The Mental Side Of Golf: Play Scary Golf Shots Without Tension (Video) - by Pete Styles
The Mental Side Of Golf: Play Scary Golf Shots Without Tension (Video) - by Pete Styles

If you ask most golfers what the scariest shot for them is, primarily for most people it would involve water. Water is such an obvious big hazard, maybe more so than bunkers or trees because from bunkers and trees you can still play the shot out, but as soon as you go in water, you know that's a penalty shot and worse is a lost golf ball as well unless you got one of the big scoopy thing to scoop the ball back out of the water. But the fear of hitting the ball in the water, seeing it splash losing the golf ball is a big scare for golfers. Non golfers can't really understand what we are so scared about, they just stand there and hit the golf ball, clean over the water and straight onto the green, but as a golfer we stand there, we got maybe all the bad memories of the ball previously landing in the water.

You're playing partner is going in there and all the upset that causes. So you stand over there and you probably focus too much on the water hazard. If you ask a lot of good players, a lot of the pro players particularly, what they see when they look at the hole. They see the fairway, and they see the green, and they see the flag because that's the best that we want to use are the positive best. If you ask a less experienced golfer or a golfer who struggles with lack of confidence and fear, what do you see on this hole? They probably won't even mention the fairway, the green, and the flag. They'll say a bunker, and a water hazard, out bounce and trees, and there are all the negative things the bits we want to try and avoid. So next time you play just try, and focus on the good, positive things particularly when you got this difficult shot over water. Take the water out of your mind.

Yes I acknowledge that the hazard is there, but take it out of your mind and start to look at the green, the slopes, the flag, and that's what we're aiming for. Then as it comes to the process of hitting the shot like you would do on the practice tee, nice set up, nice smooth practice swing, walk up to the golf ball, not too tense, nice little waggle, and then go ahead and crisply knock the ball, clean over the hazard straight onto the green. So remember, think about the positive things, where do you want the ball to land rather than where don't you want the ball to land? Knock it nicely onto the green with a good process driven action, and don't worry too much about the danger areas around. Acknowledge them, and then forget about them.

2012-06-11

If you ask most golfers what the scariest shot for them is, primarily for most people it would involve water. Water is such an obvious big hazard, maybe more so than bunkers or trees because from bunkers and trees you can still play the shot out, but as soon as you go in water, you know that's a penalty shot and worse is a lost golf ball as well unless you got one of the big scoopy thing to scoop the ball back out of the water. But the fear of hitting the ball in the water, seeing it splash losing the golf ball is a big scare for golfers. Non golfers can't really understand what we are so scared about, they just stand there and hit the golf ball, clean over the water and straight onto the green, but as a golfer we stand there, we got maybe all the bad memories of the ball previously landing in the water.

You're playing partner is going in there and all the upset that causes. So you stand over there and you probably focus too much on the water hazard. If you ask a lot of good players, a lot of the pro players particularly, what they see when they look at the hole. They see the fairway, and they see the green, and they see the flag because that's the best that we want to use are the positive best. If you ask a less experienced golfer or a golfer who struggles with lack of confidence and fear, what do you see on this hole? They probably won't even mention the fairway, the green, and the flag. They'll say a bunker, and a water hazard, out bounce and trees, and there are all the negative things the bits we want to try and avoid. So next time you play just try, and focus on the good, positive things particularly when you got this difficult shot over water. Take the water out of your mind.

Yes I acknowledge that the hazard is there, but take it out of your mind and start to look at the green, the slopes, the flag, and that's what we're aiming for. Then as it comes to the process of hitting the shot like you would do on the practice tee, nice set up, nice smooth practice swing, walk up to the golf ball, not too tense, nice little waggle, and then go ahead and crisply knock the ball, clean over the hazard straight onto the green. So remember, think about the positive things, where do you want the ball to land rather than where don't you want the ball to land? Knock it nicely onto the green with a good process driven action, and don't worry too much about the danger areas around. Acknowledge them, and then forget about them.