3 Keys To Improve Your Mental Golf Game

Mental Golf Tips

1. Give Up Control To Gain Control: Whenever an athlete is in the zone and can do no wrong, they often describe the experience as simple, rhythmic and easy. The ultimate goal is to get into this zone on the course while creating quality shots. The trouble is that golf is a difficult game that requires certain technique. When our focus is only technique, we lose rhythm, become tense and overwhelmed. The trick is to practice using a technical mindset then afreedom mindset. Use repetition to ingrain proper technique, then once you can execute 7 out of 10 shots, switch to focusing only on the target. To help you not think about mechanical thoughts try counting in your swing such as "1 and 2" or hum your favorite song as you swing. As your technique improves you will be able to hit shots without having to consciously control every part of your swing. You will then be much more likely to get in the zone on the course.
2. Assess The Situation/Pre-Shot Routine: Every golf shot is unique and certain variables must be considered before hitting such as: lie, wind, distance, trajectory, where to miss, confidence in a club, how you're hitting it that day, etc. It does not necessarily require a lot of time to consider these variables, but you definitely do not want to hit a shot without a certain amount of strategy. Once a specific club is chosen to a distinct target it's important for a golfer to visualize the shot. It only takes a few seconds and can be done while making practice swings, but the eyes should be looking at the target rather than the ground or club. Once you have a feel for the shot, step up and pull the trigger with confidence and commitment. Each shot you play on the course requires this routine but it's not always easy. Distractions like playing partners, past shots, future expectations, slow play, bad bounces- destroys a golfers focus. Again, this routine does not take a lot of time, the golf swing is only a second, so assess the situation, visualize, get a feel and pull the trigger. You will immerse yourself in the moment and shot. The best part about focusing on the details of a shot is that it blocks out negative thoughts.
3. Strive for Internal Motivation: Internally Motivated (IM) golfers play because they love the challenge/complexities of the game and enjoy the journey of improvement. Externally Motivated (EM) golfers play mainly to be accepted from others. An EM golfer plays to impress others or not embarrass themselves, therefore their enjoyment of the game is out of their control because its based on another person's perception of them. IM golfers enjoyment in the game comes from self improvement. Their golf happiness is in their control because they are competing only against themselves while trying to master the game. These two mindsets perceive failure differently. Golf skills will naturally have highs and lows- it's the nature of the game. EM golfers tend to get abnormally discouraged and embarrassed when they are playing poor, while the IM golfers become more curious and focused- theyperceive failure as a learning opportunity rather than a set-back. The IM golfer can not wait to play again, take a lesson, or go to the range after a bad round, while the EM golfer is likely to put the clubs away for a while and slow progress. Most golfers have a combination of internal and external motivations, so take time to reflect why you truly play the game. Strive to be curious and enthusiastic about the golf, rather than adding pressure by trying to impress others or not embarrass yourself. You'll be better off in the long run and accelerate improvement.

Fall golf is the best time of the year to play- there is still time to shoot your career low! Click here to schedule your next golf lesson at MY CHICAGO GOLF.

5 Goals For Every Golf Season

1) Get Your Clubs Fit

Here's a list of why you should have your clubs fit:
A) Better chance of making solid contact: having the proper lie angle ensures the club moves through the ball with the bottom of the club flat with the ground. Clubs with the wrong lie angle produce shots on the heel or toe even though the swing is solid.
B) Hitting the ball farther: having shafts that launch the ball at the ideal angle with perfect amount of spin creates distance. Most golfers can pick up at least 20 yards with a custom fit driver.
C) Having proper yardage gaps: each club in the bag should go a different distance with an 8-10 yard gap. If the lofts are not evenly gapped then a golfer with have problem yardages where they don't have a club to hit.
D) More forgiving mis-hits: Being able to get distance and accuracy when the ball isn't hit perfectly is a huge advantage compared to an unforgiving club. It's the quickest way to make the game easier and more fun.
E) Using the "hard to hit" clubs: golfers often struggle with the low irons and fairway woods. Finding the correct long club adds a weapon to your arsenal of shots.

