Action Step 1. Always Go With The Longer Club!
The recurring mistake I see out on the golf course with golfers of many levels, from single figures and especially mid to high handicap golfers is coming up short. Most amateurs just do not take enough club to get solidly into the greens and this is especially true when stuck between clubs. Is it a gentle 7 or a hard 8?
If you are between clubs then go with the longer one. If nothing else, you will tend to swing nice and smooth and put a good move on it which will get you more solid strikes. Forcing a shorter club often ends up with poor accuracy because you are forcing it, which throws your rhythm and timing out. Take a pen and paper next time you play and take note of every shot you hit into greens including pitching and chipping. You may be amazed at just how many times you are short.
Action Step 2. Where Is The Trouble?
OK, so we have said that when you are not sure which club to use, go longer as the first rule, but when might this not be the best plan?
Imagine this. You are playing your second shot into a green and the yardage is such that you can hit a hard 9 iron or take a bit off an 8. Your instincts are telling you that the 9 iron is going to struggle to get there but your 8 will really push the back of the green. There is a bunker front left and not too much trouble anywhere else - EXCEPT - behind the green, which is WATER!
It's a great idea when planning each shot you hit to ask yourself the question; "Where can I NOT afford to miss here?" Based on this we can safely say that the one place you cannot go is long. Therefore in this situation take the 9 iron and just aim to get it on the front of the green. If it comes up short then at worse you have a bunker shot or a chip from the front, which is a lot better than going long through the back and drowning your ball.
Think about the green you are hitting into too, because it's not just the obvious hazards like bunkers, water or out of bounds that will take shots off you. For example at my local club there are 2 greens where you just cannot be above the pin, even by 6ft, because if you miss the hole then there is no stopping the ball and you will end up with a thirty foot putt coming back! If you are hitting into a green where you cannot go long (or you risk 3 putting) then go with the lesser club and leave yourself a longer first putt up the hill, better than a shorter "smelly" putt down a glass slope.
If the trouble is all at the front of the green and you can afford to miss long and still have a chip or a reasonably flat putt, then definitely take the longer club, in fact, you may want to take one more club on top and then just put a nice easy swing on it.
Action Step 3. Decide and Commit.
Great, you have done your course management and planned the shot you believe to be the correct one for the situation, now you need to get really committed to it. Have a few practice swings and really feel the "real" swing you intend to make, not a half-hearted swish of the club. As you make these fully committed practice swings, imagine the ball soaring perfectly to your target. A fantastic question to ask yourself at this point is; "What does a great shot look like here?" This question will really get your mind thinking, picturing, imaging, feeling the shot you want. Now walk in, do your setup and play the shot with full commitment. Don't delay, you have programmed in great information into your mind so now it's time to let it go and fire away.
Take notes from this article and remember the two key questions. Take your piece of paper with you onto the golf course and go through it until you have incorporated everything. Try and ingrain this into your routine for every shot and remember practice is the key. It's no good doing this once or twice. Decide to do it for every shot and keep going month after month until it is a natural part of your game. You will reap superb results. Play great, have fun.
The recurring mistake I see out on the golf course with golfers of many levels, from single figures and especially mid to high handicap golfers is coming up short. Most amateurs just do not take enough club to get solidly into the greens and this is especially true when stuck between clubs. Is it a gentle 7 or a hard 8?
If you are between clubs then go with the longer one. If nothing else, you will tend to swing nice and smooth and put a good move on it which will get you more solid strikes. Forcing a shorter club often ends up with poor accuracy because you are forcing it, which throws your rhythm and timing out. Take a pen and paper next time you play and take note of every shot you hit into greens including pitching and chipping. You may be amazed at just how many times you are short.
Action Step 2. Where Is The Trouble?
OK, so we have said that when you are not sure which club to use, go longer as the first rule, but when might this not be the best plan?
