Amazing golf, played the old course recently (not well though). Learned a lot from your game - playing smarter goes a long way. Too many times I find myself playing “driving range” instead of playing golf. - Roy
Hah I know that feeling all too well. I'm finding that thinking through the round the day before helps me avoid that a bit, unless things aren't going well, in which case it's long drive time! 😃
Ha yes! It bugged me for a min but then there was so much more golf to play! (Also if I hadn't been -2 at the time it might have bugged me a bit more.) In case it helps: the thing I've found is that we tend to be overly down on ourselves when we play, and rarely are we overly "up" on ourselves - which doesn't help our scores OR make the round more enjoyable. Also most of the best things I've learned playing golf have come from mistakes I've made -- so now I appreciate mistakes for what I'm going to get out of them. E.g. this past weekend I opened up my round with a 4-putt double on the first hole 😱. Probably my first 4-putt in a year. BUT that made me focus a ton more on putting and I finished the round with 32 putts and shot 74. Would I have putted as well if it was a 3-putt vs. a 4-putt? Who knows?! The other key thing is that my identity on the course (and more so on camera) is the Upbeat Golfer. So I can't really run around being the angry or disappointed or frustrated golfer. This identity thing has been remarkably valuable! (Don't get me wrong, it still sucks when mistakes happen, but I use the long-term view + identity to move on quickly, and get back to enjoying being on the golf course!)
The GHIN app also has slopes for greens, so if you’re keeping a handicap you can use that as well. No 3D manipulation, but if you don’t want to spend extra money and are fine to look at the 2D heat map with arrows, that’s a good option.
@@upbeatgolfer I don’t think I paid extra. It’s in the app when you go to play with the GPS feature, and select green view. You do t have to be on a course to see the holes and greens.
Great video and thanks for sharing your preparation for the round! Curious to know how many strokes preparation shaves off. Do you have an estimate for how much the preparation helps you as a good golfer?
Great question! I think probably 4-5, possibly more (I'm currently in the 0-1 hcp range). A few from making good shot decisions, and a few from the extra confidence/better mental state from being prepared. Anytime I prep well (and don't get too in my head about how I HAVE to play well), I do better than normal.
Love it. Great round buddy. Was great to see and hear the thoughts around the course. Would definitely consider a portable microphone next time so we can hear more of your inner chats. haha
Thank you! Glad you liked it! And yes, you're 1000% right. I splurged during the holidays and got some dope wireless mics, so they'll be in play in the next video. Not sure how much you'll enjoy the inner chats but happy to share the songs I sing on the course 😃
Finally! I’m a big fan of the content/style of your videos, and I thought maybe you gave up on YT, 3 months since your last drop! Been playing 2 years and it’s so helpful to see how a good golfer approaches the game. Keep it up! Can’t wait til the next one.
Thank you! Sorry I fell off the wagon there for a bit and then some life stuff came up, but I've got some more videos in the hopper and will be publishing more often. Is there anything specific you'd like to see/hear about? Can't guarantee I know about it but will try!
Golf is life! Lol but seriously, I hope all is well. I enjoy the course vlogs and your thought process in approaching each hole and shot. But some suggestions for future vids that I’d personally be interested in: -How about a video detailing a typical day of practice? -An updated WITB!?! (I’m a sucker for those), with stock yardages? -Book suggestions or other resources that helped you improve your planning and mental approach? -Things you wish you did sooner or should have prioritized to improve your game vs the things you wish you didn’t waste time/money on (e.g. club fitting, lessons, trainings aids, etc.). Looking forward to the upcoming videos. I’m sure I’ll learn something new, which is why I coming back. Cy
Thanks for the suggestions Cy! Those are great. I'll def do an updated WITB soon, and will look into the others as well. I really like your suggestion about things I wish I'd done sooner -- I'll think about those and make a video soon. Right now I'm working on trying to structure a bunch of the mental game convos I have with people so that they're easily communicated over TH-cam - hope those will be useful for you as well.
Great video! I would have liked to hear the run-through of your game sheet and how you apply some of the other video content in real life. Your buddy in the black dropped the ball on the 8th, but it did not look like it was either on the line of the flag or within two club lengths.
