The Next Shot Is the Only One That Counts
Tue 06th July, 2010
Urban Golf Academy recently visited the hallowed spot, albeit one year on, just off the back of the 18th green at Turnberry, where Tom Sturges Watson came so close to performing Major tournament heroics at The Open Championship.
In just a few days the 150th Open Championship returns to St Andrews, as it does in strict rotation every five years. So, can Watson win this one at 60? He’s certainly got a chance. Or will Tiger resurrect himself from obvious recent woes by summoning memories of his mercurial Tiger-Slam victory at St Andrews in 2000, and subsequent triumph there again in 2005? Does Urban Golf Academy dare speculate.
There have been thirty seven major championships contested from 2001 to present. Twenty of which have been won by first-time major winners.Serial Open Winners like Peter Thompson, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods for instance looked certain to win again after collecting their first title. Whereas players like David Duval, Sean Micheel, Michael Campbell and Trevor Immelman have barely been seen or heard of since their glorious day in the sun. Micheel popped up again at the US Open recently– noticeably won by first-timer Graham McDowell – but you don’t get the impression it’s going to be a regular occurrence for the American. McDowell didn't look the most likely to win when sandwiched on the leaderboard by such luminaries as Mickelson and Els - but then someone must have forgotten to mention that to McDowell - not to mention a glut of other players who dare to win a major without the proper credentials.
Champions elect in all sports think like champions, all the time, or at the appropriate time. It was intriguing recently to here Ladies' Wimbledon Champion Serena Williams comment she wasn’t going to "enjoy her victory too much, lest she becomes complacent". This and numerous other examples strongly hint that without the over-exuberance associated with winning, you may never again have to suffer the relative lows of failure. This typically means Champions are accused of being bland and lacking personality. But maybe its this kind of robotic consistency, free from apparent human emotion, that is required to out perform the rest. Perhaps they leave the cart-wheeling or club-throwing to one side, while they’re busy winning. You may question their often dower demeanour, but surely not their determination.
So what can we learn from the class players, and indeed the form players, that is worth applying to our own golf games to bring the best out of ourselves when it matters?
Egalitarian
Some golfers – perhaps yourself – become angry and frustrated that they are unable to play their best shots when playing the 18th knowing its for their best ever score, or to win the monthly medal for the first time, having played well socially. Others get so worked up at the very prospect of competing that excitement gets the better of them. We call this being “EMOTIONALLY HIJACKED” It may look like the same golfer to playing partners or others observing you from the outside (to all except the trained eye) but inside, where and when it counts, the adrenalin or anxiety hijack your usually dependable feel for certain shots, even though your desire to do well is stronger than ever.
Major winners view each shot as a separate challenge unconnected from anything that may have happened before, or anything that may follow. No shot value is greater or lesser.
TIP FOR THE PRACTICE GROUND, AND PLAYING THE COURSE
Justin Rose made a point in interview last week after victory on the USPGA Tour, that he deliberately measured his attitude and approach to ensure all shots were equal –none rushed, none laboured, all the same. This seemed to successfully tame his janggling nerves -that must have been on edge after he threw away a gilt-edged chance to win the week before. Golf doesn’t owe you anything. So all the practice in the world won’t guarantee your swing will definitely hold up under the gun. If you train yourself properly however, you’ll be ready when the pressure mounts.
Here are some of Urban Golf Academy's favorite simple practice measures you can take to maximise the potential benefit of practicing –and they has little to do with beating as many balls as you can- in the time you have:
- RECREATE THE DANGER you’ll Face On The Course. Make the number of shots you hit within the width of a green or fairway from the target, something you aspire to better every time you practice – 3 sets of 10 shots for an average score should help create a challenge which replicates playing for real.
- CHANGE CLUB Frequently rather than hit the whole bucket with one club – golf insists you change club virtually every shot- so you don’t want this obvious aspect to become an off-putting culture shock when playing. If you can only trust your ‘favorite club’ then you need to borrow the confidence from that and apply it to everything else – or get your clubs analysed properly to spot any anomalies. Urban Custom Clubs will be happy to oblige!
- DEVELOP A ROUTINE Select one club to use and leave the rest in the bag. When you replace it after your shot, give it a clean, take a sip of water or nibble a snack, then play another shot. This way you’ll train yourself to cope better with interruptions; you’ll ‘switch off’ and ‘on’ when you need to.
- RHYTHM: Desirable rhythm stems from solid balance. Nothing can be allowed to upset your favourite Rhythm as it will be the ‘music’ which co-ordinates your movements. Emotions running wild are bound to interfere if calm is not restored. Be it Anger, Frustration, Violence, Fear, or the prospect of doing something amazingly exciting (Adrenalin); like the brink of shooting a personal best, can you imagine what might happen if you could feel the shot just like it was your regular practice session?
To help develop your skills and to get the best from your swing technique and equipment, visit your Urban Golf Professional for a free half hour consultation.
Downloads
Archive
2012
February
March
April
May
2011
August
September
October
November
2010
March
2009
September
November