2) Learn Your Exact Yardages

It's essential to hit the ball close with your lofted clubs and have a chance for birdie. Once you're confident that you know how far you carry each club, then use a GPS or range finder to figure out your exact distance from the hole. Stop guessing at yardages and become your own caddy. Be like the pros and hit to a yardage number rather than letting the course design create doubt about which club to hit.

3) Plan Your Time

Everybody only has "X" amount of time to devote to golf each week. Making the most of this time is the difference between shooting the same scores and reaching career lows. Be strategic with how you spend your practice time. Make sure to work on your weaknesses. Taking lessons will ensure you're working on the cause rather than effect.

TIP: spend time putting and hitting pitch shots each week with your sand wedge. You will improve your ball striking and scoring much FASTER than working only on full swing.

4) Increase Your Knowledge

It's amazing how reading a quality golf book can change your perspective about the game or how keeping track of your stats helps identify your weaknesses. Great content is easily available now a days between Ebooks and YouTube. Take time to learn about all parts of the game. Here are some great resources to get started:

Books:
-Fearless Golf: Dr. Gio Valiante
-Extraordinary Golf: Fred Shoemaker
-Play Your Best Golf Now: Lynn Marriott and Pia Nelson
-Unconscious Putting: Dave Stockton

Websites:
- www.mychicagogolflesson.com
- www.golfwrx.com
- www.golfdigest.com

5) Commit To Improvement

Getting better at golf not only requires effort and focus, but more importantly commitment. This helps a golfer get through the ups and downs of learning. Committed golfers are much more likely to succeed because they never give up and establish a routine of quality practice and play. Don't just say you want to get better at golf...make it happen!

Mirror Checkpoint: Address

During the winter in Chicago golfers should practice basic fundamentals at home in order to keep their games sharp. Just standing in front of a mirror with a club and looking for certain checkpoints goes a long way towards developing awareness of the swing. Golfers with poor pre-swing fundamentals are MORE likely to struggle with consistency of contact and direction. Make sure to keep your address position clean throughout the winter.  Here are a couple checkpoints for golfers to look for when addressing an IRON.

Side View

1) Orange: Bend from hip with slight knee flex, small space between body and club
2) Yellow: Arms hang straight down, weight is balanced
3) Red: Club points toward belt line
4) Green: Balls of feet, knee, back of shoulder align

Front View

1) Red: Ball position just inside of left heel
2) Yellow: line should go from ball, through hands, then ear
3) Green: spine is tilted away from target, left shoulder is higher than right, left foot is flared toward target
4) Blue: balanced between left and right side

Practice for short periods of time (10 minutes) a couple times a week throughout the winter. This will give you a solid chance of making clean contact in the spring.

Setting Winter Golf Goals

As the golf season approaches the winter months, now is the perfect time to reflect on your past season. Did you make progress with your game? What areas of your game still need improvement? Give yourself an honest assessment and write down a specific, realistic and measurable goal for the off season.

To reach your goal we need to start with a plan. Answer the following four questions in order to kick start your focus and motivation.

 1) What do I want to accomplish with my golf game? Make sure it is specific, realistic, measurable and has a deadline. Example: I want to break 90 by the end of next season.

2) What's currently happening with my game? Be honest and objective. What have you tried to improve and what were the results? Think about current obstacles holding you back. Is your goal still realistic? Example: I'm currently shooting in the high 90's/low 100's. I play once a week, but rarely practice. My driver constantly slices to the right, and my short game could be better. I found some tips online that helped for a little while, but the slice came back. I'm busy and don't have much time to practice.

