Mental Game

How to Score Lower This Weekend

Ted Odorico March 8, 2026

Group,Of,Golfers,Walking,Along,Fairway,Carrying,Golf,Bags

Instruction

Stop trying to overhaul your swing and start weaponizing the one you brought to the course.

Getting ready for a weekend round isn’t about fixing your swing—it’s about weaponizing the one you already have. Success on the course comes from shifting your focus from the practice range to the reality of the 18-hole challenge, where managing the environment and your own expectations is the true secret to a lower score. To help you navigate everything from tricky winds to tucked pins, here is your tactical blueprint for a smarter, more disciplined weekend of golf.

This Weekend Warrior Cheat Sheet is designed for quick scrolling on your phone between holes. Save this or screenshot it before you head to the first tee.

The Weekend Golfer’s Tactical Blueprint:

1. Pre-Round: Play with what you brought

Instead of rebuilding your swing, embrace a “play with what you brought” mentality. If your shots curve right on the range, don’t fight it—simply aim left and let that natural shape work for you. While you’re at it, scrub your wedge grooves for maximum spin and spend five minutes rolling 30-foot putts from fringe to fringe to calibrate your feel for the day’s green speeds.

2. The Elements: “Breezy? Swing Easy.”

When the wind kicks up, remember: “When it’s breezy, swing easy.” Hard swings add distance-killing backspin, so take one extra club and commit to a smooth 75% power stroke. To keep the flight piercing, move the ball an inch back in your stance. On uphill lies, club up to account for the high, short flight; on downhill lies, club down and tilt your shoulders to match the slope for a low, rolling finish.

3. Course Strategy: Smart Targets

Success is about playing the percentages. Use the “Middle of the Green” rule—ignore tucked pins and aim for the “fat” part of the surface. To eliminate the “Big Miss,” tee up on the side of the trouble (if water is left, tee up on the left) to create a wider angle toward safety. If you find the trees, ditch the hero shot; punch out to your favorite wedge yardage (like 80 yards) to set up a stress-free par save.

4. The Finish: Stamina & Simplicity

To survive the back-nine fade, follow the short-game mantra: Putt when you can, chip when you can’t putt, and pitch only as a last resort. Keeping the ball on the ground is your safest bet. Before the round, use a club on the ground to recalibrate your alignment—most amateurs aim further right than they think. Fuel up with a snack every six holes to keep your focus sharp through the 18th.

The 15-Minute “Tee-Ready” Routine

0-3 min: Dynamic torso twists and leg swings.
3-8 min: 15 balls (5 wedges, 5 “one-sided” mid-irons, 5 drivers).
8-13 min: 30-foot lag putts and 5 basic chips.
13-15 min: Check alignment on the range and grab your water.

Finally: Go get ’em this weekend! This guide is all about owning your game exactly as it is right now. Forget the stress of “perfect” form—you’ve already got the tools you need to crush it. By playing smart, staying smooth in the wind, and aiming for the heart of the green, you’re setting yourself up for a confident, low-scoring round. Trust your swing, stay fueled, and most importantly, enjoy the walk. You’ve got this!

Breaking the Link Between Bad Shots and Bad Emotions

Ted Odorico March 7, 2026

Golf,Player,Thinking,About,Game,Strategy

Instruction

Why Managing Your Mind is Faster Than Fixing Your Slice.

In today’s game, where every stat is tracked and every yardage is exact, the greatest threat to your score isn’t a bad swing—it’s emotional volatility. Modern sports psychology has moved away from “staying positive” toward “neutral thinking.” When you hit a ball into the water, a “positive” person tries to force a miracle on the next shot, while a “negative” person collapses. A “neutral” golfer acknowledges the situation as a factual data point and asks: “What is the smartest next move from here?”

To stay sharp over 18 holes, you must manage your “Cognitive Load.” You cannot be “on” for four hours straight. Elite players use a “Mental Dimmer Switch”: they turn their focus up to 100% when they step behind the ball for their pre-shot routine, but dial it down to 20% between shots by talking about anything other than golf. This prevents the mental fatigue that leads to “lazy” club selections or sloppy alignment on the back nine. By detaching your self-worth from the scoreboard, you allow your body to execute the swings you’ve practiced without the interference of “flight or fight” adrenaline.

