Learn From What Tour Professionals Say After a Round
LPGA Golf Pro Natalie Gulbis
You may recognize a few of the statements below that are regularly issued by tour professionals at the conclusion of their round. Can you learn something from these standard remarks by the world’s best players? Can you apply any lessons to your individual game by giving heed to what these comments are teaching? The answer to these questions is of course you can! I believe that if you utilize a few basic principles found in these statements, you will soon begin to notice a positive difference on your scorecard. Let’s examine them more closely.
“I was able to stay in the moment.”
Distractions are everywhere. Yes, even on the golf course, they can be found in abundance. Avoiding their traps is key to your personal progress. If you are thinking about a job related issue, the yard work that you need to do instead of golfing, or whether you have time to pick up your brother-in-law at the airport then I would suggest that you will struggle with your concentration. This type of distraction, though nearly impossible to completely eliminate, nevertheless needs to stay away from the course. It becomes a ton of bricks in your golf bag, an unnecessary burden. During the course of play, it would behoove you to concern yourself only with those things pertaining to your group. Why worry about what is going on ahead of you or behind you or in an adjacent fairway? Unless you own your own course, there are always going to be other people out there. I know that you have it within you to be totally focused on the immediate task at hand.
“I took it one shot at a time and did not think ahead.”
In some ways this relates to the previous comment. Let’s consider the following scenario. You are having the best round of your life. You get overly excited in anticipation of an “easy” hole to come. That which you were counting on aiding your life time achievement just became a living nightmare. So, you can get distracted when you become a scoreboard watcher. You have heard it said before that a two foot putt counts just as many strokes as a 250 yard shot. There is great pleasure to be derived from executing every type of shot required during your round. Fixation with that bad swing you made on the last hole can be the worst kind of mental distraction. Forgive and forget! “Move along. Nothing to see here!” Remember, the next shot could very well be the greatest shot of your life. But it will not occur if you are thinking about your current total number of strokes in relation to par. Commit to each shot and live in the now. You must not think too much about what lies ahead rather focus on where your ball lies. The next hole will still be waiting to test your skills. It is not going anywhere. Patrick Reed, as the third round leader at Congressional Golf Club, said the following: “You can’t get ahead of yourself. If you think about having the lead or if you think about what you’re going to do coming down 18, you’re going to lose focus on the rest of the holes.”
“I came in with a clearly defined game plan and I stuck to it.”
If you are prepared, you should not fear anything. Deciding beforehand what you will do in any situation you could potentially face is essential. Through repetitions in practice and developing self discipline, you will greatly increase your ability to be able to once again make a correct decision at the course. I can not overstate this point. Many, if not all of these choices, have essentially been predetermined by you. Course management has as much to do with keeping your emotions in check as it does checking the yardage and pulling a correct club. You can make a choice to ignore the jeers from the “noisy gallery, which might just include your golfing buddies. They will tempt you to alter your actions. With the proper training, no one will be able to force you to deviate from your chosen plan. I suggest that you listen to your “inner caddie”. You have learned from your experience that he will not lead you astray. He will confirm to you the correctness of your decisions time and time again. Regardless of the particular situation, you can always stick to your pre-shot routine. This will prove to be very beneficial even if nothing seems to be going the way you intended. As you know, things can change quickly on the golf course. So, slow down and stay true to what you know. “First doubt your doubts, before you doubt your faith.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“I played to my strengths and tried not to do anything crazy.”
You have a “go to” shot, use it more frequently. If your relationship with your driver is on-again-off-again, then here is some good advice. Don’t hesitate to utilize your fairway metals off the tee or anything else for that matter. Your strength is in keeping the ball in play with something other than the big stick. So, give your driver a leave of absence and do not concern yourself with the distance your playing companions are hitting the ball. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of a stress free round. You don’t have to search for your tee ball when it is sitting comfortably in the middle of the fairway. Happiness is always finding your ball. You know exactly what results from not losing one brand new Titleist, Nike, Callaway, or Bridgestone for 9 or 18 holes. You will have a lower score! Perhaps you feel that you don’t have a strength to your game at this point. You will find a strength through your preparations. Weaknesses, well, we all have them despite our best efforts to hide them. In golf, as in life, they are intended to humble us. Only then are we in a state where we a ready and willing to be taught. Don’t be afraid to admit you need help. You can’t figure everything out on your own and were never meant to. Seeking to make progress is a noble undertaking. I’ll give you just one example of doing something crazy. I have seen this so many times. You are attempting, in vain, to hit a fairway club from the thick rough. Despite your delusions of grandeur, this strategy will not prevail. You need a machete, my friend! Go to your bag and pull out a shorter, much more lofted club. You will not regret this move as you shall extricate the ball from the deep stuff and be in good position for your next play.
“My goal was to avoid big numbers.”
Yes, snowmen do enjoy making special appearances during golf season. Recording a double-bogey or worse does not mean the end of your day. However, it is important to right the ship soon before the “snowball” effect takes control of your game. If you cannot refocus, you may end up needing the services of your accountant to review your scorecard. Each hole gives you the opportunity to begin anew and essentially restart your round. It is never too late to do something great! I suggest spending a little more time working on your short game. The ability to scramble due to confidence in your wedge play and putting can be your saving grace. In truth, all it really takes is one good shot on virtually any golf hole to give yourself an opportunity to make bogey or better. You can do that!
“I just went out there today and decided to have fun and not think about anything.”
After all is said and done, if you cannot just go out and enjoy yourself, perhaps you need to reassess your attitude or your overall approach. Remember why you love this game. It isn’t because you get paid to play it, right! There is more to it than simply the final tally on the card. It is hard to beat golfing on a beautiful day with friends or family at a picturesque golf course. If you desire to improve, do not procrastinate developing some type of consistent off-course practice routine. Practice, in whatever form it takes, is your dress rehearsal. The golf course is your stage and the performance must go on. So, it goes without saying, then, that there is clearly danger is delay. The danger is that you will discover that you have run out of time. You have rushed to get yourself to the first tee only to discover that you do not have a game plan, you are already distracted by a dozen things, you are lacking in confidence, you are nervous because you have no idea where your tee shot is going to end up, and you are resigned to accept a big number before you’ve hit your first shot. With this warning sound of procrastination, I bring you this good news. There is even now still time for you to prepare yourself for your next trip to your favorite golf destination. You don’t have to remain the comic relief for your foursome. By sincerely pondering these remarks from very accomplished golfers, and by taking action today your golf life will change for the better.