Many books and other sources of golf tips for beginners cover the technical aspects of playing golf very thoroughly, but do not prepare the new player for the mental side of the game. Golf can be a very frustrating sport and one where your game (and your reputation) can go rapidly downhill if you do not master the skill of anger management and keeping a positive mindset.
The most important thing to learn is to accept any bad shots and move on. This sounds simple on paper or on your computer screen but when you are out there on the course it is easy to start up with the 'if onlys', going over other ways that you could have played the shot, or even wanting to take it again with another ball just to prove that you could have done better. This is not good for your game and is irritating for your playing partners. Save it for your next practice session.
Although your game will improve a great deal with practice and a good coach, some people simply have more strength or flexibility in their bodies than others. It can be frustrating to see other people practicing less and playing better but that's life. Try to concentrate on your own game without constantly comparing yourself with others.
If you suffer from arthritis or other stiffness in the back or shoulders, it may be difficult to learn a good straight swing. Certain exercises that involve slow movement are very good for increasing flexibility and awareness of the body. These include tai chi, qi gung and yoga. Tai chi, which is often taught as a martial art, is popular with men.
It can be very useful to experiment with your game when you are beginning, and later in your golfing career too. You can decide on an approach that you will take for a particular round, stick to it all through and then evaluate where it was useful and where it was not. For example you might decide to play safer shots all around the course, and you might find that this worked well on some particular holes, but not others. This is very useful information and will teach you a lot about your own game as well as how to play different holes and courses.
Visualization is another mental technique that can have a positive effect on your game. With every shot, try visualizing the ball arriving on the green and rolling straight into the hole. Accept bad shots and let them go, focusing on the positive. Think of the advancements you have made in your game, or what you can learn from that shot, or just enjoy the physical activity of playing golf.
While it is possible of course to improve your game, it will never be perfect. If you are a perfection-seeker then golf will either teach you a different mindset or frustrate you to the edge of a coronary. The perfect game of golf, after all, would be 18 holes-in-one. Did you ever hear of anybody doing that?
Most players are able to handle a bad shot or a bad round but a bad run where your play seems to have deteriorated for no clear reason can be difficult to deal with. Usually this is just chance and things will soon turn around for you. If not, you could try taking a few lessons. This is likely to help in the long term although experimenting with new playing styles could have a negative effect at first.
Understanding your mindset and the emotions that a good or bad game arouses is as important as taking in any technical golf tips for beginners.
Fran
P.S. Check this out:
How To Break 80 Golf Instruction Program
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Become a Great Senior Golfer
8 Things To Becoming A Great Senior Golf Pro
Eight things will help make you a great senior golf player. There is attitude, concentration and focus, recovery of the game, practice, fitness, technique and foundation, balance and distance. Keep in mind that these are the foundation to becoming a seasoned golf player and will help you become as good as the pros and maybe even a pro. You need to play the game of golf with determination and stay with what works for you the best.
Your attitude about the game has to be focused on the win. Having a positive, "I can do it" attitude is the only way to succeed as a professional golf player. If you want to play the senior golf tournaments, you have to work up to it and dedicate your time to enhancing your game. Your concentration and focus, plan your shot before you even reach the tee. Never change your mind once you are over the ball. Second-guessing yourself does not make a pro golfer. When you address the ball, you already know where the ball is going and how you are going to get there without any hesitation.
Talent and recovery are what help you win the game. If you have a talent for thinking and hitting the ball right where you need it to be, you have a better chance of coming in with a scratch shot, however even the senior golf pros do have an eagle or a bogy here and there. If you do have a bad hit, you need to know how to recover from that shot and make your next play make up for the previous bad shot. This is all apart of golfing. If you have a two over par on the previous hole, try to go under par on the next hole. It is all in the recovery and the planning.
To become a senior golf pro, you need to be fit and practice. Just because you have been playing golf for years does not mean, as you get older you do not need a little more fitness in your day. You need to stay in shape and practice your game regularly. Keep in mind, you might need different equipment as you get older and this is going to require plenty of practice time with the new equipment to improve your game.
