Archive for September, 2009
How do you feel on the first tee of an important golf round?
As we know, golf is a mental game. If you are like most golfers, you have difficulty in controlling slightly negative thoughts. We can feel anxious.
“I must avoid OB right” This thought is a killer example. With this in mind, its usually ends up resulting in gearing up my brain to send the ball OB with supreme precision. Oh yes, it’s great to get out of the office and unwind …
“Slow it down” it can be a great thought, but occasionally it causes us to be too cautious on the backswing and not turn the shoulders. Again balls goes right with a big banana slice..
“Bring the downswing down as slowly as possible” It works for some.
What about advice from golfing legends?
Arnold Palmer used to tell people “think of your feet and head as 3 apexes of and immovable triangle; your feet should be like bricks”
Jack Nicklaus put great store in a little rightward cock of his head at the takeaway, so his left eyeball and golf ball were inexorably aligned. Gary Player preferred to think of a core of metal passing up through the middle of his body; he twisted around it like a barbarcued chicken on a split.
Its no surprise that with all this going on in our heads, its very easy to get anxious on the 1st tee. We become afraid of letting go of the earth. We hit from the top, too fast with too much right hand (in the case of the right handed golfer). We keep the weight on the right leg and knees prudently locked. Whats happens? We look up, lifting our head a micro second too early and hitting the ball like a we’re chopping wood with an axe.
Many golf mental game experts, quite rightly, believe the set up routine helps us ‘get focussed on the job at hand’ – taking our brain away from ‘evils that may happen’
1. From behind the ball select a spot of the ground between the ball and your target. This quickly gets your brain thinking very precisely about the job at hand.
2. Align your club square to the ball and facing your spot.
3. Set your body and feet position parallel to the target line. Never keep your right foot perpendicular to the line because it is to hard to turn the body during the back swing.
4. Thinking soft grip, lay the club first in your left hand and then lay your right hand on top.
5. Important: Slightly bend your knees and lean forward, your arms should feel like they are dangling straight down.
6. Your weight should be balanced and on the inside of your thighs. Your weight should also be more on your toes and the balls of your feet then on your heels.
7. The grip end of the club shaft should be about 8-10″ from your belt buckle.
8. Keep your chin off your chest but stay focused on the ball. Your left shoulder will need to come under your chin at the top of your swing.
9. Double check that your club head is still facing in the correct position and apply the proper grip pressure.
10. Execute
You can practice the above routine away from the course at home so it becomes natural. It will go a long way to helping you overcome the first tee demons.
GET INTO PROCESS – NOT RESULTS
Happy golfing
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Have you ever said something like this after a bad shot? I didn’t take the wind into account, I forgot to consider that shot was uphill or I didn’t adjust for the lie with the ball below my feet. Why? You know about those variables and how to adjust for them all. Right? Then how can we find ourselves repeating those explanations round after round? When this happens out mental game has let us down.
We weren’t prepared as we should have been. Those elements were left out of our entire thought process as we considered the shot. We lack the mental discipline that more consistent golfers enjoy. They seem to have a way to include all the elements of the shot in their planning. Are they smarter than you or I? No, probably not.
It is not about smart anyway. It’s about mental discipline. Let’s face it, if we know after the shot what went wrong then we can notice it before the shot and plan for it. We don’t because we have trained our minds to think in that fashion. The mental game is more important to your scores and handicap than most of us would expect. If we can avoid the mental errors then we are left with only the possibility of a swing error to mess up our shot. You can see how that would easily lower your score, huh? Double D is working hard to hone is mental game. It is harder at first than you might think. After a while it becomes more of a habit. He suggest you do the following to help master your mental game. Build a Pre-Shot Routine Prior to selecting a club, Double D suggest that you create a mental checklist to help you decide how to proceed. The checklist should include: 1. Know your lie. 2. Determine your target and distance. 3. Examine any obstacles between the ball and the target. (trees, hazards or wind) 4. Decide on a shot shape (straight, draw, fade) 5. Choose the club best suited for you plan. Add this mental checklist to your regular pre-shot routine to eliminate the wasted shots that come from a failure to think your way through all the variables that will effect your shot. This is about you taking charge of your golf mental game Dooley says, “Train you mind just as you train your body to develop a better golf game.” Wayne Hudler is an avid golfer of over 30 years and golf writer.
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