The old adage, “practice makes perfect” has fooled many golfers.  How you practice makes a difference.  We all develop habits based on doing something repeatedly, but formed habits can be good or bad.  Many times I have been asked why a player cannot translate time spent on the practice area into results.  Volume is usually not the issue.  If you are dedicated to the game, and want to spend time practicing, I want you to get the most out of your time.  Let’s look at practice in detail and try to make a plan so you can improve every time you practice.  Practice has five core elements:

1. WARM UP
2. MAINTENANCE
3. TECHNICAL AWARENESS
4. TARGET / RESULT AWARENESS
5. REFLECTION

1. Warm up: During your warm up, focus not only on your body, but also on your mind. Tune in to how each stretch or exercise feels and spend longer in areas that need more time. The goal is to prevent injury but also ready yourself to perform your best; that means also being mentally alert.
2. Maintenance can have many meanings. When I talk of maintenance, I am talking about what happens before the shot. Almost every player in the game has certain tendencies – or bad habits – they need to remind themselves of at set up.  It may be your grip, your ball position or your alignment.  Your set up has a tremendous effect on your technique; I want you to gain the benefits from your technical practice because you are consistent in set up.  Write down, or have someone photograph your tendencies in set up, and try to find a way to keep an eye on these positions.
3. Technical awareness. This is the area players spend the majority of their time, but unfortunately without significant improvement. Taking the time to warm up and maintain areas you commonly get a little away from allows your technique to gain traction.  When I think technique I think positions, feelings and reference points. I focus on the feel or the movement and rate myself on how close I got to where I wanted.  Use a scale of 1 to 5 for how close you got to your ideal positions through feel rather than solely the result.  Ideally, each session will have a technical element, but it will be a par t of your practice rather than the sole ingredient.
4. Results. When I talk about results, I talk about learning your tendencies. If I aim at a target and hit 2 0 balls, I w ant to know how many were close, left , right, short, or long.  Every time I do this I want to know more about my game.  This gives me fantastic information I c an use on the course.  Or, if I am not happy with my play, it gives me information to talk to my coach about.  Use this section to test yourself: how many fairways can you hit between two imaginary points?  How many balls c an you land within 20 feet of a target?  Can you hit different shaped shots into a flag?  Record your test results to help guide future course decisions.
5. Reflection. How was your session? After each and every session, ask yourself the following: “If I had that time over again, what would I have done differently?”  It may be that you did not warm up consciously, something within your maintenance felt a little strange or within the results section you focused on technique instead of just performing the task.  Something always crops up.  Use this information and write notes to guide your next session.  Driving to and from practice you should know exactly what you are going to work on and how you are doing afterwards.

Remember, how you spend your time forms habits.  If you can warm up, be consistent in set up, practice technique and know more about your game each time you practice you will form the type of habits that produce results.  Perfection is unattainable in golf but consistently paying attention and doing the right things allows you to gain the best results more often.  Practice, after all, should make a permanent improvement.

Golf—like most sports—is a game of numbers. For Team Canada’s youngest Amateur Squad member, Austin Connelly, it’s simply “going out there and playing the way you know you can.”

Holding the No. 9 World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) has its benefits—for one, being able to make that statement with the utmost confidence.

Speaking of which, Connelly has a lot of it. Following an earlier-than-anticipated exit at the U.S. Four-Ball last week, the reigning Jones Cup champion was quick to express disappointment and place blame upon himself.

“It just didn’t quite go our way,” he said of his semi-final match with partner Sam Burns. “We certainly would have liked to play better. I had a hard time swinging the club for the first nine holes and felt I didn’t give my partner enough help.”

Connelly has the benefits of youth on his side to fuel his confidence, without overstepping boundaries. He knows there is much still to learn—something he took to heart when playing with (and against) Team Canada teammate, Corey Conners.

“Last year, Corey actually beat me in a playoff to win the Jones Cup—he’s a very, very good player,” said Connelly. “We’ve become pretty good friends and I have a lot of respect for him.”

In November, Connelly and Conners teamed up in Argentina to lead Canada to its first Tailhade Cup victory by a staggering 19-stroke margin.

Three months later, Connelly (along with Conners) returned to the Ocean Forest Golf Club where he took home the title for a little friendly revenge—something he sees as source of motivation for both players.

“We don’t joke about it too much,” he stated. “There is certainly still a level of competitiveness—a way of pushing each other.”

