Golf is a game that can rarely be easy and always seems to provide challenges. It would be nice to go to the golf course and know how you are going to strike the ball and putt. Even for the best of players each round of golf provides its own set of challenges and opportunities. The key to getting the most out most out of each round is not how you may swing each day but how you manage your mind each round.
Showing up to the golf course wanting to play well is great but showing up expecting everything to go well is not always smart. We always want to play well but how much control do we really have over the results? The answer is not much.
There are a few things we can do to put us in a good position to score well:
- Practice your swing, practice good habits and good fundamentals
- Practice your short game
- Get a good night sleep, don’t party late
- Show up to the golf course 1 hour before your tee time
- Hit balls on the range
- This is not the time to work on a bunch of mechanics
- Figure out how far your hitting it
- Understand how much and what direction your curving the ball
- Work on tempo
- Find your swing keys for the round, (non mechanical, feel keys)
- Hit a few chip shots and pitch shots
- Practice putting
- Learn the speed of the greens
- Hit 20 putts inside 6 feet
- Hit puts from 10-20-30 feet
- Work on your putting tempo
- Get ready for your first shot, what shape and type of shot are you going to hit
- Understand what speed you can function at; how fast can I swing and be efficient (today my back is sore so 65% is my 100%)
- Get your mental game ready
- Get your mind in the acceptance mode. Don’t try to force anything and don’t get upset when shots don’t turn out great.
- Pick shots that fit your skill level of the day or moment
- Go to Red, Yellow, Green shot selection mode
- Red shots are shots to get out of trouble or avoid trouble, ( 220 yards over water, pin tucked right, more trouble than its worth)
- Yellow shots are ones that are not terribly difficult but still require a little caution. ( 155 over deep face bunker, use 160 for yardage to avoid making bogey in the bunker)
- Green shots are when you throw caution to the wind and go for the pin
- Understand your risk reward calculation.
- When making a decision on shot to hit figure out what you would score if you hit each shot 10 times. 175 yard 2nd shot, water short, OB left
- 7 iron May hit it short if I don’t hit it perfect, big draw 2 birdies, 5 pars, 2 bogies, 1 double bogie
- 6 iron Should be perfect distance normal flight 2 birdies, 7 pars, 1 bogie
- 5 iron Easy swing with cut shot 2 birdies, 5 pars, 2 bogies, 1 double
- 6 iron is the play with a -1 score over 10 shots even though stretching a 7 iron might be more fun
- When making a decision on shot to hit figure out what you would score if you hit each shot 10 times. 175 yard 2nd shot, water short, OB left
- Breath, when you get nervous try to take deep breaths, this helps more than you may know
- Stay discipline with your scientist, set up guy and athlete. http://myhome4golf.com/2016/01/19/the-power-of-process/
- Make it fun not work
- Keep your temper under control
The next time you play make your goal to play a perfect mental game. Don’t make your goal to putt perfect, hit it super long or shoot a low score. Try to play the perfect mental game by making good decisions and setting up properly based on those decision.
Have fun
Jim Hartnett, PGA