Absolutely - happy to share. Can you say more about what you meant about the game sheet and applying the content in real life? Re my buddy - haha busted! He's not too serious about the drops, mostly out here to have some fun 😃
@@upbeatgolfer It would have been good to hear how you went at each item on your game sheet. Was there any correlation between your bad holes and when you did not follow your routine or game plan? Did you follow them for each shot? For example, on 17, could you tell me if you had a precise target? Given the hole layout, you ended up short left, but you could have hit from the extreme left of the tee box and tried to hit it between the centre and back right to take the bunker and waterside out of play. Then, when you finished 17 on the green, it was all head down with no strutting! it almost seemed like you were surprised you played that well. Rather than expect it because you are obviously a good player. You were also focused on score all the way around rather than just being in the moment with each shot. Stephan Jaeger has the mindset that you had already blown a few shots and be fighting back the entire time rather than getting excited and nervous about breaking par.
Ah yes I get it now. I'll do a video in the future where I keep track of that on a shot by shot basis. In general, I did follow my routine for most shots for this round though I don't remember exactly how many. And thanks for the detailed points. Here are more detailed responses: - On 17 I had a precise target but made a bad swing. I wasn't even thinking about the trouble left actually, hence not setting up on the left of the tee box. - (Also on 17) Great call on the strutting (or lack thereof)! I had my head down for a bit when I missed the shot because a) I was sad, and b) I hadn't actually figured out about strutting when I filmed that video 😃 But yes, you're totally right. - You're also right in that I was surprised I was playing that well - tbh I expected it would be worse because of the filming and because that course is generally pretty hard. And the challenge was to break 75 so I was talking about that, but I did go back to "one shot at a time" for most of my shots. - And thanks for the confidence in my game re: being nervous about breaking par! I understand Stephan Jaeger's point, and I think that works for some folks - personally I don't like the idea of having to "fight" on the course. I'm extra particular about my language because I believe it determines my experience (more on that another time). Instead I prefer to go with the "I'm going to have a great day regardless of what the score is". Case in point: I had a TERRIBLE scoring day at a big tournament recently (I shot 83 at a course I knew well and missed the cut by 6 shots). But while it wasn't a good scoring day, missing by that much made me really think about my prep and I came out with a bunch of insights which made my next tournament better, even with an injury. - And finally, when I'm nervous I also remind myself that I'm also excited (nervousness and excitement have the same physical manifestation, so whether it's one or the other is a matter of choice), and that I'd rather be in that moment and nervous, than at home on the couch and relaxed. And that keeps me Upbeat 😃 Well that was an essay - but hopefully it was helpful! Thanks for the engagement - I really appreciate your questions and discussion!
Great catch! Actually this is a new driver and shaft. Right after I filmed my WITB video I found a great deal on the Rogue ST driver head, and then tested out the Ventus shaft a couple months later while getting my lofts adjusted...and basically got forced into buying it 😅 It's great, over the summer last year my "smart yardage" from Arccos was 303y for a while! (I screenshotted the heck out of that and show it to everyone I meet).
Do you practice your short game often? Do you have any personal suggestion or a particular driving range (Bay Area) to practice pitch shots 50-100 yards?
I practice my chipping a decent amount, mostly just getting a feel for how hard to hit chips to land them at certain distances (that translates across courses/greens with different speeds). I think getting good contact + club face control with chipping is huge value add for the full swing too. For 50-100y shots, tbh I mostly just do it on the range. You can head to Mariner's and use the private chipping area to hit some longer shots, or try a course with a practice area but most places have so many people that it's frankly dangerous for me to be trying 50+ yard shots near them 😅 In case it helps, what works for me re: pitching inside 100y is: 1. I have a good idea of what a full swing with my GW, SW, LW will get re: yardage 2. I try never to hit a full wedge unless the conditions are absolutely perfect, so when I get to my full LW yardage I hit a SW instead 3. I make minor adjustments like choking down an inch or two, or practicing a shorter swing to hit in-between yardages 4. I focus really hard on the target to let my brain figure it out on its own (kind of like shooting a basketball). I have a belief that we've hit so many shots that our bodies know what to do, we just have to tell them what we want (often seen when we play well after a long break). That's also why you'll notice in the video I say the yardage several times before I hit. Hope this helps! Lmk what you think.
