FINDING A CFP con't from p. 3 Effective Transfer
Practice, Part II
Eric Alpenfels
TEE TIME continued
Director of Golf Instruction /
Golf Academy at the Pinehurst Resort TEE TIME con't. next column
provide and define each of your responsibilities.
Along with compensation, you’ll discuss how
long the professional relationship will last and
how you and he will make decisions.
2. Gather information about your finances
and set goals. You and your CFP® professional
will talk about your current financial situation
and gather any necessary documents. Together,
you’ll define your personal and financial goals,
including time frames. You may also want to
discuss your comfort level when it comes to
taking financial risks.
3. Analyze and strategize. Your CFP®
professional will take all your finances into
account and determine how to meet your goals.
Her analysis may cover your assets, liabilities
and cash flow, current insurance coverage,
investments or tax strategies.
4. Develop recommendations. Your
CFP® professional will go over his financial
recommendations, explaining the rationale
so you can make informed decisions. He will
address your questions and concerns and revise
his recommendations if necessary.
5. Put plan into motion. You and your
CFP® professional will need to agree on how
the recommendations will be carried out.
Your CFP® professional may carry out the
recommendations herself or serve as your coach,
coordinating the process with you and other
professionals, like attorneys or stockbrokers.
6. Monitor progress and stay on track. As
you work towards your goals, you and your
CFP® professional will need to decide who
will monitor your progress to make sure you’re
staying on track. If the planner is in charge,
he’ll check in from time to time, reviewing your
situation and making any necessary adjustments
to his recommendations.
Above all else, you should have confidence
that whichever financial planner you
choose is competent and ethical. Financial
planners earn CFP® certification by meeting
education, examination, experience and ethics
requirements. In addition to delivering general
financial planning services, many financial
planners are also registered as investment
advisors or hold insurance or securities licenses
that allow them to buy or sell products. ☐
For more info, see ad p. 5.
by Eric Alpenfels
As mentioned
in the first article
of this series,
making swing
changes on the
range tends to
be much easier
for most golfers
when compared
to taking those
swing changes to
the course. Many
issues affect this
process, but from
my experience,
the lack of
success stems
from the golfer
not practicing
on the range
in a way that
prepares them
for the course.
No doubt, most
golfers have had
the experience
of hitting the
ball well on the
range and then
losing the new found magic by the first tee. The
goal when practicing on the range should be to
practice in a way that carries the swings desired
to the course. With the goal of taking technique
changes made on the range to the course, the
following two of six “Effective Transfer Practice”
guidelines are offered. Future articles will
expand on the remaining four factors in greater
detail.
Effective Transfer Practice Guideline #1
Practice the Right Way
There are two basic practice environments
you can utilize when working on your game.
The first, “Skill Practice,” is reserved primarily
for the range and utilizes repetition to help
make the desired swing changes. In this case,
one would hit multiple balls with the same
club at the same target. Little time would be
taken between swings and the primary focus
would be the incorporation of one or two swing
cues. Additional clubs may be introduced, but
typically club selection is limited. The second
practice environment is called “Transfer
Practice.” This strategy highlights practicing
swing changes under the conditions to mimic
the course. Ideally, this type of practice would
be conducted on the course. But for many,
practicing on the course is not an option. If this
is the case, games or challenges can be used to
help create the golf course environment. Below
you will find three effective “Transfer Practice”
games that are easy to play on the range as well
as helpful in carrying swing changes from the
range to the course.
Full Swing Transfer Practice
Play Your Favorite Course
In this case, the golfer plays his or her
favorite nine holes on the range. Let’s say the
first hole is a 450-yard par 5 that doglegs slightly
to the right. Pick targets on the range to mimic
the width of the fairway and hit your tee shot.
Next, determine the club you would hit to leave
yourself an easy approach shot to the green.
Once again, pick targets on the range too mimic
the width of the fairway and hit the shot. The
goal of this game is to determine how many
fairways and greens you would hit in regulation
and attempt to improve your performance the
next time.
Iron Transfer Practice – Bad Lie Challenge
First, search out an area on the tee that lacks
much grass. From this spot, hit ten 7-irons and
determine how solid the shots were stuck from
the less than perfect lie. Next, hit ten more
shots from similar lies and try to improve on
the number of solid shots. Last, follow the same
routine and hit shots from divots once again
learning the technique necessary to hit the
ball solid while also trying to improve on your
results.
Wedge Transfer Practice
Distance Control Challenge
First, place targets at 25, 45 and 65 yards
away from your practice station. Next, alternate
between the targets trying to land the ball as
close to each target as possible. One point is
awarded when the ball lands within five paces
of the target. Play the game until you secure ten
points. Keep track of the number of balls it takes
to win the game and see if you are able to beat
that score the next time you play the game. Or
narrow the distance the ball must land from the
target from five paces to four if you are up for a
greater challenge.
Effective Transfer Practice Guideline
#2-Practice the Right Things
Improved performance on the course starts
with making the right changes to your technique
during practice sessions on the range. You must
have a clear idea on what swing issues need to
be addressed to resolve the undesired ball flight.
In short, if you practice the wrong things, then
you most likely will not see a positive change.
In fact, you might even make things worse. The
goal is determining the most effective swing
thought or thoughts that will help the change
occur. Obviously, this is easier said than done.
For most golfers, a good starting point is to put
attention to the ball’s flight and determine what
impact factor is the most important to address.
For example, if the ball curves too much then
the clubface would be a good focus area to
minimize the slice or hook. If the initial starting
direction is too much to the right or left of the
target then attention to the club’s path through
impact might be a good starting point. The first
step to making a swing change is to determine
what change needs to be made, and then
determine what are the most effective ways you
can address the issue. ☐
No. 138 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.9