Avoid the Big Mistakes to improve your score! You will drop scores faster just by avoiding the double, triple and worse bogey’s. Stop thinking about birdies and focus on getting off the bad bogey train! A 25 handicapper will make 1 birdy every 5 rounds, but will double bogey or worse 10 times per round.
4 mistakes to avoid that guarantee double bogeys from Jon Sherman Golf author of The Four Foundations of Golf and The Sweet Spot podcast.
-Give each shot the attention it deserves, with a routine. (Forget about previous bad shots and score)
-Take time in between shots to have a chat with playing partners, relax and enjoy the time outside to stay calm within yourself.
-Be open to all outcomes…. Because it’s golf and anything can happen. Don’t play the victim!
2) Set your intentions and hold yourself accountable
Pay close attention to what’s happening when you’re making double or triple bogeys. Are you missing the fairway, getting penalty shots, double chipping, blowing your putts way past the hole. Note these on the score card to look at after the round. After a few rounds you can target where you need practice or lessons or simply need to pay more attention to your stroke. You may also find patterns in
-Your decision Making
-Your attitude
-Your overall mindset
Have a line on your score card for notes on good/bad decision and mindset.
Something that helps me is to talk about my shot out loud: Where I’m going to aim the shot, what kind of flight I’m expecting, where I want it to land. And NO, I’m not that good that its going to actually look like that, but what I’ve found is that my mind-body connection is better. I have fewer miss hits and more and more my ball is beginning to do what I’m saying out loud.
3) Internalize the good, Objectify the Bad
This is about how YOU react to your shot. Avoid the domino effect on your round because you mentally check out after a bad shot.
-Internalize and take ownership of the good shots. Give yourself props and reinforce the good feeling that swing gave you. But you must have a reasonable expectation for YOUR skill level. Do NOT compare your shot to the pros. Golf is hard and hitting good shots is difficult. Experience the Joy of the good shot and store it in your memory bank.
-Objectify the bad shots. Quickly analyze it to help determine what went wrong with the shot, but its a thing and not a part of you. Avoid negative reinforcement with bad self talking. Give yourself permission to have bad shots. Walter Hagan said he expected 7 bad shots a round so when they happened, it was just that shot he expected. Its natural to feel frustrated and angry, but then make the mind shift of “OK, there’s one of those bad shots I knew I’d have” and then take a moment to analyze it. Was I committed to the shot, was it a poor target, did I read the lie properly. This way we don’t carry on the frustration and anger, we redirect. My rule is TEN STEPS OR TEN SECONDS to have the frustration and the analysis. Then let it go and focus on the next shot.
4) Avoid the Gambler Mentality
When on a loosing streak, the gambler gets more aggressive with bets to try to make it all back at once. In golf it translates to taking more risks, more hero shots, attempting shots beyond your skill level, thinking you can birdie that 30ft putt and hitting the ball 10 feet past and ending up with a 4 putt and snowman on your score card. Yeah, sure sometimes I’ll try that hero shot just for the heck of it when I really don’t care and I’m just having fun and want to test my skill. But if I’m trying to actually score well, I’m chipping my ball back to the fairway and avoiding the double or triple bogey. So when you find yourself in trouble, ask yourself 1 question: What can I do to make a GOOD Bogey from here? This avoids the dumb decision and puts you back in safety. Even the Pros do this. Mark Brodie author of Every Shot Counts (I think its a statistical marvel of golf) found “PGA tour players are making Bogey 80% of the time when they are in recovery situations like the trees”. You may see miraculous shots on TV, but those aren’t the norm, just highlights. Don’t get suckered!
Take Aways to keep it simple Have a good pre-shot routine, set targets, talk yourself through the shot so your mind sees it.
Happy New Year!
4 mistakes to avoid that guarantee double bogeys from Jon Sherman Golf author of The Four Foundations of Golf and The Sweet Spot podcast.
