ZoneGolf123 Core Concepts: Simple Solutions for a Complex Game

By Brian Burke

It has been said that golf looks so easy, so why is it so hard? For years, I was just like so many golfer, struggling to develop my "feel" around the green. With a growing family and a military career, it left me with less and less time to practice. After designing the ZoneGolf123 system, I realized that I had "cracked the code" on the short game. I designed a system that was now as easy to execute as the game looked. I knew I changed the way the short game should be evaluated and executed. This change in paradigm replaces the "old" with the "new". From trying to manipulate the club to hit a spot on the green to knowing that you can hit close to that spot over and over again under any kind of pressure. By using a few Key Performance Indicators (KPI's), I was not only able to execute shots around the green consistently, I was able to document how it happened. By discovering how far shots went in practice, I was able to trust it on the course. By following this easy to use formula you too can excel at the short game.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Dec 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098330385

Book preview

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Brian T. Burke, MS, USGTF Associate Member, GFS

2020 Web Self Published

From why we do what we do in golf to specifics on how to deal with the good, the bad and the ugly during practice and our rounds of golf, this manual provides powerful insightful, solid suggestions and guidance on how a paradigm shift in our short game can improve performance around the green.

All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (ZoneGolf123LLC), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden.

The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, etc., in this publication, even if the former are not especially identified, is not to be taken as a sign that such names, as understood by the Trademarks and Merchandise Marks Act, may accordingly be used freely by anyone. Design and Production managed by Brian T. Burke.

© Brian Burke 2020

ISBN: 978-1-09833-037-8

eBook ISBN: 978-1-09833-038-5

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

NOTES:

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

1: Psychology of Golf

Our Primal Brain

Core Human Needs and Drives

2: ZG123 Foundation

Comparative Advantage

Key Performance Indicators

3: Benefits Of Systemization

Systemization

Deconstruction

Reorganization

Measurements

Guiding Structure

Meditation

Probability

Improving Systems

Optimization

Resiliency

4: Normal Operations

Interpretation/Reinterpretation

Predictability

Pattern Matching/Mental Simulation

Developing SOP’s

Fail Safe

Norms

Stress Testing

Normal Accidents

Margins of Error

Checklists

5: Faults And Fixes

Garbage in/Garbage out

Locus of Control

Feedback

Stasis/ Intervention Bias

Environment

Inhibition, Risk and Willpower Depletion

Tightly Coupled Complex Systems

Loosely Coupled Complex Systems

Causation and Correlation

Excessive Self Regard Tendency

Conflict, Permission and Submission

Conscious and Unconscious Mind

Expectation Management

Hindsight Bias

Performance Load

Procrastination

6: Preventing Disasters

Course Management- Core Principles of Course Management

How to Score Better Through Proper Golf Course Management

The First Steps

Do What You Do Best

Build a Conservative Plan

Harness the Power of Uphill

Avoid the Dreaded Short Side

Start Thinking Two Shots Ahead

Doomsday Scenario

7: When Things Come Off The Rails

Attachment and Acceptance

Uncertainty

Second and Third Order Effects

Cessation of Energy

8: ZG123 System Overview

9: Levels Of The ZG123 System

First Things First

Keeping it Simple

Beginner Level: Solid Contact

Intermediate Level 1: Start Developing Your Yardage Chart

Intermediate Level 2: Variations in Speed and Clubs

Advanced Level: Maximize Variations

Grass Thickness Factor

Slope Factor

ZG123 Putting System

10: Various Lies And Trouble Shots With The ZG123 System

Uphill

Downhill

Side Hill Lies- Ball Above the Feet

Side Hill Lies-Ball Below the Feet

Fairway/Mild Rough/Heavy Rough

Trajectory Determination

Under Trees

Over Trees

Around Trees

Sand Play

Starting Around the Green

Short Distances (<20yds.)

Medium Distance (20-60yds.)

Long Distance (>60 yds.)