You need to learn techniques that lead to a solid foundation in your game. A senior golf pro does not stop learning and improving their techniques. You want to change as your age changes to get the same distance that you were getting before you started reaching the senior age. You are going to need your balance and your Zen for golfing to play with the pros. If you keep practicing and stay fit, you should be able to play golf well into your nineties if you wish. Most importantly, keep your distance or enhance your distance to stay in the game and compete on the same level as the rest of the senior golf players.
Keep swinging
Fran Watson
P.S. Check this out:
How To Break 80 Golf Instruction Program
Eight things will help make you a great senior golf player. There is attitude, concentration and focus, recovery of the game, practice, fitness, technique and foundation, balance and distance. Keep in mind that these are the foundation to becoming a seasoned golf player and will help you become as good as the pros and maybe even a pro. You need to play the game of golf with determination and stay with what works for you the best.
Your attitude about the game has to be focused on the win. Having a positive, "I can do it" attitude is the only way to succeed as a professional golf player. If you want to play the senior golf tournaments, you have to work up to it and dedicate your time to enhancing your game. Your concentration and focus, plan your shot before you even reach the tee. Never change your mind once you are over the ball. Second-guessing yourself does not make a pro golfer. When you address the ball, you already know where the ball is going and how you are going to get there without any hesitation.
Talent and recovery are what help you win the game. If you have a talent for thinking and hitting the ball right where you need it to be, you have a better chance of coming in with a scratch shot, however even the senior golf pros do have an eagle or a bogy here and there. If you do have a bad hit, you need to know how to recover from that shot and make your next play make up for the previous bad shot. This is all apart of golfing. If you have a two over par on the previous hole, try to go under par on the next hole. It is all in the recovery and the planning.
To become a senior golf pro, you need to be fit and practice. Just because you have been playing golf for years does not mean, as you get older you do not need a little more fitness in your day. You need to stay in shape and practice your game regularly. Keep in mind, you might need different equipment as you get older and this is going to require plenty of practice time with the new equipment to improve your game.
You need to learn techniques that lead to a solid foundation in your game. A senior golf pro does not stop learning and improving their techniques. You want to change as your age changes to get the same distance that you were getting before you started reaching the senior age. You are going to need your balance and your Zen for golfing to play with the pros. If you keep practicing and stay fit, you should be able to play golf well into your nineties if you wish. Most importantly, keep your distance or enhance your distance to stay in the game and compete on the same level as the rest of the senior golf players.
Keep swinging
Fran Watson
P.S. Check this out:
How To Break 80 Golf Instruction Program
Monday, June 2, 2008
Rest and Recovery
If it really made sense to "let the club do the work," you'd just say, "Driver, wedge to the green, one-putt," and walk to the next tee. Thomas Mulligan
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Rest and Recovery
Many golfers do not allow sufficient time to rest during practice. Going to the range and hitting 100 balls straight through is tiring both on the body and the mind. Fatigue diminishes our ability to learn so a lot of your practice time could just be wasted time.
Incorporating rest intervals into your practice session can give you the most out of your training time.
Before heading to the range, find a field or a large grassy area and hit 20 to 30 balls. Once you've done this, take the time to go and pick them up. This will give you a break from swinging and a period of time to recouperate mentally and physically.
If you can't leave the practice range or can't find a private grassy area, hit 20 balls at the range and rest for ten minutes.
Keeping your range balls a few steps away will give you time to process each shot in the time it takes to retrieve each ball.
Here's to resting and recovering your game!
*******************************************************
Rest and Recovery
Many golfers do not allow sufficient time to rest during practice. Going to the range and hitting 100 balls straight through is tiring both on the body and the mind. Fatigue diminishes our ability to learn so a lot of your practice time could just be wasted time.
Incorporating rest intervals into your practice session can give you the most out of your training time.
Before heading to the range, find a field or a large grassy area and hit 20 to 30 balls. Once you've done this, take the time to go and pick them up. This will give you a break from swinging and a period of time to recouperate mentally and physically.
