We all experience it. We have a great range session and then proceed to stumble through 18 holes, lacking confidence and consistency.
When I start playing poorly, it’s usually because I shorten up my backswing, or am too fast with my upper body on the downswing. These can lead to both pulls and slices depending on the execution, neither of which help to make pars or birdies.
Even though these are physical mistakes, the root cause is the 6 inches between my ears. It’s mental.
On the range there is no water and the sand isn’t so daunting. There is no OB. There are no penalty strokes if you don’t hit a good shot. Then you get on the course and you’re thinking about how you need to hit a decent tee shot or else it’s going to be difficult to par the hole. And if there’s water, oh boy. If you put the ball in the water then a double bogey is in the cards, and starting off like that will ruin your good score. These are my thoughts sometimes, at least, and they make me worse.
I’ve been working on 2 things to help with this.
Choose a shot that I know I can hit
This doesn’t translate to “always play it safe” but it does translate to “hit the smart shot.” If theres a wide fairway that narrows at 290 yards and beyond, I should hit my 3 wood and land in the wide area rather than trying to hit a GREAT drive that has to find the narrow patch. But if I’m 200 from the green with water in front, I’m going to go for it knowing that I can definitely carry that distance with my long irons.
Commit 100% to the shot I’m trying to hit
I tend to unintentionally make minor adjustments to be safe around hazards and while putting. If theres water on the left side of the fairway, there’s a good chance that if I miss, I’ll slice it to the right. If there’s a left breaking putt, I might think during my backswing “this might break more than I thought” and subconsciously open my putter face. What I’m trying to do is pick and shot and fully commit to it. Water on the left? Play a controlled intentional fade. Or aim right center and hit it straight. But only pick 1! And on the greet, pick a line and a speed and commit to it.
It’s easy to let your body adjust because the water is in the back of your mind, but that’s something I’m working to control better. Yes, the ball will sometimes find the water. But you have to try to hit the shot you want to hit. Your setup, swing, and everything else begins with your planned shot, and if you don’t execute on the planned shot, it won’t be pretty.
How I’ve unintentionally practiced this
Did you know that Tiger Woods is an avid SCUBA diver? While I’m a good swimmer and comfortable in any pool, I’ve never loved being in the ocean. But Michelle likes diving, so I started last year.
Last week we went to Dominica, a beautiful island in the Caribbean for a dive trip. Diving is like golf in the sense that you plan, execute, and have to be committed or things won’t work out well. I get a bit anxious before every dive, especially night dives, so going through the emotional process of committing and executing a plan even though there are other thoughts in my head has helped, I hope.
- Before you hit a shot you decide what you want to do and prepare for the shot. In diving you plan your dive with the other divers and check your gear to make sure everything is working properly.
- When you hit the shot, you should try to execute your planned shot. The ball wont always go where you wanted it to go, but you need to give it a chance. With diving, once you are in the water you trust that the equipment checks that you did were sufficient and that your training to monitor buoyancy, air consumption, and depth will keep you safe (and that no deep see creatures will eat you).
- When the ball doesn’t go where you planed, move on and prepare for the next shot. In diving you didn’t see what you wanted to, or someone in your group got low on air early and cut the dive short. Appreciate what you DID see and get ready for the next dive.
In both golf and diving you’re doing something that’s supposed to be fun. The experience and execution might not always be exactly what you’re expecting or perfect, but its part of the game.
Do you know of any other ways to practice the mental part of the game off the course? Send me a note at rosenbergmaxa@gmail.com!