@@upbeatgolfer Thanks, Manu! Sounds like I definitely need to dial in my wedge yardages. Your short game chipping from this round was spectacular to see (no one saw those bunker shots 😜). Truly reflective of your handicap level.
Thank you! The chipping definitely worked out well this time! FWIW I find it's much more to do with green speeds and "grippiness" than my chipping, so it might be worth spending a few minutes noting that before the round.
I use Arccos for all my shot tracking (it's pretty easy since the sensors pick it up automatically most of the time), and then the Grint to post scores / stalk my friends 🙂 I tried using decade for a while but it was a pain entering rounds in it. Might go back to it for a bit to see if it's become easier...!
![[WITB 2024] The Tweaks That Got Me To a PLUS Handicap! #witb](/img/n.gif)
Amazing golf, played the old course recently (not well though). Learned a lot from your game - playing smarter goes a long way. Too many times I find myself playing “driving range” instead of playing golf. - Roy
Hah I know that feeling all too well. I'm finding that thinking through the round the day before helps me avoid that a bit, unless things aren't going well, in which case it's long drive time! 😃
Nice to see how a double sand trap fiasco made no difference. I have to learn to embrace that aspect.
Ha yes! It bugged me for a min but then there was so much more golf to play! (Also if I hadn't been -2 at the time it might have bugged me a bit more.)
In case it helps: the thing I've found is that we tend to be overly down on ourselves when we play, and rarely are we overly "up" on ourselves - which doesn't help our scores OR make the round more enjoyable. Also most of the best things I've learned playing golf have come from mistakes I've made -- so now I appreciate mistakes for what I'm going to get out of them.
E.g. this past weekend I opened up my round with a 4-putt double on the first hole 😱. Probably my first 4-putt in a year. BUT that made me focus a ton more on putting and I finished the round with 32 putts and shot 74. Would I have putted as well if it was a 3-putt vs. a 4-putt? Who knows?!
The other key thing is that my identity on the course (and more so on camera) is the Upbeat Golfer. So I can't really run around being the angry or disappointed or frustrated golfer. This identity thing has been remarkably valuable!
(Don't get me wrong, it still sucks when mistakes happen, but I use the long-term view + identity to move on quickly, and get back to enjoying being on the golf course!)
Excellent video - I truly enjoyed watching your game 👌
Thank you! This comment made my day 🙂
The GHIN app also has slopes for greens, so if you’re keeping a handicap you can use that as well. No 3D manipulation, but if you don’t want to spend extra money and are fine to look at the 2D heat map with arrows, that’s a good option.
Nice! Is that free? Last I saw it was also $60 for the green maps...
@@upbeatgolfer I don’t think I paid extra. It’s in the app when you go to play with the GPS feature, and select green view. You do t have to be on a course to see the holes and greens.
Thanks Brock! I checked it out - looks like I get the first round for free and then it's $50 a year which is still a great deal.
Great video and thanks for sharing your preparation for the round! Curious to know how many strokes preparation shaves off. Do you have an estimate for how much the preparation helps you as a good golfer?
Great question! I think probably 4-5, possibly more (I'm currently in the 0-1 hcp range). A few from making good shot decisions, and a few from the extra confidence/better mental state from being prepared. Anytime I prep well (and don't get too in my head about how I HAVE to play well), I do better than normal.
@@upbeatgolfer Thanks for the insight! 4-5 strokes improvement is a large benefit and worth the preparation!
Lovely course. I enjoyed watching. Sounds like your playing partners enjoyed it, too. Friends and golf ⛳️ 😎 ❤️
Thanks - glad you liked it! Yeah it was a fun day and my buddies are the best. Super supportive and generally tolerable 😃
Finally did a course vlog. Awesome stuff. Keep posting and you’ll see more subscribers for sure
Thanks George! Yeah took ages to get my act together but finally got it done. More are in the hopper! Just need to find a way to edit them faster 😅
Heck yeah! Manu's back baby! Great video like always! Need more content!
