We have taken the liberty to add friends with whom we wanted to share our newsletter. As with all transmissions these days, our emailed notice doesn't have to be in your inbox. If you prefer not to be notified every two months, just let us know.
In the interest of dealing with the "spam" issue, we are continuing the policy of sending a URL rather than the entire document.

One Under Par
Volume 5, number 5.

A Newsletter from KeyGolf...... October, 2004

Signs

We are making a small departure with this edition of One Under Par. Once in awhile, someone provides us with “bragging rights,” so we hope that you will enjoy seeing what we have found great relish in reading.

Recently, a player - David - from Rotterdam, Netherlands, who had acquired a copy of the Double Connexion, sent us an email to let us know that there was a very “nice” compliment for clear keys on the Single Axis Golf Forum. What we found, as we surmised, was from a Canadian player - Lyle - who found our book back in July. Since aliases are generally part of forum posting, we sent him an email to confirm that it was who we suspected, and if so to ask if he would permit our using his words to share with our newsletter readers. He confirmed both for us, so what follows is first, his email back to us, and second, his original forum post. The quotes are followed by one from David, as well. If the ”noise” we make sounds like we are pleased, you have heard a genuine sound.

Lyle replied to our email with this:

"Hi Carey, 

I am the guilty one.

I have made a few comments on a couple of websites about your Clear Key approach and what it is doing for my game and for my consistency. I hope that I have not given away too many secrets, but I when I come across something that works well, I just find it exciting and have a strong desire to share what I do with others.   
As I mentioned in the posts, after reading much of the ebook, I began using my Clear Key when putting with the result that my weight was consistently better. The first time I used it on the course for all shots, I scored a 5 under 67, with a bogey on the easy par 5 eighteenth.  Frankly, I thought about my score on that last tee and hooked my drive a little into a small pocket of trees.  

A life long golfing friend of mine actually laughed when I told him what I was thinking about when I swung.  On Monday he took me to a difficult course that I had not played before, where being able to maneuver the ball was essential. Eighteen holes later and my pocket filled with a significant amount of his money, he asked, "How the hell can you play so well on a course that you had never seen before?"  I just replied that, "The Key to my approach was Clear," laughed and bought him a couple of drinks. 

Thank you for making this brilliant approach available to golfers and if you would like to use something that I have said in your newsletter or on your website, by all means, go right ahead. 

Thanks again, 
Lyle A."

Lyle's prior post on the Single Axis Forum:

“I have recently experimented with Carey Mumford's Clear Key concept, and have been amazed at the results. Repeating a non-golf related clear key while setting up and swinging was a laughable idea for me at one time as I have almost always been a swing thought golfer. I tried it for the first time during putting and was shocked at my ability to judge the distance of my putts. The uneasy sensation of not doing anything consciously while putting initially left me feeling insecure, however, the results spoke for themselves. After a few rounds of playing this way while putting I tried it on my full swing, on the course. Six under par standing on the 18th tee, I realized that with a par or birdie on an easy par 5, I would have the second best round of my life. Bad, results orientated thought. Hooked the ball into trouble, made bogey and scored 67, good, but somewhat disappointing that I failed to employ a non-golf related thought, at a critical point in the game. However, was pleased with the overall results. The feeling of swinging using Clear Keys is like another golfer has taken over my mind and body and swings for me. He is obviously better than me, judging by the results.

At the risk of being ridiculed, my clear key is Moe's [Norman] robot poem. ("I have a little robot, that goes around with me...") After taking my grip I just recite the poem and before you know it, the ball is in the hole. Yah, right! Bizarre as it sounds, this just works for me. What has helped me a lot as well, is Mumford's 32-Ball routine. Four balls thinking about mechanics(manual) followed by four balls using the clear key(automatic), and this repeated 4 times, before doing something else (chipping/putting or whatever) It is important to practice how you are going to play on the course and that is why he wants the 4 balls using the clear key. Most of us hit balls to practice and then go play. I have read Mumford's e-book a couple of times and it all makes so much sense. In my mind, it puts the Rotella stuff, in its proper place.”

