Practice How You Intend to Play

When you are practicing on the range, do you go through your pre-shot routine? If not why not?

You want to practice how you intend to play, so that when you get to the golf course you don't have to think about it. That includes practicing your routine on the range.

If you don't hit balls on the range going through your routine you are telling yourself that it is not as important as when you are playing on the course. The problem comes when you get to the course and all of a sudden, instead of just stepping up there and hitting the shot, you are now evaluating the lie, the wind, the yardage and taking onsiderably more time over the shot than you do on the practice area.

This automatically creates more tension (which we want to control at all times), as you have created the scenario as a result of the way that you practice.

Make sure that when you stand on the practice tee you hit balls going through your routine just the way you would on the golf course. You will find that you are a lot more relaxed on the course and able to execute the shots that you want.

Think Better & You Will Score Better

There are three areas that need to be developed for you to reach your potential as a golfer. Everybody knows the first one. That is the technical aspect (the swing). More and more people are realising the benefit of the second aspect, which is fitness and lastly golfers now realise how much the

mental game

comes into play.

My shelves are full of books on the mental game of golf, but

Golf - The Mind Factor

is probably my favourite. Rather than just telling stories about great comebacks, it gives you the techniques to equip yourself on the golf course.

We have all heard that voice in your head saying "Don't hit it in the water, please don't hit it in the water" and then "Splash". What you say to yourself on the golf course can be the difference between shooting your best ever score and that dreaded "c" word that me just wont mention.

Just to show you how good the book is I will give you one of the techniques for you to go away and work on. It is all about Self Talk. Here it is:

"Many people absolutely torture themselves with their internal dialogue. Over the next couple of rounds try stepping out of the action and just listen to what's actually going on. Most of this internal dialogue has become so habitual and so unconscious that you're unaware of its presence and effect. Go out next time and just tune in to what's occurring; you may even start to smile at the abuse and torture that you're inflicting on yourself. After the round, take a pen and jot down a couple of the things that you have said to yourself out on the course. When you actually see this on paper you will see it for what it is - ridiculous. This first step is vital though, because you can't change something unless you know what it is! Have fun with this and maybe even observe the self-torture your playing partners are inflicting upon themselves."

I have tortured myself on many an occassion. I have completely revamped my thought process and now have a lot more fun on the course, and as a result, what do you know, I play better and my scores are better.

This is a tiny investment in your game, but can give you such lucrative rewards if you take that bit of time to implement these techniques. You can get your hands on a copy of

Golf - The Mind Factor

from Amazon.