3) What are some options to accomplish my golfing goal? Really brainstorm and be creative. If you could do anything to make progress what might it be? Ask others you trust for their opinion. Example: I could start taking lessons and practicing. There are drills I can work on at home, and I know I can squeeze in at least one hour a week to hit balls. I could also use my cell phone to video my swing and analyze when practicing. My basement has carpet, so I can practice putting.

4) What actions do I need to take? Which of the above options can I do? How and when will I go about it? Which options interest me the most and seem fun? Example: I'm going to schedule a lesson for every Tuesday at 6pm and practice Saturday mornings. I'm going to do drills in front of a mirror for ten minutes before bed twice a week, and practice putting 6 footers in the basement once per weekend. There is also a golf dome in the suburbs I can visit once a month to work on short game. If I get into a good routine I should have improved by spring. 

I'd encourage you to share your goals with me or a friend in order to have some accountability, but more importantly this exercise is to help get you energized about improvement.

The Art Of Framing

Most golfers understand that the mental side of the game is important and has a direct impact on their performance, yet many don't know how to practice it.

Here is a simple and specific tip that will help your mental game: 

“Realize you have the power to frame situations and experiences anyway you want to.”

Successful golfers tend to interpret situations in a positive light, while poor golfers focus on the negative. This is so important because positive framing preserves and builds confidence, while negative framing destroys it. Having confidence leads to motivation, joy and taking action, while negativity leads to fear, doubt and quitting.

Examples:

1) Situation: a golfer spends an hour practicing putting before his round and is making everything on the practice green. He then goes on the course and misses short putts on the first three holes.

Negative framing/poor golfer: "I don't know why I even bother to practice because it never translates to the course. What a waste of time! Looks like another poor putting day."

Positive framing/good golfer: "I know I'm a good putter even though I've missed a few short putts. It just means that I'm due to start making some. Even PGA Tour players miss short putts. I'm going to continue to stay focused and make a committed stroke."

2) Situation: a golfer goes to the range after a lesson and hits the ball worse than normal.

Negative framing/poor golfer mindset: "Well I just wasted more money on another lesson. This is the third instructor I've been to and I get the same crummy results. Maybe there is no hope for me."

Positive framing/good golfer: "I wish I would have hit the ball better today, but I understand improvement is a process. Golf is a fickle game at times, and in the end it was only one bucket of balls. I felt really tense the whole time. I'll try to relax and go slower next time."

3) Situation: a golfer is playing the round of their life only to crumble on the last hole and miss shooting their career low by a shot.

Negative framing/poor golfer mindset: "Just blew it again! Every time I'm under pressure I choke. I'll never get another chance to shoot my career low. Even if I do I'll probably just mess it up again."

Positive framing/good golfer: "I'm disappointed I didn't shoot my career low, but I'm getting closer! I realize I tend to get quick under pressure. I'll remember this next time I'm in a similar situation and keep my focus."

When framing is used correctly a golfer finds a lesson and learns from from his experiences...good or bad. They will feel energized, optimistic and excited, compared to feeling hopeless and frustrated.

Guess which golfing mindset gets better results?

Don't Let The Wheels Fall Off: Tips To Save A Round

Every golfer has days when their ball striking is giving them trouble. Here are some tips to save the day.

1) Keep it Simple: getting too mechanical on the course distracts you from focusing on the target. If you need a thought "Back, Through, Hold Your Finish" is better than working on a specific position.

2) Focus on Rhythm, Balance and being Tension Free: This can be done by monitoring your grip pressure during the round (keep it light), and holding your finish until the ball stops. 

3) Play Your Game: If you're slicing the driver aim for that shape. If you're still having trouble pull out the 3 wood or long iron. It's difficult to fix the swing on the course. Instead hit a club you are confident in then work on your swing after the round.

4) Never give up: Easier said than done especially on hot and humid days, but you never know when you'll have that great swing that changes the momentum of your round and gets you back on track. Sometimes that great feeling of solid contact comes back on the last few holes and you can remember this for your next round.

