Mental Golf Tip! How to get Confidence Back when it’s all gone!
A golfer’s confidence can be very tempermental. One minute feelin’ great next minute ready to quit. Do you know what I mean? Have you ever been there? ……we’ve all been there! It shouldn’t be like that, but recreational players put themselves on an emotional roller coaster sometimes. Professional players go through the same ups and downs but you don’t see it as much. They keep it a bit more in check. They try to stay positive, keep in the present and stay with the process of getting the job done and wait for some lucky breaks to build on. That’s a huge reason why they got to be professional in the 1st place.
So how does a recreational player get some confidence back after 5 ugly holes in a row? Well there’s a few things you need to do. You gotta simplify it a bit. You have to be able to run a few shots or holes together that you will feel good about to get some momentum in your favor. Play some shots you know and are fairly easy for you to do. Pull them off and start to gain some confidence back. Play basic golf!!! Here’s some examples of how to play when lacking confidence; #1-Don’t go for a par 5 in 2 with a pond near the green. Instead play the hole as a 3 shot par 5 and play for a simple birdie or par. Play it “text book”. #2-Hit your irons toward the center of the greens. Leave the tucked pins alone for awhile. (picture above) #3-If your ball is just off the green in light rough or fairway lie, putt the ball instead of chip. #4-If you have a green side bunker shot, just try to get it on any part of the green. You don’t need to add tension by trying to get it within 2 ft of the cup. #5-If your ball is in the trees but playable. Make a properly executed chip back out to the fairway. Leave the exact shot straight at the green through the half dozen trees for someone else today. To summarize. When you’re feeling down and disappointed in your game. Going for high risk shots and pulling them off would probably give you confidence, but if you fail. The next shot can be very difficult to pull off because you’ve hit it in the pond or short sided yourself, and now you are digging deeper and deeper into mental hole. When players play this kind of golf for too long, I get a phone call. Gary’s EMERGENCY HELP LINE! Go back to Playing Basic Golf! It’s sometimes a tough go, but it’s your only chance. Remember most courses are setup with 6 easy pins, 6 bit harder pins and 6 sucker pins for variety. Make wise choices. If you would like further instruction on improving your golf swing in a live lesson environment, golf lessons can be booked for the Scarborough Family Golf Centre in Scarborough Ontario. Contact us! I would love to hear from you! Please let me know if there is a particular golf swing issue you would like me to cover in one of my blogs. I would me happy to give you my professional advice. Gary Kent “In my opinion Gary is without doubt one of the most enthusiastic, energetic and passionate golf professionals I have ever met. His knowledge of the golf swing is incredible and he has an uncanny ability to offer multiple suggestions to the problems you are experiencing. I am currently a 2 handicap and have been working with Gary for about 7 years. I am thrilled not only happy to have him as a golf coach but equally happy to have him as a friend. Over the years a group of his pupils have established a weekly golf game that includes Gary where we are given the ability to compete against one another. Having this group allows us to challenge ourselves in a fun competitive environment and identify opportunities with him by your side. There are no guarantees in the golf swing, but one thing you can always count on is Gary giving 100% to every single pupil with a smile on his face. “ Don Monto
