The Importance of the Short Game
Develop Your Mental Approach
Practicing the Mental Approach
“ Throwing Darts at Trees ”
When Tiger Woods was a kid , his dad asked him what he was thinking about and Tiger answered , “ I ’ m thinking about where I want my ball to go .” What great advice that is for all of us . Let ’ s think about where we want the ball to go versus how to get it there and our result will be better . To make a long story short , we need to learn how to separate practice from playing . There is a time and a place for each one .
The Importance of the Short Game
A popular term among teaching professionals these days is “ swing coach .” Although I do consider myself a swing coach , I believe a more accurate description of my teaching philosophy would be the term “ golf coach .” I teach the whole game .
Learning the game of golf is a lot more than just learning the golf swing . You must have a good swing , of course , but you also need a solid short game . 70 % of our score is played within 100 yards of the hole , putting is 43 % and about 27 % of all shots are played within 100 yards of the hole .
When you go to a driving range , notice what club people are using the most . It will probably be the driver . This always amazed me because if a golfer is having a hard time controlling a 7 iron , for instance , how on earth can that golfer expect to hit a driver ?
I believe in the 70 / 70 theory . If 70 % of the game is played within 100 yards of the hole wouldn ’ t it make sense to put 70 % of your practice time into that part of the game ? I agree with Gary Player when he said , “ Given the limited amount of time most amateurs have to practice , the short game is probably the only thing they should practice .”
Always remember the short shot leads to the long shot and little things add up to big things .
Develop Your Mental Approach
Once you learn some basic fundamentals , create a productive way to practice and develop a solid short game , you ’ re ready to start playing the game .
The mental approach is quite possibly the most important part of the game of golf . You must learn to manage yourself on the course ; you need to know your own game , know your strengths and weaknesses and learn to play to the strengths . This leads to knowing how to manage your game on the course and managing your game is learning how to manage your emotions .
Every golfer should strive to shoot 90 or better in a round of golf , however , only 10 % can actually do it . The not so surprising other side to that story is that only 10 % of all golfers take golf lessons . There may be something to that . Breaking 90 is the light at the end of the tunnel . Once you ’ re able to do that , you ’ re ready to really start having fun and you ’ ll be playing a different type of game . It ’ s like a physical game of chess . You must stay in control … of you .
Practicing the Mental Approach
This is something you learn through playing the game but also through practicing the techniques on the practice tee , working on a routine on the practice tee , and practicing the things you think about on the course on the practice tee . The pre-shot routine is one of the most neglected aspects of the amateur ’ s golf game . This is a vital point in learning how to be consistent , and it must be practiced on the range as well as on the course .
A part of your practice must be on the fundamentals you feel you need to work on , but a certain part of your practice must be to prepare you for the course . After all , the main reason you ’ re on the range is so you can play better on the course .
Develop a “ system ” that you do each time before a shot on the course . An example of this would be as follows : stand behind your ball and visualize the flight of the ball for the shot you want to hit . Smile ( we hit it better if we ’ re smiling ) and walk up to the ball . OK – it can be a cocky little smile if you like .
Address the ball with your club first . Aim the club and then stake your stance following the aim of the club . Relax your arms and hands and get comfortable . Look out at your target and let it go . This should be done fairly quickly ( 8 to 10 seconds ) to ensure you ’ re not thinking too much .
How do you know if you did it right ?
Here ’ s a question for you to ask yourself after each shot . Was I thinking about my target or something else ? Simple ! The target is all you need to be thinking about .
Get some help on your routine from your PGA Golf Professional . This alone will help you play better . I hope the previous paragraphs and the thoughts will get you thinking and encourage you to improve your golf game . Remember only 10 % of all golfers take golf lessons and 10 % of all golfers can break 90 . Think about that . Good luck practicing . Make it fun and enjoy the journey . Below are a few more practice ideas .
“ Throwing Darts at Trees ”
Practice with a purpose . There is an old saying that practice makes perfect . The correct way of saying it is “ Perfect Practice Makes Permanent .”
Too many times we seem to just go to the range and go through the motions of hitting a few shots with each club , hitting a few chips , then a few putts , and then head on home . Well , that may have been
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