Have you ever noticed that when you have a game of golf
with a friend that you play well and that your score is
very acceptable?

Have you ever sat down and thought about this? While you
are thinking do you think about the recent competition in
which you played and scored poorly?

Was it stroke play or was it stableford? Which ever it was,
the standard of play was nowhere near your best. You know
you can play better, but each time you go out there you do
the same.
You have great expectations for the round and
think that today will be the day when you play well, and if
you do play the way you know you can, you could even win.

But it happens only on rare occasions. Over a period of
time, your handicap goes out until you have such a high
handicap that you feel you have everything on your side.
But, it still doesn’t happen.
People ask you what your
handicap is and you feel embarrassed telling them. Right?

Did you come to the correct conclusion about all this?

Did you realize that the whole problem is mental?
Mental combined with physical tension from trying too hard.

I read the other day that professionals have the same problem.
The article said that the worst problem professionals face is
“their heads” meaning the mental aspect of the game. When
things get tight is when some of them falter due to too
much thinking. This tightens them up and they play less
well.

The same thing happens to us amateurs.

Ok, about time I got to the point. What to do?

No one has a perfect round. Professionals hit bad shots,
but they recover well.
The point is that we have to realize
before we go out that we are going to hit some bad shots
during the round.

A good idea is to count these bad shots
over 3 or 4 rounds and get an average. Then armed with this
figure expect to hit this number of bad shots during your
game.
Keep a record of the number and use this as a yard stick
to measure improvement.
If the number becomes less, you know you are playing better.

When you do hit a bad shot, tell
yourself that this is to be expected. So many, and you have
seen them, chastise themselves forcefully each time they
err.

There was a member of my club in Townsville who told
himself he was an idiot every time he hit the ball. How
could he hope to play well? He never did.

When you accept your bad shots as part of the whole - the
norm - there will never be a rush of adrenaline or negative
thinking as a result.
You will then work out how to recover
and put as much effort into these shots as you do when
hitting from the fairway with its lovely short grass.

These shots are a little different in that you have to play the
percentages to minimize your loss of strokes as much as
possible.

Always remember that the outcome does not depend on any one
shot or any one hole. I remember being in the middle of a
good round in stroke play. On the sixteenth par five I had
a disaster. I had an 11. In and out of bunkers on each side
of the green. One of my playing partners consoled me by
saying “never mind Bill it’s only one hole”. He was so
right. I birdied the next hole.

Always play with safety in mind. If faced with a risky
situation, have a look and find the safest way to progress.

Say you are just short of a deep green side bunker and the
pin is just beyond it. Your chances of stopping close to
the hole are low and your chances of hitting your ball into
the bunker are high.

Answer: don’t go for it. Hit your ball
onto the green somewhere and make sure you do even if you
have a long put for your next shot.

You may decide to bypass the bunker and hit away from the hole.

No matter.
Only two puts from here.

Bill Maitland is a thinking, inventive golf guru. He thought out and developed simple techniques and tips which enabled him to lower his handicap from 25 to 18, then from 18 to 15, and finally from 15 to 12. He is a passionate golfer, and delights in helping others with their game should they want his help. To receive a valuable weekly golf tip go to his web site http://www.onlinegolfershandbook.com and subscribe to his free Hole In One News Letter. You will be so glad that you did.

Author of On Line Golfers’ Hand Book. An e-Book that takes you step by step to being the best golfer that you can possibly be. The basics in great detail. To learn about his tips and simple techniques and order his book, visit his web site

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