David wrote:

"Yesterday [I] played a competition round using clearkey for all full shots and from a ball-striking point of view it was one of my best ever. Tempo still feels quicker but that doesn't seem to matter, the quality of strike was generally very good. The only poor shots were when I experienced what you might call " interference " - for instance 1) the teeshot after making a stunning birdie on our 2nd hole ( very rare ). 2) trying to play a big swinging hook round some trees. 3) when a group of fellow players stopped to watch us teeing off. 4) taking a driver on a hole where I knew I really shouldn't. In each case the clearkey wasn't strong enough somehow and I lost focus.

I also felt my concentration level was much better overall, didn't get the usual dip around the 12th for instance and finished quite strongly. So that's another plus. Now to start using clearkey on my short game..."

And, in a later message from David:

"Today equalled my personal record of 77, no lucky long putts or chip-ins, just solid golf ( by my standards anyway ). Concentration once more remained good, finished with plenty of energy thinking clearly."

And our very real thanks to Lyle and David for giving us a few surprising moments of mirth and satisfaction.

************************* *********************************************************************************** *****************************

Reminders for Applying Clear Keys

While it doesn't happen every day, we do get a number of questions that relate to how clear keys are applied. Mostly, those questions come after someone has had either a marginal or mysterious experience with them and is unable to detect the cause of something that appeared "not to work." We have only rarely found a question that pointed to an "exception to the rule" that we had not heard before, but let it be known by all clear key users that it would be strange, indeed, if there were no exceptions. What we recommend is, that if you bump into something that appears to be such an exception, please let us know. That way we can help you confirm it, or give you feedback that will dispose of any mystery connected to your personal experience. That also helps us to help others keep their keys "clear."

Here are a few items that we might "tag" as "tips."

Insure that your clear key is long enough to begin before your swing starts and last until it is complete at the end of your follow-through.

Be sure to keep the clear key going, without any silent spaces, from the very end of pre-shot until the ball is gone. Leaving even the slightest gap in your key invites invasion from conscious thought. If that happens, (it doesn't always, but why take the chance?) it bumps the automatic process right out of the saddle, and you're back to manual. (There is no "semi-automatic" in golf).

Determine that you are maintaining the recommended time frames for moving from pre-shot planning through execution to your "finish." Overall one has about 13-14 seconds before the guardianship of the clear key begins to fade. 5-6 seconds are needed between the end of pre-shot and the beginning of actual execution. It takes that long for the system to "shift gears" from manual to automatic. Allow that to fit togther. Don't try to "force" a fit. While time frames have some flexibility, it is best not to wander from the parameters we mention here.

Develop the habit of staying "clean" with your clear key use. In other words, don't interrupt the process once it has begun. If any short circuit occurs, learn to stop and start over. For instance, avoid practice swings or any manual considerations after your key starts. Such interruptions tend to cancel the automatic action.

Back your clear key up. Build and practice with a second key that has the same pentameter, pace and rhythm as your "A" key. Call it a "B" key. Occasionally you may start a round and feell just a tad off what we refer to as being "in sync." For whatever reasons, the flow isn't as usual. Just switch to your "B" key for awhile (the rest of the nine or the round). Players report that as a satisfactory remedy. Practicing with both keys avoids any possibility of one's system's not being familiar with the second one, thus given to minor, or major, glitches.

Remember that a clear key does not "lead" in pace or rhythm. Those two characteristics come from your natural swing. To "discover" what is "natural" for you, work solely on clear key (ignore mechanics at that point even in pre-shot. Just tell yourself you want what is natural), until you find two things - what feels comfortable and what gets a sound result in ball flight. Your swing is the leader. Clear key is like the table cloth, which does not support the dishes. It only keeps the top of the table clean ("clear").

A clear key needs to be "in sync" with your own swing.

