Thinking Back to Front, Part Two: A Good Game Plan (or should I say Shot Plan?)

In part one I talked about the execution of the shot, but before we move to the step that leads to your visualisation of the shot I would like to extend that point onto what happens after you've hit the shot - your reaction, or ACCEPTANCE.

Acceptance is often mentioned in the psychology of the shot routine and is very important but not often spoken about or even known about. Bob Rotella summarised this point once as looking at the outcome of the shot wherever it finishes and treating it as "an opportunity to excel" - also a common NLP technique called re-framing; seeing the best of what just happened as golf is not often perfect, unless you hole the shot!

So after your shot, whatever happens, just be a spectator and see where it goes. Say to yourself "I can (whatever you think the next shot is) from there".
For example, "I can chip it on from there" instead of "I pulled it" or "Why did I do that again?!". Can you hear the difference? It's important to avoid those rogue and useless thoughts because you will be in the wrong frame of mind to play the next shot, and being out there for 3, 4 or 5 hours it's probable your mindset will become trained to think like that rather than being as positive as possible.

Remember: accept what happens and you'll be in a better mindset to play the next shot. You never know, as a result you may hit the best shot of your round...

Shot Plan

I hear it said about snooker when the commentator explains why potting a certain ball is favourable over another to leave the player on another colour. This is a strategy often forgotten about in golf because we get drawn into going at the flag all the time; strategy is almost reserved for the best in the game.

To shoot the lowest combined 18-hole score you need to be able to plot your way around the course knowing when to be aggressive or tactical, playing to your strengths, eye, mindset, current standing in the round (matchplay v medal) and of course confidence.

Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo: not only known as great golfers but also known as great thinkers; planners who are cool under pressure. How else do you win the hardest tournaments in golf? To be a multiple winner (50 by the way) you have to have more luck, right? How do you think they did it? Simple really. They had a strategy, a game plan for each course - each tournament - which was something they could control.

How do you get good at this? Do you ever practice this? Interestingly from what I see, the majority of golfers do pretty much the same thing week in week out as they play the same course. They get in to a habit of playing, or trying to play, the same hole the same way hoping it will result in a lower score without changing the way they play. As a result they often need to play at their best as they flag hunt and shoot for the lowest score possible instead of seeing the bigger picture.

The other day I was on a playing lesson and hit a rescue club off the tee instead of a driver. Sure enough the question came from my student, why didn't I hit the driver and try for as far down the fairway as possible? I pointed out that given the wind, had I hit the driver as well as I could it the ball may have gone into the deep rough or bunker and hitting the rescue eliminated that possibility. This made me more relaxed and as a result I hit it better setting up a great line into the green. On balance, that strategy has given me the same score as the driver over the years - but with no "big score" possibilities.

Jack Nicklaus said in the TV interview about his career "Golf is a game you have to understand yourself, you have to understand what your abilities are and you have to play within your own abilities and if you get outside of that - that's when you get beat".

I am concerned about the art of personal peak performance as the average handicap hasn't decreased in the last 60 years (16.7). What is not improving? Clubs have, greens have, information has, so what is it? I and many other open-minded and curious coaches believe it is the way we play and practice the game.

I see that the mind training element of the game isn't incorporated alongside the skills training and playing elements. Most golfers see mind training as a separate "if I need to" or "if I have to" department which then becomes a big challenge as you try to change hard-wired habits.

Next time: TRUST.

Happy golfing.

Simon Garner
Head Golf Professional, Brocket Hall