CREATE YOUR PROCESS
It ’ s important to develop a process that works for you . Here are some tips from Dillow .
Dillow ’ s Putting Routine
1 . Read the putt and select your line .
2 . Stand behind the ball , about three steps away , with the ball between you and your target line , which is hole high , and visualize the path and speed your ball will travel to the hole .
3 . Walk towards the ball , take your setup position to make a practice putting stroke , then make one practice putting stroke to simulate the stroke you ’ ll make to hit the actual putt .
4 . Look at your target , then align your putter behind the ball and at your target .
5 . Look at your target one last time , then look back at your ball , and make a stroke .
6 . Watch the ball rolling to the target and the hole ; if you miss , you ’ ll be able to see what the ball is doing as it approaches the hole .
BIGSTOCK
As you enter the first tee box , block out the “ what ifs ” and think positively about where you want to hit the ball .
hitting shots , you ’ ll have proper cues that guide you away from the external noise . I ’ m confident you ’ ll find that your score will improve as your process improves .”
Finally , even if your first tee shot goes astray , stop being so harsh with self-talk .
“ It ’ s hard to get a positive outcome from a negative process ,” Dillow said . “ Ben Hogan said he was lucky to hit more than one or two shots the way he wanted during a round of golf — and I think any of us would love to have every one of his mishit shots . Use affirming words and action statements that build you towards accomplishing goals instead of away from them .
“ That ’ s why we play 18 holes ,” Dillow said . “ You have plenty of time for success .”
Paint a Picture
How to visualize your golf shots .
1 . The next time you go out to the practice range , visualize a hole that you ’ re familiar with .
2 . After setting up boundaries , using the flags on the range to help simulate a fairway , green , etc , hit your “ tee shot ” on the hole that you ’ re envisioning .
3 . Imagine you hit an incredible drive and left 150 yards into the green . Practice your approach shot , hitting your 150-yard club to your desired target , and visualize a green where one of the range targets may be .
4 . Continue this process , hitting tee shots and approach shots for 9 or 18 holes to your visualized targets .
Practice with a Purpose
Dillow says 99 % of the golfers he sees at clubs probably do more harm to their game than good because they don ' t practice the right things , simply because their practice consists of quantity over quality .
For example , many golfers will drop 2-3 balls on the practice green and aimlessly hit putts from hole to hole . When you play a round of golf , you only have one ball and one chance to sink any given putt .
1 . Practice your putting only using one ball . 2 . Pick putts that you commonly see during a round of golf . 3 . Go through your process of reading the break and hitting the single putt just as you would on the actual course .
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