Have you ever heard of the term "steering"? Steering is when a golfer that is under pressure changes their swing in order to keep the ball in play. This is usually done when a golfer is on a narrow or tight hole and doesn't want to hit it OB or in a hazard. Phil Mickelson might have been guilty of this on the 18th tee at the 2006 US Open. He was under pressure, tried to hit a shot that he had not practiced a lot, and sliced it off the planet. By trusting your swing and developing a pre-shot routine, you can take the "steering" tendency out of your golf game.
Watching the pros on TV, you will notice that they do the same exact thing before every shot. This ritual allows their body and mind to go on autopilot when they are about to execute a shot, which helps produce a repeatable swing even under pressure. All golfers should have a unique routine that they follow. Quick tempo players usually have a quick routine and slower paced players have a more deliberate routine. By developing your own and doing it prior to each shot (even on the driving range and putting green) your swing will become much sturdier under pressure.
Treat your golf swing as a good friend or a spouse. These are people that you rely on under stressful situations, and you rely on them because you know they will support you no matter what. So, next time you are on a 420 yd par four tee box with OB right and water left, rely on your swing. This is a hard thing to do at first, but forget about the consequences, surrender to the golf gods, and trust your swing. If you change your swing and start playing safe to protect against mistakes, it reflects a lack of confidence in your swing, and low confidence on a golf course is a recipe for a high score.
A good pre shot routine can put your body and mind on automatic and if you trust your swing and execute it in a tension free and confident manner the results will be very pleasing.
Watching the pros on TV, you will notice that they do the same exact thing before every shot. This ritual allows their body and mind to go on autopilot when they are about to execute a shot, which helps produce a repeatable swing even under pressure. All golfers should have a unique routine that they follow. Quick tempo players usually have a quick routine and slower paced players have a more deliberate routine. By developing your own and doing it prior to each shot (even on the driving range and putting green) your swing will become much sturdier under pressure.
Treat your golf swing as a good friend or a spouse. These are people that you rely on under stressful situations, and you rely on them because you know they will support you no matter what. So, next time you are on a 420 yd par four tee box with OB right and water left, rely on your swing. This is a hard thing to do at first, but forget about the consequences, surrender to the golf gods, and trust your swing. If you change your swing and start playing safe to protect against mistakes, it reflects a lack of confidence in your swing, and low confidence on a golf course is a recipe for a high score.
A good pre shot routine can put your body and mind on automatic and if you trust your swing and execute it in a tension free and confident manner the results will be very pleasing.
No comments:
Post a Comment