As a matter of fact, Connelly’s journey with Team Canada was sparked at the Jones Cup in a chance encounter with Men’s Head Coach, Derek Ingram.

“My dad and I ran into Derek before the event even started,” said Connelly, who now speaks with Ingram on a daily basis. “He did not know much about me at the time, including that I was Canadian. After the match with Corey, we started talking a lot more at events. Personally, I could see that they’ve done a phenomenal job in improving their players, which was a big draw for me.”

Since joining Team Canada, Connelly has lowered his World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) from an already solid 48 to inside the top-10, where he currently sits as Canada’s best-ranked amateur golfer.

“I’m a very proud Canadian and couldn’t be happier to be a part of this program,” he said. “Having that support is a big deal for me and is very valuable in helping me get to the next level.”

Where did Connelly come from? What’s his story?

The 18-year-old high school senior is a dual-citizen, splitting his time mostly between Nova Scotia and Texas.

“I spent a lot of my childhood, mostly the summers, with my family in Nova Scotia and continue to visit every year—we love the north-east.”

The Canadian standout is considering attending qualifying school in the fall, taking his shot at earning status and turning professional. In the interim, Connelly has signed a letter of intent with the University of Arkansas, a prospect he is also certainly excited about.

In potentially his last year as an amateur, expect Connelly’s name to be atop key leaderboards at the summer’s most prestigious tournaments.

Playing in the Masters for the first time—let alone at any time—is a tall order for any athlete. It’s no walk in the park for coaches, either.

Team Canada Men’s Head Coach Derek Ingram put his best foot forward in the months leading up to the Masters, helping Canadian star Corey Conners live and breathe in the moment as one of seven amateurs in the field.

Ingram, also attending the Masters for his first time, narrowed his focus to the simple mantra of just “putting the ball in the hole.” Sometimes, in the grand scheme of a major tournament, it’s the small things that count.

“You need to remind yourself that this is about Corey Conners and him putting the ball in the hole,” said the Winnipeg native. “Everything to do with every second of every day revolves around making sure you are supporting his cause. And then, it’s remembering not to over-coach, not to panic and to be patient.”

Looking back, he explained it’s not an easy task for coaches to always be prepared with the best thing to say in a 12-14 hour day.

“You never know which thing you say, or do, throughout that long day that’s going to make the biggest difference. Timing is everything—and remembering that it’s alright to be quiet sometimes,” said the PGA of Canada class ‘A’ member.

The 23-year-old Conners earned his ticket to Augusta National by finishing runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Amateur Championship. The Listowel, Ont. native finished as top-performing amateur, a feat that impressed—but did not surprise—coach Ingram.

“The highlight was watching Corey shoot a 69 in the second round and just seeing him play like I know he can,” he said. “Doing that on one of the best golf courses and at the most important golf tournament in the world is something special. But that’s how strong his game can be.”

Conners, a graduate of Kent State, turned professional this week at the RBC Heritage, transitioning to Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad in the process. With Conners turning professional, the Young Pro Squad now features five male athletes—which Ingram sees as both a positive sign and a new challenge.

“Firstly, I’m very pleased that we have a Young Pro program. We’ve got five really good young players,” he said. “It does pose a challenge for me because of the difficulty in getting out to the events for the wide variety of tours, but these guys are very strong players and I’m proud of what we’ve done to support them.”

When asked if he was able to sneak in a shot or two at Augusta, he laughed it off.  “My job being there was to provide Corey with all the support I can possibly give—so I didn’t find the time,” he said. “They also have some pretty tight guidelines at Augusta,” he laughed. “Maybe next time.”

As Corey Conners prepares to play in the Masters tomorrow, we take a closer look at a few interesting tidbits surrounding the first Major of the year, Corey and a few of his most recent successes.

Note: click to enlarge

Developing talent is a lengthy process. Just ask Team Canada Women’s Development Squad coach Ann Carroll, who is tasked with coaching three new highly talented members—all under the age of 17.

Among those athletes is 16-year-old Ottawa native Grace St. Germain. The reigning Canadian Junior Girls Champion is one of Canada’s brightest young stars, but has a long road ahead to reaching her golf goals —she currently sits at No. 426 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). As with all athletes, success doesn’t come over night— it takes time, and lots of it.

Carroll has identified some clear strengths and weaknesses in Grace’s game that will be a focal point for her first full-season with Team Canada’s Development Squad.