Ground Cover (Pine Straw/Leaves)

11: Competition

Benefits of Competition

Stress and Recovery from Competition

Testing and Feedback in Competition

Scenario Planning for Competition

Sustainable Growth Cycle

Locus of Control in Competition

Attachment in Competition

Comparison Fallacy and Mystique

The Middle Path

Hedonic Adaptation

12: Instruction

True Cost of Traditional Golf Instruction

Comparative Advantage of Instruction

Safety

Procrastination Regarding Instruction

Motivation

Goals

13: Personal Research And Development

Limiting Beliefs

Negative Self -Talk

Experimental Mindset

Commitment and Consistency

Focus and Attention

Feedback

Just the Beginning

Appendix

Beginning Level

Intermediate Level

Advanced Level

NOTES:

I dedicate this book to golfers all over the world, regardless of race, religion, age, gender or ability.

It is my hope that you find the ZG123 system as an invaluable asset to improve your short game and adopt it to help you enjoy this wonderful game for years to come.

Trust and Enjoy the Process! - Doc B.

Preface

It all started for me when I was in middle school. I was leaving for the day and walked by a classroom of kids laughing and having fun. I poked my head in to see what they were doing and saw my science teacher. He invited me in to join in the fun. They were organizing a golf team and the kids were tasked with a challenge, putt a ball about ten feet, hit a tee that was on the ground and stop it before it hit the wall. I watched a couple of the kids attempt it and thought it was pretty cool.

I was a left-handed batter on the baseball team so when they handed me a right-handed putter, I turned it around and used the back end. It was tricky trying to hit the ball on the edge of a backwards putter, but I did it – and I was able to do pretty well, getting close to hitting the tee and stopping the ball before it hit the wall.

The coach explained how this was the goal, to control both speed and direction. I was hooked. I loved the idea of the challenge; that it was not a team that I had to rely on to win at an event, it was all my performance. It was a forgone conclusion when the coach asked me if I wanted to try out for the team, but I only had one problem, I didn’t have any clubs. He told me to look for some over the weekend and that we would be getting together on Monday afternoon to go to the local course to hit on the driving range. I left that day on a quest to find something I could use to play golf.

That night, I told my mother about my dilemma. We did not have extra money to buy clubs from a store, so that weekend we set out to a few garage sales. We hit a few houses that had yard sales, but only one had a club. It was a lady’s countess 2 wood; not exactly ideal, but I looked at it and saw the potential to turn it into a left-handed club.

I paid two dollars, and later that day, I talked my mother into visiting my great-grandfather to see if he could help with the modifications I was contemplating. I showed him the club and we went to his shed with all his cool tools and began the transformation. He suggested we cut off the back of the club and add a metal face to it with two screws. I used his saw to cut where he suggested while he got the drill ready and found a piece of aluminum to use as the plate. We cut the metal into a size that would fit the area and drilled the holes. He taught me how to countersink them and used two flat head screws so that it was flush with the face of the club.

After getting the metal on the club, he used his grinder to match the face with the club and a left-handed club was born. It was light since we had to cut off that back brass weight and it was about three degrees since I had no idea about loft yet, but it worked. I was very excited to test out our creation the next week. I’ll never forget the time I was able to spend with him to make my vision of converting a two-dollar Countess 2 wood to a left-handed club for me to use.

(Depiction of what the final product looked like)

The next week, I met up with my classmates and we went over to the local golf course. Everyone had a bag and a set of clubs, while I was holding my single club. I remember the funny looks as I made my way to the driving range. The coach looked perplexed and I explained my weekend search and how I ended up having to make some modifications to a right-handed club in order to make it fit my natural left-handed swing. They had me try hitting right-handed, working to dismiss my left-handed notions. It felt awkward and clumsy, not fluid like my baseball swing. I told him I wanted to see if it felt better to hit the other way before committing to trying more right-handed. He reluctantly agreed, and as he went over how to take it back and through, I watched carefully and listened intently.

I swung the club a few times and it felt much more fluid and comfortable left-handed; it just felt natural for me. He taught me how the tee the ball up and I took a few cuts at it before addressing the ball. I began hitting balls and was beginning to make contact, but I realized very quickly that the face was not lofted enough to lift the ball off the ground very high. I remember hitting them about 10 feet off the ground and running forever. I continued hitting balls, modifying my techniques to get different results, and before I knew it, I started hitting them to the 200-yard marker.

As we wrapped up for the afternoon, the coach advised me that this was only a temporary solution. I needed a set of clubs to be on the team and compete on the course. I look back, however, and think the coach was impressed that I even took the initiative to do what I did to make a club work for me, let alone actually be able to hit it.

