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Escarpment Magazine Spring 2014
In his Little Red Book,
Harvey
Penickbelieves that averagegolfers (anyone
who shoots above 75) can improve their
scores by about five strokes at a time. As a
sport psychology expert, consulting to elite
athletes and golf clients, I propose three
proven steps to shave a fewmore strokes off
yourgolf game this season.
1. Get Off the Driving Range!
Practicedoes
notmakeperfect; practicemakespermanent!
Sure, if youwant toworkon thephysical com-
ponents of your swing, then head straight to
the driving range to permanently improve
swingmechanics.However, if the15thholeal-
ways gives you problems, playing in club
championshipsmesseswithyourgame,orany
otherparticular situationkeeps resulting in ten-
sion, frustration,andugly shots, incorporating
imagery intoyour routinewill help.
Imageryallowsyou tocreateor reviveyourul-
timate performance by establishingamental
blueprint forgolf skillsand tacticalplays. Iden-
tifywhenandwhereyoumakecommonerrors
inyourgameandselectaspecific tacticalplay
youwould like to execute to correct themis-
take. Then,mentally rehearse successfullyex-
ecuting that tactic at the precisemoment you
often findyourself distracted. If at first youdo
not obtain thedesiredoutcome, rerun the tac-
tic inyourminduntil youare successful.
Imagery canbe usedoff thegolf course, dur-
ingyourwarm-up, or right beforeyou stepup
to theball. Themoreyouplayout thepositive
story in your mind, the greater chance you
haveat playing it out in real life.
2. Stack theDeck for Success!
There isaquote
I present toall ofmyathletes: “Don’t beupset
by the resultsyoudidn’t getwith theworkyou
didn’t do.” Before steppingup theball, there
are four practices to implement that will set
yourself up for success andpotentially shave
five strokesoff yourgame:
A.
Playwith your best ball. If you have ever
changedupyourball for fearof losingagood
one, that poor expectation potentially serves
asa self-fulfillingprophecy that cangreatly in-
fluence your performance. Instead, allow
yourself the opportunity toplay your best by
playingyourbest ball.
B.
Make adecisive stroke. If you have ever
chosenaclub, thenquestionedyour initial de-
cision,but swungwith itanyway,youhaveex-
perience tension in your game. Take the
necessary time tomake a decisive stroke so
thatyoucan feel incontrolandconfident to let
theball go.
C.
Keep It Real. Strive for a personal best
scorewhilekeepingyourachievementexpec-
tations at, or just above, your current ability.
When your goals are challenging yet within
reach, you’ll haveamucheasier timecommit-
ting to your overall game, maintaining effec-
tive focus, and fulfillingyour expectations.
D.
Highlight your strengthsand improveyour
weakness. Top athletes in every sport have
learned tousepositiveconstructive feedback.
It is not what youdon’t want todo, but rather
whatyouwilldo.Also,professionalgolfers re-
frain fromgeneralizing theirgolf game.
Instead, they identify the holes they played
well and theholes theyneed toworkon. This
tacticalapproachallows them to staypositive
yet constructive, leading tooverallgreateren-
joyment and commitment to achieving per-
sonal best scores.
3. Pull Backon the Emotional Reigns!
Good
or badhole, your emotions - be it excitement,
frustration, pleasure, or worry – can distract
youaway from the tactical and technical exe-
cutionof thenexthole.Although it isunrealistic
to completely shut out your emotions, withan
effectivepost-shot routine, youcan keepyour
feeling incheckbybringing the logicback into
play.
The two post-shot questions I recommend to
mygolfersare:
1) What did I do right?
2) What can I do better?
Also, as you are getting ready for your next
shot, ask yourself,what is theone specificac-
tionstep?Whenyouarepositive,constructive,
and focusedon one specific action step, you
giveyourself thebest chanceat success.
Give ita shot this seasonand implement these
threesteps to immediatelymakeoveryourgolf
game. Take note of what works best for you
and include it as part of your daily routine so
that you can consistently improve your game
andhave themost enjoyableexperience!
|E|
make-over your
golf
game
immediately
With a Ph.D. in Sport Psychology, Haley Perlus is an expert at empowering
athletes to achieve peak results. A professor at the University of Colorado,
three-time author, international speaker, appointed industry leader by the
International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association, and all all-around
sports gal, Perlus loves nothing more than to share her passion and
knowledge to help people reach their highest standard of performance.
For more information, visit
by DR. HALEY PERLUS
ESCARPMENT
®
OUTSIDE
|
golf
ESCARPMENT
®
EXPERT...
