Lets take a trip down memory lane and see if you’ve ever had the following scenarios happen?

• You just hit the best drive of your life and follow it up by hitting the next shot out of bounds.
• Or to the opposite end, you hit your golf ball into a hazard and then stuck the next shot right by the hole.

These events typically happen because of your mind set, not your golf swing. Your swing thoughts change swing to swing and as swing thoughts change, so does your tension level. For example, after a great shot you’re all amped up and you typically move too quickly and rush hitting your next shot. Conversely, after a bad shot you get down on yourself, not caring about the next shot. That’s when your mind and body relax and you hit a great shot. To take control of your mind and the situation, here are a few keys to consistent thinking.

Evaluate Your Game For The Day

A major key to playing more consistently is to minimize your swing thoughts throughout a round. However, to minimize your thoughts you must first determine which thoughts are important for you that day. If you have enough time to warm up on the range prior to your round, pay close attention to which thoughts are giving you the best results. If the thought is “loose hands”, then keep that thought in your mind all day.

Thoughts Can Be Tailored To A Specific Area of Your Game

You can have different thoughts for each part of your game (full swing, chipping, putting, etc.) but make sure to keep them consistent throughout your round. Don’t worry too much about technique, focus on the basics (like keeping your head steady while putting).

Mental & Physical Pace

The speed at which your thoughts and movements are performed can also have positive and negative effects on your game. Become aware of your tendencies and stray away from changing your pace. High energy people tend to have more rapid thoughts and movements and slowing down too much will go against their nature. The opposite would be true for an easy going type personality.  The key is to recognize that something has changed and have the mentality to get yourself back on track.

If you follow these keys and condition yourself to play this way, you’ll begin to notice more consistency in your game and eventually, lower scores!

Quick Recap

Take Note On The Range – Stick to your game throughout the entire round.

Tailor Your Thoughts – Organize your thoughts to the area of your game (full swing, chipping, putting, etc.).

Know Your Mental & Physical Pace – Match your pace with your personality traits.

Need more help? Contact our PGA Professionals, for FREE Advice!

Check out our most popular instruction articles:

• Every Golfer Should Focus On Those Two Things
• Three Secrets to Uneven Lies That Everyone Misses
• Want More Distance? Here’s Three Ways To Do It
• Three Tips To Hit The Stinger Off the Tee
• How to Master Playing in the Wind in Just a Few Minutes.
• How To Prepare For A Tournament
• Three Simple Chipping Techniques for Precision and Accuracy

Ryan Spaziani

Ryan Spaziani has been a Class “A” member of the PGA of America since 2012. He graduated from the Professional Golfers Career College in Orlando, FL with an Associate Degree in Professional Golf Management. He has worked for both private and public golf courses in the Raleigh, North Carolina. Ryan has a strong passion and extensive knowledge for teaching, club fitting and growing the game of golf.

• Twitter
|
• More Posts(38)