Fault 1: I never seem to be able to play as well on the course as I do on the range

Many golfers spend their practice time on the range working to perfect their swing or make a swing change to improve their performance on the course. Whatever the level, golfers’ goals are often the same – to perform well. When golfers say they “can’t play as well on the course as well as they do on the range”, our next question is how well does your performance on the range resemble your performance on the course? In other words, what do you do on the range that you don’t do on the course?

We suggest that golfers practice as they intend to play. In short make the conditions as similar as possible and satisfy yourself that you are doing all you can to achieve this goal. Without doubt you will have seen many golfers at the range beating a bucket of balls with one or two clubs until they are satisfied with the outcome. But this practice does not resemble the game of golf. Rarely do you use the same club twice, though there are occasions when we all have to! The generous lie you give yourself each time is not what it is like on the golf course. How often are you hitting shots from the rough? Or how often are you hitting shots from a divot? These are all parts of the game that we find on the course but we may not find on the mat at a driving range or on a flat, grass driving range. When we practice how we intend to play we are asking ourselves to be disciplined and focused. We don’t just mindlessly hit ball after ball; rather, we take our time to hit each ball like we should on the golf course. We try to create similar conditions in our mind. Tell yourself what is happening in the game and how you might be feeling with a shot to the green over the water to a tight pin. And then you ask yourself to remain committed to your target and focused on seeing a clear picture of the flight of the ball to the pin or to the fat part of the green if that is sensible golf. It is good advice to imagine you have paid £5 for each ball you are going to hit or that you must collect each ball you hit. Perhaps, you would think differently about mindlessly hitting balls on the range. We recommend taking one minute to prepare, execute and evaluate each shot. So in one hour, you should have hit no more than sixty balls and the quality of your practice would resemble what the course performance you are aiming for. Remember that in golf you have to hit your ball and walk before you play your next shot so you should create a time difference between shots and deal with all the emotions and thoughts you might have about the outcome of a shot. Then you need to help yourself to accept the outcome of each shot and prepare mentally to hit your next shot.

            Research also shows that performance on the course is improved with variable practice.  That is, you are better playing shots on the range as you would on the course.  As we mentioned a drive is rarely followed by another drive.  Rather a drive is followed by an iron.  So it should be on the driving range. A putt is never followed by a putt of similar distance (unless something went drastically wrong!). To explain, many people practice putting by doing the same putt from the same distance repeatedly.  Yet others may practice putting a few balls, then pitching, then putting again.  In the second example there is a better transfer of learning to actual performance, because the skill has been learnt in a manner similar to that which is required when playing. So the next time you practice you may think about varying the shots you do, from club to club, or if you are using the same club then vary the distances (e.g., follow up a 3 foot putt with a 10 foot putt). Variety is not only the spice of life but also the source of good practice!

Here’s the fix: To play better golf, you need to practice as you intend to play. Take your time to hit each shot and create similar conditions as possible. Only then, can you begin to transfer the game you play on the range to the game you play on the course. Out on the course, you can imagine you are just practicing on the range, hitting the ball while you are focused on the moment and nothing else (please see also My Golf Practice).

Fault 2: I feel so nervous on the first tee and often hit a poor shot

Feeling nervous in a competitive environment is natural. It is our body’s way of telling us that we are preparing for action and as Jack Nicklaus said, it is a truest test of a player to rise to the occasion. However, we can all probably think of occasions when our anxiety has had a detrimental influence on our performance so it is important that we are comfortable with strategies that help us in that situation.  Four simple things to consider are perspective, practice, choose your club wisely and routine.

First, keep a perspective on the first shot. The symptoms are normal and many professional golfers also feel nervous on this occasion and many times they fail to execute the shot they were hoping for. Remember the first tee of the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K-Club in Co. Kildare in Ireland. Tiger Woods drove off the tee into the water. And if Tiger can do it, perhaps we should not be too hard on ourselves and expect too much. When we lower our expectations, we naturally begin to relax and allow ourselves to play the game we are capable of playing. Nobody else is holding the strings – we are in charge. If you accept that during a round of golf, it is normal to have poor shots, you can accept that one poor tee shot will not disrupt your game in any way. This shot is no more important than the tee shot on any other hole.

