We have the power to choose and our choices create the environment in which we operate. Furthermore, the choices tend to fall in the same range on the spectrum. Mmm...I'll try seems safe - and easy.
Yes, it may be safe, but it actually says nothing because I'll try requires no commitment. On the other hand, I will does require commitment and often, it's not so easy.
Tough times never last.
What has all this to do with golf?
A whole lot! Golf's not life, but it's a facet of life. Golf doesn't build character either, but often reveals it.
Happy New Year...now Let's Get Good!
Our best wishes to you and your families in this holiday season.
Regardless of the bad news surrounding our economy, we have much to be thankful for, much to share with those less fortunate than we are.
Barbara and I are truly thankful for your friendship. Thankfully, too, I have lived long enough to realize that our sport is but a small part in the grand scheme of things and it's not just scores and strokes, but the individuals who produce them that really matter.
Thankfully, too, we receive many holiday messages at this time of your, and we sincerely thank you for yours. We are truly blessed in having friends like you.
Ben and Barbara

Several guys have asked, so I'll respond to all. I hear all forms of this question, all the time..."Is such and such exercise considered speed work?"
Or, "How many sets should I do of this "speed drill?" Get it? Can you see the conflict in this question?
Speed has become a hot topic - much talked about but mostly misunderstood. Understand this guys...only speed is speed. The instant, the very millisecond, speed levels off, the drill or exercise is no longer speed work
You gotta know what you're after,and you gotta know what you're getting. Many are not getting what they're after when it comes to speed training. They think they are, but they're not. I'm not implying that what one is doing is "wrong", but I will promise you that a lot of "speed work" isn't.
Thankfully, in the past year or so, I've had the opportunity to experiment with speed training, particularly in golf, and privileged to have expert help in evaluating data.
Intensity not duration. Fast burst, then rest. After a maximum of 6 reps with the Speed Chain, for instance, speed diminishes. And typically, the first rep wasn't maximum speed. Following two minutes rest, after a maximum of 4 reps with chains, speed diminishes.
It's a very fine line between the right amount of speed work and too much and most are trying to do too much and wondering why speed plateaus or even decreases. We're gonna err on the side of too little - never too much (except experimental lab work, and that's usually me).
Another factor way underestimated is the importance of rest. Anaerobic exercise obviously has serious impact on the neuromuscular system, and even the central nervous system reaches fatigue much more quickly than most believe. Rest is the only cure. Gains, obviously, aren't gained during exertion, but during periods of rest.
You can bet that I'm not saying don't train. And, you probably know that nobody's gonna outwork us. What I am saying is that we must be knowledgeable speed training. And, that there's a lot of information, unproven information, and stuff that's flat out wrong being passed off as speed training. When seeking information about golf, particularly in this case, about speed training for golf, we need some qualifiers:
Something that's supposedly beneficial must be validated by the one and only statistic that really matters - lower golf scores.
Is the presenter in the trenches, day and day out, getting people better? Theories are like noses - everybody has one. Prove it or keep quiet until you do. Did he or she improve golf scores? Out of the laboratory and on to the golf course...did he or she improve golf scores? That's how we judge our own work.
Let's get good...