I often see golfers who have been quite keyed up for a certain event. Maybe they’ve been planning a game of golf for a couple of weeks and I ask them, “How did you go? How did it go in your big game?’ And they say… “I didn’t play well Pete, my head just wasn’t in it.” You’ve got to understand as well, what do you mean your head wasn’t in it, you were planning that game of golf for a couple of weeks how was your head not in it? Well it may have arrived on the golf course in a rush, the phone was ringing in work or asking them certain things, they ran onto the first tee, all the buddies were there, quick shake of hands and out we go. And it’s only five or six holes in, that the guy certainly forgets about work; forget or remembers that he’s actually on the golf course and he’s trying to play his mates for a few quid and he didn’t have a chance to warm up. All those things can mean that by five or six holes in, your mind is certainly not in the game. You’ve already lost your score card and you’re not playing well and then it’s a bit of a battle to try and get into the game from there. So it’s much about preparation and planning.

So when you get to the golf course, turn your phone off, warm up on the driving range or on the chipping green. As much as physically warming up, it’s mentally warming up; it’s getting you on the zone, getting you the feel for the way you want to actually play on the golf course before you step on the first tee. Then when you get on the first hole, it doesn’t feel like the first hole anymore. It maybe feels like the fourth or fifth hole ‘cause you’ve hit a few drivers and a few putts and a few chips. So certainly when you stand on the first tee, work isn’t in your mind anymore, you are in the zone ready to play and you’re much more mentally prepared. So next time you go to the golf course get there half an hour early, switch the phone off and go and warm up. And see whether that helps you get in the mind set to play better golf.