The Daily Drive Podcast

Welcome back to Day 7 with player, teacher and author, Mike Booker. Mike says, “Perspective is incredibly important. Golfers can be overcome by Golf. But you have no business feeling sorry for yourself or being mad at yourself. It's just a game. Don't let it own you.” Today, he shares a story to help drive that story home…

Welcome back to Day 6 with player, teacher and author, Mike Booker. Mike says, “When they get down to the wire, great players stay in the present. Their focus is on what they're doing. They're not worrying about what happens if I miss this shot or what happens if I hit this ball in the water and lose the tournament. That's result-oriented thinking. You've got to find a way to stay in process-oriented thinking.” Today, Mike shows us an easy way to do this—and it only takes one word…

Welcome back to Day 5 with player, teacher and author, Mike Booker. Mike says, “On tour, I was struggling with all that's involved with that level of competition. So I called Masters champion, Jackie Burke, for a putting lesson. And what he told me was the most important golf lesson anybody's ever given me.” Today, Mike shares Jackie's lesson which can transform your mindset on the green…

Welcome back to Day 4 with player, teacher and author, Mike Booker. Mike says, “The most important thing is to catch yourself getting out of the moment. Thinking about not messing up. Thinking about results. That's when the choking can happen.” He offers a simple, proven way to bring ourselves back to the moment…

Welcome back to Day 3 with player, teacher and author, Mike Booker. Today Mike shares a Native American proverb about focus. Focus isn't just attention to the target. It's also ignoring all that's around that target. “If you're on the golf course,” Mike says, “and you're playing a 200-yard par three surrounded by water, forget about the water and focus on the target.” The first step in this process is to take responsibility for every shot you hit…

Welcome back to Day 2 with player, teacher and author, Mike Booker. “Studies show that in self-talk,” Mike says, “we tend to refer to ourselves in the third person. You're a terrible putter. You're a choker. Negative things that you wouldn't say to your worst enemy. That has a negative impact on our self-worth, our self-image, and our performance.” But the good news is, positive self-talk also works...

This week, we're excited to have player, teacher and author, Mike Booker, show us how to develop a winning tournament mindset. Mike says, “When something bad happens on the golf course—a shot goes underwater or you're under pressure in a tournament—embrace it. Embrace the suck…”

Welcome back to Day 7 in our series U.S. Open legend Rocco Mediate. Rocco says, “I have a Rocky poster downstairs. It says, ‘His life was a million to one shot.' I use those movies to help me. The fighting, the workouts, the montage, the music. I still use it. I like the challenge. I always enjoyed that part of golf. You can make excuses. But there's no one to blame but you…”

Welcome back to Day 6 in our series U.S. Open legend Rocco Mediate. Rocco says, “Bad habits can only be Gone if you want to get rid of the habit. If I have a bad habit in my golf swing, I want it gone yesterday. And I don't want it to ever come back. And that's the same with the alcohol.” Listen to Rocco's honest account of how he got his life (and his game) back on track...

Welcome back to Day 5 in our series U.S. Open legend Rocco Mediate. Rocco says, “There are good nerves and bad nerves. The good ones, you know you're playing well. Like Monday's U.S. Open playoff with Tiger. People ask, ‘How did you look like you were having so much fun?' Because I was.” Listen to Rocco explain how to use good nerves to play better...

Welcome back to Day 4 in our series U.S. Open legend Rocco Mediate. Rocco says,“If you come out and expect to get more out of the game than you put into it, you're going to lose. It's not going to be any fun. Give the game some respect.” Listen to Rocco's thoughts on practice, the short game, and setting realistic expectations...

Welcome back to Day 3 in our series U.S. Open legend Rocco Mediate. Rocco says, “I played in the U.S. Open against Tiger. Could Tiger stop me from doing what I was going to do? No. Only I could do that.” Before the playoff, Rocco had just one goal—and it's probably not the goal you expect…

Welcome back to Day 2 in our series U.S. Open legend Rocco Mediate. Rocco says, “I'm playing at Jack's tournament, the Memorial. It's Saturday. Pin's front left. 12th hole, only 140 yards. I say to my caddie, Pete Bender, ‘What do you like here, Pete? A little 8-iron?' And Pete says, ‘If there was no water, what would you hit?'” Rocco explains why that question can change your club selection—and your score...

