| |
| |
|
Golf Information |
|
|
|
How to Win at Golf
What's the point of playing sport if you don't want to win? You may try to kid yourself that you're playing for the good of your health or because you enjoy the sport, both of which would probably be true, but the real satisfaction and joy comes from winning. If you don't believe me just study the attendance stats for a professional sports team which is on a run of poor results and near the bottom of the league table. Teams that win fill stadiums, losing teams empty them. People like to be associated with winning teams. We all like to win, it makes us feel better. This is about how to win at sport, any sport, but particularly about how to win at golf which is my game. There are certain actions and thinking patterns which are easy to learn which make a great deal of difference to any golfer's ability to win. In this article I will take you through the ones that I have found to be most effective. Preparation Can you imagine Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, or Phil Michelson arriving on the first tee without having spent a serious amount of time on the practice fairway to warm up? They also spend time on the putting green and probably check through their equipment with their caddie before they get to the tee. Serial winners prepare thoroughly. This is a major reason why they win so often. How much time do you devote to your preparation before you go out to play? Let's face it, most amateurs may take a few practice swings; they may even hit a few putts, if the practice green is conveniently nearby, but it is rare for them to go to the practice fairway before they hit their first drive. I think that your preparation should start long before you even get to the course. When I am really determined to win I start getting myself mentally ready during my journey to the club. In the car I start to think about how I am feeling that day. If I suspect that my feelings aren't 'right', perhaps I am feeling a bit apprehensive or tetchy, I set about taking charge of my feelings. There is no point in letting your feelings run away with you - who knows where they will go? And, if you're not in charge of your feelings you will not play well. It is certain that you will not win. The good news is that your mind can control your feelings if you really want it to. After all, 'whose feelings are they?' If you created those feelings then you can also create a whole new set of feelings which will give you a much better chance of winning. It takes discipline to control your feelings. They often want to escape from your control, but you must not let them escape. You must be firm with yourself. If you find yourself feeling 'nervous' you must tell yourself to be 'calm'. If you're feeling tense, you must tell yourself to 'relax.' You may have to fight for mastery of your feelings but it is a battle worth fighting because if you win that battle you will probably win your round of golf as well. In fact I believe that most amateur golfers feel a bit shy about preparing too well. We don't want to appear over keen. But there's something even worse than that going on in our heads. We don't want to hit a bad shot and then have others laugh at us and say: "all that time you spent on the practice ground doesn't seem to have done you much good." And, there's something even worse than that going on in our heads - we don't want to disappoint ourselves. We don't want to get ourselves all 'revved-up' and then go out and play badly. So we don't take a chance on the warm up in case it doesn't work. Let me suggest a few positive actions you can take in preparation for your round of golf which will help you a lot. They may even help you to win next time you play. First, make sure that you allow yourself plenty of time to get to the golf course. Enjoy the drive and enjoy taking charge of your feelings. Try to arrive at least half an hour before you are due to play. This will give you time to greet a few of your pals, have a drink, change and boot up. Spend 10 minutes on the golf range or in a golf net. Start with some stretching exercises. Then go through your golf swing in slow motion a couple of times. Hit a few shots concentrating on making a good swing with good tempo. Feel relaxed as you play your practice shots. Concentrate on accuracy rather than distance. Spend five minutes on the putting green. Start with short putts and gradually make them longer and longer. If you want to win you have got to sink putts. So make sure that you sink the short ones. Even if they're only a few inches it will help your confidence.Just try to get the long putts within a foot or two of the hole. Now that you've prepared physically and mentally all you need to do is step up to the tee, relax and fire the ball straight down the fairway. This is the first shot on the way to winning. About the author: David Ferrers is a respected Performance Coach and the author of countless articles on 'winning' and 'golf'. He invented The Academy of Winning, The Science of Winning at Golf and The 5 Fundamentals of Winning at Golf all of which are available as free downloads from his web site at http://www.Winning-Seniors-Golf.