Maho's Golf Blog

Is it a good book? YES. Must read? Completely personal opinion but 50-50 lol  This book is really great because it shatters people's idea that success is hardwired since birth. It's not. Carol Dweck talks about growth vs fixed mindset in her book, and I suggest reading that first or just understanding those terms before reading Outliers to be grateful for everything Gladwell wrote.  This book basically talks about WHY some people are more successful than others. Society tends to think that these elite individuals were born great, just different from a standard human model. But they are not. There's a system that helps certain individuals get more "time" to work on their skills.  Saying that what I got out of this book is that it's all about the "time" you put into the right work. Chapter II is about the "10,000-hour rule," you've probably heard it, even Justin Bieber just had a song released like that last year. The rule states that yo...

Finally! The golf courses are back open in all of Spain. I am so grateful for it; it's been two and a half months of training indoors! So I went the first day it was open, which was on May 25th. There was a decent number of players at the course but it wasn't flooding with people which was nice. With all due honesty, the quarantine made me realize once again how much I love this game. A golf course post-quarantine looks like this: we need to reserve our tee times and range spots online, and there is a guard at the gate checking who's coming in and out. The clubhouse is closed except for the bathrooms. Both putting and chipping greens are open. On course, everyone walks at Centro Nacional (the course I practice at), and there are no rakes for bunkers and they fixed the flag so you can recoup the ball without touching the flag nor the cup.  A little summary of how Centro Nacional de Golf has changed PRE-QUARANTINE POST-QUARANTINE -    ...

2 months without being on the golf course is HARD, especially when you're used to golfing every day. But I'm happy to say that I haven't just been lying around. I've put some good practice in, and I feel like my game has gotten better even under lockdown.  So what did I do? My week looked like this.  For putting technique I used the "VISIO template" and made a gate using sleeves of golf balls. At Mike Bender Golf Academy, we used to have this thing that looked like a mousetrap but I left it in Japan so I had to accommodate. I usually put an alignment rod on top of it, too, so I can work on my eye line. For the long-game technique, I did the "x50 balls," which is a very effective and productive practice method I learned from Martin Cummins. With this drill, I only get 50 balls to work on my technique. Many golfers fall into the trap of overworking on their technique so this drill draws a strict line between technique and competition.  I use the 50 bal...

And just like that April flew by, and we are well into May. It is crazy.  Spain is still under lockdown. The government announced a 4 phase plan to reopening the country beginning on May 5th, but Madrid has been lagging behind. We are still in "phase 0," so not really close to going back to a normal life; who knows what that means post-pandemic. Athletes are allowed to go back to basic training at Phase 0, but golf courses are still closed, so as of now I run outside but workout and practice indoors.  But thanks to the rigorous "stay at home" orders, the number of coronavirus cases have decreased by heaps. I definitely feel like the city is heading toward the right direction, and am proud of the effort we have put in to control the virus.   Yesterday I took a walk in the evening and came across a group of protesters demanding the government to allow Madrid to move on to "Phase 1." Once we get to Phase 1, golf courses will reopen, and some businesses, too, ...

Located in the southern Spanish state of Murcia, La Manga Golf Club consists of three beautiful golf courses: North, South, and West.  I had the opportunity to play the North and the South course for 2020 LET Qualifying School. Apparently, it wasn't the first time they hosted a Q-school, so I believe we might see another one being hosted there sometime in the future.  So what makes it a suitable golf course to host a LET Q-school, one of the biggest venues for women's professional golf?  In my opinion, there are not many golf courses that can play 100+ players at once, have big enough practice facility, and have affordable hotels, villas, housing in close distance for players, organizations, caddies, etc. In that sense, La Manga had the North/ the South course (they have the West course too, but it's in a different place and we didn't play it) which were both in amazing shape and were challenging. The resort was very accommodating, too, as they provided us with a shuttl...