Achieving High
Performance as a Golfer
By Nick Duffy, BGGA Senior Coach
When you read the title of this article you may be
thinking, “What is the swing tip for me to play my
best?,” but this is not that article. Let’s look at ways
to get the most out of your game and become a
great competitor.
If you were to walk the grounds at the Masters this
week, you will see some beautiful swings, but may
forget some others. There will be players shooting
low scores with less than perfect swings and ball
striking. What is it these players do that allow them
to play at such a high level with less than perfect
technique? There are many traits these players
have that allow them to achieve high performance,
but a few I like to see are grit, self-awareness and
adaptability.
Grit is courage, resolve or strength of character.
In a round of golf, grit comes in handy when
you play 72 hole tournaments that can take five
hours a round to play. The patience to keep on
fighting when things aren’t going your way is what
distinguishes players at the highest level. Grit can
be described in golf as trying just as hard on a 6
foot putt for 79 as one for 69.
The second trait is self-awareness. This is one of
my favorite traits to see in junior golfers and one
of the rarest. In golf, self-awareness is the ability to
recognize patterns in your game. These patterns
can be ball flight, certain clubs you struggle to hit
or you hit well, a certain shot you can’t pull off or
ones that are easy that day.
What I see in junior golf are players trying to hit
shots they struggle with and not adjusting. I also
see players not having their “A” game play more
aggressive, which ultimately gets them in trouble.
Then when players have their “A” game they try
and protect thei