If you can't leave the practice range or can't find a private grassy area, hit 20 balls at the range and rest for ten minutes.
Keeping your range balls a few steps away will give you time to process each shot in the time it takes to retrieve each ball.
Here's to resting and recovering your game!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Golf - Getting Back Into The Swing
Easy Golf Swing System Click Here!
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Golf is not a funeral, though both can be very sad affairs.....
Bernard Darwin
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After a dormant period from golf, whether because of seasonal reasons or just lack of play, preparation is the name of the game when gearing up for more golf. The longer you've been on a golf hiatus, the earlier you should start getting back to form.
The most important goal to focus on is getting your swing back to the way it was. This involves not only working on a set of swing drills, but also a few exercises in order to stimulate the muscles in your body that help you execute a swing. Stretch the muscles you use when you swing such as those in your shoulders, arms and back.
Returning to your swinging rhythm is important too. This exercise will help you keep your balance without compromising clubhead speed. Set up 5 tees in a horizontal line, 4 inches apart. Stand just inside the closest tee and swing a 7 iron with a continuous swinging motion, back and through. Start walking forward and clip each tee as you go along. Repeat this drill three times.
Happy Golfing
Fran
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"If you watch a game, it's fun. If you play it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf." Bob Hope
**************************
P.S. Check this out:
The Simple Golf Swing
**************************
*****************************************
Golf is not a funeral, though both can be very sad affairs.....
Bernard Darwin
*****************************************
After a dormant period from golf, whether because of seasonal reasons or just lack of play, preparation is the name of the game when gearing up for more golf. The longer you've been on a golf hiatus, the earlier you should start getting back to form.
The most important goal to focus on is getting your swing back to the way it was. This involves not only working on a set of swing drills, but also a few exercises in order to stimulate the muscles in your body that help you execute a swing. Stretch the muscles you use when you swing such as those in your shoulders, arms and back.
Returning to your swinging rhythm is important too. This exercise will help you keep your balance without compromising clubhead speed. Set up 5 tees in a horizontal line, 4 inches apart. Stand just inside the closest tee and swing a 7 iron with a continuous swinging motion, back and through. Start walking forward and clip each tee as you go along. Repeat this drill three times.
Happy Golfing
Fran
**************************
"If you watch a game, it's fun. If you play it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf." Bob Hope
**************************
P.S. Check this out:
The Simple Golf Swing
**************************
Monday, May 19, 2008
Tips From The Pros
Putting to Win Click Here!
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Gord Holder, Ottawa Citizen
1. Preparation: Scott Mikkelsen says people frequently see players race into the parklng lot, put on their golf shoes and head straight to the first tee. "And then they expect to perform to their potential" says Mikkelsen, the head pro at Camelot Golf and Country Club,(1-613-833-0799) "instead of maybe showing up a half an hour early and going through their routine. "For people to even have a chance of playing to their potential, they need to be more prepared when they go to the first tee, and it doesn't mean spending an hour on the range and working out like Tiger Woods."
The fix: Go to the range, loosen up your body a bit, hit a few shots, then try a couple of putts on the practice green.
2. Posture: Adam Holden, assistant pro at Kevin Haime Golf Centre, says poor posture prohibits a good upper-body turn, and a golfer who fails to pivot properly won't keep the club on the correct swing plane. Most people lean too much forward, putting too much weight on the toes. To make a turn during the swing, they must raise up their upper bodies too much.
The fix: Maintain an athletic, ready starting position with knees slightly flexed, posterior sticking out past the heels and arms hanging loosely, away from the body.
3. Back Swing: Colin Orr, director of golf at the Ottawa Athletic Club, says another common problem is locking (straightening) the rear knee on the backswing, hampering weight shift. "Locking that back knee," Orr says, "causes three possible outcomes: a) If the knee remains locked, you swing 'over the top', creating an outside-in-path; b) you bend (readjust) the knee too much during the swing and hit the ground behind the ball; c) you bend it just right and catch the ball perfectly. 'Out of those three, two are bad, and one is just lucky."