Practice your first shot.  Make your last shots on the range ones with the club you plan to use first.  So you are comfortable with the club.  Why not get comfortable playing a shot in front of an audience – because you may have an audience on the first tee. Perhaps finish with a little competition with your playing partners where you compete to see who can hit the best shot – you will naturally watch each other take the shot. Or if you do not want to give your playing partner an advantage perhaps ask them to watch you strike the bal under a pretext of asking them to look at your swing! In short get used to swinging the club you will use on the first tee and get used to swinging it in front of an audience.

Be smart, the key to hitting a good shot off the tee might depend on you hitting your favourite club that suits you and gets you to play your best golf – how much better is the middle of the fairway compared with the rough? Life in and out of the rough is very different. If you are comfortable hitting a six iron or rescue club off the tee, then have the confidence to choose that shot – that is what a composed and confident golfer would do. And if you watch golf on TV, the positive professional takes the best option for him or her every time.

Finally, it is important that you have a pre-shot routine that you are comfortable with and helps get you in the right frame physically and psychology for a shot.  Techniques that golfers can use before a shot, such as imagining where they want the ball to go, taking time to focus on your breathing, using a mantra (e.g., smooth swing) during the swing to prevent intrusive swing thoughts can all be helpful in controlling the feelings of anxiety and focussing attention on what is  important – hitting  good shot.

Here’s the fix: To perform your best on the first hols, keep a perspective, practice smartly, choose your club wisely and stick to your tried and tested routine (please see also My Golf Practice).

Fault 3: I often end up three-putting when I have a great chance of a birdie

It is common after a good shot to the green to think ahead. Perhaps to think that this birdie chance will have a good effect on the current score and make up for the bogey on the last hole. In short, this birdie will look good on the scorecard. When a golfer starts to think in this way, the golfer is thinking ahead and focusing on things outside the golfer’s control. When we think in this way, we begin to expect something of ourselves that directs our attention away from the task. So when the golfer sets up to hit the putt, the golfer is thinking as Doug Sanders was thinking at the Open in 1970, when he missed that short putt for the title.

Thinking this way is not helpful.  It means you are not focused on a routine and a smooth stroke that you trust. No, you are thinking about how important this putt is to make that birdie, how sweet it will look on the scorecard, how it will propel you to start playing better in the holes that follow. But all these thoughts do not help you to play your best. The ball does not know the score and neither does your putter. Only you know what the putt means to you. You need to get back to your routine and help you forget about the outcome and allow yourself to get through the process and feel good about executing your putt.

In short stay in the present.  Focus your attention on making a good putt.  The challenge for every putt is to hit a good putt. The outcome will take care of itself.  When you think about the importance of making a putt there is also a tendency for you to focus on making sure the putting stroke is done correctly– when actually trying to play the shot.  Paradoxically concentrating on controlling a motor movement (like a putting stroke) usually leads to a worse performance as the movement becomes less fluid. This is often called “paralysis by analysis” Focus attention on task-relevant thoughts when lining the put, such as what line you need to take and so on.  When you come to take your putt, anything that occupies the mind to prevent a conscious control of the movement, such a trigger word or phrase, can be useful. The trust your routine to hit a good putt.  If you hit a good putt the outcome will take care of itself.

Here’s the fix:  Thinking of the value of the putt is at best irrelevant, and at worse very unhelpful.  When you begin to think about the value of a putt, step back, focus on task-relevant thoughts, trust your routine and hit a good putt.

Fault 4: Whenever I try not to think about hitting the ball in the water, that’s where it goes

Golf can play tricks with our mind. Especially when we are tied on the 18^th fairway with a shot to the green. If you get it close, you could have a good chance to score a birdie and win the competition but the water in front of the hole starts to make the green look much smaller. The landing area becomes tighter and as you look down at the green the thought of not hitting the ball into the water starts to get stronger. So strong in fact that it is all you can think about, not hitting the ball into the water and in your mind’s eye, you only see the ball dropping into the water. It’s time to take the shot to the green but the image remains and you become a little tense, get into position and make the shot. You strike the ball pretty well but as it is heading for the green it drops into the water. As much as you could try to hit that green, it wasn’t going to happen. This is ironic because that which you were trying to avoid is exactly what you receive. This is what psychologists call ironic processing.

