Putt the Ball in the Hole

The strokes you take on the green during your golf game wind up being about 40 percent of your score. wild, isn't it? We spend $500 on drivers to gain 10 yards and give it all away in just one or two three-putts and/or missed four-footers. As a corollary, we could use a 1970's laminated driver with some knock-off, found-in-the-garage irons and score the same as our most technologically advanced pals if we just shaved a few strokes off our putting game.

I know, "Drive for show, putt for dough." is what the guys that can't hit the bomb are always saying. I know that the guy that pounds it farthest is "The man". OK. I have been playing for over forty years and am on average one the longest hitters in the groups I hang with. That being said, my best rounds (and most Nassau wins) have been when I reign in the big swing and drain some putts.

Over the last twenty-five years my handicap has remained fairly constant around twelve to thirteen. That has been in the face of declining frequency of play and plowing through the fifty year-old barrier. How? Putting!

Putting is simply a combination of three key ingredients:

1. Mind
2. Reading
3. Execution

In this article I address the mind. No smoke, no mirrors, just how you mentally approach your putting.

Some years ago, I was reading some self-improvement books and came upon one that was something like "Learn While You Sleep". I just tried to find it by goggling and couldn't locate the exact book. That is not important. What is important is not the techniques taught in the book, but the concept that I came away with and have held ever since. The book was about letting your subconscious train your conscience during sleep, but I found that I could convince myself of certain things while fully conscious. This is the old "talk yourself into it" concept.

years after I read this book and while putting on a practice green, I drained a few 20 footers. I stepped back and realized that before I had made those putts, I expected that they were going to fall. The hole was huge, the ball was a bee-bee and my putter was a target rifle. Without realizing it, I had convinced myself of future success.

If you believe you will make the putt, you will have a great chance of making that putt. If you can't find that comfort, step back and gain the confidence. If you can't get it during that round, fine, get on the practice green later and gain it. If I did this with my garage-sale putter, lack of confidence, and intermittent jeering of pals, you easily can do it.

As positive as this article is, I hate to bring in the negative. I do so only to remind you of what you have felt so many times. "I can't make this putt but I hope to get it close enough so that I have a gimmee." "It's down hill with a good bit of break; hope I can two-putt it."

horse manure! You own the green! Three-putt? That is what your opponents do. You are a putting machine. Your putts eat the holes up. Now go out there and prove yourself correct. Stayed tuned for the next two articles on reading greens and then the technique to swat that beebee in the bushel basket.

Randall Ulbricht works from home sharing information via several web sites, including:
Article Outlet and
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Camping With Beautiful Views of the Desert, Lake and Mountains in Tonto National Forest

Tonto national Forest has almost 3,000,000 acres and is the largest of the six national Forests in arizona. Landscapes range from Saguaro cactus deserts to lakes and pine-forested mountains. Elevations range from 1,400 feet in the Sonoran Desert to 7,400 feet in the Mogollon Rim. Much of the area is covered by cacti (primarily giant Saguaro). The cactus colonies merge with bushes, chaparral and grasslands above 4,000 feet, while the higher hills to the north support varied woodland habitats including juniper, mixed fir and ponderosa pine.

Besides desert and mountains, Tonto national Forest contains lakes/reservoirs, river valleys, canyons and flat plains. It also contains eight separate national wilderness areas with limited access. The land in these wilderness areas is generally steep and rough, without many trails, and has harsh weather for most of the year.

To the southwest, Tonto national Forest is bordered by the edge of the Superstition Wilderness and New River Mountains. To the north, it's bordered by three other national Forests - Prescott, Coconino and Apache national Forests. And to the east, it's bordered by the fort Apache and san Carlos Indian Reservations. The northern boundary is defined by the Mogollon Rim, ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 feet, that forms the southern edge of the great Colorado Plateau, which stretches for over 100 miles across central arizona.

Two campgrounds that have beautiful views of just a few of the diverse landscapes of Tonto national Forest are Tortilla and Cholla campgrounds. While both of these campgrounds are located in beautiful desert areas, Tortilla campground has beautiful views of the bluffs and mountains of the Superstition Wilderness and Cholla campground overlooks Theodore Roosevelt lake.

Tortilla campground is on a ridge along Tortilla Creek next to Apache Trail Scenic Byway. With 77 RV and tent camp sites in the middle of a beautiful desert landscape, you would think that this campground, like so many national Forest campgrounds, would not provide any sort of RV hook up. Well, surprisingly, all sites have water and sewer hook up - a much appreciated desert campground amenity!

In addition to the beautiful views of the native desert vegetation, at an elevation of 1,870 feet, the campground has excellent views of the rugged bluffs in the Superstition Wilderness from most camp sites. Getting to Tortilla campground via The Apache Trail, or AZ 88 as it is officially known, also provides magnificent views of the Superstition Mountains and Wilderness. Desert vegetation provides good separation between camp sites at Tortilla.

Cholla campground, like Tortilla, is surrounded by desert vegetation. It overlooks Roosevelt lake, with many sites having direct but distant views of the lake. Beware that because the campground is a distance away from the lake, if the water is low, you may not be able to see it. Water levels are dependent on the weather and the need for water in phoenix.

This campground is at an elevation of 2,200 feet and is much larger than Tortilla with 206 RV and tent camp sites. No hook ups are available at this campground. Roosevelt lake is the one of the largest in the state and like other lakes in this area, summer water temperatures can exceed 90 degrees F. The last few years has seen a dramatic reduction in the water level, largely due to the need to maintain supply to the other lakes on the Salt River downstream. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of boating and swimming opportunities for much of the year.

Tortilla and Cholla campgrounds are like two oases in the desert for campers looking for campgrounds with beautiful views of a few of the varied natural landscapes of Tonto national Forest. Camping with beautiful views of desert landscapes, a lake and rugged mountainous terrain of the Superstitious Wilderness area is just a small part of what Arizona's largest national forest has to offer.

Carl Zimmerman is dedicated to finding campgrounds with beautiful views. For more information, visit http://www.campingwithaview.com/NF/AZ/TontoNF.htm for Tonto national Forest and visit http://www.campingwithaview.com/NF/NF.htm for all national Forests campgrounds with beautiful views.

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