“A neutral golfer views every lie as a factual data point, asking: ‘What is the smartest next move from here?'”

The Drill: The “Acceptance” Nine

The “Acceptance Nine” drill trains the brain to maintain physical composure by converting emotional reactions to poor shots into logical, pre-planned responses. By decoupling self-worth from performance, this method prevents immediate mistakes from snowballing and fosters a consistent, neutral mindset throughout the round.

The Play: Go out for 9 holes of practice. Before every shot, verbalize your “Target” and your “Miss Room” (e.g., “Target is the flag, Miss Room is anywhere left”).

The Constraint: Regardless of where the ball goes—even if you shank it into the woods—you are forbidden from reacting with anything other than a physical “reset” (like re-velcroing your glove or taking a deep breath).

The Penalty: If you slump your shoulders, swear, or toss a club, you must “penalize” yourself by playing the next hole with only three clubs of your choice.

The Goal: The objective isn’t to score well; it’s to finish 9 holes with your heart rate and body language exactly the same on the 9th green as they were on the 1st tee.

Why it works: It builds a “psychological firewall.” By forcing yourself to remain neutral, you break the neurological link between a “bad shot” and “bad emotions.” Over time, this makes you “bulletproof” under the pressure of a Sunday afternoon or a closing-hole bet.

Summary: To lower your scores, stop fighting your swing and start managing your mind. This article highlights that emotional volatility is the real scorecard killer, advocating for “neutral thinking”—treating mistakes as data rather than disasters. By utilizing a “Mental Dimmer Switch” to conserve energy between shots and practicing the “Acceptance Nine” drill, you can build a psychological firewall that prevents back-nine mental fatigue and keeps your body relaxed enough to execute the shots you’ve practiced.

Master Your Mental Game

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Why Your Best Golf Starts with a Better Miss

Ted Odorico March 2, 2026

Hand asian woman putting golf ball on tee with club in golf cour

Instruction

Lowering your handicap isn’t about chasing the “perfect” swing—it’s about mastering the 50-yard scoring zone.

That “light at the end of the tunnel” in golf is often just a fleeting glimpse of a breakthrough before the game pulls you back into the frustration of a double-bogey. For most amateurs, golf is a marathon of “almosts”—a collection of spectacular moments that never quite seem to stick.

You know the feeling: that one 280-yard drive that splits the fairway, the pure iron shot that feels like butter, or the 30-foot birdie putt that unexpectedly drops. The real frustration isn’t a lack of talent; it’s that these moments are currently guests in your game rather than residents. If you are tired of your scorecard being a graveyard of “what-ifs,” it’s time for an honest look at how to turn those flashes of brilliance into your new baseline.

The Pragmatist’s Path: Scoring Lower by Next Weekend

If you want to see your scores drop by next weekend, you have to stop practicing like a tour pro and start playing like a pragmatist. The secret to rapid improvement isn’t found in a prettier swing, but in a more disciplined strategy. This “Fastest Result” hierarchy is designed to strip away the fluff and focus on what actually moves the needle.

Play the Percentages, Not the Pins

The quickest way to shave strokes is to adopt a “one-way” miss. While most amateurs play a dangerous game of trying to hit it perfectly straight, seasoned players focus on eliminating one side of the course. By deciding you won’t go left today, you can aim down the left treeline with the confidence that your ball will only move back toward the center, effectively removing “Out of Bounds” from your vocabulary.

Once you reach the fairway, the pragmatist’s focus shifts to the green. Stop “pin hunting” and start targeting the center of the putting surface. Aiming for the middle—regardless of where the flag is tucked—is the single fastest way to turn triple-bogeys into easy bogeys and stress-free par saves. When you do miss the green, keep the “Rule of 12” in mind: use your lofted wedges less often. Learning to “bump and run” an 8-iron is significantly more reliable under pressure than trying to nip a 60-degree wedge off a tight lie.

