The Simple Secret to Playing Better Golf Under Pressure!
Do you ever ask yourself these questions:
How do professional golfers play so well under pressure?
How can they play for millions of dollars and not get nervous?
It’s very common for the average golfer to get nervous when they need to hit the ball over a water hazard or if they have a chance to shoot their best personal score on the course. But what are the secrets to playing well under pressure. In today’s article we will reveal two very simple secrets:
Secret #1
Many amateurs focus on the result, while every professional golfer focuses on the process. What does this mean? Let’s give you an example, let’s imagine you are playing the 18th hole at your golf club and have a 10ft birdie putt to shoot your best score.
Many amateurs will start to get nervous and think these thoughts:
If I make this putt I will shoot my best score!
I hope I can make this putt!
Don’t get nervous!
A professional golfer would approach this situation entirely differently. They would be thinking:
Let me read the green and see where I need to aim
How much break should I play in this putt?
How much speed do I need for this putt?
Do you see the difference? Amateurs are focusing on the result. But no one can control the result! You can only control the process. It is a difficult skill to learn, but you need to remove your emotion from the process. You can’t control if the ball goes in the hole. You can only control reading the green, aiming correctly, and making the best putting stroke you can. Remember to only focus on the things you can control, the results will come by themselves.
Secret #2
The best way to force your brain to focus on the process is to use a pre-shot routine. This is something that EVERY SINGLE good golfer has. This is the secret and the answer to the questions:
How do professional golfers play so well under pressure?
How can they play for millions of dollars and not get nervous?
They have a pre-shot routine and only focus on this! They do not focus on the results. To help you understand what a proper pre-shot routine is, lets see Pacific Coach David Bolton as he coaches Maple Junior Tour National Champion Jerry Li on his pre-shot routine:
Jerry starts his routine by doing a couple of practice swings and then walking behind the golf ball. As he is standing behind the golf ball, he looks out to the fairway and his only thought is: Where is my target? Once he is ready to go, he ONLY focuses on the golf ball. There is not a lot of thinking in Jerry’s swing, he has focused on the process and now is ready to see the result!
In conclusion, EVERY golfer gets nervous on the golf course from time to time. This includes professional golfers too. However because professionals have a consistent pre-shot routine, they are able to calm their nerves down, focus on their breathing, think through their decisions, and ultimately focus on executing one shot at a time. This is how they can perform so well under pressure.
How is your pre-shot routine? Do you need some help, come into Pacific Golf Academy today and learn how we train the best junior golfers in the Greater Vancouver area to play the best golf they can!
