NEVER UP, NEVER IN

“If there is a doubt in your mind over a golf shot, how can your muscles know what they are expected to do?”

– Harvey Penick (1904 – 1995), author of the book, Harvey Penick's Little Red Book.

In my Feb. 3rd post, Golf Is So Mental!, I included my 2025 Golf Thoughts. It was a collection of 36 reminders, tips and mini lessons that I prepared for my trip to Mountain Lake (FL). I knew that our foursome was scheduled to play a lot of golf and we did – 18 holes on Monday, 36 on Tuesday, 27 on Wednesday and 36 on Thursday.

Even though I had only played a few times since November, I felt that my Golf Thoughts would at least help me with the mental part of the game. As you can see in the photo above, I had my thoughts laminated so that they would always be handy and would be protected from any inclement weather.

As golf instructor Butch Harmon says, “Golf is as much a mental game as it is a physical one. You have to believe in yourself and stay focused.” I really thought my Golf Thoughts would see me through the four days on Mountain Lake’s beautiful Seth Raynor course, which is visually appealing and features Bermuda grass greens that often have pronounced contours and very challenging undulations.

Boy, was I WRONG! I have come to accept the fact that I am losing distance, especially off the tee. Age is a real thing. I know that. However, I have always had a decent short game and my putting has always been okay.  

So why did I end up losing money on the trip? My putting let me down. On my Golf Thoughts sheet, I had three putting reminders.

• When you are putting, think shoulders, not wrists.
• No peeking on your putts.
• If you have any doubt about how much break to play, then play more break, not less!

 Unfortunately, I didn’t include The Most Important Thought of All-Time:

NEVER UP, NEVER IN. 

Time and time again, I would leave my putts short even when I had nothing to lose – i.e., my partner was in with a tying par putt and I was putting for a hole-winning birdie/net birdie. Total nightmare – and a number of what-the-hell looks from that round’s partner. I was short all four days – short on short putts, medium putts and long putts.  

I left Mountain Lake disappointed in my performance on the greens and I am now searching for Putting Thoughts that will help me get the ball to the hole. Here are a few that I have found.

On Putting: “Whatever speed you go back with, that's the speed you want going forward.” – Jackie Burke Jr. (1923 - 2024), winner of the Masters and the PGA in 1956.

Tip on making shorts putts: “Put the ball back in your stance a little bit. Shorter backswing, shorter follow through, and you’ll probably make all those shorter putts around the cup.” – Six-time Major winner Lee Trevino (Born 1939)

“If you’re missing a lot of short putts, try making a conscious – even exaggerated – follow-through along the path you want the ball to take.” – Jack Nicklaus (Born 1940), from the book: Play Better Golf: The Short Game and Scoring.

“Develop feel by putting uphill, then downhill.” – Tom Watson (Born 1949), winner of eight Majors.

"The key to good putting is the pace of the ball. In many cases, pace is more important than line.” – Ben Crenshaw (Born 1952), winner of the Masters in 1984 and 1995.

“One way of ensuring that you don’t leave a putt short is to visualize another hole about a foot behind the real one, and that becomes your target.” – Nancy Lopez (Born 1957), who had 48 victories on the LPGA tour, including three Majors.

“Overestimate. Amateurs often fail to give their putts enough break or speed to reach the hole. Varying your putting scenarios in your warm-up will help get a better feel for line and speed that day. But when in doubt, overestimate both. Give every putt a chance to go in, and you can bet some of them will.” – Australian Jason Day (Born 1987), who won the 2015 PGA. 

It’s still very much winter here in Kansas City, but, just so you know, I have left very few putts short when I practice in my living room. 

Spring Is Coming!

Allan Stark

Photo Credits:

1) Me checking my list by Len.

2) Ball by hole by DesignPicsInc on DepositPhotos.