Breathing and being aware of what’s going on are the only things you can do when dealing with pressure.

For the purpose of this post I will refer to adversity a lot but it means the same as pressure.

Pressure will get try to push you around on the course. After reading this post you’ll be well on your way to executing more clutch shots under the gun.

If you don’t face any adversity on the course you are not human.

Pressure’s All Up in Your Face

Whether it’s a putt to shoot your low round, a tee shot on the first hole when everyone is watching or a $5 putt to beat your playing partner, it will get all up in your face.

Most players succumb to it though and hit bad shots.

Why? Because their hearts start to beat faster. They start to think about other screws up on the course. They fail to think clearly.

Sound like yourself?

The past can be a killer. But don’t let your mind dictate the present moment and your current shot by focusing on the past or future.

If you’re followed any of my writing and coaching you will know that I teach players how to become more present, aware and conscious on the course.

This post is talks about the exact same thing, staying present and not letting your mind relive past screw ups.
Breathing and Awareness

Both are key to learning how to handle pressure in golf.

When adversity hits, the heart starts to beat a little faster. Sweating and the shakes may also creep into your body. But how can you deal with pressure? Continue Reading→

Most greens today are big. Play the correct tees, and it’s possible to hit every one with less-than-perfect approaches.

The key is mental discipline. At the end of a round, you should be able to say you had an exact yardage to the centre of the fat portion of each green. Even if your distance control isn’t that precise, the odds are in your favour when you make this extra effort.

Fire at flags only when the time is right.  Be smarter and see the benefits. Continue Reading→

It is my observation that there are three specific areas that must be addressed on 95% of the ladies I train – see what they are.

One of the hardest things to do in fitness is generalize your workouts.  In other words, each of us is so different form the next that it makes group fitness classes very difficult to design.  How do you target the specific needs of each individual in the class and not make the session three hours long.   For this reason, I always recommend a detailed evaluation of your specific limitations before designing any program, to see if it addresses all of your needs.  And when ever possible, take one-on-one training so that the workout is customized towards meeting your specific needs and not the person next to you.

With that said, if I had to bite the bullet and create a workout to address the needs of one specific group, I think ladies would be the easiest to design.  I say that because in my experience, women tend to have three specific areas that must be addressed on 95% of the ladies I train.  Unfortunately, the reasons some of these areas need to be addressed is genetics.

First of all, Continue Reading→

On November 28, the USGA proposed a rule change that will prohibit anchoring the putter when putting. This proposed rule change would take effect January 2016, but would still allow for the use of belly and long putters as long as they are not anchored to the body.

I have tried using a belly putter, but it did not work for me. I felt very restricted and lost the feel. With that said, I have never had a problem with other players using the anchoring method.  There are many reasons why golfers use it, including to protect the back and to steady the wrists.

The USGA says it is making the proposed rule change not because they feel anchoring a putt is an advantage, but because they feel it hurts the integrity of the game. The USGA said that the long-term interests of the game would be served by confirming a stroke as the swinging of the entire club at the ball.

“Throughout the 600-year history of golf, the essence of playing the game has been to grip the club with the hands and swing it freely at the ball,” said USGA Executive Director Mike Davis. “The player’s challenge is to control the movement of the entire club in striking the ball, and anchoring the club alters the nature of that challenge. Our conclusion is that the Rules of Golf should be amended to preserve the traditional character of the golf swing by eliminating the growing practice of anchoring the club,”

When it comes to protecting the integrity of the game, I am all for it. But with almost 1 million golfers leaving the game each year, we need to make sure we keep the game friendly and fun. I don’t know if this rule change will hurt the game, but I don’t see how it will grow the game either. No matter what the outcome of the proposal is, this is a big decision in golf. Many players around the world and especially those on the pro tour, will have very different perspectives.

What do you think?

Source Annika Sorenstan

When is the last time you saw a tour pro fall over after a routine swing? Not very often.

Now try to remember last time you played a round with your buddies without seeing someone fall out of a shot at least once?

Balance and it’s probably one of the most misunderstood parts of the swing. You’re feet, and poor balance, can contribute to lots of swing problems.

A sway, a reverse spine angle, a reverse pivot, or hanging back on your right side can all potential be traced back to the feet. So we might as well eliminate that possibility.

So how do I know if I have bad balance?

Its not easy to “feel” if you have good balance or not, so get a stopwatch and lets find out for sure. Continue Reading→

Most golfers think that course management is what you do to get out of deep trouble. It is more than that. Course management comes into play on every shot with some shots being more important than others.

A good mental game includes good course management. Efficient course management is your ability to play around the golf course the way it was designed by the architect, avoiding the trouble and placing each shot in the best position to hit the next shot. It requires you to plan and concentrate before every shot.

The golf course is set up so you will make hundreds of decisions. Course management is smart golf; thinking positively to avoid mistakes. The game of golf is about managing imperfection. Golf is about managing yourself around the golf course without letting your ego take over (Tin Cup experience).

When you change the way you see the world, your world changes. When you change the way you see the golf course you can see opportunities. You see the obstacles and make plans to avoid them.

Your course management depends upon a myriad of things including your skill level, your personality, course conditions and the pressure of the situation. It is important to have a strategy for playing each hole so you will be prepared ahead of time to handle the feelings that might arise to deter you.

You can be a genius at course management if you are confident with your wedges and putter. Then it won’t matter if you miss greens.

You have learned from experience how to manage your home golf course well because you know your plan. When you play a new course, you need to concentrate on creating the shots you want.

Golf is a game of manoeuvring the ball around the course and having fun doing it.

COURSE MANAGEMENT TIPS Continue Reading→

From shafts that anchor into your belly to wild-looking mallet heads to unorthodox grips, putting is the one part of the game where you can really tap into your creative side. Your goal is simply to roll the ball in the hole, and there are many ways to do it effectively.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter which method you use, as long your wrists stay still during the stroke. You can see the variety of ways that tour pros have had success gripping their putters in recent years. As long as your grip makes it easy to minimize wrist action, then use it.

The most consistent way to roll the ball on line is with a torso-driven stroke–your upper body moves back and through like a pendulum. Your hands move the handle, but the wrists stay still for the most part. A hinging or unhinging of the wrists often alters the face angle and makes it difficult to roll the ball where you want. Because putters have so little loft these days, the position of the face at impact–not the path of the stroke–is almost completely responsible for the direction of the ball.

My advice is to try several different grips until you find one that helps you keep those wrists nice and steady.

Source Golf Digest