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Make your golf game efficient by keeping the ball in play, taking 3 strokes or less from 100 yards, being sure to hole out on the greens, and managing your strategy and mindset with a routine. ticular course as they were uneven and full of perceived perils. Azinger, who had only recently completed a successful round of chemotherapy and was all too familiar with challenges both on and off the golf course, stood nearby and took note of the young man's apprehension as he nerv- ously practiced his putt. Azinger asked if he could contribute an idea to the lesson that had proven to be very successful to him over the past year and instrumental to his win at the Hawaiian Open. He observed how, when you are playing with your friends and you don't make the first putt, the group says, "pick it up, it's good." The golfer out of habit always goes over and strikes the putt, sometimes even backhanded, and it always seems to go in. Azinger said that a good part of his success that past year had been thanks to saying this very thing to himself, "pick it up, it's good," before he would strike his putt. It allowed him the freedom to swing the putter freely and not worry about the consequences of missing the putt. He believed this thinking allowed him to make more than his share of putts. He went on to share that he had taken this same thought back to the fairway and a five-iron shot to the green. Wow! What a sense of confidence and freedom this created in his mind. The lesson was immediately clear to my student. This simple thought generated extraordinary performance. Those five little words became transformational. They created a metamorphosis of the mind, an attitude change that allowed the true athlete to emerge. These five simple words work on the putting green, they work on the tee, and they work in life. "Pick it up. It's good." I hope these ideas help you to think, create a strategy, and move your game forward in the new year. As all top players have coaches to support them with their games, the Pebble Beach Golf Academy and our dedicat- ed team of internationally renowned coaches are always available as a resource as well as your local PGA and LPGA golf professionals. We look forward to assisting you in the achievement of your goals for the game! Give these ideas a try and visit us at the Pebble Beach Golf Academy for more direction on your game improvement. Golf is a game we play for a lifetime and we encourage you to be a lifelong learner. Please contact us at 831/622-8650 to learn more. C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 1 91 Photo: Sherman Chu