The Scene
Even though you’ve played beautifully all day, putting into practice all the lessons you’ve learnt, somewhere in the back of your mind you know the one thing you dread is rapidly approaching. Your bogey hole, the hole you can never seem to crack, the hole that catches you out every time and ruins your day. It may be a tight dogleg with out of bounds down one side for you, or it may be a short par four with an approach over water for someone else, and it may even be the short par three downhill that to everyone else seems so easy. Sometimes, it’s not about shooting birdies and eagles, but coping with the pressures that the mental side of golf causes.
The Result
When you arrive at a bogey hole, often in an attempt to get through the pain as quickly as possible, it is easy to adopt a “get it over and done with as fast as possible” approach. However by rushing onto the tee desperate to get over this mental hurdle you risk speeding up all aspects of your game up with an inevitable drop in performance. Rushing through your pre-shot routine often leads to bad habits and a faster swing, which of course leads to an increase in the likelihood of the bogey hole striking again.
Calm and cool
So how do you avoid speeding up and rushing your way to disaster? A simple change in your mental approach coupled with a simple routine will allow you to tame the bogey hole and keep on track to shooting a great round. The secret to developing your special routine for your bogey hole is slowing down. From the moment you walk onto the tee, make a conscious effort to slow down every aspect of your routine, from selecting your shot, through taking a practice swing, to executing your shot.
Why so slow?
Slow play is not something to be proud of, but on your bogey hole, going into slow motion (try reducing your speed to 60-70% the first time) helps in several ways. If you’ve ever tried t’ai chi or other martial arts, you will have seen that by slowing down your movement you will learn to perfect those movements faster, which in turn makes you better at those skills in the long run. By going slowly you will develop consistency and be able to control and maintain a solid and precise swing thus improving concentration and focus. Give it a go, and crack the curse of the bogey hole!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Finishing off in style!
The Scene
Fifteen holes played with three to go and you’re 4 shots under your handicap, having played beautifully all day. Standing on the 16th tee you glance up at the out of bounds running down the right hand side and think to yourself just try and scrape a par, before the par three 17th whose bunkers always grab your ball, and the water in front of the green on the 18th that catches you out every time. Finishing off those last few holes of a round and seeing your handicap goals achieved can sometimes be the toughest part of a game of golf.
Have a break
With one sixth of the course left to play the 16th tee is an excellent time to take stock of your round, so grab that energy bar from your bag, and use the snack as the trigger to get your mental plan in place for the final push. Having a strong mental game is the key to ending your round in style, and that means having a clear mind and strategy. Standing on the 16th tee take a moment and use a simple breathing and visualisation technique to get you focused and ready for each shot of the final 3 holes.
Have a plan
Looking away from the 16th tee slowly take a deep in breath and imagine yourself standing over your ball as part of your pre-shot routine. Now slowly exhale, and use the start of the out breath to visualise the flight of your ball from the tee all the way to moment it lands in the fairway and rolls to the position you are aiming for. Repeat the deep breath and this time in your mind visualise your second shot as your breath out, focusing your mind on the flight of the ball, and continue until you’ve played the complete hole in this way, replaying the hole or shot in your mind if you don’t have a clear strategy or your breathing is not calm and relaxed afterwards.
Finish in style
With each shot you play on the way to the 18th green, don’t worry if a shot is not exactly as you planned, but take a moment to repeat the breathing exercise and visualise the shot you are faced with each time and for every remaining shot of the hole. Using this simple technique the final 3 holes will no longer hold any fears, and you will be cool, calm and you well on the way to achieving your goals of cutting your handicap. Let this breathing and visualisation technique become part of your routine each time you play over the next month, and let us know how you get on!
Fifteen holes played with three to go and you’re 4 shots under your handicap, having played beautifully all day. Standing on the 16th tee you glance up at the out of bounds running down the right hand side and think to yourself just try and scrape a par, before the par three 17th whose bunkers always grab your ball, and the water in front of the green on the 18th that catches you out every time. Finishing off those last few holes of a round and seeing your handicap goals achieved can sometimes be the toughest part of a game of golf.
Have a break
With one sixth of the course left to play the 16th tee is an excellent time to take stock of your round, so grab that energy bar from your bag, and use the snack as the trigger to get your mental plan in place for the final push. Having a strong mental game is the key to ending your round in style, and that means having a clear mind and strategy. Standing on the 16th tee take a moment and use a simple breathing and visualisation technique to get you focused and ready for each shot of the final 3 holes.
Have a plan
Looking away from the 16th tee slowly take a deep in breath and imagine yourself standing over your ball as part of your pre-shot routine. Now slowly exhale, and use the start of the out breath to visualise the flight of your ball from the tee all the way to moment it lands in the fairway and rolls to the position you are aiming for. Repeat the deep breath and this time in your mind visualise your second shot as your breath out, focusing your mind on the flight of the ball, and continue until you’ve played the complete hole in this way, replaying the hole or shot in your mind if you don’t have a clear strategy or your breathing is not calm and relaxed afterwards.
Finish in style
With each shot you play on the way to the 18th green, don’t worry if a shot is not exactly as you planned, but take a moment to repeat the breathing exercise and visualise the shot you are faced with each time and for every remaining shot of the hole. Using this simple technique the final 3 holes will no longer hold any fears, and you will be cool, calm and you well on the way to achieving your goals of cutting your handicap. Let this breathing and visualisation technique become part of your routine each time you play over the next month, and let us know how you get on!
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