Escaping the Ego Traps

To unlock this lower scoring, you must also discard the “ego traps” that plague the average golfer. The most dangerous of these is the “perfect swing” search. If you find yourself scrolling through “swing secret” YouTube videos on a Friday night, stop. A functional, “ugly” swing you trust will always outplay a “perfect” one you don’t.

Similarly, stop treating the driving range like a long-drive contest. Unless you are already a scratch golfer, spending 90% of your time hitting drivers is a wasted effort; the game is won or lost from 100 yards in. Finally, abandon the hero shot. If you find yourself stymied behind a tree, take your medicine and punch out. That “one-in-ten” miracle shot is exactly what keeps your handicap high.

Spending 90% of your time hitting drivers is a wasted effort; the game is won or lost from 100 yards in.

Drills for Pure Contact

To support this strategic shift, your physical practice should move away from rigid mechanics and toward pure contact and effortless tempo.

On the putting green, use the “Gate” Drill to fix off-center strikes. By placing two tees just wider than your putter head and stroking the ball through them, you force the face to stay square. This creates the center-face contact necessary for predictable distance control. At the range, find your rhythm with the “Feet Together” Flush. By hitting balls with your feet touching, you are forced to find your natural center of gravity. Any violent lunge will send you off-balance, leaving you with no choice but to develop a smooth, rhythmic rotation.

The Insightful Truth

At its core, golf isn’t a game of “great shots”—it’s a game of “better misses.” The moment you trade the pursuit of perfection for the pursuit of functionality, that light at the end of the tunnel finally becomes the fairway.

In 2026, the blueprint for success is a strategic mastery of the 50-yard “Scoring Zone.” By aiming for a 50% up-and-down rate and prioritizing center-of-the-green targets, you replace high-risk hero shots with a systematic approach to lower scores.

Ready to sharpen your strategy?

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The Perfect Pre-Round Warm-Up

Ted Odorico February 27, 2026

Golf player exercising on golf driving range before golf tournament

Instruction

From dynamic activation to mental visualization, and being “ready” from Swing One.

To shoot your best, your pre-round routine must serve as the essential bridge between your “everyday self” and your “athlete self.” A high-performance warm-up is never about a last-minute quest to perfect your swing; rather, it is a deliberate process of priming the engine, calibrating your sensory feel, and quieting the mental noise of daily life. By shifting your focus from mechanical fixes to physiological readiness, you create the internal stability needed to transition from the parking lot to the fairway, ensuring you are fully prepared to perform with precision from the very first tee.

The Body: Moving Beyond the Static

The foundation of a great round begins with physical activation. Modern sports science has largely debunked the old-school method of holding deep, stationary stretches before a round. Research indicates that static stretching can actually decrease clubhead speed and power output by over-relaxing the muscles you need to be explosive.

Instead, the goal is dynamic activation. You want to use controlled, active movements that mimic the golf swing to increase blood flow and lubricate your joints. Start with torso twists, holding a club across your shoulders to activate your core and spine. Move into leg swings and walking lunges to open the hips and engage the glutes—the primary power sources of the golf swing. Finally, perform arm circles and wrist rotations to ensure your lead side is fluid and ready for high-velocity rotation. These movements don’t just prevent injury; they “wake up” the nervous system, preparing it to fire muscles in the correct sequence.

The Range: Calibration, Not Practice

Once your body is loose, move to the range with a specific mindset: you are there to calibrate, not to fix your swing. The biggest mistake amateur golfers make is trying to “find a swing” on the range. If you find yourself fighting a slice or a hook during warm-up, don’t try to rebuild your mechanics. Instead, accept that this is your shot shape for the day and plan to play for it.

A professional-style progression starts small. Begin with half-swing wedges to establish a rhythm and find the center of the face. Gradually move through your bag, hitting a few balls with a mid-iron, a hybrid, and finally the driver. You don’t need to hit every club; rather, hit one from each “family” to save energy for the course. End your session with a “dress rehearsal”: visualize the first hole and hit the exact sequence of shots you’ll need—for example, a driver followed by a 7-iron. This transitions your focus from internal mechanics to external targets.

