TODAY'S TIP - 4/20

A New Week is Here Time to Set Some

Goals for This Week and Mix Up Some of Your Training Programs

Last Night I got creative and added some laps around the house carrying these water jugs... Goal is to come out of this stronger than going in. Motivation is Key! I hope you are finding ways to be motivated during this time. It's easy to lay on the couch and watch TV... I get it... Make a schedule and stick to it. If you really want to be great do things that others are unwilling to do. This is a perfect opportunity to utilize this time to get better.

On the golf side let's add and switch up some of our training this week.

If you have a Net and Area to Hit Balls:

If you do NOT have a Net and Area to Hit Balls but have space to swing:

Today's Practice Putting Feels

***Also... later today I will be recording a new podcast that should be up on the platforms by tomorrow for listening. I will share when available.

Let's GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for reading.... Chris

4/19

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Here is a Replay of last nights Zoom Session talking all things junior golf and college golf recruiting. It is about an hour long and has a lot of really good information.

Watch

4/18

Tonight at 5:30pm PST I will be on Facebook Live and Zoom with

2 good friends and golf coaches Kevin Sprecher and Jeff Fisher.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71623535248

Meeting ID: 716 2353 5248

Or Watch Any Three of Us on Facebook Live

4/17

Anyone else feel like things are getting better or closer to getting

back to some normalcy? Let's hope so!

Couple Tournament Updates

Here are some great links to Pre-Round Routines by the best of the best

on the PGA Tour. Get ready to compete again soon!

Get Organized - Get Pumped!

Tiger Woods

Tommy Fleetwood

Brooks Koepka

Jordan Spieth

Justin Thomas

and here is a link to Rory McIlroy Workout Routine

Watch

4/16

Add this Drill to your daily practice if you haven't yet done so...

10 Minutes of Max Speed with Driver

Here is access to see the Advanced Player Stat Sheet I use: Link

Try it when you get back to playing. I recommend you fill it out at

night after your round. Do not do it during the round.

Some Great News!

PGA TOUR News

PGA TOUR  starts with  Charles Schwab Challenge  June 8 - 14.

"At this time, the TOUR plans to resume play with the first four events closed to the general public but will continue to monitor the situation and follow the recommendations of local and state authorities in order to determine the most appropriate on-site access in each market".

LPGA TOUR News

June 19-21 - Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G

Pinnacle C.C., Rogers, Arkansas

FCG Tour Updates

We are just waiting for clearance to be able to host events again and we will be ready to go. There will likely be an abundance of new safety policies which will be announced before we resume play.

4/15

We are about a month into this, depending on where you live... I hope the fire

inside your belly is burning hotter than ever to compete and to battle on the golf course. I really want to play! I want to battle with my friends on the golf course...

I miss the friendships and the banter. It is so fun playing golf and in the near

future we will all be back playing! I can't wait!

I gave 7 Zoom lessons the past two days and it was just awesome to connect

with current and new students via this online platform. It's definitely different

but very effective to give the stay at home practice tips and plan for students to

get better during this time.

I keep coming back to the same thought... we all need a daily set schedule and a plan for golf development based on the time we have. Slow motion training, chipping and putting feels. Center face contact work.... Tempo Training.... Everyday up and excited to get better with that feeling like a Major Challenge is ahead of you... This is anything but easy! But how cool would it be to come out of this better than ever! Work hard, be committed, set goals, make a schedule... It's go time!

the first event back will be here before you know it! Feel is key!

thanks! Chris

4/14

Grade Your "Stay Home" Practice Habits - Click Here

Pre Event Tips

2017 US Amateur Caddy Experience

College Recruiting - The Offer Video

4/13

How Professional are you?

I know you are a junior or college golfer but how professional are you?

If you want to be a professional golfer it's probably a good time to start

acting like one, practicing like one, preparing like one, and pretending to be one.

What do professionals do? What will it be like when you transition from amateur golf to professional golf?