Under normal circumstances we are able to avoid making mistakes because our mind unconsciously monitors threats to what we wish to achieve.  Such as not being able to hit the ball on the green.  But when we have a lot on our mind (such worrying about whether we can win the competition) our conscious minds are occupied and thoughts that we tried to suppress about we did not want to happen, such as hitting the ball in the water, pop back into our head. Studies consistently show that thoughts about what we do not want to happen may end up coming true – when we are anxious.

The way to avoid this ironic processing is to stay relaxed when playing golf.  Relaxation techniques such as specific breathing techniques may be useful in this regard.  Distraction can also help, for example, some golfers have been known to sing quietly to themselves to keep their mind occupied when worrying thoughts occur.  Keep a focus on task-relevant thoughts about what toy want to achieve – not what you want to avoid and have a clear focus about where you want the ball to actually land – not where you do not want it to go. Trust your routine to hit a good putt.  If you

Here’s the fix: Be positive about the decision you have made. Keep a focus on what you wish to achieve, and keep relaxed.

Fault 5: I can’t stop thinking about the score during the game

The score is important and there is no doubt about it. But the score is something that will always take care of itself. It doesn’t matter what the score is really because the most important part is that you are playing to play your best. And your best will be reflected in a score at the end of the game but thinking about that score during the game does not allow yourself to give of your best. Your mental discipline is up to you. You can gain control of your game and what you think about it by reminding yourself to stay with the process. This is not easy but what part of golf is easy. We work harder to get better and that is what we are aiming to do. The challenge for you is to focus on the present.

Focusing on the score is irrelevant.  How can focusing on the score help?  It can’t.  And it may even make you play worse. Sometimes you can’t avoid the score – that is fine.  Playing partners will remind you of how well or badly you are doping sometimes.  But as soon as you think about the score let that thought drift out of your head and focus on something useful like what you have to do on the next shot, or distract yourself by talking about a different subject with a playing partner.  Remember fleetingly thinking about the score does not matter.  Focusing all your thoughts on the score is problematic.  To explain, the first time you consciously try to reduce your focus on the score during a round of golf you may think of the score 50% of the time, but if you consciously try to think of task relevant, positive, or even neutral thoughts (such as chatting with a playing partner) the number of times you think of the score may reduce to 35% of the time – an improvement. Next competition it is 25% and so on.  Keep progressing. It is a process that you can actively control – don’t feel that you have to think about the score  – you can work hard to control this.

Here’s the fix: The score takes care of itself. You can maintain your mental discipline by chatting to those around you, focusing on your breathing, or imagining what you what to do. The key point is working to remain in the present.

Fault 6: Slow players frustrate me and make me play poorly

Slow play is part of golf. And being part of golf, we need to accept that it is part of the game and we need to learn to deal with it. We accept it is a challenge but one you can deal with.

            The best way to deal with a delay is to accept that it is something you cannot control.  There is no point wasting energy by feeling angry about the slow play.  If feeling angry helps you play well then by all means get angry!  But anger is helpful for very few players. Try to focus on what you can control.  When you are held up have somewhere to go.  Take the time to distract yourself – do not think “I should be playing my shot now”, “why can’t I play my shot now”.  Use the time to relax.  Chat with a playing partner, do some breathing exercise. Perhaps clean a club.  Maybe take the time to imagine the next 4 shouts you plan to play.  Take a look around at the scenery.  In short occupy your mind with task relevant (e.g., how you will play the next 4 shots) or natural thoughts (e.g., chatting with a playing partner).  Prevent yourself from dwelling in the injustice of slow play.  Accept that it is a part of the game and another challenge to deal with, like a bad lie, a bad bobble on a putt, or plugged ball in the bunker. These are all things to deal with not to get angry about.

Here’s the fix: The behaviour of other players is none of your concern and focus on other players doesn’t improve your golf performance. When you have slow players in front of you – have a plan to deal with the delay – take time out to clean a club, chat to a playing partner. Take a drink.  Plan your next few shots.  In short occupy your mind with neutral or task relevant thoughts so you do not dwell on the annoyance of being held up (please see also My Golf Practice).