During an on-course lesson with California’s Porcupine Creek Director of Golf Richard Ruddy centered around mastering – or at least harnessing – the mental aspect of the game, he presented me with a concept.
I’m newer to golf, and this being my third official season, I’m hoping to move to a place where I score most often in the low 90s. It feels a million miles away, but Ruddy had a plan to make it seem closer; something he promises will help me actually get there.
“You know, all you really need to do to score 90 is bogey regularly,” he said as we looked out over the exclusive club’s first fairway. “So for this round – and from here on in – I want you to reframe your thinking and consider a bogey score on any hole the way you would a par.”
Huh? “How would that make me play better,” I asked.
“Because,” he said, “success breeds success. And if you feel good about your score on a hole, it lifts up your mental game. Just try it.”
So I did. When I bogeyed during that round, we high-fived and hooted. When I double-bogeyed, it somehow didn’t feel like a failure. When I parred a couple it felt like a huge win. And when I had total blowout holes (it happens), it didn’t feel like I’d tossed the entire round away.
I’m adopting it, and hoping as I work at the game this season, it helps me move toward that goal as much as the focus on my chipping and putting will.
The mind, I’m learning, is a powerful tool on the golf course. I’ve seen it destroy a friend’s round. I’ve seen someone else’s poor mental play out there drag down fellow players. That’s why working on our mental game is as vital as swing dynamics. A strong mental game may just be the one thing we can actually almost always control out there.
How can the everyday golfer tap into a better mental game? I’ve tucked away some tips, trends and touchpoints. And while I’m still blessed with the “underclassman joy” that comes with being newer to golf (I really have no right to get angry at my play; I’m too new), I do find myself struggling some times, and I want to try to build that part of my game to avoid those kind of setbacks when I do become a more solid player.
Look to the pros: From your couch, you marvel, the magic they seem to create and yes, the solid mental game they seem to embrace. But here’s the thing: Most PGA pro level golfers miss; and they even miss what we think to be “easy” shots.
According to the PGA, the average tour pro hitting to a green from a distance of 100 to 125 yards (you know: that shot you look ahead as you plan and think “ahh, this one will be easy!” only to shank it, whiff it or way overhit it? Yeah, that one), comes no closer than 20 feet from the hole. In other words, just like you, they think “ahhh, a chip and a tap in!” only to find themselves with a challenging putting situation.
Let that sink in: You may be beating yourself up for missing a shot that even the pros miss many times. Understanding that the highest level players struggle at times in the same way we casual golfers do helps me. But consider how they react: they step up to the next shot with a plan, get out as best they can and move on. No need to forgive themselves; they know misses are part of the game.
Develop a pre- and post-shot routine. The pre-shot routine is known and embraced by most; I’m dedicated to mine. But the idea of a post-shot routine is new to me. Reading the book “Your Short Game Solution,” by James Sieckmann, I learned that one thing I do consistently – celebrate a good shot – is smart. But, it’s also smart to store that memory away to pull out when you need a boost. So I’m working at taking a moment post-hit to think about what I did right, celebrate what went well and store away how I felt approaching the shot.
When I have a rougher shot, the book tells me, rather than get angry or frustrated, I should take a moment to think about the both the mechanics of the shot and how my mind was as I approached it. I’m finding that learning from mistakes – and recognizing them – gives me confidence the next time I face a similar shot. It takes mental strength to not get mad, but I’m trying to think of it this way: don’t get mad, get even by learning.
His third tip for a post-shot routine is simple and yet challenging: Move on. There’s always a next shot or next round. Reset and move on.
I’m focused on my short game and putting this summer, but so too am I on what’s going on in my head. Here’s hoping that work brings me to 90.