Can you help me break 70?
I am a 0.4 handicap and 19 years old and play golf just about everyday…I take lessons with a golf digest top 100 pro and I have only seemed to break 70 a few times with a career low of 68. I usually get on track to break 70 after the first nine by shooting par or better…then just fall apart…This must be a mental problem. any ideas?
O and I play pretty large tournaments around then state and never seem to perform as well as I should
It is a cliche, but you scores are held back beause you are thinking about score. As you get older you will learn to really value the process of playing competitive golf, and how mental discipline in sticking to your process is the key to lower scores. You stick to your routine, deal with where the ball ends up and the scores will come.
The other aspect to playing in competition is to change your mental approach to a golf hole. The key to making birdies is to play from the correct position as often as possible. You dont have to be perfect, you just have to get the ball on the right side. Tee shots, approaches, everything must come from the correct place to attack from. It is easier to make some 30 foot putts from the correct place than 4 footers from the wrong side. So you always cut the hole up into quadrants from the tee and play to your section on each shot.
And then most importantly you must play without fear of failure. Especially on the greens, you must play without fear. Stick to your routine, your process. Be mentally disciplined enough to do what you do regardless of score or situation. As things get tighter you must get stronger mentally. Have a clear picture of what you are trying to do on each shot, think clearly, and go through your process.Once you have hit the shot, move on to the next one. Always deal with the best way to handle the next shot, that is the only one you can do anything about anyway. Why waste energy on something that has already happened? Be mentally strong enough to maintain focus on the next shot. Tiger uses anger to sharpen his focus, most of us are distracted by it. Whichever way keeps you in the shot that is coming up instead of the one you just hit, that is the key to playing in competition.
J&L play Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis skit; +Durante, Laugh-in Skits