Thanks Matt! Great to be back! Got more content in the hopper - keep an eye out 😃
Love it. Great round buddy.
Was great to see and hear the thoughts around the course.
Would definitely consider a portable microphone next time so we can hear more of your inner chats. haha
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
And yes, you're 1000% right. I splurged during the holidays and got some dope wireless mics, so they'll be in play in the next video. Not sure how much you'll enjoy the inner chats but happy to share the songs I sing on the course 😃
Finally! I’m a big fan of the content/style of your videos, and I thought maybe you gave up on YT, 3 months since your last drop! Been playing 2 years and it’s so helpful to see how a good golfer approaches the game. Keep it up! Can’t wait til the next one.
Thank you! Sorry I fell off the wagon there for a bit and then some life stuff came up, but I've got some more videos in the hopper and will be publishing more often. Is there anything specific you'd like to see/hear about? Can't guarantee I know about it but will try!
Golf is life! Lol but seriously, I hope all is well. I enjoy the course vlogs and your thought process in approaching each hole and shot. But some suggestions for future vids that I’d personally be interested in:
-How about a video detailing a typical day of practice?
-An updated WITB!?! (I’m a sucker for those), with stock yardages?
-Book suggestions or other resources that helped you improve your planning and mental approach?
-Things you wish you did sooner or should have prioritized to improve your game vs the things you wish you didn’t waste time/money on (e.g. club fitting, lessons, trainings aids, etc.).
Looking forward to the upcoming videos. I’m sure I’ll learn something new, which is why I coming back.
Cy
Thanks for the suggestions Cy! Those are great. I'll def do an updated WITB soon, and will look into the others as well. I really like your suggestion about things I wish I'd done sooner -- I'll think about those and make a video soon. Right now I'm working on trying to structure a bunch of the mental game convos I have with people so that they're easily communicated over TH-cam - hope those will be useful for you as well.
New Subscriber. Beautiful course. Loved the shot-by-shot vlog!! More of this please!
Welcome to the team! And glad you liked the video (+ thanks for commenting)! Definitely more to come, I'll post them as fast as I can edit them!
great course vlog, nice to see some more content. Keep it upbeat!
Thanks! I really appreciate it! Excited to do more.
Great video! I would have liked to hear the run-through of your game sheet and how you apply some of the other video content in real life. Your buddy in the black dropped the ball on the 8th, but it did not look like it was either on the line of the flag or within two club lengths.
Absolutely - happy to share. Can you say more about what you meant about the game sheet and applying the content in real life?
Re my buddy - haha busted! He's not too serious about the drops, mostly out here to have some fun 😃
@@upbeatgolfer It would have been good to hear how you went at each item on your game sheet. Was there any correlation between your bad holes and when you did not follow your routine or game plan? Did you follow them for each shot? For example, on 17, could you tell me if you had a precise target? Given the hole layout, you ended up short left, but you could have hit from the extreme left of the tee box and tried to hit it between the centre and back right to take the bunker and waterside out of play. Then, when you finished 17 on the green, it was all head down with no strutting! it almost seemed like you were surprised you played that well. Rather than expect it because you are obviously a good player. You were also focused on score all the way around rather than just being in the moment with each shot. Stephan Jaeger has the mindset that you had already blown a few shots and be fighting back the entire time rather than getting excited and nervous about breaking par.
Ah yes I get it now. I'll do a video in the future where I keep track of that on a shot by shot basis. In general, I did follow my routine for most shots for this round though I don't remember exactly how many.
And thanks for the detailed points. Here are more detailed responses:
- On 17 I had a precise target but made a bad swing. I wasn't even thinking about the trouble left actually, hence not setting up on the left of the tee box.
- (Also on 17) Great call on the strutting (or lack thereof)! I had my head down for a bit when I missed the shot because a) I was sad, and b) I hadn't actually figured out about strutting when I filmed that video 😃 But yes, you're totally right.
