Tiger Woods, at his own Hero World Challenge Tournament last week, mentioned a concept that resonates with many amateurs on the golf course: Just "how bad is your bad?"
Do you double bogey after sinking a thirty-foot putt for birdie? Do you choke after looking at your scorecard? Does your round take a downhill spiral and not bounce back or do you recover and shake off the bad golf shots?
Highs and lows have no place on the golf course - a sound and even mental attitude is how to keep the "bad" from seeping into your round.
Highs and lows have no place on the golf course - a sound and even mental attitude is how to keep the "bad" from seeping into your round.
Here are a few golf tips to get your mind fit for the round and help you to stay focused on par:
1. Stay Positive! Possibly one of the hardest things to do during a round is to keep smiling (like Phil Mickelson does) after flubbing an chip shot when you just struck a miraculous two-hundred-fifty yard drive. Don't beat yourself up - golf is a game of mis-hits and, according to Bob Rotella, it is also a game of confidence and competence. Today, you may not have the most perfectly aligned swing, but your putter might be lightning hot - eighteen holes is a long journey.
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2. Gimme NOTHING! In order to understand golf tournament pressure, don't accept gimme's during your rounds - MAKE EVERY PUTT. Dr. Joseph Parent say's, "Act like the shot matters, and you'll be more ready to hit it when it really does."
3. What Scorecard? I let my husband score each round and, when I am playing golf in a tournament, I let someone else handle putting my score down on paper...know why? It's too much pressure seeing how many birdies and bogeys I made and calculating what it would take for me to score in the 80's for the round. Focus on the shot right in front of you and let the score take care of itself!
What golf tips can you share that makes your bad on the golf course...better? Comment below in this golf blog and share with us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.
2 comments:
Don't take bad news to the golf course. One friend I played with had to talk about all the headlines from the morning paper on the way to the course. Your mind needs to be free from negativity. Keep the talk light. Wait till after the game to tell your troubles.....if you really have to talk about them!
Good sound thinking! Listen to happy music on your way to the course, don't read the news - only good thoughts before a round!
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