Do you dress like a professional?

Do you practice like a professional?

Do you thank the golf course staff like a professional?

Do you care for the course like a professional?

These are all just some questions to ask yourself as you continually try and get better at this game. When we come out of this we should all aim to be better versions of what we were when we went into this. Some have more work to do than others but it's important to become one of the most elite players of all time you need to be doing things others are unwilling to do. It takes time, it takes effort, it takes sacrifice, and it takes balancing your whole life schedule to continue to become the very best.

I hope you have a tremendous day... Talk to you tomorrow... Chris

4/11 - FREE ACCESS TO

FCG TOURNAMENT PLAYERS MANUAL

Sunday April 12

It is filled with simple ideas to help you score lower.

Maybe you just need a

refresher and maybe some of these ideas will be game changers for your current level!

Link to Manual

How did you like the Masters 18th Hole Tip from yesterday?

Did you do it? Let me know..

Send feedback to chrissmeal@gmail.com

4/11

Ok everyone so today's tip is in the spirit of Masters week that we should all be watching this weekend... I can't wait for November.

So let's use a view of the past few tips and put them together. Let's all imagine playing hole 18 on the final day of the 2020 Masters. You have a one stroke lead over your favorite competitor... you know the history of the game and how important the Masters is... Now let's visualize playing this hole and imagine shot by shot, what it might feel like to have to (if you are RT handed) hit a fade through the shoot of trees that cuts enough to avoid the bunkers on the left and not too far right onto the trees and pine straw. What does a long fade off the tee swing feel like? Go practice your feels for this shot (25-50 swings trying to imagine this shot and moment), hopefully you still remember them and hopefully you have this shot in your bag... You are going to need it! Ok, so you have now hit the fairway and you have 167 yards to a front left pin guarded by a deep bunker. What shot will you hit? Imagine the its and uphill lie and likely a left tiling slope. It plays substantially longer. What club do you hit? How does that swing feel? Remember you will be pumped up (adrenaline) you will need to ride this feel and calm yourself down a bit to a playable level. This is FUN! This is what golf is all about! Being in the moment when it matters the most, and then executing! Succeeding! or Learning! This is life and this is hard and its fun so let's stripe the best iron shot you have ever hit? What is the play? Take dead aim at the pin or 15 feet right of the pin? Now go take (25-50) swings trying to feel that finely struck iron shot. Try and groove it, try and remember it. You may be in a situation just like this soon so let's be prepared and recall memories like this. Now you have hit the green to 15 feet right of the flag... what a terrific shot. Many amazing putts have been made from right of the pin so you just have two putts to win since you had a 1-stroke lead. What does it feel like to hit this putt? What kind of putt do you want if you miss this first putt? For me, I want the shortest putt possible. So I need to be in control of my hands, control of the speed of the putter head, and the ability at the biggest moment of my life to execute now and hit this putt perfect pace. Now go practice this feel for(25-50 times) Dial it in... get it consistent... Ok You Won the Masters!!! Congratulations go get your green jacket from Tiger Woods!

Bonus... What if you had missed the green on 18 in the right hand bunker? Your approach shot was tentative (cause you didn't practice this enough before, JK!) . Now you have 20-25 yard downhill bunker shot to the short left flag location. You need to get up and down to win... Do you win? You got that shot? Now executive (25-50) bunker swing feels imagining that shot and dialing that way one in.

Thanks for Reading! Try it! Let's Go!

Chris Smeal

Additional Tip for College Golfers

Now is a good time to start building your LinkedIn profile if you haven't

already done so. LinkedIn is in incredible tool to help you for your future career and business. Build strong relationships to help you and others down the road.

You have some free time now to build one... If you have questions let me know.

My LinkedIn Profile

4/10

Today's Tip I wanted to share some of the many upgrades that will help you on our Blue Golf Tournament App and Website. Blue Golf is the software company that has all of our Future Champions Golf Tournament Information. They have made some significant upgrades the past several months that I want to share with you that will help and some exciting new features coming later next week.