Welcome back to Imagine Golf's Daily Drive, a daily 3-minute bridge between where we are now and where we want to be, both on and off the golf course. This week, we've invited U.S. Open legend Rocco Mediate to share his straight-talking insights on how to play the best golf of your life. Today Rocco offers his unique take on the mental game…

Today, we'll explore the psychology of framing. “Framing,” Dr. Gio says, “is the ability of successful people to look at situations in a positive light—in a manner that gives them a competitive edge.” That's exactly what David Toms did at the 2001 PGA Championship...

“Think about it,” he says. “When golfers have equal ability, those with more confidence set higher goals and expect more from themselves.” Here's how to raise your expectations, increase your confidence, and lower your score.

“Bounce back” tracks how many times you follow a bad hole with a good hole. It's a measure of resilience. Here's how you can lower your score faster by tracking your bounce back stats.

Welcome back to Day 3 in our series on “Fearless Golf” by Dr. Gio Valiante. Last time, we talked about “Exclusive focus.” Dr. Gio applies the Japanese philosophy of “kaizen” to golf, showing how small changes can lead to big improvements.

Welcome back to Day 2 in our series on “Fearless Golf” by Dr. Gio Valiante. Today, Dr. Gio uses a great story and one thin dime to teach you how to be “exclusively focused” on each shot.

Welcome to the Daily Drive. Each week, we spotlight a new book that can help you think better and play better. This week we're reading “Fearless Golf” by Dr. Gio Valiante. Today, Dr. Gio leads you through a simple exercise that can stop the doubts that get in the way of your best game.

It's Day 7 in our series on the book, “Every Shot I Take” by Davis Love III. What if there was one slot of time—just thirty minutes or an hour—where you could be extra productive at the driving range? Today, Davis shows us when to practice, what to practice, and how to practice to get the most of our precious time.

It's Day 6 in our series on the book, “Every Shot I Take” by Davis Love III. Is more practice always better for your game? Today, we'll discover why less practice—or even no practice—can actually be better for some golfers.

It's Day 5 in our series on the book, “Every Shot I Take” by Davis Love III. “A very common mistake when putting,” Davis writes, “is to strike the top half of the ball on a descending blow, creating a bumpy roll.” Here's a simple drill to cure that problem.

It's Day 4 in our series on the book, “Every Shot I Take” by Davis Love III. Davis's dad studied Tom Watson in his prime. He distilled Watson's putting method down to just five steps. Follow this simple routine and you'll start making more putts.

It's Day 3 in our series on the book, “Every Shot I Take” by Davis Love III. At Imagine Golf, we love talking about course management. But according to Davis, sometimes less course management can lead to better scores. Here's how.

It's Day 2 in our series on “Every Shot I Take” by Davis Love III. Davis says, “You have to forget the bad things or you'll be doomed to repeat them.” Today he shares his two-step strategy for letting go of mistakes and turning weakness into strength.

This week, we begin a new 7-part series based on the book “Every Shot I Take” by Hall-of-Famer, Davis Love III. Today, Davis shares how learning to cope with the tragic loss of his father led him back to the heart of the game.

If you think about how to execute the movements of an acquired skill, such as putting, you're likely to become incapable of effectively performing it. Today, we'll discuss how to get out of your own way on the putting green.

Billy Casper won over 50 times on tour. When we refer to the Big Three as Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus, they say it was really the Big Four. Casper wasn't long off the tee, but he made up for it on the green. Today, he offers a stroke-saving tip on judging distance.

The time to begin reading a green is when you're approaching it from the fairway. The slope is determined in part by the general lay of the land. You can best see the green in this perspective from a distance. Today, Johnny Miller turns this tip into a helpful visualization.

With Instinct Putting, when we stroke the putt, we look at the hole instead of the ball. That makes sense for straight putts. But what about breaking putts? If you look at the hole, and hit the ball to that spot, you'll miss. Here's how to solve that problem.

