. I know that was the case for me.These themes are familiar to long-time readers of this newsletter. I won’t rehash the importance of each since I’ve written multiple pieces on each subject ( see at the bottom of this post ).

Prioritize this question on any wedge shot, “what can I do to make sure I get the ball on the putting surface?” Everything else is secondary. Don’t bite off more than you can chew! It is not a reasonable expectation to land the ball within a five or ten foot circle every time. When you are short-sided, you must take your medicine. Trying to land the ball on the beginning of the green, or even before it will bring larger scores into play more often than you will save par. There is nothing wrong with landing the ball past the hole and making sure you will make bogey at worst. On more straightforward wedge shots where you have more green to work with, your goal should be to get the ball as close to the hole as possible. Trying to leave yourself an uphill putt versus a downhill one will result in longer putts overall. Your goal on any length putt should be to apply the proper speed so that the ball will come to rest somewhere between 12-24 inches past the cup. Applying more speed to putts, especially shorter ones, in an effort to make them only makes the cup smaller. You will miss more putts, and end up three-putting more often. I’ll try to be careful as I explore this concept. Whenever I mention words like grit, resiliency, or grinding it out, inevitably, I get the response, “well, that doesn’t sound like much fun!” But it’s all a matter of perspective and commitment level. If your goal is to shoot lower scores, you should read this wonderful book by Jon Sherman! His advice is practical, impactful, and presented with clearly reasoned, objective analysis. Highly recommended for every golfer who's serious about improving their game." Since 2015, Practical Golf has been one of the top online game-improvement resources for golfers. Jon Sherman has written hundreds of articles, sharing his perspective as a “player-coach.” You can finally get all of the methods he’s used to become a scratch golfer and coach other golfers in one complete guide. However, golf might not be as serious as an endeavor for you. Or you might not even have many opportunities to play. I’ll let you make the ultimate decision, but grit might not be relevant or necessary for some. That’s the beauty of golf – there is no right or wrong in your approach. Exploring Grit

Exploring Grit

At every handicap level, double-bogey avoidance is a more significant separator in scoring potential than birdies. One of the cornerstones of course management is making optimal decisions that will reduce double bogeys. Aggressive decision-making, particularly on approach shots and greenside wedges, is counterproductive. Often, it results in an increase in score rather than the desired outcome (birdie).