Study Courses Before You Play with Yardage Book App

Get the benefits of a great yardage book and an excellent distance measuring device in one app. The BlueGolf app overlays a yardage book on top of a satellite image so you are looking at distances on the actual hole. Enjoy beautiful full-screen view and zoom. View distances to greens, targets, hazards, bunkers (reach / carry) and more. The app is GPS-enabled so distances automatically update as you move around the course. Great way to see the course while watching PGA TOUR in person or on TV.

College Finder - New

BlueGolf’s College Golf Program Finder makes it simple to  find  and  keep lists  of college golf programs. Free service. Great for junior golfers as they go through the college process. Huge database of college programs.  Great search tools . One tap to  save a school  you are interested in. Keep personal lists (e.g. Southeast DII schools, DII schools close to home).

Scorecard App

The ultimate game-development app. For avid golfers focused on improving their game. Quickly enter scores and track shots for every round. Receive instant email analysis after each round. Enjoy an advanced, interactive analysis of all your rounds that highlights opportunities to improve.

Tournament Planner

The Tournament Planner is the easiest way to plan, organize and manage a tournament schedule. View a personal, interactive calendar of tournaments you are following, thinking about playing or are signed up to play. Enjoy one-tap access to tournament info, results, registration, course info and much more. Great for competitors and fans.

Coming Soon

Enhanced Player Profiles - Linked to College Golf Coaches

Players and Coaches will have Profiles and College Coaches can easily track your

progress and get see your resume anytime.

This will be a Game Changer for both Coaches and Recruits.

Stay Tuned

Learn More about all these features on the left side of the home page at

www.bluegolf.com

Thanks! Chris

4/9

Are you doing your daily drills? YES NO

Did you try the Visualizing idea from yesterday?

That is a big one and I think you should daily Visualize playing great golf at a much higher level than you ever played before.

Let's be optimistic!

Real Life Visualization and Feel Drill for Today...

Let's make some swings imagining the following shot and feel. You have a light wind in your face and you are in between PW and 9 iron. You decide to hit a 9 iron a

little softer than normal to take off some speed and some height.

You want to hit the ball 10 yards shorter than your normal 9 iron.

There is water left. So let's imagine a smooth swing with a cut off finish to

keep the ball straight on line with NO left miss. Now find the feel for this

shot and repeat this swing feel 20 times today and do this 3 different times during

the day and see if you can get the same feel or better during each session.

It's all about progress! Let's all get better today! GO TIME!

Thanks for Reading! Chris

4/8

I found a past Tip from 2017 when I posted about

NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS....

Well when we get through this we all need NEW GOALS. So here is a look back at that information which I think applies in many ways for when get back to competing on the course. I hope this helps you....

Open Today's Tip

4/7

Visualization is a KEY to being a Great Player... I think now is a great time to work on this skill since many of us cannot play golf or practice on a range. I tell all my students that the night before every tournament they should be VISUALIZING how they WANT to play the golf course. What shots can you visualize yourself hitting. This is key to success and will help you in advance of tournament play. So how about today's tip is to VISUALIZE your next round of golf at your HOME COURSE. You know the course well now try and VISUALIZE shot by shot how you would like to play that first round back. And now is the time to DREAM BIG... If you are an 80 shooter you think like an 80 shooter most likely... You need to start thinking like a 75 shooter, than a 70 shooter, and then a 66 shooter. So for step 1 Visualizing I want you to try and Visualize shooting 8 shots lower than your BEST SCORE at your home course. So if you shoot 75 I want you to Visualize the shots required to shoot 67. Imagine the best shots you have ever hit on all those holes, imagine the easy holes you play them like a pro would. Imagine the holes you struggle with that you overcome the fears and tackle them like a MAJOR CHAMPION. Imagine the feel of the strike of a perfect shot, Imagine the sound, imagine the flight, imagine the fist pump to your buddy when you make yet another birdie. Imagine telling everyone you just shot 8 shots better than you ever have!

