Jack Nicklaus - The most critical of all: Having a positive attitude. Believe you can make em and you frequently will. Believe you can’t and you generally won’t.
I would say that if Jack tells me that it is important to have a positive attitude about your putting then it is important to me to have a positive attitude. So why is it so important to have a positive attitude when putting? Your attitude will tell you that you can make it and you will begin to see the line. Your attitude will tell you that you can do it and you will. Your poor attitude will tell you that you have no chance and you will find a way to not make it.
So if you have a choice between being negative and having a poor chance at making a putt, or being positive and having a good chance at making a putt what would you choose? We know what Jack Nicklaus would choose.
Ninety percent of golf is mental. Oh heck, make that 95%! Arnold Palmer stated, “The toughest 6 inches in the game of golf is between a player’s ears”.
The fastest way to lower your score is to master the ability to focus.
Most golfers tend to think they must practice more, find a new instructor, buy more videos, get the swing right, change those clubs. But one of the often overlooked and most important mental aspects of the game is focus.
Now you want to make sure you focus on the result you want. In golf the shot is determined by your level of concentration. You’ve likely just rushed right in and played shots without concentrating. No wonder the ball ended up going haywire!
It’s better to make ten focused swings than 100 quick, thoughtless ones. Your swing will naturally break down when you’re fatigued. So be sure to take a break when you’re practicing. Brain breaks give your mind and body a chance to implement what you’re learning.
One way to practice the art of focusing is to light a candle and stare into the flame, only thinking of the flame. Every time your mind starts to move to any other thought, bring it back to the flame. Think of the dancing orange colors, how they melt inside of each other.
The first time you do this, you might be hard -pressed to last for 3 minutes. Work up to 20 minutes, and your ability to focus on anything will have improved immensely. You’ll be able to take this enhanced skill to the golf course.
When you’re playing, just think about the next shot. During down time, allow your mind to relax and wander for a few minutes. Don’t try to concentrate the entire game, or you’ll get very fatigued, very quickly. Save the mental workout for thoughtful shot decisions and center on what shot you’re going to play next.
Also, keep your cool and behave in an emotionally controlled manner. You will perform more effectively. In the great game of golf, emotions soar and fall quickly. You can go from totally happy to totally ticked off in no time at all. In fact, the feeling of anger is actually a series of reactions that happen in just 1/30th of a second.
Stop it at the first spark. The important thing is to figure out what is really making you angry. Think of the grand scheme of life and how today is just a speck. Your golf game is a speck on a speck. It helps to minimize the situation and look at the big picture of what’s really important in life.
Master the mental art of focus, and you’ve got 95% of the game of golf all figured out!
Golf is learned little by little one step at a time.
Not exactly a modern American game, is it?
Well, if your heart is set on “convenience” sports, you might want to consider kickball or four-square. Golf isn’t learned in a day. Or even a year. According to some players - even a decade is too short! There’s no such thing as a perfect golf game. That’s all part of the “beauty and beast” nature that makes up this simple, complicated game.
I certainly do not claim to be an expert on the long game, but here are some fundamental tips, though, that can shave a few years of frustration off your career! Some golfers disagree on even the basics. So I guarantee you’ll find somewhere someone who will disagree with me. But here’s what I’ve found to help golfers tremendously in improving their game.
The three most important steps that you want to keep in mind all the time are
keep your head still
keep your club head traveling in a straight line while in contact with the ball
relax your muscles.
I really can’t say enough about the importance of keeping your head perfectly still throughout your shot. I’ve seen frustrated golfers of all sizes improve immediately upon concentrating on this one step.
When your head is still, you can see the ball clearly. And how can you hit something that you can’t see?
Keeping your club head traveling in a straight line while in contact with the ball will help you avoid slicing and a host of other ills.
Relaxation of your muscles aids tremendously in keeping your balance. Balance is paramount to a good golf game and you don’t want to have to brace your muscles all over your body. Stand comfortably so you can reach the ball easily. As far as propelling the ball is concerned. the muscles which add to the force are the muscles which twist the body around. They’re the most powerful. So relax those arms!
If your game is off, go back to these three important steps. Don’t change your stance or swing. Just go back to the three basics and you’ll get back on track.
It has been said hundreds of times. “Feel” is the main part of playing golf. Instinctively you know whether something is right or wrong for you just by how it “feels.”
It may be a little confusing to define the “feel” of golf, but let’s try to take this confusing term and put it into something more concrete.
The basics are of utmost importance. Go over in your mind how it feels to prepare completely for that shot that you are trying to make.
Another thing to consider is that feeling the power of the stroke is not a necessity. Swing easily and remember that you are transferring energy to the ball. If you will rid yourself of everything that works to destroy your balance, you will be on the right path. Delete everything that does not feel comfortable. Keeping your balance and being comfortable will help to increase the power that you can use. Some players lift their head near the end of their swing thinking that it will increase the power of their stroke. It doesn’t add power, it actually decreases the power of your swing.
Being comfortable can help you in playing golf by allowing you to play more easily and fluidly as possible. Many times being comfortable is completely mental.
While you are moving, it is very important to keep your eye on the ball. This is very important. When you are comfortable, you are using your strength properly.
When you tense your muscles, you are instantly moving away from the proper way of playing golf. If you want to check your golf methods, evaluate how comfortable you feel. If you are playing well using your own way of playing, then play your way and forget about copying other players. If you need to learn a skill from someone, ask them why they are swinging that way and then you can apply the knowledge to your own swing. Imitating someone else’s swing will not help you.
With a little time, you will be able to understand what a correct shot feels like, what club that you like the feel of, and be more comfortable with your decisions. Then you will understand the “feel” of golf!
Do you remember that one day that you had the best round of your life? Remember that day? Remember that day that you played and didn’t think about your score for the first 12 holes and then realized that you were on pace to have the best round of your life?
Of course you do, everyone remembers that one great round. But do you remember what you did to have that great round? If you don’t you should try to use a journal.
Many pros have used journaling after practice sessions, played rounds, and tournaments for a long time. That is one of the things that separates them from amateurs. They keep track of every little thing. Wind, temperature, playing conditions, feelings, equipment, they keep track of everything. When they have a good round they can look back and see why they had that good round. When they are in a slump they can look at their journal and see what they were doing before to get out of it. When they want to analyze their game they have a manual to do so.
If you want to get better you should get a journal too. Write down what you have done in your round. Write down what you have done for practice. How did you feel, what were the conditions, what is the shape of your equipment, what ball did you use, everything. Just journal everything at first, you will figure out what to write and what not to write before too long.
If you want to know what a journal can do for you check out the most famous journal in golf, Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf. The story goes that he had a red notebook with him everywhere he went. He wrote down every teaching and practice session that he had, and out of it came not only some of the greatest golfers in history such as Tom Kite, and Ben Crenshaw, but an insightful commentary on golf and life. It is a great read and you can get it here.
It does not take long to do so give it a try. What do you have to lose?
. The story goes that he had a red notebook with him everywhere he went. He wrote down every teaching and practice session that he had, and out of it came not only some of the greatest golfers in history such as Tom Kite, and Ben Crenshaw, but an insightful commentary on golf and life. It is a great read and you can get it here.