5) Don't Compound Your Mistakes: Even if you're not hitting it well, don't let it affect your focus on and around the green. Minimize three putts and multiple chip shots. This definitely helps keep the score down when the swing doesn't feel right. A four foot putt counts the same as a perfect 280 yard drive on the scorecard.

6) Pick Conservative Lines/Miss in Better Spots: When there is Out of Bounds on the right and 100 yards of course on the left there is no excuse for missing right. With approach shots forget about the flag and miss on the side of the green where you'll have an easy chip and putt.

After the difficult round go to the range and focus on basic fundamentals. Often times poor alignment, set-up and ball position is the reason for the inconsistency.

How To Handle Golf Frustration

Picture this: You get to the golf course on a beautiful morning for a game with your friends. The birds are singing, the sun is shining and the grass is perfect.

Your first shot of the day flies straight and far…... into the trees out of bounds on the right. "No worries" you tell yourself and tee up another ball only to hit it 10 feet in front of you. All of a sudden you feel slightly embarrassed and smile at your friends. Inevitably bad shots start to fill the day. The driver slices in the woods and cannot be stopped, a bladed wedge over the green from 50 yards, 3 putts from 10 feet, leaving the ball in the bunker……FRUSTRATION!!!!

Golf is a unique sport because one day we can love and obsess about the game, then the next day we can feel extreme frustration and anger. It's best to realize that every golfer has and will experience peaks and valleys in the game. Here are 5 strategies to help you cope when golf is giving you trouble.

Strategy 1) Put Golf In Perspective
In the end golf is just a game. There are more serious matters going on in the world everyday and there are worse things than shooting a bad score. Appreciate the blessing in your life and that you're lucky to have the physical ability to play in the first place.

Strategy 2) Be Factual About Your Game
When you're slicing the ball to the right instead of saying "I'm horrible with my driver. I'll never be able to hit it straight", be factual. "The clubface is pointed to the right at impact, and I need to check my grip and alignment". If your'e having trouble putting and chipping don't tell yourself "I have a bad short game, I'm not any good with my wedges", be factual. "I haven't spent any time practicing that part of my game, and that's why I'm having trouble". Having a golf coach helps clear up any confusion about your game and will present you with simple solutions to your faults.

Strategy 3) Be Your Best Friend
Unlike baseball, basketball or football, golf is not a team sport. You only have yourself to rely on. Dig deep and tell yourself encouraging statements like "You can do it!", "You've hit great shots with this club, let's do it again!", etc. . You'll have a better chance to picking yourself up and getting your game going. The alternative? Being negative and throwing in the towel. Never give up on yourself.

Strategy 4) Be Neutral or Positive
When you have a strong negative reaction to a shot it gets stored deep in the memory. This memory will later come up when you're playing golf in a similar situation. Put the bad shots behind you and really appreciate the good shots. Next time you hit a great shot, close your eyes and store that amazing feeling into your memory for later use.

Strategy 5) Pay Attention to What You're Telling Yourself
There is constant self talk in your head during a round of golf. Telling yourself negative stories about your game will lead to negative beliefs about your abilities and destroy the possibility of confidence. Don't let this happen! Instead be present in the moment. Look around and take in the details of the course or be social with your playing partners. The mind is powerful so make sure it's working for you rather than against.

The sooner you can put the poor shots in the past, the faster you'll be on your way to better golf. Many of my students just need a simple reminder of basic fundamentals to get them hitting the ball better again. There is no perfecting golf so enjoy the journey of improvement.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.”― Henry Ford”

The Truth About Golf Lessons

There comes a point in every golfers journey where improvement plateaus, but the desire to get better stays strong. Your buddies advice isn't producing the magic it once did, the Golf Digest articles are now becoming confusing, and watching the Golf Channel isn't curing the slice. It's time for a golf lesson! This article is for anybody currently learning golf or considering getting lessons.