“She really bears down in competition. Always ready to rise to the occasion and give it her all in each tournament,” said Carroll. “This year we will focusing on getting physically stronger through her own strength and conditioning program, which will continue to challenge her throughout all of 2015.”

The pair first worked together at the inaugural World Junior Girls Championship last fall, where Canada took home the bronze medal on home soil. Grace finished T22 overall, a promising sign against a strong international field.

When asked what strengths she first noticed with Grace, Carroll’s answer was typical.

“Listen, she is into this (the program) 100 percent, I know that for sure,” Carroll added. “She’s very coachable and will go above and beyond what is asked of her.”

St-Germain’s seven-stroke Junior Girls Championship win last year at Thornhill Golf & Country Club comes with recognition, but also with added pressure and expectation to perform. Carroll, along with the supporting staff, will play an important role in balancing her expectations and mental game throughout her journey to the top.

Being named to Canada’s National Development Squad involves taking on more responsibility, including the added pressure of representing Canada in the world’s most prestigious junior tournaments.

The newly formed 2015 Women’s Squad experienced that pressure first-hand in January, teeing-it-up in two international events in Australia—the Astor Trophy and the Australian Amateur.

First came the Astor Trophy, a team-play event between five Commonwealth Nations—Canada, Australia, Great Britain & Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa. The Canadian contingent struggled mightily, not picking up a team win through four rounds to finish in last place. There were bright moments throughout the event, but a disappointing result nonetheless.

The story was much of the same at the Australian Amateur, with only one player qualifying for match play rounds (2-year member Jaclyn Lee).

Beyond the surface, however, there are several intangibles that cannot be measured on a scorecard. Competing against the world’s best prepares Team Canada’s athletes for future success and gives insight into how much work is needed to compete against top players. And in the grand scheme of things, that is just what Team Canada’s Development Squad is for.

“The Development Squad is the foundation of our high performance programming,” said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “By involving athletes at this level in their development we can work with them to develop positive behaviours and habits which in turn will serve to support their journey towards success in amateur golf. Over time, we hope to transition these players to our Amateur Squad and/or the Young Pro Squad.”

Surrey, B.C. native, Michelle Kim, was one of three new members of the Development Squad who represented Canada in Australia.

“This is my first trip to Australia and I believe the farthest I have gone from home to compete in a golf tournament,” said the 16-year-old Kim. “These tournaments were probably the biggest I have competed in—just being able to play is a huge confidence booster. This trip has definitely helped me get closer to becoming an elite golfer.”

Much of the same was said by teammate and fellow B.C. native, Alisha Lau of Richmond.

“It was a great experience and one I won’t forget,” said Lau. “I definitely learned a lot about my game this trip. I will take away a lot of great experiences—from meeting new people and great players to just the overall experience of travelling and working with the team.”

Lau and Kim, along with teammates Jaclyn Lee (Calgary), Naomi Ko (Victoria, B.C.) and Grace St-Germain (Ottawa) are back training in Canada with coach Ann Carroll, focusing on improving weak areas that were exposed Down Under.

They will look to fine-tune their game for the upcoming competitive season in Canada with a newfound look on the game and more experience under their belts.

In Other News

Grace wins again

Grace St-Germain took home the 2014 Ottawa Sports Award for golf for the second consecutive year after an impressive season that included wins at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and the Quebec Women’s Amateur.

Click here to read up on all of this year’s winners.

Taylor Pendrith finishes runner-up at Citrus Open

Former National Squad member Taylor Pendrith placed second at the Citrus Open at Rio Pinar last week in Orlando, Fla.

The Richmond Hill, Ont., native carded three consecutive rounds under par (68-68-71) to finish in second place at 9-under in his second event as a professional golfer (he won his first event in October at an NGA Tour event). The Citrus Open, a Fore the Players conducted tournament, ran from Jan. 28-30 and sent the 23-year-old Pendrith home with a nice $4,000 paycheck.

Click here for full scoring.

Tristan Mullally

Two weeks ago, Women’s Head Coach Tristan Mullally was in Palm Springs, Fla., leading Team Canada’s first training camp of the season with a new squad. While the group is together, Mullally, along with the supporting sport science staff, must ensure they maximize every minute they have with the athletes.