Do not be concerned about small, or minor, variations in your rhythm and pace from day to day. That is another mark of humanity. We are not exactly the same two days in a row - maybe once in awhile, but certainly not always. If you notice something greater than "small or minor," however, check it out with us, since that might indicate something significant for your game.

When pressure increases, render your clear key at least loud enough for you to hear yourself whisper or sing it. It has been well documented that "out loud" is stronger and less prone to being displaced by a conscious swing thought than doing it "inside the head." Should anyone laugh or remark, just use Lyle's response: "The Key to my approach was Clear." LOL

Practice with clear keys alone (without working on your technique or motion) until you have solid familiarity with the process. It may help occasionally to do that as a refresher, as well.

When using the 32 ball drill, be sure to take mini "breaks," in between the fours by raking up four more balls. That's enough break. Follows the learning principle that "we learn best in short doses, one thing at a time, with little rest breaks in between."

Occasionally, play nine (or 18) without any more thought about "mechanics" than using a swing key in preshot. In other words, do that without working on your physical game. That will offer opportunity to apply diagnosis to any needs you may have for adjustment, refinement of a "rusty" spot, or even something new that needs attention. By doing it that way, you will get as close as any of us can come to a neutral (objective) view of the overall condition of your game. That will, in turn, let you know what you need to attend to in practice, if anything is needed. It also avoids being drawn into just practicing for the sake of practicing and messing around with something that really does not need attention (which is a good way to disturb what is already working well).

Avoid allowing yourself any intentional attempt to match "points of reference" in execution to the words (or points of reference) in your key. In other words, make no effort to "take it back" on the first or second word, etc. Just allow that to happen natually. It will likely fall into a pattern, but that does not need your focus of attention at all. "Forcing" that issue will cancel your application of the automatic principle.

Finish your clear key. Don't let if wander off just after impact. It should continue till you literally complete your follow through. Not finishing your key encourages deceleration of the swing before impact. While that is very subtle, it happens frequently to players in the manual mode, and creeps into automatic if the key is not continued with normal intensity till the follow through is complete.

Use clear keys with every shot. That is not because they are absolutely necessary for every shot, but consistent use means that you will not be caught off guard and it will lead to your playing consistently. Becoming "consistent" means doing things consistently.

By all means, always use a pre-shot moment even when you practice, so that your practice matches the way you play. Only then will you be able to play the way you practice. And use your clear keys with both the learning moments and the more routine moments. The clear key process is not amenable to "sometimes" use. It works best when used all the time as your focus of attention following pre-shot.

Occasional "leakage" in this process is normal. No human can avoid an occasional lapse. Good management indicates that we should ignore what is occasional. If it is something that becomes a pattern, then address it. Leakage is most apt to come from past experience that concentrated on swing mechanics as the active ingredient in execution. One cannot "break" that habit. We can only build a new one (using clear key) strong enough to displace the old one.

Learn to focus solid attention on your clear key each time you use it. Once you use clear key for awhile (time varies with each of us), you may notice that your key tends to feel or seem "habitiual," and wants to "get lost" or "trail off" from your mental screen. That's when it becomes important to recognize that you must "pay attention" to your focus. Rehearse your clear key as part of pre-shot if that happens, or switch to your "B" key. We do not generally recommend any frequent changing to a competely new key, since that requires time to build it in, but it can be done. Just be sure that you give sufficient time for familiarity to take hold and make sure that you maintain the pentameter (length, pace and rhythm) of your "old" key.

Postscript: About ten years ago, I was playing out in California with a friend who was well into the clear key process. Suddenly, he hit what was truly a squandered shot. He began to laugh and I asked him "What happened?" Still chuckling, he blurted out, "I was trying to hit my clear key and hit the space bar instead!" So do not fret, if occasionally you get a "mis-dial." Just continue with the process. One miss is an exception. Three or four in a row might need attention.

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." (Clear key of Chris Bitticks, 2004 N. Cal. PGA Champion).

===============================
We have placed past issues in our Archives .
Let us know if you have questions or comments.