The fix: During the backswing, try to feel as if you are rotating onto the back leg while maintaining the knee's flex.
4. Alignment: An unsuccessful shot is often the byproduct of poor aim, according to Dave Kalil, Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club teaching pro (1-613-736-1134). "Most people think they have to line their body up to the target, but it's their ball to the target and their body parallel to that line. That's what I taught Wayne Gretsky," Kalil says, referring to a tip he gave the Great One when he was in town with Team Canada a few years back. "The fact is, your body is two feet or so away from the ball, and that space, multipled by the distance to the landing spot, makes for off-line shots."
The fix: Practice with one club on the ground along the intended target line and another parallel to the first club, just in front of your shoe tips. That will get you accustomed to the viewpoint from lining up properly.
5. The Triangle: Too many golfers lose the triangle formed by the shoulders, arms and hands between address and the time the clubhead returns to the ball during the downswing, says Warren Grant, a teaching pro based at Manderly on the Green (1-613-489-2066) and Greensmere Golf Club (1-613-839-7772). "Turning the upper body too early gets its various parts out of sequence. The golfer's arms swing around the core horizontally instead of vertically. that makes the swing too flat."
The fix: Instead of forcing the upper body to turn, let it follow naturally from the motion of the arms on the backswing and downswing. This, Grant says, will promote the vertical swing path required.
6. Grip: Rideau View Country Club (1-613-692-4112) head pro Paul Sherratt distinguishes between outcome and process errors. A slice is an outcome error. To fix that, take 1,000 balls to the practice range and stay there until you can hit a hook. A bad grip is a process error that can lead to a slice, and Sherratt maintains that how a golfer holds the club will influence how they're set-up over the ball.
The fix: Go to a qualified coach and have them place your hands on the club properly. "Then the player needs to make a commitment that, with that new grip and set up, they will commit to hitting the ball with that new grip and setup until such time as they find the target."
7. Overswinging: "Far too many golfers overswing, taking the club too far on the backswing," Cedarhill Golf and Country Club head pro Greg White says, "from the short game to the long game, from the driver to the wedge. In the short game, overswinging leads to deceleration, and that's never good. On full-swing shots, it can cause excess body movement, which itself produces inconsistent contact between clubhead and ball." (1-613-825-2186)
The fix: Shorten the backswing, keeping the lead arm straighter. Most excess bending of the lead arm actually results from excess bending of the rear arm. Don't lift the arms, turn the shoulders. White suggests a practice drill in which you hold a heavy book while pretending to swing. At the peak of the 'backswing,' your back arm should be at a 90-degree angle, allowing you to balance that book on your hand just as you would a tray of food.
8. Pre-Shot Routine: Roseline Menard, general manager at Larrimac Golf Club (1-819-827-1506), says "too many players become overanxious while waiting to hit the ball. Golfers who pull the trigger too quickly aren't allowing their bodies to relax enough to execute the swing with good rhythm. However, even more wait too long, past the point when their bodies are ready to react" and extending into what Menard calls the 'dormant' stage.
The fix: Establish a consistent pre-shot routine. Menard says the average time needed to get set, ready and go is about seven seconds, but she agrees it might be better for an individual golfer to use, for example, 10. If you take 10 seconds, then it has to be 10 seconds always.
9. The Short Cut To Success: Guy Beaulieu says too many golfers display far too much ignorance of the importance of the short game. Golf and spa director at Chateau Cartier Resort (1-819-777-8870), Beaulieu cites two statistics produced by short-game guru Dave Pelz: 65 percent of golf shots are played within 100 yards of the hole; and 80 percent of shots lost to par come from shots of less than 100 yards.
The fix: "If they have an hour to spend practising, at least one of it, maybe more, should be spent on the short game, and it's usually the opposite," Beaulieu says.
10. A Firm Hand: It's the wrist actually. Anne Chouinard, the director of golf at Prince Edward Island's Canadian Golf Academy and a coach who has worked with LPGA Tour player Lorie Kane, says too many recreational golfers don't understand the concept of getting the ball airborne. "Too often they try to help the ball into the air by scooping it," Chouinard says, "and it can cause problems all the way from putts and chips to full swings. Scooping comes from breakdowns of the lead wrist. The club bottoms out before reaching the ball, or it hits the ball on the upswing, causing "chunked" or topped shots."
