|
|
How To Use Golf Training Aids To Train Your Brain
You're having the kind of round
that could turn into a personal best if you can just avoid any big
numbers on the way in. Strolling with some trepidation up to the
15th tee, you set down your clubs and look down the fairway. It's
your nemesis hole, a par 4 with a lake on the right off the tee and
some vicious sand trouble to the left. You just know what comes
next.....
It seems like you never escape this hole without some damage. The
last time you played it you put two in the water and made a snowman
-- NOT good. If somehow you can just sneak past this hole unscathed
one time - just one time, you think you can finish strong.
As you tee it up and go through your pre-shot routine, a lot of
nasty thoughts creep in and set up camp. The first and most obvious
is “DON'T hit it in the water again.” This is followed by a bunch of
reactive thoughts like, “Don't think about the water or the ball
will go there” and “Don't hit a slice, but don't pull it into the
sand.”
You've been hitting it pretty straight all day, so you've chosen a
target on the left side of the fairway. But in the middle of your
swing you remember that you did the same thing last time and still
sliced it in the lake. You over-compensate and spaz to the left,
yanking the ball left into a gaping bunker.
You then proceed to make a mess of the hole, coming away with a
double bogey. Your mindset ruined, you chop away at the remaining 3
holes and end up with an average round instead of tidy personal best
you were gunning for.
If this type of thing happens to you more than you'd like to admit,
and you're really sick of it, consider adding some mental training
to your practice routine. Mental training can relax the mind and
free you up from anxiety, allowing you to get out of your own way on
the road to lower scores. The mind is the most important tool in the
golf arsenal, so it's surprising that most golfers spend so little
time training it.
Most golfers I know would rather spend $400 on new driver than buy a
golf training book or video for $30 and actually take the time to
read/watch it. So adding some mental preparation to your game can
really give you an edge over the competition as well.
But how do you do it? How do you train your mind to have the crystal
clarity and laser focus that you need to play your best golf? The
answer is simple: golf training aids (i.e. books, videos, etc). Yep,
books and videos are golf training aids for the brain.
Just as hitting long, straight drives requires lots of training for
the body, performing your best under pressure requires practice for
the mind. Here are some tips for finding the brain training aids
that will help you maximize your results:
1. Get a variety. No single book/DVD, etc. has a monopoly on all the
good knowledge about the mental aspects of golf. Find training aids
on general golf psychology, course management, putting, practicing,
and meditation. Make sure that everything you buy has a section on
strategies for dealing with pressure and stress, because that's the
name of the game when it comes to competitive golf.
2. Make sure that the training aids you buy have specific exercises
to help you get better. You can't master these techniques without
practice. It is also helpful if any practice range exercises are
condensed into short lists so you can easily copy them and bring
them to the course -- it's hard to remember a lot of exercises
without referring to the book and this can be cumbersome.
3. Practice visualization at the range before EVERY shot. Imagine a
specific situation on the course, visualize the shot you need to
hit, and then go into your pre-shot routine. If you do this
consistently then you will start to do it automatically on the
course.
4. Drills that involve any type of manufactured pressure can be
really helpful for improving your game. For example, after you've
finished your
round, take yourself off to the practice range and make five 5-foot putts in a row
before you go home. Once you've mastered this, move the goal
up to ten 5 footers in a row. Nothing will make you concentrate more
than knowing you have to make this putt or start over, especially
when you've just made nine in a row for the third time and you're
getting hungry.
Good luck and commit to every shot!
Improve Your Swing
Looking for better consistency? Need to improve your accuracy?
Desperately want some more yards? Or possibly you just want your
swing to look a little better so your buddies won't tease you
anymore. These are all great reasons for doing some work on your
swing, but what is the best way to go about it?
Improve Your Chipping
The 18th hole is a lengthy par 4 with a tricky elevated green.
You've missed the green to the right on your approach. Your ball
sits about 8 feet off the green in the first cut of rough. The lie
isn't too bad, but it's a tricky shot.
Improve Your
Putting
Drive for show, putt for dough. Relax the nerves, trust your
line. Eyes over the ball, smooth take away. Accelerate through the
ball, and...
For the best golf club deals we've ever seen go to PinemeadowGolf.com right now. These guys are unbelievable!
Pinemeadow Golf Gift Certificates
PinemeadowGolf.com Closeout Specials
|