“We’re always trying to enhance our coaching—through different seminars, dialogue with coaches and other pieces that help us create new ideas for how we can continue to move forward,” said Mullally. “With this camp, we are focusing on fine-tuning details and tendencies to ensure we maximize their time in the off-season.”

After the camp, Team Canada athletes usually head back to their U.S. college campus to implement what was worked on at camp in anticipation of the upcoming NCAA spring season. Meanwhile, Mullally dives deeper into planning the competitive year ahead.

In total, he is responsible for coaching seven athletes—four on the Amateur Squad and three on the Young Pro squad. With varying schedules, Mullally designates “contact days” in which he conducts individual visits with athletes throughout the season.

To enhance the team’s communication outside of those days, he uses an online private coaching network, Edufii—accessible by only him, the athletes and the supporting staff. Included in the network are analytics, assigned tasks, voiceover videos and more. Each athlete has their own private network in addition to one team network for all.

Edufii is one of the many tools Mullally will look to maximize in hopes of repeating Team Canada’s remarkable 2014 season.

The PGA of Canada class ‘A’ member has been showing off his tech skills in the social scene as well—taking this nice photo blend to the masses on twitter:

Training to believe you can before you ever have! @TheGolfCanada @JenniferHa0201 #godragons pic.twitter.com/6jz8lAVrbU

— Tristan Mullally (@tmullallygolf) January 7, 2015

To say sport runs in Garrett Rank’s blood is an understatement. Up until last August, the 27-year-old was a member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team. This summer, the native of Elmira, Ont. will play in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open after having won the Canadian Mid-Amateur Golf Championship last year. This week however, Rank will trade in his shoes for skates and his polo for zebra stripes. His club of choice will give way to a whistle; instead of making putts, he will be making calls.

This Thursday, Rank will take to the ice of the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y. to referee his first National Hockey League game as the hometown Sabres play host to the Minnesota Wild. Family and friends will make the trek south of the border to witness Rank’s first puck-drop at the NHL level, but among those absent will be a proud father who was a dedicated community leader and a local referee.

TSN’s Bob Mackenzie has more on Rank’s journey from the links to the rink and the influences and inspiration that have guided him to this point in his career.

The full story can be found here.

The 2013/14 season was arguably the best year in Canadian amateur golf history. Canada obtained the world’s No. 1 ranked female amateur spot (Brooke Henderson), a 2^nd place finish in both the men’s and women’s World Amateur Team Championship and both a male (Corey Conners) and female (Henderson) finalist in the prestigious U.S. Amateur.

That’s just the beginning.

Adam Svensson (Surrey, B.C.) won the Jack Nicklaus award—given to the most outstanding NCAA Div I,II and III athlete—for his record-setting seven victories playing for Barry University. Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.) drove his way up the leaderboard at the RBC Canadian Open, finishing as low amateur at 3-under par. Jennifer Ha, a 20-year-old member of the Women’s Amateur Squad, was one of only four Canadians to make the cut at the 2014 CP Women’s Open.

Collectively, both Amateur Squads saw each of its five players crack the top 100 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR). That had not happened before to either squad in the program’s 11 year history—in 2014, it happened to both.

Aside from the players themselves, there were many factors at play that lend to the success of Team Canada—perhaps none more than the dedication of Team Canada’s coaching staff, led by Head Coaches Tristan Mullally and Derek Ingram.

“We really have had the best year in program history and I couldn’t be more proud of the girls,” said Women’s Head Coach, Tristan Mullally. “If it gets any better than this—maybe we’ve won the lottery,” he said with a laugh.

Mullally, a PGA of Canada class “A” member, has been leading the women’s program for the last three years alongside Canadian coaching veteran and men’s Head Coach, Derek Ingram.

“We had a fantastic year with great results across the board from virtually every player,” said Ingram, a Winnipeg native and also class “A” member. “It’s great to see these guys develop into great young players and great young people but at the same time it’s exciting to take an unranked player and help them get to the top,” he said.

When asked what the goals are for the upcoming season, both coaches shared the feeling that last year’s results are going to be difficult to match.

“We’ve been able to improve results year-after-year with the program but last year we set the bar very very high,” said Mullally. “There are new players coming in and it will definitely be difficult to match—but it won’t be from a lack of trying that’s for sure.”

“With the change in players it’s certainly going to be tough to match last year’s results,” Ingram added. “Having said that, we are always trying to get better and I’m really looking forward to the new season and new challenges.”