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Basics Of Learning Golf Golf is one of Americas most popular sports. People of all ages want to play golf. Why Golf Training Products Don't Work For Most The mere mention of golf training products is bound to cause trouble for you with many golfers. Garages right across the country are loaded with the stuff and yet the games of those who enthusiastically purchased the golf training products have hardly improved. Can a Stability Ball Help You Strengthen Your Core For Golf? Some call it a Swiss Ball, some call it a fitness ball, others use the more modern term 'stability ball.' Whatever you call it, the stability ball has been used in exercise and rehabilitation for years and has recently been adopted by personal trainers and fitness instructors for use in strength training and muscle development, especially when it comes to exercises designed to strengthen the core muscles. How To Improve Your Golf Swing Timing Golf swing timing is a key factor in being able to repeat a mechanically sound swing for 18 holes. In fact it is true to say that correct timing is everything. Why Exercise Is Crucial In Achieving The Correct Golf Swing Achieving the correct golf swing is the magic key that will open all the doors to better and more enjoyable golf.However the correct golf swing becomes very difficult to pull off for one simple reason. Wanna Play More Consistent Golf? Learn and Apply 10 Proven Techniques Golf Professionals Use For the past seven years I have been researching what are the most important things great golfers do when playing their best golf. Being an instructor at the San Diego Golf Academy, I was exposed to many golfers, both amateur and professional. Watch the Pros Play Golf You can check out a pro golf swing on video instruction tapes and on TV during golf shows and games. Checking out the golf swing of a pro can help even the amateur fine tune their own swing. How Important Is A Golf Fitness Program A golf fitness program can make the difference between you optimizing your golf potential or playing the same frustrating golf you may be used to playing.It's no secret that the body swings the club and plays the game?so why wouldn't you consider a golf fitness program to play your best?A golf fitness program consists of strength, flexibility, endurance and even nutrition. Focus Your Focus - How to Ward Off Distraction During Your Golf Swing There is a great possibility to lose your mind when playing golf simply due to the constant shifting of focus. I think the brain doesn't like to change focus. Dramatic Effect Of A Stretching Exercise For Golf A stretching exercise for golf is capable of revolutionizing the quality of any individuals' game. In fact there is no single genuine golf exercise program that does not include stretching exercises. What Should Be Your Golf Training Priority? This is a question that is often asked for the simple reason that knowing one's golf training priority will enable them to improve their game within the shortest possible time.To answer it correctly a golfer needs to know what their particular area of weakness is. How To Select A Unique Golf Gift To select a truly unique golf gift for somebody, it will help a great deal if you know their golf game intimately.There are numerous golf products in the market these days and many of them have been promoted very cleverly and aggressively in the market. Pull, Push or Carry? I'll Carry My Golf Clubs Thanks I love to play golf and I love to walk the golf course. After all, the Pros walk when they play golf and if walking is good enough for them why not me? Ideally I would love to have a Caddie carry my bag but it's not an option at my golf club. Golf Humor Poetry:- Ode to the Fanatical Golfer (Part One) He wanted golf to be experienced by all, And hoped his daughter would heed the call. "C'mon!", he said. What Impact Does Exercise For Golfers Have In spite of numerous assurances some golfers still dread and fear joining any exercise for golfer programs. So as a last line of defense, they pop up the question of wanting to know just how effective exercises for golfer are on improving a person's game. Components Of A Golf Exercise Program Golf exercise program - with the exploding number of so-called golf fitness experts these days, it becomes very confusing. It's easy for a golfer to be misled and end up in a program that will hardly have the desired objective of improving their game. Understanding The Rotary Nature Of A Golf Swing A careful and close study of the golf swing will reveal that it is mainly a rotary golf swing movement.This is the reason why the most effective golf swing exercises are rotary in nature. 5 Easy Steps to Cleaning Your Golf Clubs and Improving Your Game How can you lower your scores by simply cleaning your golf clubs you ask? It's actually very simple. If you have clean golf clubs you can make better contact with the ball. Gaining the Correct Golf Swing Plane The golf swing plane is the direction that your golf club travels during your swing. This is a very important key to playing golf correctly and well. A Valuable Golf Swing Tip No serious golfer will fail to be eager and maybe even desperate for a golf swing tip that actually works. This is because of the simple reason that a golf swing is the most important single aspect of a good golf game and yet for most golfers, it ends up being the most frustrating, causing many to swear never to set foot on a course again.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2007 |