The fix: "You have to move the hands ahead of the ball at impact so that the club hits the ball first and then hits the grass," Chouinard says. During practice, she'll put a tee in the ground just ahead of the ball and tell a student to hit the ball and clip the tee on the follow-through. If they succeed, they get the feeling of hitting the ball on a downward arc, which, combined with a loft on the clubface, is what launches a ball in the air.
Bonus tip: A divot begins at the position of your hands relative to the ball at impact, Chouinard says.
More Golf Courses in Eastern Ontario to check out
Arnprior Golf Club 1-613-623-3314
Calabogie Highlands Resort and Golf Club 1-613-752-2171
Dragonfly Golf Links 1-613-432-3838 or 1-800-275-3838
Pakenham Highlands Golf Club 1-613-624-5550
Pembroke Golf Club 1-613-732-1665
Renfrew Golf Club 1-613-432-2485
Whitetail Golf Club 1-613-628-3774 or 1-800-280-2179
Happy golfing!
Frsn
**********************************************
P.S. Check this out:
How To Break 80 Golf Instruction Program
**********************************************
**********************************
Gord Holder, Ottawa Citizen
1. Preparation: Scott Mikkelsen says people frequently see players race into the parklng lot, put on their golf shoes and head straight to the first tee. "And then they expect to perform to their potential" says Mikkelsen, the head pro at Camelot Golf and Country Club,(1-613-833-0799) "instead of maybe showing up a half an hour early and going through their routine. "For people to even have a chance of playing to their potential, they need to be more prepared when they go to the first tee, and it doesn't mean spending an hour on the range and working out like Tiger Woods."
The fix: Go to the range, loosen up your body a bit, hit a few shots, then try a couple of putts on the practice green.
2. Posture: Adam Holden, assistant pro at Kevin Haime Golf Centre, says poor posture prohibits a good upper-body turn, and a golfer who fails to pivot properly won't keep the club on the correct swing plane. Most people lean too much forward, putting too much weight on the toes. To make a turn during the swing, they must raise up their upper bodies too much.
The fix: Maintain an athletic, ready starting position with knees slightly flexed, posterior sticking out past the heels and arms hanging loosely, away from the body.
3. Back Swing: Colin Orr, director of golf at the Ottawa Athletic Club, says another common problem is locking (straightening) the rear knee on the backswing, hampering weight shift. "Locking that back knee," Orr says, "causes three possible outcomes: a) If the knee remains locked, you swing 'over the top', creating an outside-in-path; b) you bend (readjust) the knee too much during the swing and hit the ground behind the ball; c) you bend it just right and catch the ball perfectly. 'Out of those three, two are bad, and one is just lucky."
The fix: During the backswing, try to feel as if you are rotating onto the back leg while maintaining the knee's flex.
4. Alignment: An unsuccessful shot is often the byproduct of poor aim, according to Dave Kalil, Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club teaching pro (1-613-736-1134). "Most people think they have to line their body up to the target, but it's their ball to the target and their body parallel to that line. That's what I taught Wayne Gretsky," Kalil says, referring to a tip he gave the Great One when he was in town with Team Canada a few years back. "The fact is, your body is two feet or so away from the ball, and that space, multipled by the distance to the landing spot, makes for off-line shots."
The fix: Practice with one club on the ground along the intended target line and another parallel to the first club, just in front of your shoe tips. That will get you accustomed to the viewpoint from lining up properly.
5. The Triangle: Too many golfers lose the triangle formed by the shoulders, arms and hands between address and the time the clubhead returns to the ball during the downswing, says Warren Grant, a teaching pro based at Manderly on the Green (1-613-489-2066) and Greensmere Golf Club (1-613-839-7772). "Turning the upper body too early gets its various parts out of sequence. The golfer's arms swing around the core horizontally instead of vertically. that makes the swing too flat."
