Putting Anxiety is a state of nervousness that every golfer has
to deal with in order to succeed. It typically interferes with your
performance when it is coupled with self-consciousness. You become
uncertain, hesitant, and start not to trust your natural instincts.
Here are some warning signs that you are trying too hard and need to back off a bit:
Your muscles tense up
It doesn't work because trying too hard produces a change in the working of your muscles and a deterioration in your mental acuity. In simple terms, your putting stroke gets jerky and you become fuzzy-headed.
The best explanation that I have read of the important need to 'Let Go' is in the book Putting Out of Your Mind by Dr Bob Rotella.
In a chapter entitled Gaining Control by Giving Up Control he spells out the reasons and the remedies for dealing with a case of trying too hard. This is a 'must read' for any golfer who tends to fall apart under pressure.
Essentially when you try to be perfect in order to avoid failure or possible embarrassment, you become self-conscious, putting feelings of self-worth on the line. This ramps up the pressure causing you to lose the natural fluidity of your putting stroke.
For example, when you get nervous over a putt, several things can happen. For one, your pre-putt routine changes. You either become too focused in following the steps correctly, or you rush your putt to get it over with.
Another frequent mistake is thinking about your stroke mechanics rather than engaging with your target and letting your sub-conscious do the rest.
So how can you try, yet at the same time not try too hard? Your personality plays a part. If you are a grinder by nature, your tendency will be to increase your effort when the going gets tough. Unfortunately this can work against you in putting when a nonchalant approach with less effort is more likely to get the job done.
To putt well under pressure you have to block out self-evaluation, or any worries about what others will think of you. You also need to accept that emphasising results over process will undermine your true ability.
This doesn't mean that you should be careless in the way you putt. You still have to pick the line and judge the speed. However, when you are ready to putt the analysis stage is over, and all thinking must stop.
Finally when you practise your putting, you should re-create pressure situations as often as you can so that out on the course they become more ho-hums experiences - the idea of 'Been there and Done that'.
Putting Anxiety can blight your game if you let it take hold. By giving yourself permission to fail, turning off the analytical switch at address, and throwing away your expectations and those of others, your putting will become easier and less stressful because you are not trying so hard.
Learn more about the Mental Side to Putting by visiting my web site now.
Here are some warning signs that you are trying too hard and need to back off a bit:
Your muscles tense up
- Classical indications of tight muscles are a clenched jaw, dry mouth, sweaty palms, a pounding heart rate, and butterflies in your stomach.
- You think too much about your putt when you are over the ball. You begin to fixate on your stroke to ensure that you don't mess up.
- When you're trying too hard to achieve, your breathing becomes irregular or may even stop momentarily.
It doesn't work because trying too hard produces a change in the working of your muscles and a deterioration in your mental acuity. In simple terms, your putting stroke gets jerky and you become fuzzy-headed.
The best explanation that I have read of the important need to 'Let Go' is in the book Putting Out of Your Mind by Dr Bob Rotella.
In a chapter entitled Gaining Control by Giving Up Control he spells out the reasons and the remedies for dealing with a case of trying too hard. This is a 'must read' for any golfer who tends to fall apart under pressure.
Essentially when you try to be perfect in order to avoid failure or possible embarrassment, you become self-conscious, putting feelings of self-worth on the line. This ramps up the pressure causing you to lose the natural fluidity of your putting stroke.
For example, when you get nervous over a putt, several things can happen. For one, your pre-putt routine changes. You either become too focused in following the steps correctly, or you rush your putt to get it over with.
Another frequent mistake is thinking about your stroke mechanics rather than engaging with your target and letting your sub-conscious do the rest.
So how can you try, yet at the same time not try too hard? Your personality plays a part. If you are a grinder by nature, your tendency will be to increase your effort when the going gets tough. Unfortunately this can work against you in putting when a nonchalant approach with less effort is more likely to get the job done.
To putt well under pressure you have to block out self-evaluation, or any worries about what others will think of you. You also need to accept that emphasising results over process will undermine your true ability.
This doesn't mean that you should be careless in the way you putt. You still have to pick the line and judge the speed. However, when you are ready to putt the analysis stage is over, and all thinking must stop.
Finally when you practise your putting, you should re-create pressure situations as often as you can so that out on the course they become more ho-hums experiences - the idea of 'Been there and Done that'.
Putting Anxiety can blight your game if you let it take hold. By giving yourself permission to fail, turning off the analytical switch at address, and throwing away your expectations and those of others, your putting will become easier and less stressful because you are not trying so hard.
Learn more about the Mental Side to Putting by visiting my web site now.
Neville Walker has a passion for golf and is actively involved in
researching information on all aspects of Putting and Putter
Technology. His dedicated web site http://www.better-golf-by-putting-better.com is written specifically to help fellow golfers achieve greater success on the green with the flat stick.
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