Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Now that the season is well and truly under way, many of you will be working hard on the physical parts of your game. It is great to see so many golfers down at the club hitting balls, chipping and putting.
Anyone who spends time practicing these areas is taking a big step towards improving their golf. However, an area that is sometimes overlooked is the mental side of golf. As you know, many of the world’s top golfers have regular sessions with sport psychologists to try and improve their ability to cope under pressure and try to ‘stay in the moment’.
If it works for them, maybe it can work for you so have a read through the following points and see if any of them can change the way you approach your game.
l A golfer cannot let the first few holes, shots or putts determine their thinking for the rest of the round. How many times have you missed a short putt on the first hole and still be thinking about it when you have a similar putt on the third? Forget about it.
l Golfers need selective memories, retaining the memory of great shots and forgetting the bad ones. Try to get into the habit of visualising a great shot you have hit in the past when you are setting up to a similar shot you are about to hit.
l Golfers must learn to quiet their minds, stay in the present, and focus tightly on the next shot to be played. You cannot change what you have already done, you can only influence what you are going to do. Having a positive attitude towards your next shot will certainly improve your chances of hitting a good shot.
l To score consistently, a golfer must think consistently. A sound, consistent pre-shot routine makes it easier. Another good habit to get into is to purposely prepare for each shot in exactly the same way. Doing this will increase your chances of swinging the club the same way each time.
l A positive attitude makes a great putter. Believe that you are going to make it. Even if you are 100 per cent confident that you will hole every putt, you will still miss some (but you will hole your fair share). However if you think you are going to miss, you almost certainly will!
Hopefully, some of these points have given you an idea of how to approach your golf with more confidence. Thinking ‘better’ on your way round a golf course will facilitate improvement. Try out some of these ideas and see what happens!