Let's get better during this break! I hope everyone can become better at Visualizing before we get back to full force!

Thanks for Reading! Get to Work!

Chris Smeal

4/6

Stay at Home Practice Links

Now On Our Website on One Page

VIRTUAL LESSONS NOW AVAILABLE

USING ZOOM

Full Swing

Mental Game Discussions

College Golf Advice

If you are interested in Virtual Coaching please text/call Chris Smeal at 619.339.2377

NEW!!!

EXCITED TO DELIVER A GREAT TOOL

FOR DAILY PRACTICE AT HOME

Here is an easy way to track your daily practice at home during solid drills that will improve your sing, your feels, and your ability to repeat your motion. Book mark this link to your phone and it will act like an app. Let's work together to get better now!

Get Started Here

ATTENTION!!!

2020 HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES

If you were working hard on your golf game and had not committed to play college golf yet please fill out this quick form and we will email you a template to make a FREE Profile that we will email every college golf coach in the USA to try and help you.

Fill Out Quick Form Here

See Sample Player Profile built that will be sent on Wednesday to Coaches

4/5

It's a Good Idea to have a daily schedule

Full Swing Practice

Short Game Practice

Putting Practice

Strength and Fitness

Mental Game Training

Confidence Building

BE CREATIVE!

just like being stuck behind a tree and trying to figure out a shot...

now we need to figure out how to get better with a lot of road blocks...

It could be worse, let's find a way!

They say it takes 21 days to create a HABIT.... I think we have time now to create GREAT HABITS... and BREAK some Bad Ones!

It will be nice when we can see some sort of normalcy but for now let's get super organized and motivated to be ready to break out and get back at it! We will all appreciate just the opportunity to play golf again and do all the things we took for granted. This perspective is good for all of us in the long run. The short term is hard but we will all be stronger going through this together. Keep your head up and let's GO!

Thanks for reading these emails.... Chris Smeal

We want to hear from you today on what you have been up to during this time...

Please fill out this short questionnaire here

4/4

Paper Towel Roll Drill

This one if for Beginner Golfers or for parents to help get their kids started with golf. Please share this one with friends let's see if we can create some new golfers!

Watch Video

Follow Up Video from TPI on Pelvic Tilt

4/3

Compress and Roll Impact Drill Using an

Alignment Stick and a Soccer Ball (Smeal)

Watch Video

Follow Up Video from TPI on More Pelvic Tilt (Gil and Franklin)

4/2

Impact Video Using An Alignment Stick (Smeal)

Follow Up Video from TPI on Pelvic Tilt (Gil and Franklin)

4/1

from our friends Lance and Kayleigh at TPI

All about how the Pelvis works in the Golf Swing

Can you Pelvic Tilt? View

stay tuned for follow up how to fix videos over the next several days

3/31

How to Snack on the Golf Course

from Robert Yang, FCG Nutrition Consultant

3/30

YOU TUBE VIDEO

Two Clubs Training Drill

3/29

Some Simple Practice Tips to Add to Your Practice Routine

3/28

One Week Sample Practice Routine

3/27/2020

Why you may be struggling in tournaments and some perspective on this.

Developing a winning mindset is key to success.

Click Here

3/26/2020

Mental Game Tip

3/24/2020

Morning Message to Students

HOW TO PRACTICE GOLF AT HOME

Here are a few ways to get better during COVID-19

Learn Here

RULES CENTER

We all should know the Rules of Golf Better and now we have some time to learn them. They will help you more than hurt you. It is true the more you know the better. Here are some key links on the USGA website to help you learn the Rules.

Rules Hub

MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN

Have you listened to these podcasts?

Some are for juniors and some are for parents.

FCG Podcasts