| |
| |
|
Golf Information |
|
|
|
5 Keys to Mental Toughness for Junior Golfers
If you have any interest in seeing first hand the impact that mental toughness has on sport performance, go no further than the PGA or LPGA Qualifying tournaments or "Q-School". Each year for the past several years, I have worked with players on site during this event. A great many of the conversations that the players have are a rehashing of their performance this past year on the PGA, LPGA, Nationwide, or mini-tour circuits. What I have heard frequently are things that could help the junior golfer get a head start in his or her career. In attempting to describe why they hadn't reached their outcome goals for the season I hear these professional players repeatedly talk to one another about "trying too hard", "not letting it happen out there", "playing tentative" and many other frequently used mental game phrases. The challenge for many of these professionals is not only to sharpen their swings and putting strokes for this critical week, but to sharpen their mental games as well. The players who do well in Q-School are the ones that will follow some basic rules about the mental game. Each of these also has application for the junior golfer: 1. Keep each shot in perspective. This is especially true in a 108-hole tournament. Q-School, of all tournaments, is understood to be a marathon and not a sprint. There is no rational reason to be unnerved by a bad hole or two. Similarly, the junior golfer has years and years of opportunities ahead. There is no particular shot in any tournament that is "life or death". 2. Focus on the task rather than the outcome. This is probably the most difficult of the "basics" for players to follow. It is natural to think about the result and then the consequences of the result. This thinking will not help get the job done. Whenever these thoughts come to mind, replace them with thoughts of the immediate task at hand. 3. Breathe. Even the best in the world get tense in this type of situation. That tension can increase a player's tendency to hold his breath in anticipation of a shot or a putt. This then impacts muscle tension even more, and potentially affects his ability to swing the club smoothly. Deep breaths = slower heart rate and less physiological tension. Creating a habit of doing this as a junior player will be invaluable as your golf career progresses. 4. Remember that you cannot control things. Anyone who plays this game knows that something unexpected happens in nearly every round. A great tee shot lands in a divot, a club you've been hitting well all week suddenly starts getting shaky, or a two-foot putt is missed. The successful players in Q-School and elsewhere will recognize that they have control only over their preparation and reactions, and not over anything else. If they know they've prepared the best they could for each shot, and know that they are capable of controlling their reaction after each shot, they've done all they can possibly do to achieve their goals. Move on to the next one. 5. Play to succeed. Nearly every year there is a player or two held up at the end of Q-School as an example of a late tournament collapse. In nearly all of those instances, the player interviewed will speak of having thoughts of "trying to hold on" or "trying not to make a big number". Many players will have a tendency to play to avoid mistakes and/or prevent something bad from happening. The players who are successful are those who are confident in their abilities to go out and get the job done, and will be playing to succeed rather than to avert failure. These mental game essentials will help you as a junior player ingrain habits that can help you reach the ultimate golf goals for which you strive! Jeff Troesch, MA, LMHC is an internationally recognized expert in the mental side of golf. As the former Director of Sport Psychology for the David Leadbetter Golf Academies, Jeff has worked with thousands of golfers nationwide and brings a wealth of experience to seasoned golf professionals as well as the recreational golf lover. You may contact Jeff directly through his website, http://www.fitnessforgolf.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Golf Club Componets: Playing Golf The Lego Set Way To understand how to buy golf club components, you first need to know how these parts work and what they are in the first place. So let's begin in this way. Essential Information on Choosing the Best Golf Clubs to Suit Your Game Most golfers, whether a beginner or a pro, struggle when trying to decide which golf club to buy. The buying process becomes easier when the consumer has a good understanding of the types of golf clubs available and their specific use. Take Your Eyes Off that Ball! O.k. Golf Flexibility For The Senior Golfer Golf flexibility is the biggest term you hear when the senior golfer is complaining about lack of distance or a sore back.Why is this?It's not a secret that with age comes a decline in physical capabilities?especially golf flexibility. Have You Played Chicago Golf Courses? When most people think of Chicago, they usually think of a big city, lots of tall buildings, maybe Oprah. That's accurate, but did you know that Chicago is the home to dozens of golf courses?Chicago was designed as "Urbs in Horto", the City in the park. Are You Having Trouble Sustaining Energy On The Back Nine? Loss of stamina and endurance toward the end of an eighteen-hole round of golf happens to many golfers and can often be attributed to poor nutrition. To keep up the pace and go the distance, there is no substitute for good nutrition. 5 Golf Fitness Tips That Work If you have turned on the television to watch any golf tournament over the last couple of years, you obviously already know the strong role that fitness plays in improving your golf game. When you engage in a regular fitness routine, you're preparing your body for improved performance by building a lean, strong, fit physique capable of more control and consistency with your clubs. Reluctant to Try Golf Instruction? Maybe you or a friend had a negative experience with an instructor. It could have been a personality conflict or some other problem. Myrtle Beach Golf - Quality and Quantity Myrtle Beach is the best of both worlds for every golfer, QUALITY and QUANTITY. The Grand Strand has over 120 courses designed by the best in the game: Dye, Jones, Nicklaus, Palmer, and Fazio to name a few. Core Exercise For Golf Will Improve Your Driving Distance The Quickest Core exercise for golf. You've probably heard this phrase mentioned on the television a time or to. Golf Tips Should Always Include Fitness When you think of golf tips, do you usually think about how to improve your swing, or how to sink your putts? Those, of course, are good tips, but you also need fitness tips behind all of those technique tips. Without proper fitness, technique tips will fall short. Strength Training For Junior Golf Much debate has occurred about kids and strength training. There's been concern about growth plate damage. Golf Nutrition Is Not An Oxymoron - Listen Up Golf nutrition is still a relatively new concept. However, everybody knows that leading athletes in the NBA and NFL quite often have special diets and specific nutrition programs to help them perform at their peak. Improve Your Putting By Developing Rock Solid Confidence On The Green All of us have missed a short putt before. It is frustrating to miss something you know you can make! And most often a missed short putt can cause a chain reaction of bad play. All Time Greatest Club Breaking Events in History? and the Winner is?.. Two both famous and infamous golfers known for their tempers and club throwing exploits on the golf course, were battling head to head and coming into the final round of the tournament. The entire golfing world was looking on. Will A Night Golf Tournament Ruin Your Course? The first thing you have to remember about your Night Golf event is that it is not a PGA Major event. It is simply a different way to play golf than you normally do. Golf Equipment - The Most Expensive Is Not Always Correct For You The essentials of golf begin with the clubs you choose. Shopping on the Internet will save you time and money but choosing can be difficult, as there seems to be endless options. What Can A Single Digit Handicap Golfer Do That You Cant? Chances are that if you're an avid golfer, you'd love to be a single digit handicap golfer. So what do these golfers have that you don't? You may be thinking they're simply "better golfers," and they may be true, but odds are they are also more in tune with how their level of fitness affects their ability to play a great round of golf. Golf Fitness Training Made Easy?And Anyone Can Do It Golf fitness training might sound grueling, sweaty and a lot of work! Doesn't have to be that way. Now of course I'd be lying to you to say it's easy and you won't have to make a small commitment to stick with it to see results. The Basic Golf Swing Is Pure Physics If you've been on a golf course and have tried to use all your strength in the basic golf swing so that you hit the ball as far as possible, then you will have already understood that this does not quite work.One of the reasons is that although the basic golf swing requires strong conditioned muscles, this hardly means hitting the ball with all your strength.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2007 |