When you perform at the most instinctive level, you don't consciously think about how to make things happen. You simply allow your body to do what it knows how to do. This is called “athletic intuition” and you don't need to be a pro to develop it.

When you putt looking at a target, your brain is directly influenced by a continuous flow of visual information. This includes important factors such as where the hole is located, whether you're putting uphill or downhill, and the speed and break of the green. Here's how to test this theory on the practice green.

This week, we begin a 7-part series based on the book Instinct Putting Revisited by Dr. Bob Christina, Dr. Cary Heath, and PGA Master Professional Eric Alpenfels. Instinct Putting is based on the idea that visual input is stronger than memory. When you look at the hole, there's a visual link between what you see and what you want to do. When you look down at the ball, you break that link.

Do you have a pre-round plan that helps you play your best? Annika says, “I follow a strict warm-up routine. After some putting and chipping, I head for the range. Then it's back to the practice green.” Here's how to create a warm-up routine of your own.

Most pros play a few practice rounds before a tournament, taking notes as they go. Annika has a different approach. She says, “I walk each hole backward, from the green to the tee.” Turns out, that strategy can help us score lower too.

Annika says, “I was a mediocre junior golfer. By 15, I was shooting in the mid to high 90s. No one would have said I was going places.” Then one rainy day on the range, her dad offered six words of advice that changed everything.

“To score low,” Annika writes, “you must conserve your energy and your focus for all 18 holes. One way to stay sharp is to go on a vacation between shots.” Psychologists call this “the incubation effect” and today we'll learn how to use it.

In 2003, Annika decided to do something no LPGA player had done since 1945: compete in a PGA tournament. She was so nervous on the first tee, her hands were shaking. Annika shows us how to manage our anxiety under pressure.

As a junior golfer, Annika was so shy she'd lose on purpose just to avoid attention. When she got to college, she feared she wasn't good enough to turn pro. Today, she shares the story that helped her overcome a lifetime of doubt and fear.

This week, we're launching a new 7-part series based on the book, Golf Annika's Way, by Annika Sorenstam. Annika says, “If you catch me on the practice range, you'll see me hitting balls with a club lying on the ground in front of my toes, pointing toward the target.” She's checking her alignment. How basic can you get? But that's the point. Annika practices like a beginner to play like a pro.

It's hard to stay positive on the golf course. But negative self-talk is like shooting yourself in the foot—on purpose. Instead of trying to stop the self-talk (which is almost impossible), here's how to manage it by simply changing the tone of your voice.

A post-round review is one of the most effective ways to improve. If you skip this step, you'll miss out on the nuggets of gold that only your own experiences can give you. So today, let's learn a simple post-round strategy that can speed up your progress.

Has golf become too ego-driven? When our self-worth depends on the outcome of a shot, we're walking an emotional tightrope. Today, we'll hit some drives into the ocean to remind ourselves that golf is what we do, not who we are.

Yesterday, we talked about the shot selection magic of Seve Ballesteros. Where does visualization fit into that process? Today, we'll learn Seve's two-step process that can help you see and choose the best shot every time.

Do you ever feel like you're throwing away scoring opportunities? According to our experts, the real problem isn't your ability to hit the shot—it's your ability to select the right shot in the first place. Here's how to improve your decision-making skills.

We all want to hit more fairways. But our fairway focus might be causing us to miss our best scoring opportunities. Think about it: even pros only hit 10 to 11 fairways per round. Here's how to change your priority from “fairways” to “scoring.”

Why does focusing on your score often produce the worst results? Part of the problem is due to “perceived control.” It's the difference between being a passenger in a plane and driving a car—and understanding this concept can change your game.

If you're serious about lowering your handicap, you have to put in the hours on the driving range. But according to the research, knowing when to stop practicing might be even more important. Today, we'll learn two “stop signs” from Jack Nicklaus.

Did you know that the type of practice can impact your confidence and score more than the amount of practice? That's because most of us practice to develop or maintain a skill rather than practicing to transfer those skills directly to the golf course.

Many of us burn a lot of strokes three-putting more often than we should. Part of the problem is technical. Reading greens is hard. But part of it is mental. The research reveals a surprising cause of that problem—and an effective solution.