Do you get the picture?
How confident would you be standing on a tee box of a 410-yard
hole that has a thirty-yard wide fairway? I can feel certain parts
of my body tightening up just thinking about it. You need to
understand we all suffer these feelings. When faced with a
situation such as this, we need to replace the task at hand with a
simpler one that, when accomplished, will also accomplish the more
difficult one. Every PGA Tour player has found a way to block out
the danger and replace it with a task more in his comfort zone.
Do you get the picture?
How confident would you be standing on a tee box of a 410-yard hole that has a thirty-yard wide fairway? I can feel certain parts of my body tightening up just thinking about it. You need to understand we all suffer these feelings. When faced with a situation such as this, we need to replace the task at hand with a simpler one that, when accomplished, will also accomplish the more difficult one. Every PGA Tour player has found a way to block out the danger and replace it with a task more in his comfort zone.
Your mind can be your best ally or it can be your worst enemy on the golf course, or for that matter, anywhere else. However, if we simplify the task at hand and thereby minimize the pressure needed to accomplish the task, we increase the chance of its success. If you were facing that narrow fairway, wouldn’t it be less intimidating just to hit it through an imaginary hula-hoop in front of you than trying to ‘steer’ the ball into the fairway?
I once had a conversation with Billy Harmon, who at the time was a caddy for Jay Haas. Jay was coming off a year and a half slump (previously he had been in the top fifteen money winners on Tour three years in a row}. I asked Billy what had happened. He said one day Jay was playing in a tournament in Florida and he had just gone through his pre-shot routine. He then stepped off the ball and said to Billy, “I can’t see it.” As it turned out he had lost the ability to ‘see’ the shot he needed to make.
If you learn the ability to think in simple ‘pictures’ it will take some of the fear out of your shots. When you can imagine hitting a ball through a hula-hoop in front of you, your focus will be on getting the job done at ‘home’ and not worrying about the results. Remember, if you start your shot out right you have a better chance of it ending right. Learn to be creative. If it works for all the Tour players it can work for you.
Have any golf related questions? From rules to club fitting you can call me at 408-846-4531 or e-mail me at sk*****@ea**********.com. If you would like to read some of my past tips, you can do so at www.pinnaclenews.com. And don’t forget, if you’re not having fun playing golf call your local PGA or LPGA instructor, we will help. Golf is more fun when you’re improving. Don’t be afraid to be good.
