IN TO OUT (NOT YOUR CLUB PATH)

CASE STUDY:
HOW HAS INDOOR PRACTICE
CHAnGED MY OUTDOOR GAME?

By Brian Borichevsky - Founder & CEO - ROK Golf

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INTRODUCTION

Nope… this article is not about what you may think it is about.

I am NOT the golf swing guru at ROK Golf (that would be Gerald and Dan) and thereby this article has nothing to do with swing path, launch direction or hitting a draw instead of a fade.

“Has it helped?” / “Have you seen a difference?”.

Those are the questions I get asked on the regular.  This article is the answer!

Has the regular indoor practice / training / lessons, all in ROK Golf Trackman powered bays hitting 1000's of golf balls taken this  10 index "bogey golfer" plagued with inconsistency and turned him into something different?  Something far better? 

( In your best Carrie Bradshaw head voice with, of course, the Sex in the City tune in the background )

Has my INDOOR practice improved my OUTDOOR game?

For a very long time it had been difficult to answer those questions.  Simply, I have not had spent enough time on the golf course to know (starting a business while starting a family... not recommended).

However, now that I have some staff at ROK Golf and the kiddo is almost a year old, I have found my way to the golf course a few times and I have the answer: YES!

Answer: Not only has my indoor practice improved my outdoor game… it has transformed it!

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I AM JACK's BOGEY GOLF GAME

Before starting ROK Golf I was a typical mid-level golfer.

85 was a good round, 90 was typical, 95 was poor but happened more frequently then I care to admit (I also play the majority of my golf on a very difficult golf course, Barton Creek, that punishes big misses off the tee severely... so I am a bit better than those numbers describe).  Like most non-professionals, I played 98% of the time vs. 2% practice (most of which was before a round).  Also like most non-professionals... I was not getting better, if anything I was getting worse and more frustrated.

Why so little practice?

Schedule, weather, inconvenience, annoying bugs, access to a good range, family duties, work... all of the reason you likely don't practice (Hint: This is why I created ROK Golf, but more on that in another blog). 

In a typical round I would hit some great shots... and some terrible shots.  Sometimes I would hit 2 decent shots in row and make a birdie!  Unfortunately at my home courses bad shots punish you more than good shots reward you... and my typical score reflected that reality.

I was beginning to lose hope that I would ever be anything but the golfer I was... the dreaded "bogey golfer".

Then I opened ROK Golf... and hope made a Tiger like comeback!

SIGNS of change

There were hints to my improvement in November 2018 when I qualified for and played in my club’s “Ryder Cup” known as the Barton Creek Cup.

I was in the not so prestigious C-Flight.

I played 3 matches in the event, 2 with a teammate and 1 individually.  My partner and I tied our first match and won the second.  My solo match was a bit different.  I dominated on my way to a 7&6 victory (and it should have been 8&7 to be honest). I was probably 2 over after 12 holes in tournament conditions under tournament pressure.

I struck the ball better than I ever have, I could have easily been under par except for one terrible decision and mediocre putting at best.  Most encouraging was my long tee game which was solid instead of my usual 3 to 5 holes where I end up "hitting 3" of the tee via OB or lost ball. It doesn't help that Barton Creek does not have a single "safe spot" off any tee on any hole.

While my swing and ball striking were awesome and I was excited, match play is different, and it was hard to quantify the true level of improvement.

Judgement was reserved.

burn it in - off season practice

During the peak indoor golf season (aka traditional golf off-season) of November through March I  focused on the growing the business and taking time for the new family leaving little time for traditional golf.

Try to find 6 hours for a round while working 7 days a week and having an infant at home!  Another reason I started ROK Golf.  I knew I was not the only one with that challenging of a schedule.

However, my indoor training continued, and I hit 1000’s of balls on Trackman in ROK Golf while stealing the occasional tip from our two excellent pros, Dan Suedbeck and Gerald Haynes.  One of the most critical things for me... the additions of  front view cameras to ALL of our bays... Game Changer!

The ability to see, feel and quantify the flaws in your swing through the technology in our bays combined with tips from our experienced staff creates an unparalleled opportunity for improvement.

The flaws revealed by the front view camera changed everything for me.  I spent the winter working hard on eliminating those flaws; most of which I was able to significantly improve or eliminate.