- Don’t be a victim to your start! Don’t let your start ruin your mind set Bob Rotella (Golf is Not a Game of Perfect author and mental coach to pros) wrote “If you’re going to be a victim of the first few holes, you don’t have a prayer. You’re like a puppet-you let the first few holes jerk your strings and tell you how you’re going to feel and how you’re going to think”. Most amateurs first few holes are a little rough for any number of reasons. Keep a steady mindset.
-Give each shot the attention it deserves, with a routine. (Forget about previous bad shots and score)
-Take time in between shots to have a chat with playing partners, relax and enjoy the time outside to stay calm within yourself.
-Be open to all outcomes…. Because it’s golf and anything can happen. Don’t play the victim!
2) Set your intentions and hold yourself accountable
Pay close attention to what’s happening when you’re making double or triple bogeys. Are you missing the fairway, getting penalty shots, double chipping, blowing your putts way past the hole. Note these on the score card to look at after the round. After a few rounds you can target where you need practice or lessons or simply need to pay more attention to your stroke. You may also find patterns in
-Your decision Making
-Your attitude
-Your overall mindset
Have a line on your score card for notes on good/bad decision and mindset.
Something that helps me is to talk about my shot out loud: Where I’m going to aim the shot, what kind of flight I’m expecting, where I want it to land. And NO, I’m not that good that its going to actually look like that, but what I’ve found is that my mind-body connection is better. I have fewer miss hits and more and more my ball is beginning to do what I’m saying out loud.
3) Internalize the good, Objectify the Bad
This is about how YOU react to your shot. Avoid the domino effect on your round because you mentally check out after a bad shot.
-Internalize and take ownership of the good shots. Give yourself props and reinforce the good feeling that swing gave you. But you must have a reasonable expectation for YOUR skill level. Do NOT compare your shot to the pros. Golf is hard and hitting good shots is difficult. Experience the Joy of the good shot and store it in your memory bank.
-Objectify the bad shots. Quickly analyze it to help determine what went wrong with the shot, but its a thing and not a part of you. Avoid negative reinforcement with bad self talking. Give yourself permission to have bad shots. Walter Hagan said he expected 7 bad shots a round so when they happened, it was just that shot he expected. Its natural to feel frustrated and angry, but then make the mind shift of “OK, there’s one of those bad shots I knew I’d have” and then take a moment to analyze it. Was I committed to the shot, was it a poor target, did I read the lie properly. This way we don’t carry on the frustration and anger, we redirect. My rule is TEN STEPS OR TEN SECONDS to have the frustration and the analysis. Then let it go and focus on the next shot.
4) Avoid the Gambler Mentality
When on a loosing streak, the gambler gets more aggressive with bets to try to make it all back at once. In golf it translates to taking more risks, more hero shots, attempting shots beyond your skill level, thinking you can birdie that 30ft putt and hitting the ball 10 feet past and ending up with a 4 putt and snowman on your score card. Yeah, sure sometimes I’ll try that hero shot just for the heck of it when I really don’t care and I’m just having fun and want to test my skill. But if I’m trying to actually score well, I’m chipping my ball back to the fairway and avoiding the double or triple bogey. So when you find yourself in trouble, ask yourself 1 question: What can I do to make a GOOD Bogey from here? This avoids the dumb decision and puts you back in safety. Even the Pros do this. Mark Brodie author of Every Shot Counts (I think its a statistical marvel of golf) found “PGA tour players are making Bogey 80% of the time when they are in recovery situations like the trees”. You may see miraculous shots on TV, but those aren’t the norm, just highlights. Don’t get suckered!
Take Aways to keep it simple Have a good pre-shot routine, set targets, talk yourself through the shot so your mind sees it.
- Be kind to yourself on the bad shots. Golf is not a game of perfect.
- Shot review for 10 steps or 10 seconds. If riding in a cart, by the time your butt is back in the cart, you stop thinking about the bad shot.
- No bad self talk
- When in trouble ask yourself how you can get back in play and make a good bogey.
- Don’t be a Hero!
- Stay relaxed and enjoy the day with friends!
Happy New Year!
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