Both Ingram and Mullally took on additional players as part of the Young Pro Squad launch in 2013. Heading into the program’s second year, the coaching staff remains focused on fully incorporating the program as the final tier of the Team Canada umbrella. The 2014/15 team is yet to be named—the announcement will likely take place sometime early in the new year.

At the bottom of that umbrella is Team Canada’s Development Squad. The National Amateur squad players often come up through this squad under the direction of coaches Robert Ratcliffe and Ann Carroll, who work in unison with Ingram and Mullally. In a perfect world, Team Canada will help a player come up through the Development Squad, transition to the Amateur Squad and make the Young Pro Squad for one final step of guidance before independence on professional tours.

Click here to learn more about the 2014/15 Team Canada athletes

Henderson enjoying the spotlight

After quite a busy season on the golf course, Brooke Henderson is finally getting a chance to enjoy her new stardom as the world’s No. 1 amateur female golfer.

The Team Canada member and Smiths Falls, Ont. native has been spotted at numerous sporting events taking on ceremonial roles.

In late September, Henderson dropped the puck for a ceremonial face-off at the OHL pre-season game between the Ottawa 67’s and the Kingston Frontenacs.

In mid-October, the Ottawa Senators tweeted a picture of her and her sister Brittany.

#Sens guest sign-in: Brooke & Brittany Henderson! #GolfSisters #AtTheGame pic.twitter.com/VXfV5gQQ6r

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) October 17, 2014

The Henderson sisters also had a chip off during half time of the Ottawa Redblacks’ game against the Montreal Allouettes on October 24^th, taking a 70 yard chip shot with a neon pink ball.

A recent poll of PGA Tour players asked what the difference is between the top players in the world and those who play on tour for a number of years without a win. There were answers about technique and length but the majority of players responded with a comment about the mental aspect of the game.

We all know how difficult it can be mentally to deal with a stretch of bad holes; but playing well and scoring low can have its own challenges too. Almost every golfer has gone through a run of great holes early in the round, yet at the end of 18 signed a very average scorecard.

To play golf well you need to know your- self. Pay attention to the details and listen to your body’s signals. If you are a calm, slow paced, chilled out kind of person does your tempo or mindset ever change while playing in competition? Do you know from which yardages you play your best golf?

Think of your intensity or alertness on
a scale of 1-10. Where are you on that scale when you play and enjoy golf the most? If you are normally a 6 and when bad things happen you get to an 8 by trying harder, your performance will usually be affected in a negative way. The same can be said when you get on a run of great holes, birdies or pars and you get really pumped up only
to find you run out of steam or start going backwards. Don’t get me wrong; there are times when a little extra intensity can work for you but you cannot live there full time. Identify where you play your best and remember that spending too long outside of this area will have a detrimental effect
on results.

No matter your skill level you can control your mental state before each shot. You may never play a round where you play completely in the right area – it is normal to bounce around and think about winning, your family or any other random thought. This happens to the best players too but they realize before they hit their important shots and come back to where they need to be to give themselves the best chance of success.

Thoughtful practice

On the range, think about what number on the intensity scale you play your best golf from. There may be some experimenting here if you are not sure but try to match a number to your personality
at first.

Hit balls registering what number you are and then try imagining different situations from your past. Take this number with you to the golf course and before each shot have a mental check in, are you at your normal number? Too high or too low? This should be an important step before you begin your pre-shot routine.

If you are too high you may want to focus on your breathing. Take deep belly breaths (six breaths a minute is optimum) and this will help bring you back down on your scale and centre your attention on yourself and not the task which lies ahead of you.

If you are too low relative to your ideal number you may want to think of previous good shots. Focus on the work you have put in to this point, past success – whatever you need to fire yourself back up to your optimum number.

It will take some time to get to the stage where this is a normal step within your pre-shot routine. Use a mental scorecard to monitor your progress on the course. After each hole give yourself
a tick on your normal scorecard if you have mentally checked in and played your shot from the correct number. You get an X if you forget to check in or hit the shot before getting yourself to where you want to be mentally.

Count up this scorecard at the end. At first, getting half of the holes with a tick would be a resounding success. Remember it’s a process; you will bounce around every single round but you now have an additional skill in your toolkit to improve the mental aspect of your game. If you play golf from your optimum number you will be calmer, a better playing partner and energized rather than tired at the end of your round. You may even need some extra space on your mantel!