- You're also right in that I was surprised I was playing that well - tbh I expected it would be worse because of the filming and because that course is generally pretty hard. And the challenge was to break 75 so I was talking about that, but I did go back to "one shot at a time" for most of my shots.
- And thanks for the confidence in my game re: being nervous about breaking par! I understand Stephan Jaeger's point, and I think that works for some folks - personally I don't like the idea of having to "fight" on the course. I'm extra particular about my language because I believe it determines my experience (more on that another time). Instead I prefer to go with the "I'm going to have a great day regardless of what the score is". Case in point: I had a TERRIBLE scoring day at a big tournament recently (I shot 83 at a course I knew well and missed the cut by 6 shots). But while it wasn't a good scoring day, missing by that much made me really think about my prep and I came out with a bunch of insights which made my next tournament better, even with an injury.
- And finally, when I'm nervous I also remind myself that I'm also excited (nervousness and excitement have the same physical manifestation, so whether it's one or the other is a matter of choice), and that I'd rather be in that moment and nervous, than at home on the couch and relaxed. And that keeps me Upbeat 😃
Well that was an essay - but hopefully it was helpful! Thanks for the engagement - I really appreciate your questions and discussion!
Who's the buddy who handed you the tourney at that 18th hole bunker?
😂 You might know him pretty well.
lets go manu !
Thank you!!! What a day huh?!
I really like your tempo.
Thanks dude! I was working hard that day to not try to dominate the ball 😅
You prove a point from your previous video that you don't have to swing hard to get more distance. I’m a fan of yours. Keep it up Mr Manu.
Thank you sir! Much appreciated 😃
Great watch and that was with the "old" driver ?
Great catch! Actually this is a new driver and shaft. Right after I filmed my WITB video I found a great deal on the Rogue ST driver head, and then tested out the Ventus shaft a couple months later while getting my lofts adjusted...and basically got forced into buying it 😅
It's great, over the summer last year my "smart yardage" from Arccos was 303y for a while! (I screenshotted the heck out of that and show it to everyone I meet).
Do you practice your short game often? Do you have any personal suggestion or a particular driving range (Bay Area) to practice pitch shots 50-100 yards?
I practice my chipping a decent amount, mostly just getting a feel for how hard to hit chips to land them at certain distances (that translates across courses/greens with different speeds). I think getting good contact + club face control with chipping is huge value add for the full swing too.
For 50-100y shots, tbh I mostly just do it on the range. You can head to Mariner's and use the private chipping area to hit some longer shots, or try a course with a practice area but most places have so many people that it's frankly dangerous for me to be trying 50+ yard shots near them 😅
In case it helps, what works for me re: pitching inside 100y is:
1. I have a good idea of what a full swing with my GW, SW, LW will get re: yardage
2. I try never to hit a full wedge unless the conditions are absolutely perfect, so when I get to my full LW yardage I hit a SW instead
3. I make minor adjustments like choking down an inch or two, or practicing a shorter swing to hit in-between yardages
4. I focus really hard on the target to let my brain figure it out on its own (kind of like shooting a basketball). I have a belief that we've hit so many shots that our bodies know what to do, we just have to tell them what we want (often seen when we play well after a long break). That's also why you'll notice in the video I say the yardage several times before I hit.
Hope this helps! Lmk what you think.
@@upbeatgolfer Thanks, Manu! Sounds like I definitely need to dial in my wedge yardages.
Your short game chipping from this round was spectacular to see (no one saw those bunker shots 😜). Truly reflective of your handicap level.
Thank you! The chipping definitely worked out well this time! FWIW I find it's much more to do with green speeds and "grippiness" than my chipping, so it might be worth spending a few minutes noting that before the round.
Hey great video. Out of interest what hoodie are you wearing?
Thanks! It's a Peloton hoodie - called the "Seamless Hooded Long Sleeve". It's pretty awesome for golf, just the right thickness/breathability.
what apps do you use to track shots/score etc?
I use Arccos for all my shot tracking (it's pretty easy since the sensors pick it up automatically most of the time), and then the Grint to post scores / stalk my friends 🙂 I tried using decade for a while but it was a pain entering rounds in it. Might go back to it for a bit to see if it's become easier...!