The Mental Game: Tuning the Frequency

Golf is won in the space between the ears. Use the final minutes of your warm-up to transition into a focused, present state. Deep belly breathing—inhaling for four seconds and exhaling for six—is a proven way to lower your heart rate and settle pre-round jitters.

On the putting green, shift your focus away from “making” putts and toward distance control. Use lag putting drills from 30 to 50 feet to get a feel for the speed of the greens. Mentally, practice visualization by seeing the ball’s flight path and landing spot before you hit. If you can see the shot in your mind, your body is much more likely to execute it subconsciously.

What to Avoid

Efficiency is as much about what you don’t do as what you do.

Avoid Rushing: Arriving ten minutes before your tee time creates a frantic state that often takes several holes to dissipate.
Avoid “Hole-Hunting”: Grinding on five-foot putts can be counterproductive; missing a few in a row right before you head to the tee can shatter your confidence.
Avoid Static Holds: Save the long, stationary stretches for after the round to aid recovery.

The First Tee Strategy

As you walk to the first tee, your preparation is complete. Take one final deep breath to center yourself. Pick a specific, small target in the distance—a tree branch or a chimney—rather than just “the fairway”. Commit fully to your club selection and your intended shot shape. Once you stand over the ball, quiet the analytical “thinker” and let the “athlete” take over.

Quick Preparation Tips:

Weighted Swings: Use a weighted trainer or swing two clubs to feel the weight of the clubhead and further loosen your back.
Nutrition: Eat a small, protein-rich snack 30 minutes before your start to maintain steady energy levels.
Target Selection: On the range, never hit a ball without a specific target; mindless hitting breeds mindless play.

Conclusion: The first tee shouldn’t feel like a cold start; it should feel like the natural continuation of a rhythm you’ve already found. When your body is fluid, your shots are calibrated, and your mind is quiet, the pressure of the opening drive evaporates. You’ve already done the work; now, all that’s left is to play. Step up, take that final deep breath, and swing with the confidence of a player who is truly ready to compete.

Ready to stop practicing and start performing?

To turn your new warm-up routine into lower scores, you need more than just a morning plan—you need a year-round edge. By joining Golf Tips Premium, you gain the same elite blueprints used by the pros to master everything from high-pressure drives to the most delicate greenside saves. Whether you’re looking for advanced biomechanical drills to boost that clubhead speed or psychological strategies to stay “in the zone” under pressure, our community provides the roadmap to the golfer you want to become.

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Trade Swing Mechanics for Mental Mastery

Ted Odorico February 26, 2026

Portrait of a Confident Male Golfer in Elegant Sportswear

Instruction

The 90% Factor: Mastering the Mental Game of Golf.

Confidence in golf is often described as a “fickle friend”—there one moment when you’re flushing your irons, and gone the next after a single pulled drive. However, the greatest players in history treat confidence not as a byproduct of good play, but as the foundation of it. It is the quiet certainty that your skills can meet the demands of the moment, regardless of the stakes. While the physical gap between a weekend warrior and a PGA Tour pro is vast, the psychological gap is often where the game is truly won or lost. Developing a “bulletproof” mental game requires moving away from the idea that confidence is something you either have or you don’t, and instead viewing it as a muscle that must be trained through repetition, preparation, and a disciplined internal dialogue.

The Pro Playbook: How the World’s Best Stay “Even Keel”

Professional golfers maintain emotional stability by prioritizing psychological consistency over their actual score, using a “pro playbook” of mental discipline. They practice mindful acceptance, acknowledging negative thoughts without judgment and quickly redirecting their focus back to their execution process. By employing selective memory, they visualize past successes to reinforce a high-performance self-image while remaining indifferent to poor shots. Furthermore, they use physical cues like upright posture and steady breathing to signal confidence to their own brains, effectively lowering anxiety and maintaining control under pressure.

