3 AT PLAY 4
Be a Better Golfer Exploring ZONING for Golf
In BY ALEX JOHNSON, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER the fall of 2010, I flew to Palm Desert for one of my
final college golf tournaments. I was assigned a seat on the plane next to a stranger, Sally Edwards.We hit it off and the expe- rience has led to a great relationship and improved my golf game. Since the very first email that I exchanged with her, Sally has nearly always ended her emails by signing with “Heart, Sally”. As a self- proclaimed adventurer at heart, I now advocate Sally’s strong belief that you must follow your heart in all that you do. I invited Sally to speak to my college sports management club at
the University of Pacific, UOP. After her presentation, Sally presented me with a gift – a brand new BLINK, flashing zones heart rate mon- itor. At the time I didn’t know what I would use this easy-to-use per- sonal biofeedback tool for. So, naturally inquisitive, I started to ask myself – how can I be a better golfer using this heart rate monitor. As a competitive golfer, who has been playing the game for
over 17 years, maybe like you, I am always studying great players and great athletes, looking for information and advice that can help me be successful. How does Tiger Woods hit this shot, how does Jack Nicklaus grip the club, how did Ben Hogan swing it so pure? The physical techniques of the game have always intrigued me, but it wasn’t until about 3 years ago now that I found a new interest; the mental game. Countless books have been written about the mental game of golf, and the overlaying importance it holds for the success of a golfer. Many of them stress the importance of positive thinking, present moment focus, and visualization. All of these are very good things, but for me, it was an unusual relationship that has sparked my newest study in golf. Golf is a game that can take a very long time to play. My aver-
age competitive round may take close to 5 hours to complete 18 holes. In this time I spend an average of 36 minutes physically using my pre-shot routine and hitting my shots. This leaves me with 4 hours and 24 minutes of “in between time”, where I am left with my thoughts and my walk as I head to my next shot. This means that 88% of my time on the course is spent away from the golf ball with only 12% in relationship with the little white golf ball. So how should golfers practice and play given this 88/12 relationship? As a sport, golf presents a unique training phenomenon for
those that play the game competitively. Practice usually consists of a few different activities; hitting balls on the range, practicing your short game, and spending time on the practice putting green. These actions make up the 12% portion of a round of golf. Interestingly, I, and many others, know and believe that the “88 percent” of time
spent between shots is the most important part of the game. This “88%” is the time that differentiates the good players from the great at the highest level of competition. So the question for me was simple: how does a golfer train for the key and influential “88%”? From an early age my Dad has always told me, “Your body follows
your mind.” I believe that is true. Recently though I have had to add another portion to that thanks to Sally Edwards, the developer of the ZONING program and author of the soon to be released book, ZON- ING, Fitness in a Blink. My statement now reads, “Your mind follows your heart, your body follows your mind, and consequently your heart leads your body.” Therefore, to answer the question, “how does a golfer train for the 88%?” I believe the answer is to train with your heart. Thanks to Sally I now understand that the heart is a double action muscle. This means that training your heart includes both hearts – the emotional heart as well as the physical heart. When a competitive golfer can effectively train these areas, they can learn to link their bod- ies to their hearts, and maximize their “88%”. When you can maximize the “88%”, you can become a better golfer because you then have the ability to spend your 12% time in the “Zone” and increase your chances of shooting consistently lower scores! By using my Blink, flashing zones heart rate monitor over the past
month I have been able to start learning about what my heart is doing during practice and play (on the course). I am starting to recognize emotions, thoughts, and situations that cause my heart to remain calm, or that cause it to race, going from the flashing colors of blue to yellow sometimes even to red from my emotional anxiousness. Over the next weeks and months I am going to be recording heart rate data about my time in zone, like time in the easy blue zone, the moderate yellow zone, and the hot red zone from my practice and from my rounds of golf. From the results of my study of one, using the data, I will be shar- ing with you what I am finding out about myself, and how I am learn- ing to let my heart lead my body in the all important golf zone. Stay tuned into ZONING golf.
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Alex Johnson, Professional Golfer - A recent graduate of the University of Pacific, Alex Johnson is a young 22 year old who is taking his bachelors in business and sports management out onto the pro golf ranks. After 4 years of Division I college golf winning 2 college tournaments, Alex has blended his passion for golf with that of emotional and physical fitness into explor- ing the possibilities of being a better golfer. The mixture of healthy lifestyle and golf performance may land him, if his dream comes true, on the PGA Tour as one of the best players. Alex lives in Tucson, Arizona.
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