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→
“Top PGA tour golfers like 2011 US Open and 2012 PGA golf champion Rory McIlroy have highly developed, highly specific and very high paying golf skills which help them to produce a consistently low competitive score average when they compete on one of the PGA or LPGA tours.”
In every golfers game there are three or possibly four golf skills that would guarantee improved golf scores by developing and improving them. The eighty-twenty principle helps us to understand that approximately 20 percent of your golf skills accounts for eighty percent of the results you produce in every round; so it’s important that you identify these critical to performance skills if you want to move to lower golf scores faster.
If you need some help in identifying your critical to perform skills come and get tested.
We live in a fast-paced, impatient society where instant gratification is often the norm. When we want something we want it now. Taking this sense of urgency into our golf game can be disastrous. Developing a patient attitude full of acceptance is our key to improved golf and greater consistency. What does that look like?
It’s club championship time shortly. It’s an exciting time for many but it can also be a nerve-wracking experience that, for many players, ends in disappointment. A lot of golfers perform far below their potential and expectations in the club championship because they’re not as prepared as they could be. They don’t arrive on the first tee with as much confidence as they should. Also, many golfers aren’t sure how to be their own best coach – how to effectively execute shots and a sound game plan under tournament pressure.
1.Plan ahead. Give yourself the necessary practice and playing time to prepare for the club championship. Be clear on your preparation for this event at least three weeks prior – write it down. Block your calendar and plan sufficient practice time and pre-event rounds.
2.Practice effectively. Good performance in tournament golf is largely attributable to consistent tee shot execution: minimal errors and penalty strokes, high percentage putting conversions in the 4-10 foot range, and sound wedge play. Spend a high percentage of your pre-event practice time and effort on these skills to build competence and confidence.
3.Hole out in casual rounds don’t fall into the trap of not holing your short putts in casual rounds before the club championship. The habit of accepting “gimmies” – short putts in the 2-5 foot range – is common place. Expect to be nervous and miss a lot more of these critical length putts in competition if you don’t practice holing them out in your regular social rounds. If the putts are in fact that easy, then putt them in the hole.
4.Coaching check a week or two before the event it is a good idea to have a coaching session with your Professional – not a technical session but rather a session on key scoring skills and to discuss your game plan and execution strategies. Tap into your professional’s experience and expertise.
5.Set realistic goals in sports, less than 10 per cent of participants can expect “career” performances in major events. Preparing your best beforehand makes this highly probable. Know your skill and performance level, for example, a typical 12 handicap may likely have a 79-85 scoring range. Set up a game plan and shot strategies that are in alignment with your range. Don’t try to play a game that you don’t have. Don’t force shots – let the magic happen!
6.Create a written game plan. Write down how you plan to play each hole. Know your tendencies and where you feel the most confident and the most vulnerable on the course. Be appropriately aggressive and don’t be shy to play cautious on holes that are potential blow-ups for you. your plan should be focused on enabling you to hit as many greens in regulation as possible and planning for the most probable up and down conversion spots when you miss greens.
7.Focus on deep breathing to get relaxed over your shots. When golfers peak perform they are in a calm and relaxed state over the ball. Focus your energy and attention on using your breathing. Here’s a technique. Breath-in deeply through an imaginary straw and completely empty your lungs when you exhale; soften your body tension and lower your mental tension when you are over the ball. as the great George Knudson said, “don’t play golf to relax – relax to play great golf.”
8.Think the “right” stuff. Players perform their best in competition when they engage the right side of their brain – this is where the athlete lives. Right brain thoughts are “external” on the target, tempo, desired flight and simple performance cues like “full back and through” or “smooth roll.” Be careful not to play “golf swing” in competition: this can be a deadly performance buster – it is left-brained thinking on technique or a “to do” list. Leave this thinking on the practice tee.
9.See yourself succeeding. Visualize and imagine yourself executing your game plan – escaping from trouble and hitting good shots. Winners see themselves winning before they begin. Moe Norman always said that Jack nicklaus had the Green Jacket on his breakfast plate on Thursday before the first round of the masters.
“Players perform their best in competition when they engage the right side of their brain – this is where the athlete lives.”
10.Just play, enjoy the opportunity to compete and challenge yourself. expect some mistakes and deal with poor shots. Don’t make the tournament bigger than it is. Your identity and personal self-concept are not related to your golf score in the club championship. Smile and have fun!
The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you know why. Once you have a clear picture of what you want to achieve, own them and create a pathway to achieve them. It takes many small steps with lots of setbacks and distractions to achieve your personal best. Commit to it always. Continue Reading→
Accepting the poor shot, dealing with the emotions, and committing to the next shot are challenges that even the best players find difficult. If you asked any golfer if they have ever had the perfect round, there would not be many who could confidently say yes. Success comes to those golfers who can deal with poor outcomes more efficiently and turn the negative emotions and results into positive ones. Continue Reading→
The Golf Queensland Junior State Girls team of which I am the coach competed in the Australian Junior Stroke play Championships and also the Burtta Cheney Interstate Teams event. Both tournaments took place at Carbrook Golf Club. The stroke play tournament was our lead in tournament for the Interstate Series and all of the girls performed exceptionally well. All of the competitors representing Golf Queensland made the 36 hole cut and 3 of the team members finished in the top 15. It was a terrific effort from all players in very testing conditions.
Sunday saw the first match of the Interstate Series. Our opponents were South Australia and our team really produced their best to beat them 5 – 0. It was just the start that we needed and put us in a great position going into day 2. Victoria and New South Wales were our day 2 opposition and after 5 very competitive contests against Victoria we held out for a strong win 4 – 1. New South Wales for our afternoon match on day 2 was always going to be a difficult task, but the team was ready to perform and compete. The team continued to apply pressure and after some fantastic golf was played Queensland came away with a win 3.5 – 1.5. The last day’s play was going to be a very challenging match against Western Australia. Queensland was in a comfortable position only having to win 1 contest to win the series, but stranger things have happened. Our goal was to go through the series undefeated and although that wasn’t to be and we lost to Western Australia 3 -2 the team defended its title and was again the champions of the Burtta Cheney Interstate Teams event. With some outstanding individual performances the Golf Queensland Team did their absolutely best during the series. I am exceptionally proud of them not only as talented athletes but also as very individuals. They are a credit to their family, friends and golf clubs. It was my pleasure to be part of this group and hope that they continue to follow their passion whatever that may be. Special thanks must go to Carbrook Golf Club, Royal Pines Resort Mark Gibson’s Exceptional Golf and Riverlakes Golf Club all of which had a special part to play in the preparation of this team. It is very much appreciated. Thanks must also go to Indooroopilly Golf Club who supports me unconditionally during this period also.
Have you been curious why some golfers seem to take control and rule the tournaments these days? Tiger Woods is the golfer who is widely acknowledged with starting the revolution in fitness training, although many players before him like Gary Player are known exercise enthusiasts. While Tiger made it not only acceptable, but preferable, to train for golf, the majority of players are now taking their fitness levels very seriously.
It is important for athletes to learn how to change negative self talk to more positive self talk because positive self talk enhances performance by keeping athletes focused, confident, relaxed and motivated.
When you are practicing changing your negative self talk there are three simple steps Continue Reading→