Visualization & Routine: The Mental Anchors of Elite Performance

Elite golfers use their pre-shot routine as a mental “trigger” to bypass analytical thought and activate instinctive execution. This involves process visualization, where they mentally rehearse the specific tempo and feel of the swing rather than just the ball’s flight. To ensure absolute focus, they utilize target precision by aiming at a microscopic point, such as a single leaf or branch, providing the brain with the exact detail needed to execute the shot with professional accuracy.

The Amateur’s Edge: Simple Shifts for a Major Mindset

Amateurs can bridge the confidence gap by shifting from technical overthinking to strategic, evidence-based play. By ending “on-course medicating” and avoiding mid-round swing tips, you signal trust to your subconscious rather than doubt. Embracing “boring” golf builds steady confidence by avoiding high-risk “hero shots” and prioritizing safe targets where pars and easy bogeys keep the round on track. Finally, by shifting focus toward solid contact and routine execution rather than the final score, you create a series of “small wins” that provide the tangible proof needed to sustain self-belief throughout the round.

Purposeful Practice: Build Confidence Before You Reach the First Tee

Building lasting confidence in golf requires intentional preparation rather than mindless repetition. By ending practice sessions with a “one-ball challenge” that simulates high-stakes pressure, you create a psychological “win” that reinforces self-belief before you even reach the course. Additionally, incorporating daily rituals—such as five to ten minutes of vivid visualization—helps stabilize your mindset, ensuring your confidence remains rooted in long-term goals rather than fluctuating with every individual shot.

To bridge the gap between practice and performance, you must develop a reliable mental anchor. A consistent pre-shot routine serves as your psychological reset button, transforming the chaos of the course into a predictable sequence of success. By following this three-phase guide, you can ensure that every swing—from the first tee to the final putt—is built on a foundation of clarity and commitment.

Step-by-Step Pre-Shot Routine Guide

A consistent routine should take 20–30 seconds and follow these three distinct phases:

Phase 1: The Decision Phase (Behind the Ball)

To master the decision-making phase of your routine, start by carefully evaluating external factors like yardage, wind, and the quality of your lie. Once the conditions are clear, select a specific, narrow target in the distance and spend several seconds vividly visualizing the ball’s flight and landing. Finally, once you have chosen your club, commit to the shot with absolute certainty; if any doubt creeps in, discipline yourself to step away and restart the process to ensure you swing with total conviction.

Phase 2: The Alignment Phase (Approaching the Ball)

To execute a precise alignment phase, start by identifying a small, distinct intermediate target, such as a leaf or divot, approximately two feet ahead of your ball on the direct target line. Approach the ball from the side and aim your clubface directly at this close-up spot first, ensuring the face is perfectly square to it. Finally, align your body by building a stable stance around the established clubface, positioning your feet, hips, and shoulders parallel to the target line to ensure your aim remains accurate throughout the swing.

Phase 3: The Execution Phase (Over the Ball)

In the final execution phase, focus on feel over mechanics by taking one or two smooth rehearsal swings to establish a consistent tempo. Once you are settled, take a final look at your target to lock in the line, then immediately return your focus to the ball. To prevent mental tension and “paralysis by analysis,” you must react within three seconds; bypass any technical thoughts and simply commit to the swing with athletic instinct.

Conclusion: Thinking Like a Pro

The most empowering realization an amateur can make is that confidence is a choice. You do not need to wait until you are hitting the ball like a pro to start thinking like one. By prioritizing your routine over the result and treating every shot as a fresh opportunity, you strip away the fear of failure that sabotages most rounds. Embrace the process, trust your preparation, and watch as your score follows your mindset.

Unlock Your Full Potential

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Learn To Bomb Your Drives 300 Yards

Ted Odorico June 10, 2025

Golfer hit sweeping driver after hitting golf ball down the fairway

Driving

Golfers dream of hitting 300+ yard drives like the pros. Some can, but most don’t even come close.

If you really want to learn to hit your drives further you need to focus on improving the following: Clubhead Speed, Swing Mechanics, Practice and your Mental Game. If you work on those areas of your game you’ll begin to see real improvements, and be well on your way to start bombing your drives.

