Will the last shot you played determine where the golf ball goes this time?
You might be surprised to realize that for many people the shot they have just played will have a major impact on their next shot.
The golf player who can switch his mind off that last shot, and move on, will always have a decided advantage over the competition.
If you are one of the many golfers who let their previous performance affect the rest of their game, then retraining your mind will do more for your game than all the tuition that any golf pro can give you.
How many times have we seen Tiger Woods play winning shots from out of the rough?
How many times have we seen him come from behind to win major tournaments?
There is one thing that other players will never do, and that is to write Tiger off if he has not been having a good game. This is because they know he has the mind power to put everything behind him.
In doing so, all the subsequent strokes are focused on winning the tournament.
Even the best golfers in the world duff their shots on occasions, but the way they handle those situations is a major reason why they are at the top of their game.
They don't let mistakes have any impact on the rest of their game, as they know that if they do, they will have no chance of recovery.
Your mind and the thoughts that you allow it to have, are the most powerful influences on the performance of your game.
It impacts on so many areas of play that it is often the downfall of so many golfers who could be better than their handicap suggests.
Consider the additional tension in your body when you are thinking about the last shot and how the next one needs to be so much better to compensate for your error.
That tension is translated into your swing and the possibility of a great shot is diminished accordingly.
Are You Still Thinking about Your Last Shot?
Are You Better on the Front or Back Nine?
Looking at the way you perform through the course of a game can give you a lot of powerful information that can be transferred into results the next time you play.
I have talked to many golfers and there seems to be a consistency with a lot of them relating to their performance on the front nine compared to the way they play on the back nine in most tournaments.
Not that there is a consistency in their game, but a consistency in the part of the game where they consistently fare worst.
Some people struggle to get their game right for the first nine holes and then improve on the back nine, whilst others start off fine and then fade on the last nine holes.
It is like there is a switch that gets flicked half way through the game and their performance changes in one direction or another.
There is always a reason why this is happening and targeting that reason can result in some excellent improvements to your score.
More often than not the second nine holes result in a poorer performance and this can be due to a number of factors.
Those factors can be fatigue or a lack of hydration.
Dehydration in itself will result in fatigue.
These are simple factors that can be easily addressed with regular intake of water and foods containing some carbohydrate content to keep the energy levels up.
Other people find they perform worse on the first nine holes and that can often be from tension where they tend to relax later in the game and start playing better.
Once again, if you are aware that this is happening you can address the problem by making an effort to relax.
Learning relaxation techniques can do more for many people's game than all the advice in the world and it might be just what you need to take your game to the next level.
Golf Tips For Beginners: It's All In The Mind
Many books and other sources of golf tips for beginners cover the technical aspects of playing golf very thoroughly, but do not prepare the new player for the mental side of the game. Golf can be a very frustrating sport and one where your game (and your reputation) can go rapidly downhill if you do not master the skill of anger management and keeping a positive mindset.
The most important thing to learn is to accept any bad shots and move on. This sounds simple on paper or on your computer screen but when you are out there on the course it is easy to start up with the 'if onlys', going over other ways that you could have played the shot, or even wanting to take it again with another ball just to prove that you could have done better. This is not good for your game and is irritating for your playing partners. Save it for your next practice session.
Although your game will improve a great deal with practice and a good coach, some people simply have more strength or flexibility in their bodies than others. It can be frustrating to see other people practicing less and playing better but that's life. Try to concentrate on your own game without constantly comparing yourself with others.
If you suffer from arthritis or other stiffness in the back or shoulders, it may be difficult to learn a good straight swing. Certain exercises that involve slow movement are very good for increasing flexibility and awareness of the body. These include tai chi, qi gung and yoga. Tai chi, which is often taught as a martial art, is popular with men.
It can be very useful to experiment with your game when you are beginning, and later in your golfing career too. You can decide on an approach that you will take for a particular round, stick to it all through and then evaluate where it was useful and where it was not. For example you might decide to play safer shots all around the course, and you might find that this worked well on some particular holes, but not others. This is very useful information and will teach you a lot about your own game as well as how to play different holes and courses.
Visualization is another mental technique that can have a positive effect on your game. With every shot, try visualizing the ball arriving on the green and rolling straight into the hole. Accept bad shots and let them go, focusing on the positive. Think of the advancements you have made in your game, or what you can learn from that shot, or just enjoy the physical activity of playing golf.
While it is possible of course to improve your game, it will never be perfect. If you are a perfection-seeker then golf will either teach you a different mindset or frustrate you to the edge of a coronary. The perfect game of golf, after all, would be 18 holes-in-one. Did you ever hear of anybody doing that?
Most players are able to handle a bad shot or a bad round but a bad run where your play seems to have deteriorated for no clear reason can be difficult to deal with. Usually this is just chance and things will soon turn around for you. If not, you could try taking a few lessons. This is likely to help in the long term although experimenting with new playing styles could have a negative effect at first.
Understanding your mindset and the emotions that a good or bad game arouses is as important as taking in any technical golf tips for beginners.
