Why do so many golfers underperform with the short game and putting?

First, the closer you get to the hole the more mental the game becomes. With each shot, you get closer to the score that you will put on your scorecard. You can make up for a missed drive or approach shot, but it’s not easy to make up for a poor chip or putt. With this in mind, it can cause nerves, tension and a loss of focus.

Second, the short game and putting is about distance control and touch. A full shot you hit full, whereas a 40 yard wedge shot or a 40 ft putt is a test of your ability to control how far the ball travels. This requires having a clear mind and being able to use your senses to the max and make good contact with the ball. Any negative thoughts in the mind or tension in the body can interfere with this.

Third is that a good short game requires a high golf IQ. There are only a few ways that you can hit a shot from 150 yards but several ways you can hit a 30 yard pitch shot. Knowing the best shots to play and how the ball will react from different lies is something the best players in the world do extremely well.

For these 3 reasons, a player’s mental game is a big factor in their success.

Not surprisingly, I hear from golfers all the time who perform well in practice, but under the slightest amount of pressure on the course, their mind prevents them from executing the same process, or accessing the same skills. A few poor shots later and they lose confidence in their ability, negative thoughts flood the mind and the body becomes tense. I’d like to help you break this cycle. To develop a great short game that holds up under pressure, we need to develop the following skills:

Have Clear Pre Shot Routines

Being able to direct your attention to what’s most important during each shot, starts with a plan – in other words, having a clearly defined pre shot routine. But this requires practice – it’s no good expecting focus on your routine to magically appear on the course, when you’ve spent the last few practice sessions not doing it at all.

If you can practice directing your attention to the specific actions of your pre shot routines, you’ll make them more automatic on the course when you’re under pressure. You’ll be more immersed in the process, and have less attention on how the outcome of the shot will affect you.

Assess

Step 1 of the short game and putting routine, starts with an assessment of the situation – you need to put on your thinking cap and figure out the best way for the ball to get from A to B given the landscape and hence (for the short game), the best shot to pick.

Visualize

To begin the process of telling your body what it needs to do during the shot, is to move onto step 2: visualization. Your athletic mind works best with images, feels and sounds. To make a good shot happen, you must see it in your mind first. Create a movie of the shot in your mind and watch it several times over. See the ball in the air, landing in the area you intend and rolling out to the hole and going in.

Rehearse

Step 3 is rehearsing and getting a feel for the shot. What will impact feel like? How steep will the club enter the ground? Will the bounce be used or the leading edge? Will the face be open or square? Hold the sensation of impact (for the shot you are visualizing and rehearsing) in your mind until you start your swing or stroke.
Let that feeling create your swing or stroke without you consciously thinking about it. At the end of the shot, no matter where the ball went, give yourself credit if you were able to focus 100% on your routine and make that the measure of success.

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Performance anxiety management

We all feel nervous from time to time in our rounds, even more so if you are lacking confidence in your short game or putting. Fear activates the nervous system, which up to a point, is a performance enhancer – your senses are heightened, your focus is sharper and you have a feeling of intensity and strength. But let it go too far and it can result in a loss of focus, confusion, tense muscles and a lack of rhythm and timing.

Being able to lower your heart rate and calm down is essential in those moments. Notice where your mind is as you approach the green and focus on deep belly breathing as much as possible to keep the mind quiet and the body calm.

More Effective Practice routines

Many players that I speak with who struggle with the short game and putting describe practice sessions that don’t resemble the same set of challenges they face on the course.

Structure your sessions and hit less shots

An effective practice session is about hitting less shots but with more purpose. Structure your practice sessions before you go – know the shots you will hit, the pre shot routine you will practice and the performance drills you will finish with.

Improve your golf iq and practice your pre shot routine

After you’ve warmed up with some random practice, go through your full routine for every shot. Include a variety of shots and work on improving your Golf IQ – pick a whole array of lies, carries and trajectories and take some notes for what helped you play them successfully.

Practice your post shot routine

Practice your post shot routine too. If it’s a great shot, hold on to that image and feeling and really embed it in your memory bank. If it’s an undesirable outcome, practice pausing instead of reacting and choose to say something positive or comforting to yourself.

Add Pressure

To increase your ability to handle pressure, you need to add it to your practice sessions through challenges. Use your imagination to make yourself feel uncomfortable. Create an exact situation that you’ve experienced in the past which has made you nervous and put yourself there again. This time, with your improved shot routine, you’ll be more engaged with the visual and kinesthetic intention, and you’ll be calmer and more at peace with whatever the outcome is. I’m confident that with practicing these steps, your performance skills will improve and you’ll get more up and down and see more putts go in.

Thanks for reading. Helping golfers perform better and enjoy the game more is something I’m very passionate about. If you find any of these tips helpful, please share them with other golfers.

Mental Game Training Tools

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