Golfers have options when it comes to lessons; one-on-one with an instructor, group clinics, day long golf schools or online guidence. All are great options, but I want to go into detail about private one-one one lessons. This is the way I learned the game, the way I teach the majority of my lessons and the approach of many of the best players in the world. There is no substitute for hands on instruction and undivided attention. A relationship will form and improvement will happen faster. It's also comforting for a golfer to know they have a specific coach to go to for anything golf related.

The Improvement Process

Lasting improvement in golf happens incrementally, over an extended period of time with proper practice and play. This does not mean a player can't have a great lesson and leave hitting the ball better than ever, but to truly become a consistently skillful player under pressure requires focus to the process. It's the same as learning a musical instrument or become physically fit. The easy part is knowing what to do, but its the level of commitment that makes the difference."The Secret is in the dirt" Ben Hogan famously said, basically meaning never give up, never stop trying to get better. A productive mindset to have before taking lessons is having the goal of improving a little bit everyday, every week, every month and each season. When you look back at your progress after a year, you'll see huge improvements in your game.

Every Golfer is Unique

Next, each golfer is unique with their goals. I need to know exactly what fuels my clients passion and find a goal that is measurable, realistic and attainable for them to strive for. Unveiling the true potential of my students and making them realize they will get better if they work smart is a great feeling. Also, knowing that we desire the same outcome creates instant focus from the start.  Golfers also have their own specific limitations (physical, time, etc.) that may limit their progress. It's important for me to understand these limitations and come up with a custom plan for each client. If the golfer has desire and work ethic to improve, a quality instructor will get them better.

Custom Game Plan

So depending on the goals of each client, I like to make a plan on what to work on first. Usually the goal is improving ball flight with a certain a club; such as minimizing a slice with a driver. I would watch you hit several shots while recording video and observe tendencies and patterns with the swing. We would then sit down together and discuss the reasons why the ball slices and come up with options on how to fix it. It's important to find the root cause of the problem that way the player only works on one or two things at a time. Often its a review of basic fundamentals such as grip, posture and alignment. Other times its more complicated like how the body is pivoting or what starts the downswing. I'll then demonstrate and show specific drills to improve the fault. We would start with slower swings to feel the change, and hit many balls as I provide feedback. Finally I provide a plan on how to practice in between lessons and how much time to devote to working on the swing vs. hitting shots to a target.

It's now the players responsibility to practice. My students that make the most progress get into a routine of practice, play and lessons. Eventually the slice becomes better, then we focus on other parts of the game to make the golfer well rounded. Once a goal is reached it important to make another one. Always strive to get better. This is why we see tour players take lessons for years with a coach. After many lessons together, the coach learns your tendencies and personality, is better able to convey information and encouragement and knows which drills/swing thoughts work and which ones don't. It then becomes very fast for the coach to help the player because they intimately know the player and their swing.

Fix Yourself

Finally it's important for the student to become their own best coach. Knowing that my students can understand, feel and fix their swings truly provides satisfaction. It means their focus can be on playing the game, hitting specific and unique shots to a target, adjusting to weather, and performing under pressure. This is what makes golf so much fun, and why I provide lessons in the first place.
If you're serious about getting better at golf, find a qualified PGA Professional for assistance. They will greatly reduce the amount of frustration and wasted time that often happens when trying to learn the game on your own.

How to Practice Productively

There is nothing more frustrating than dedicating hours of your valuable time to hit countless golf balls at the range only to play horrible on the actual course. This scenario is very common and makes a golfer question whether than can actually get better or not. The truth is that golfers DO get better when they know HOW to practice correctly. Quality definitely outweighs quantity when it comes to golf practice. Here are the basics for making your next practice session effective.

1) Go To The Range With A Plan

Start by asking yourself what you want to accomplish from your practice session. It often helps to assess your current golf game and find the weakness that is preventing you from playing your best. Commit that practice session to focusing purely on that weakness. Many golfers often hit their favorite club over and over because they have confidence with it. Check the ego at the door and practice that part of the game that makes your feel uncomfortable.

