Are you a golfer that can mess up a good round with one maybe two shots? Over think things on the golf course? Well I have some advice for you…
Recently I experienced a minor set back during a golf competition where I 5 putted from 8ft… yes this is unusual and slightly irritating, but the joys of golf let situations like this happen to all of us. After that hole I had a good fight back to see me in for the round at level par and to finish 6th for the tournament. Once I was back I had many golfers ask me…
“How did you do that?”
“What were you thinking afterwards?”
“Were you annoyed?”
“Did it affect your performance?”
For me I accepted what had happened and tried to think of it as a challenge on how to bring my game back.
I wanted to write this blog to inspire all golfers to not give up when something doesn't go your way because you never know something good may be waiting for you on the next hole.
I encourage my clients to go out into their round of golf or competition with one (sometimes two) solid swing thought(s). This is your go to plan when something is going right or wrong. For example it’s your plan when your doing well and suddenly need to hit a pressure shot. It’s your plan when something unfortunate just happened and you need to fight back. No two golfers will have the same thought, it is simply tailored to help your own game. As a coach I look for the thought which supports numbers on trackman. This gives the client and myself the confidence in their own swing to shoot low scores.
“What sort of thoughts should I think about” you may ask? All golfers have a different outlook towards their golf, we all think, feel and see differently, the thought for you is something that you have to work out with your coach, but I would recommend its something personal and positive. Linking back to my last blog ‘tees and tables’ I discovered that golfers can relate well to other sports, wether it’s something linked to this, or a feeling, something visual, a golf club position or even a number which is shown on trackman can help you become a more solid golfer for your round of golf.
I have a regular client who wants to work on getting a small draw. We worked out that he would like his swing path to be 2 degrees in to out. For his swing thought he simply tells me before he hits each shot “my swing path will be +2.” Not only is he working on his desired swing change but he is already knowing what is going to happen during his swing and imagining his desired ball flight. This gives him such fantastic control and consistency.
Another example is I had a complete beginner today who works very closely with the mind and body. Her swing thoughts were solid back swing, free on the way through…. Ive never seen shots hit so well from someone who has only just started playing.
Swings are very individual and personal, everyone is different, try to stay away from that text book.
Your pre shot routine for every situation needs to stay consistent and may be something like this…
See your target
Gather your swing thought
practice swing
Swing
Repeat.
I can assure you that your mind set and consistency will improve leaving you feeling good about your game helping you recover and reduce those bad shots.
Happy Golfing
Katie