I was recently preparing for a qualifying event and did an inventory on my golf game. I think this is important for all of us if we want to understand where are strength and weaknesses are and what to work on. This is not just hitting balls on the range and seeing your shot patterns this is what are the type of shots that you basically have a tendency to ” choke ” on.
How often do you hear someone say that they hit it great on the range but on the golf course they hit shot they never hit on the practice range. There are many reasons for this but one big one is your comfort level. It doesn’t matter how you hit it on the range, it does matter how you hit it on the course so learn what the difference is.
In my inventory process I learned
*Players with long hitters some times make my swing artificially long
*When I am nervous my swing doesn’t feel relaxed and I have a hard time finishing my swing, extending
*My chipping is not good
*My putting stroke 10′ and under is not good.
I put myself under pressure to try to learn why I could produce good shots when relaxed and found it difficult under pressure to produce good results. What I learned was pretty basic but important. When I want to hit is longer I have a tendency to take my right hand off the club making the back swing artificially longer which causes all kinds of bad shots. I also realized that under pressure my left shoulder becomes very immobile.
With that and a few other small changes I am now a much better player. It is fun to shoot par or better but more fun to do this when feeling the pressure. Take an opportunity to face your fears and learn what your tendencies are under pressure. You may learn that you are not a bad pressure player but just have a few easy to fix habits you need to correct. It is normal for all of us to revert to what is comfortable instead of good fundamentals under pressure. Learn to embrace the nerves and play better.
Trying to not be nervous is a waste of time. Learning what your tendancies are when you are nervous can make you comfortable while you are nervous so you can perform!
Jim Hartnett, PGA