The fix: Instead of forcing the upper body to turn, let it follow naturally from the motion of the arms on the backswing and downswing. This, Grant says, will promote the vertical swing path required.
6. Grip: Rideau View Country Club (1-613-692-4112) head pro Paul Sherratt distinguishes between outcome and process errors. A slice is an outcome error. To fix that, take 1,000 balls to the practice range and stay there until you can hit a hook. A bad grip is a process error that can lead to a slice, and Sherratt maintains that how a golfer holds the club will influence how they're set-up over the ball.
The fix: Go to a qualified coach and have them place your hands on the club properly. "Then the player needs to make a commitment that, with that new grip and set up, they will commit to hitting the ball with that new grip and setup until such time as they find the target."
7. Overswinging: "Far too many golfers overswing, taking the club too far on the backswing," Cedarhill Golf and Country Club head pro Greg White says, "from the short game to the long game, from the driver to the wedge. In the short game, overswinging leads to deceleration, and that's never good. On full-swing shots, it can cause excess body movement, which itself produces inconsistent contact between clubhead and ball." (1-613-825-2186)
The fix: Shorten the backswing, keeping the lead arm straighter. Most excess bending of the lead arm actually results from excess bending of the rear arm. Don't lift the arms, turn the shoulders. White suggests a practice drill in which you hold a heavy book while pretending to swing. At the peak of the 'backswing,' your back arm should be at a 90-degree angle, allowing you to balance that book on your hand just as you would a tray of food.
8. Pre-Shot Routine: Roseline Menard, general manager at Larrimac Golf Club (1-819-827-1506), says "too many players become overanxious while waiting to hit the ball. Golfers who pull the trigger too quickly aren't allowing their bodies to relax enough to execute the swing with good rhythm. However, even more wait too long, past the point when their bodies are ready to react" and extending into what Menard calls the 'dormant' stage.
The fix: Establish a consistent pre-shot routine. Menard says the average time needed to get set, ready and go is about seven seconds, but she agrees it might be better for an individual golfer to use, for example, 10. If you take 10 seconds, then it has to be 10 seconds always.
9. The Short Cut To Success: Guy Beaulieu says too many golfers display far too much ignorance of the importance of the short game. Golf and spa director at Chateau Cartier Resort (1-819-777-8870), Beaulieu cites two statistics produced by short-game guru Dave Pelz: 65 percent of golf shots are played within 100 yards of the hole; and 80 percent of shots lost to par come from shots of less than 100 yards.
The fix: "If they have an hour to spend practising, at least one of it, maybe more, should be spent on the short game, and it's usually the opposite," Beaulieu says.
10. A Firm Hand: It's the wrist actually. Anne Chouinard, the director of golf at Prince Edward Island's Canadian Golf Academy and a coach who has worked with LPGA Tour player Lorie Kane, says too many recreational golfers don't understand the concept of getting the ball airborne. "Too often they try to help the ball into the air by scooping it," Chouinard says, "and it can cause problems all the way from putts and chips to full swings. Scooping comes from breakdowns of the lead wrist. The club bottoms out before reaching the ball, or it hits the ball on the upswing, causing "chunked" or topped shots."
The fix: "You have to move the hands ahead of the ball at impact so that the club hits the ball first and then hits the grass," Chouinard says. During practice, she'll put a tee in the ground just ahead of the ball and tell a student to hit the ball and clip the tee on the follow-through. If they succeed, they get the feeling of hitting the ball on a downward arc, which, combined with a loft on the clubface, is what launches a ball in the air.
Bonus tip: A divot begins at the position of your hands relative to the ball at impact, Chouinard says.
More Golf Courses in Eastern Ontario to check out
Arnprior Golf Club 1-613-623-3314
Calabogie Highlands Resort and Golf Club 1-613-752-2171
Dragonfly Golf Links 1-613-432-3838 or 1-800-275-3838
Pakenham Highlands Golf Club 1-613-624-5550
Pembroke Golf Club 1-613-732-1665
Renfrew Golf Club 1-613-432-2485
Whitetail Golf Club 1-613-628-3774 or 1-800-280-2179
Happy golfing!