Increase your clubhead speed but don’t swing too hard. You may end up in another dimension

How to increase clubhead speed:

Swing Mechanics:
- Optimize Hip and Shoulder Rotation: Maximize your turn in the backswing and generate momentum on the downswing.
- Increase Hand Path Length: Extend your swing arc by adjusting your stance (dropping your lead foot back and opening your toes).
- Shallow the Club: Position the clubface strategically during the downswing to maximize velocity leading into impact.
- Rotate Wrists Through Impact: Generate added speed just before impact by efficiently releasing the club.
- Smooth Rhythm and Tempo: Optimize the transition from backswing to downswing.
Physical Fitness:
- Strengthen Core Golf Muscles: Incorporate exercises like planks, Russian twists, and bird dogs to build core strength.
- Improve Flexibility and Mobility: Stretching and dynamic warm-ups increase your range of motion.
- Strength Training: Lift weights (squats, lunges, deadlifts) to build lower body strength.
- Speed Training: Use tools like speed sticks or weighted clubs to train your body to swing faster.
Equipment:
- Lighter Shaft: A lighter shaft can increase swing speed but may affect accuracy. Consider getting a golf fitting.
- Longer Driver Shaft: Can produce more clubhead speed but might require adjustment in your swing mechanics.
- Right Equipment: Ensure your clubs match your swing style and physical capabilities, potentially benefiting from a custom fitting.

Improve your swing mechanics to “Strike” a pose!

Work to improve swing mechanics:

Master the Setup:
- Wide Stance: Provides a stable base.
- Forward Ball Position: Promotes an upward sweep at impact.
- Shoulder Tilt: Tilting your shoulders away from the target can help create an in-to-out swing path.
Proper Posture: Ensure your spine is straight and shoulders are back.
Optimal Ball Position: Place the ball slightly forward in your stance.
Tee it High: Increases your launch angle, reducing spin.
Maintain a Consistent Swing Path: Practice swinging on a smooth arc.
Engage Your Body: Use your entire body, not just your arms, to generate power.

Practice consistently with Purpose:

Regular Driving Range Sessions: Focus on your technique and swing speed.
Swing Drills: Incorporate specific drills like the motorcycle drill to improve wrist flexion and shallowing.
Max Speed Swings: Swing your driver as fast as you can during practice sessions to push your limits.

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist but you do need to improve your mental game

Utilize your mental game:

Visualize Success: Imagine the ball flying through the air as you want it to go.
Develop a Pre-Shot Routine: Helps focus your mind on the task at hand.
Stay Relaxed: Avoid tension in your grip and swing.

Conclusion: By focusing on these areas, you can increase your clubhead speed and improve your swing mechanics, which leads to longer, more powerful drives. Remember to be patient whenever you begin any changes to your game. It takes time! With a little hard work you’ll begin to see results quicker than you realize. Don’t forget to practice with purpose.

Five Signs: A Golfer May Be Losing Confidence

Ted Odorico May 15, 2025

Relaxed Golfer Silhouette Against Bright Rising Sun

Strategy & Troubleshooting

Do you find yourself feeling somewhat deflated after a round, and ultimately staring into the sunset? Part of the reason may be you lost confidence in your game. Every golfer at some point in their golfing journey has experienced this at one time or another.

So what do you? I’ll answer that after we first examine: “Five Signs: A Golfer May Be Losing Confidence”

Worrying too much about making mistakes: Golfers who are losing confidence may be overly concerned with avoiding bogeys or hitting bad shots, causing them to feel anxious and unable to focus on the present moment.
Pre-round jitters that don’t go away: Anxiety and a tight feeling that persists beyond the first hole can indicate a loss of confidence and an inability to relax and trust the game.
Losing confidence after a single bad shot: If a single bad shot or score quickly erodes confidence and leads to frustration, it suggests a struggle with maintaining a positive mindset.
Focusing excessively on technique or how to make a perfect swing: Over-controlling the swing and focusing on the mechanics can indicate a lack of trust in the swing and a fear of failure.
Getting easily frustrated or playing cautiously: Frustration when not playing to expectations or a tendency to protect a score when things are going well can suggest a lack of confidence and a fear of losing.