Imagine this. You are playing your second shot into a green and the yardage is such that you can hit a hard 9 iron or take a bit off an 8. Your instincts are telling you that the 9 iron is going to struggle to get there but your 8 will really push the back of the green. There is a bunker front left and not too much trouble anywhere else - EXCEPT - behind the green, which is WATER!
It's a great idea when planning each shot you hit to ask yourself the question; "Where can I NOT afford to miss here?" Based on this we can safely say that the one place you cannot go is long. Therefore in this situation take the 9 iron and just aim to get it on the front of the green. If it comes up short then at worse you have a bunker shot or a chip from the front, which is a lot better than going long through the back and drowning your ball.
Think about the green you are hitting into too, because it's not just the obvious hazards like bunkers, water or out of bounds that will take shots off you. For example at my local club there are 2 greens where you just cannot be above the pin, even by 6ft, because if you miss the hole then there is no stopping the ball and you will end up with a thirty foot putt coming back! If you are hitting into a green where you cannot go long (or you risk 3 putting) then go with the lesser club and leave yourself a longer first putt up the hill, better than a shorter "smelly" putt down a glass slope.
If the trouble is all at the front of the green and you can afford to miss long and still have a chip or a reasonably flat putt, then definitely take the longer club, in fact, you may want to take one more club on top and then just put a nice easy swing on it.
Action Step 3. Decide and Commit.
Great, you have done your course management and planned the shot you believe to be the correct one for the situation, now you need to get really committed to it. Have a few practice swings and really feel the "real" swing you intend to make, not a half-hearted swish of the club. As you make these fully committed practice swings, imagine the ball soaring perfectly to your target. A fantastic question to ask yourself at this point is; "What does a great shot look like here?" This question will really get your mind thinking, picturing, imaging, feeling the shot you want. Now walk in, do your setup and play the shot with full commitment. Don't delay, you have programmed in great information into your mind so now it's time to let it go and fire away.
Take notes from this article and remember the two key questions. Take your piece of paper with you onto the golf course and go through it until you have incorporated everything. Try and ingrain this into your routine for every shot and remember practice is the key. It's no good doing this once or twice. Decide to do it for every shot and keep going month after month until it is a natural part of your game. You will reap superb results. Play great, have fun.
Good technique + Good Mental Game = Your Best Golf Consistently.
The key to playing your best and getting the most enjoyment out of your game is combining good technique with the ability to control your mind and get it working for you in a positive manner both emotionally and physically.
For more articles and help with the mental or physical game of golf, please stop by and visit our site at http://www.golfmindshop.com
Mental Practice will drastically cut down the amount of time that you need to spend actually practicing when it is done correctly and although top athletes in all sports practice this as a daily routine, it can and WILL work for anyone.
Wishing you FIR's, GIR's & Blue Skies,
Mark Wright.
GET YOUR Peak Mental Performance FREE EBookto get your mental game started now at http://www.golfmindshop.com or FREE GOLF GRIP EBook.
Mark Wright is a Master Coach and Sport Psychologist, NLP Sports Coach, Hypnosis Expert and Master Club Maker with nearly 25 years of Sports Coaching Experience.
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The key to playing your best and getting the most enjoyment out of your game is combining good technique with the ability to control your mind and get it working for you in a positive manner both emotionally and physically.
For more articles and help with the mental or physical game of golf, please stop by and visit our site at http://www.golfmindshop.com
Mental Practice will drastically cut down the amount of time that you need to spend actually practicing when it is done correctly and although top athletes in all sports practice this as a daily routine, it can and WILL work for anyone.
Wishing you FIR's, GIR's & Blue Skies,
Mark Wright.
GET YOUR Peak Mental Performance FREE EBookto get your mental game started now at http://www.golfmindshop.com or FREE GOLF GRIP EBook.
Mark Wright is a Master Coach and Sport Psychologist, NLP Sports Coach, Hypnosis Expert and Master Club Maker with nearly 25 years of Sports Coaching Experience.
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