Frsn
**********************************************
P.S. Check this out:
How To Break 80 Golf Instruction Program
**********************************************
Friday, April 25, 2008
Blanking Out Negativity
"If profanity had an influence on the flight of the ball, the game of golf would be played far better than it is." - Horace G. Hutchinson
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Blanking Out Negativity
A clear head is important for accomplishing what you want to do with your shot, so keep it simple.
The time that golfrs have to prepare for their next shot can be a bonus or a burden, depending on how it is used. When you start to overanalyze the next shot, your brain gets cluttered and so do your body signals.
Don't occupy yourself with thinking about past shots or holes. These will only obstruct your thinking. Focus on the current shot, not the one you had five minutes ago.
Try repeating a mantra (a word with no meaning or a single thought) to clear your mind. Focus your attention on breathing just before you prepare for a shot. This will help you to relax. If other thoughts come to mind, let them pass and return to the mantra.
Keep thinking about how you are going to hit the shot to one mental cue such as tempo. If you're a visual player, see the target and let your body hit the shot.
Putt on!
Fran
Amazing Golf Mind Mental Audios
***************************************
Blanking Out Negativity
A clear head is important for accomplishing what you want to do with your shot, so keep it simple.
The time that golfrs have to prepare for their next shot can be a bonus or a burden, depending on how it is used. When you start to overanalyze the next shot, your brain gets cluttered and so do your body signals.
Don't occupy yourself with thinking about past shots or holes. These will only obstruct your thinking. Focus on the current shot, not the one you had five minutes ago.
Try repeating a mantra (a word with no meaning or a single thought) to clear your mind. Focus your attention on breathing just before you prepare for a shot. This will help you to relax. If other thoughts come to mind, let them pass and return to the mantra.
Keep thinking about how you are going to hit the shot to one mental cue such as tempo. If you're a visual player, see the target and let your body hit the shot.
Putt on!
Fran
Amazing Golf Mind Mental Audios
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Putting Under Pressure
Golf is a puzzle without an answer. I've played the game for forty years and I still haven't the slightest idea how to play.
**Gary Player
*************************************
Putting can be the most stressful part of the game. Depending on how close you are to the pin, it's the last opportunity you have to shave some strokes off your score. The secret to a successful putt is the ability to work under pressure.
What's the problem?
Putting trouble usually comes from unnecessary body movement during the stroke. Practice a four foot length putt and focus on keeping the entire body perfectly still except for hands, arms and shoulders.
What can I do?
Try a stress exercise. With 10 balls, line up a straight putt of about four feet. Set a goal for the number of putts that you can get in a row and gradually incrase this goal to 50. If you miss one, you have to start all over again!
This is a good way to learn to deal with the pressur of putting. As you approach your fiftieth stroke, it will start to feel more and more like a real game. With the risk of having to start all over, a lot is riding on the final few shots.
Once you're used to this kind of stress, you'll be better able to deal with that last moment on the green.
Now get out there and improve your putting game!!
Fran
**Gary Player
*************************************
Putting can be the most stressful part of the game. Depending on how close you are to the pin, it's the last opportunity you have to shave some strokes off your score. The secret to a successful putt is the ability to work under pressure.
What's the problem?
Putting trouble usually comes from unnecessary body movement during the stroke. Practice a four foot length putt and focus on keeping the entire body perfectly still except for hands, arms and shoulders.
What can I do?
Try a stress exercise. With 10 balls, line up a straight putt of about four feet. Set a goal for the number of putts that you can get in a row and gradually incrase this goal to 50. If you miss one, you have to start all over again!
This is a good way to learn to deal with the pressur of putting. As you approach your fiftieth stroke, it will start to feel more and more like a real game. With the risk of having to start all over, a lot is riding on the final few shots.
Once you're used to this kind of stress, you'll be better able to deal with that last moment on the green.
Now get out there and improve your putting game!!
Fran
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