I took this information home and told my family about my day, how the club worked but had issues with the loft and how the coach said I needed a set of clubs to be on the team. A few days later, I went to the next practice and used my single club again with the same results. When I finished up my great-grandfather was there to pick me up. But before we headed home, he opened the trunk and to my surprise, he had bought me a brand new, shiny set of Wilson clubs from K-mart.

These Pro only labeled Wilson clubs made me feel special and I tried to live up to the name. I was already tall and remember that I had to modify my swing to hit shots straight. In hindsight years later, I realized that the regular flexed shafts bent way too much with my swing speed and later I would even struggle with stiff shafts, as they were still too flexible for my swing speed. It was not until 2016 that I found a set of irons with X-stiff shafts that have matched to my swing speed/torque and now allow me to hit the ball without too much lateral deviation in my ball flight.

Getting my first glimpse of those K-mart clubs is a memory I will never forget. I didn’t think I would be on the team since we could not afford stuff like this – yet my family pulled it together. They saw that I was passionate about the game and they got me what I needed to play for real. Little did I know then how much this game would change my life. I would even dare to say may have even saved my life. It gave me purpose and kept me out of trouble. It has been a game for a lifetime and set me in a direction that ultimately allowed me to provide this system to the world.

Brian T. Burke

Acknowledgements

First off, none of this would have materialized without my great grandfather. I thank him for taking the time to care about a little kids dream and providing me with the tools of golf that have been my friend and confidant over the years. It has now come to this self-actualization, where I am honored to release my system to the world. I know he is looking down and proud to see this dream come true. He will always hold a special place in my heart.

Next, I would like to express my gratitude for the unflagging support of my family and their support believing in me and my dream, specifically Jonathon, Alex, Nick, Makenzie, and Madie, for the continued support even if they tease me about having the Golf Channel on every television in the house.

In addition, there are a few special people who have gone above and beyond to support this project.

To Annie Self, she has been an amazing help to get my book covers done with a professional touch. Then there is my sister Christina who took on the editor role to clean it up a bit. And I can’t forget my web designer, Pablo Hernandez of H5 Graphics, who was instrumental in designing my logo for ZoneGolf123 and the abbreviated ZG123 logo which is now becoming a recognized name in the world of instructional golf.

I wanted to thank Butch Harmon for taking the time to review the package I passed on to him at his golf school located at the Rio Secco Golf Club in Henderson, NV. His encouraging words helped me to follow my dream that has now become a reality.

And finally, I want to thank all of the golfers who have evaluated ZG123 and provided positive feedback on the simplicity and consistency of the system which helped to validate its reliability and usefulness for golfers of all abilities. For adopting the system into your own games, it truly is an honor to be able to serve you and I hope to serve many more.

Writing ZoneGolf123, Simple Solutions for a Complex Game, has been my way of giving back to the game that has provided me so much over the years. Enjoy!

Brian Burke

1

Psychology of Golf

Golf is an amazing game! With all its ups and downs it generates all kinds of emotions throughout our experience. In this chapter I present some of the psychology surrounding the reason why I feel that this game brings about such an emotional response. What keeps us coming back even when we may not have had a particularly good day at the course. Why do we get so competitive with ourselves and others while playing this crazy game?

In my research, I found that there is a possible link to our most primal instincts that keeps us coming back and what could be the source for our incessant need to get better at this game that can be so difficult at times. I also describe the core human drives, social signals and why most want to do well in front of people we play golf with.

Our Primal Brain

During an April 2018 podcast with Dr. Peter Attia on You Tube, Joe Rogan discussed archery with the good doctor and a parallel began to form in my mind. He mentioned that he thought there is something to hitting a target far away that is in our DNA, that’s connected to hunting and connected to survival, connected to the thousands of years of people who threw spears, axes, shot arrows and guns. He felt like when they hit their target, they knew their tribe would be eating that night and they got a charge, a shot of dopamine release that let them know they accomplished something difficult and wonderful at the same time.

So, could hitting a target in golf generate this same reaction in our modern brain? My answer is a resounding yes! We may not need to hunt our prey for survival anymore, but sports like golf may give us that primal charge our ancestors felt when they were providing sustenance for their families and friends.

If you have ever hit a tight fairway