2) Split Practice Time

Now that you've identified the weakness in your game that you want to work on, you need to split practice between technique, games and simulated play.

Technique- has to deal with the mechanics of the swing. Hopefully you've had a lesson and understand what needs to fixed. Focus on changing elements of the swing through exaggeration, drills and slow motion movement. Where the ball goes does not matter when working on technique. Focus on body and club movement rather than ball flight. Also use feedback such as mirrors, video or training aids. DO NOT make the mistake of spending your whole practice session with a technique mindset.

Games- playing specific games on the range makes a player target oriented and introduces pressure to the scenario. Examples are: how many balls can you hit out of 10 on the green from 100 yards?, how many solid shots can you hit in a row while keeping balance? Can you curve a ball to the left with one shot, then to the right with the next one? Can you hit it high, medium or low with the same club? Etc… Once you've played these games a benchmark has been set, then you try to beat it. Have fun and get creative with games. The mindset with games should be about executing shots, rather than making a technically sound swing.
*Add image 3-2

Simulated Play- Time to bring the course to the range! Playing good golf is about putting quality shots together with different clubs. Play a pretend 9 holes on the range by choosing random targets and hitting .

Hole # 1: Hit driver, 7 iron, pitch shot, chip shot. Hole #2: Hit 4 iron, chip shot Hole #3: Hit driver, 3 wood, pitching wedge….Make this experience as realistic as possible. Use the same pre-shot routine you would on the course, take a longer time between shots, hit from clean and poor lies, etc. Be aware if your tempo, tension or balance changes as your playing.

3) Keep Track of Progress

After an effective practice session it's important to take notes about the session. It can be as simple as writing down the swing thoughts you had when you were hitting the ball well, or keeping scores for the games you played on the range. You will eventually have a journal of your practice accomplishments and will see measurable progress.

This should give you a better idea of how to spend your time practicing and provide basic structure. I'd also recommend consulting with a PGA Professional to provide a custom practice plan for your goals. They will provide clarity with the technique portion of practice, as well as give you several ideas for games. When done correctly practice becomes fun due to variety and and the internal competition with yourself to get better. You'll be practicing all parts of your game and be a well rounded golfer when it's time to play on the course.

Essential Skills to Play Great on the Course

I recently went to the PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit and had a chance to gain some valuable insights from the most respected golf instructors in the world. One of the classes was titled Peak Performance Practice For Skill Development presented by Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson.

They worked closed with Annika Sorenston as well as recent PGA Tour Winner and Chicago native Kevin Streelman.

They focus on developing Essential Playing Skills in their students so they can play their best while on the course and provide tangible ways to practice.

Essential Playing Skills

1. Play Box: Executing shots in an athletic performance state and being present through your senses.
2. Decision and Commitment: Having the courage to commit to a simple and clear decision for every shot
3. Balance: Having a good sense of balance improves the swing and stroke
4. Tempo: Having an intimate sense of tempo helps the body and swing be in sync for the day.
5. Tension Awareness:  Tension kills the golf swing so it's best to be aware and monitor tension levels.
6. Emotional Resilience: Being able to go to your happy place allows you access to your whole brain.
7. Storage of Memory: Events that get emotionalized get stored deeper in the brain. Being happy or neutral in you post-shot routine is desirable.
8. Self-Talk: Make sure to be your best friend and coach when playing. You're the only one out there, so talk to yourself in a productive way.

Every golfer knows the importance of the mental game but rarely does anything to practice it. We now have ways to practice the mental game through Vision54! Lynn and Pia have an iPhone app that gives specific drills to work on the above skills. As an instructor it's important that my clients not only have solid fundamentals with their swing, but are well rounded golfers that can execute on the course. These skills are what all good players have in common and cannot be practiced enough.