​I saw and felt the change happening... in my numbers and on the videos of my swings and on my virtual golf rounds.  I was striking the ball exceptionally (for me) and much more consistently.  My confidence was growing.

But would it transfer to outside?

Back to the course

Mid-April marked my return to outdoor golf via a charity tournament at UT Golf Club and the member-guest tournament at Barton Creek Fazio Foothills known as the DKR.

Following those events, and a few other rounds I was able to sneak in, I had the answer to the question I was often asked.

Has the indoor training helped my outdoor game?

ABSOLUTELY!!!

I am a new golfer.  A different golfer.  A far better golfer.

I will not go into the details of each round, but my ball striking and tee game over those events was drastically improved, incredible for me.

No… I am not a 0, or even a 3 or 4 (yet!).

And yes, I had some bad streaks in there where I reverted to the old me bit, but it was the exception, not the norm.

I am a 9.0 presently down from a 10 or 11 before I started ROK Golf.

I have only carded 3 rounds since my “transformation” so the index will take some time to come down, but the person on the course is night and day.

Those 3 rounds are an 82 and 85 at Barton Creek Fazio Foothills and an 89 from the tips at Austin Country Club just before the WGC Dell Matchplay.  Most of my rounds have been in tournaments with some flavor of scramble.

The difference between my old and new game is profound.

• Knowing you will make the swing you want vs. hoping that the swing you make was the one you wanted.
• Knowing what will happen when you hit the ball purely (KNOW YOUR GAME).
• The satisfaction of seeing, hearing and feeling pure shots.
• Having ability and confidence to play offensively off the tee and attack pins effectively jettisoning the defensive mindset of old.
• Drastically improved tee game yielding more opportunities to attack with scoring clubs instead of recover and scramble.
• Possessing a far better 60-120 yard game improved after hitting 1000's of wedges on Trackman each detailing my club head speed, launch, spin, carry, trajectory, etc.
• Drastically increased up-and-down percentage via frequently hitting my landing spot with desired trajectory and spin (yes, the chipping indoors made a HUGE difference).
• Making more birdies and pars because you are getting the ball closer to the hole in regulation more frequently!
• Expecting to hit fairways and greens... instead of hoping to hit fairways and greens.
• Tightening up my dispersion both left and right and distance.  My bad swings now stay in play where bad swings before would be out of play.

Golf is different and much more fun now.  The pleasure of hearing "wow" from your playing partners more than "rut roh" as your ball heads towards someones roof or pool.

​Has ROK Golf helped my outdoor game?

The answer is YES, 100%!

The hard work, 1000’s of informed swings and tips from Dan and Gerald at ROK Golf have transformed my swing and game.

My swing, nor game, is perfect.  It never will be (that is golf).  I still revert to an “old” swing or mentality a few shots a round and make poor decisions forgetting that I am the new me, not the old me. But that will change!

Soon the transformation will be complete as I put more time in on the course this season.

I was a 10 index that has never broken 80 before I started ROK Golf.

NOT FOR LONG!

THE RESULTS Flew IN ON A BIG BIG BIRD

The last hole I played before writing this article...

May 22, 2019
Fazio Foothills #18 - Par 5 - 550 Yards

I hit a good drive down the right side.  I avoided the pond left but was a bit blocked out by trees.

I had about 230 to the pin and 208 to cover the canyon in front of the green.  The green is about 40' up and on this day there was a cross wind with a good bit of hurt.

I couldn't get my 4-iron there, so I pulled the 5-wood which with the wind and elevation should have been a great number. I made a great swing and flushed it, dead on my line, boring through the wind.  We didn't see it come down but I figured I would have a decent look at eagle.

As we drove up to the green I was disappointed when I didn’t see ball.

The last 5-wood I hit into the green did not go well, I blew it 40 yards over the green after not realizing I was dead downwind.  That memory was fresh so I thought I was long.

After a few minutes I couldn't find it and said "oh well, let's go.  I will take an X."  I was not going to drive all the way back and hit another when there were people behind us and it was the last hole.

My friend went down to the green to hit his putt and said "dude, there is a big ball mark right here (about 15' in front of the pin)"  he scurried over to the hole and looked up at me, I knew it right then but walked over, looked down and there was my Bridgestone B330 in the cup!

My last shot was a holed out 5-wood from 230 40' uphill over trees a little into the wind... for an albatross. 
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​Has my game improved?

Brian Borichevsky
Founder & CEO - ROK Golf