W L
GOLF
SIMPLE GOLF TIPS
BY TOM ATKINSON, PGA GOLF PROFESSIONAL
For years now I have coached and played with countless amateur
golfers and noticed that their biggest struggle is the mental game.
How many times have you started out your round with a string of
pars or been level par through 5 only to double and triple bogey
the next 3 holes and ruin your round? The one that costs you starts
to creep into your head and you begin trying to fix your swing to
make sure that whatever has happened does not happen again. This
is where almost all amateurs fail, a professional won’t follow up a
mistake with another mistake, very often! You must learn to avoid
the fear and frustration that often creep into our minds during a
difficult round of golf, and not play your round in the future. Here
are some simple tips to make your mental game stronger and break
through your mental collapses on the course.
1. Pre-Shot Routine
Turn the TV back on now golf has made a return and watch how
every player has a pre shot routine. Developing this will keep your
mind occupied with process and fear will not have any time to creep
in, we can only think of any one thing at a time don’t forget so your
pre-shot routine can keep your head from becoming filled with fear.
Whether that is your next shot or the fear of repeating what just
went wrong.
4. The right shot - Strategy
This is huge for your mental game. Inevitably poor shots lead to
poor thoughts, if you pick the right shots then you’re more likely
to see a better result. Many amateurs do not know what club to hit
off the tee to avoid the hazards of the course. A lot of the time you
step up to the tee and try to hit it as far as possible to leave a shorter
shot into the green. This is not always the best idea, it could leave
you with your worst yardage, your most feared type of shot over
water etc, not to mention that the shot that travels the furthest is the
hardest one to pull off. A simple pre-round strategy will help you
eliminate the simple errors that build up in your mind and cause
your big scores. Make sure to always know how far it is to the water
hazard or bunkers before hitting your shot. At our golf club, we used
to have a huge ditch running through our stroke index 1 5th hole.
Members would often come in telling us how they’ve just hit their
best shot straight in and how unfair it was. Clearly this wasn’t their
best shot at all but done to strategy not technique. Decide what teeshot
will give you the best approach to the green on each hole and
what club you need to hit. That way you can step up to every shot
with confidence and play your round without any fear around the
course.
2. Focus
Once you have completed your pre-shot routine all that is left is to
do hit the shot. But where are you actually looking as you hit your
ball? The most common response is “I’m not sure.” What you need
to do is focus on your marking, or the manufacturers logo or even
one of the dimples - try it.
3. Distraction
Occupy your mind between shots, chat about the football,
somewhere you’ve been to eat or drink, anything to help you take
your mind off your golf, but there must be a time when you do
switch back on, get into the zone so to speak. Tiger Woods used to
have his caddy lay a club down 10 yards before and after his ball,
Tiger would then have to break his concentration to step over and
pick up the club, this was his way of taking himself in and out of the
zone, he is the best mental player the world has seen.
I hope that these simple tips to improve your mental golf game work
next time you play, for more information or if you’d like an on course
strategy lesson then get in touch with me at [email protected]
62 wirrallife.com