If your one of those golfers who sees themself in this dilemma than you know what I’m talking about. There’s no worse than to hit the course feeling like nothing is going to work today. What typically happens in this situation is you simply go through the motions, and pray the round ends soon. You’ve read every golf book, watched every golf lesson on YouTube, but nothing seems to help. NOW WHAT?

Help is here!

I’ve been teaching this game to corporate clients for over 32 years. Every one of them at some point has felt the same as you have. Here’s what I tell them.

Let’s address each of the “Five Signs” mentioned above.

Point 1: If you focus solely on your mishits and not on good shots, then self doubt begins to creep in. Try this! After you hit a bad shot; let out that emotion and expell the negative energy. Getting it out of your system in a burst of raw energy will actually make you feel better, rather than keeping it pent up inside. Once you have done that visualize a really good shot you hit that day, and allow yourself to absorb the positive energy. You’ll begin to feel better because you’ve focused on something good that happened. Now re-group, and focus on the next shot.
Point 2: Everyone feels nervous stepping up to the first tee, even the pros. It’s normal! Some may feel that way until they have a few holes under their belt. The reason you are feeling nervous is you probably haven’t practiced much lately, or your warm-up routine lacks any real sense of readiness. Make sure that every time you hit the practice range, you do it with a sense of purpose. Don’t just rake and hit balls. Imagine you’re playing the first few holes of a course you’re going to play this weekend. What shots are needed to make a good score? Visualize each club you intend to play on every hole. See in your mind how you’d like the shot to be executed. Allow yourself to feed off the positive energy. Do the same in a warm-up right before your round. Don’t forget to stretch too! That really helps you to relax tense muscles.
Point 3: So you hit a bad shot! Who hasn’t? Does that mean the round is over? No! It just means you hit a bad shot. Stick that in the back of your mind and analyze it post-round. Trying to figure what went wrong during the round can be disastrous. Did I do this? Or do that? Who cares right now? There’s still plenty of golf left. Brush it off and see what you need to do on the next shot. Do I need to hit a recovery shot? Maybe! Focus on what needs to be done now and don’t worry about the past. That shot is gone. Learn from it and move on.
Point 4: Ahh! The perfect swing, good luck with that! There is no such thing. Every swing is different and unique to each golfer. Instead focus on becoming a better player. What can I do to improve my score? Having a perfect looking swing doesn’t necessarily mean lower scores. What does help lower them is to practice areas of your game that you fall short. We’ve all heard the saying: “Drive for Show! “Putt for Dough!” Well, there is a good reason for it. Bombing drives down the fairway looks great, but most amateurs lack the skill to do that with any consistency. However, working more on the short game like pitching, chipping and putting, can really drop your score. Spend the majority of your practice time working on these areas of the game. It will really help raise your confidence level.
Point 5: Emotions can often get the best of us. A common mistake golfers make after a bad shot, hole or even a round is to completely change the way they play. A player who typically goes for the pin suddenly gets squeamish and starts to play overly conservative. What happens then is they get out of their natural rhythm. They slow down and begin to second guess every shot. The opposite can happen for more conservative players who now feel they need to be aggressive to make up for lost strokes. Did you ever see Nicklaus change his game mid-round when things didn’t go his way? Not likely! So why should you? Stay the course and play the way you always have. Making a drastic change like that can turn a small thing into something worse. Play your game!

In conclusion: To regain confidence requires you to analyze things and put them into perspective. Building confidence takes time and a lot of hard work. Losing confidence can also take time to come back. How much time really depends on how you approach things. You can walk around feeling bad because you hit some poor shots, or played a few bad holes. Or, you can use them as a learning opportunity. It depends on you! Better players have conditioned themselves to do just that. They shrug off the less than perfect shots, focus on what they did well. All that leads to confidence building. Tiger Woods often said in his interviews: “I didn’t play my “A” game today, but I’m happy with the results”. If one of the best players to ever play can look at his game that way. Why shouldn’t you? You might find that it’s not your game that needs to change, rather your attitude.

If you would like to submit game improvement tips to help with your game. Send them to: editor@golftipsmag.com