Concentration...

[Steve_FLA]

Any tips to keep your mind focused...

I just go done reading a book called "Fearless Golf". Good read, helps you with the mental approach to the game. The author stresses just worrying about you current shot...nothing else. "Wheres my target" should be the only thing going through your mind.

I am currently a 10 handicap. Saturday I shot an 82...felt good and focused all day. Sunday (same course) I shot a 90. I was not nearly as focused and was getting frustrated much more easily and often felt doubt when standing over my shot. I tried to forget about my previous shot and focus on the current shot, but I don't think I did a very good job at it.

Do any of you have any tips or suggestions on how to "keep your mind right" when you feel the wheels are starting to come off.

-Steve

[Goose]

When Im playing in tournaments and start to lose focus i stop for a minute, close my eyes take some long deep slow breaths and just talk to myself. Ill take a drink of water, and have a bannana or a energy bar. anything that can take your mind off of your current situatuion and allow you to refocus your energy on your goal again.

 

 

 

DaN "goose"

[slicefixer]

Several.....

 

First......"Concentration" is NOT false.......meaning you cannot just tell youself "I'm going to REALLY concentrate on this shot"..........You CAN try and FOCUS......sometimes it'll work and sometimes it won't....

 

Second......Concentration is RUINED quite often by ANXIETY .....or lack of PREPARATION.......so don't RUN to the 1st tee and tell youself to concentrate.......rarely works........make sure you prepare for every round like it was a tournament round.......show up early and RELAXED........leasurely stretch and hit some warm up shots.......end your practice by "playing" the 1st hole on the range.....example: IF the 1st hole requires you to try and draw a 3 wood then hit a draw 3 wood.......keep doing it until you hit one.......REALLY focus on what you did to hit that nice draw 3 wood.......then if a properly struck 3 wood leaves you an 8 iron to the green, hit an 8 iron.....etc........do it a couple of times......

 

Third.......AVOID caffiene, etc. before your round........tends to get a player to "amped" up.......make sure and eat properly......junk can affect concentration......snack on a banana or nuts/crackers a couple of times a round and drink plenty of H20.......VERY important.......

 

Fourth.... Old "cliche," but very true.......ONE shot at at time.......thats ALL you have some control over......

 

Fifth......."Play WITHIN yourself".......don't try shots you think are marginal shots.......shots you aren't TOTALLY confident are within your "ability".......

 

Sixth.......You can learn "concentration" through practice.......I use to see how many times I could bounce a ball off of a wedge without dropping it.......you can have somebody deal 10 cards......fast.......and then turn them upside down......see how many you can name......bet here is you can't name the first 3 without practice......practice chipping trying to hit a quarter positioned on the green so that the chips will be of the proper speed to get within a couple of feet......hit a short wedge......try and land the next shot on the previous ball.....repeat....when you finish there should be a line of balls out to your full wedge distance......

 

Seventh.......Train yourself to FOCUS on where you WANT the ball to go rather than where you don't........on the target......be it a tree in the distance.......the flag.....or a spot 20' left/right of the flag........

 

Eighth........Without question the numero uno reason for lack of concentration is doubt/anxiety.......Ya' gotta' realize that IF you happen to hit a crummy shot (which you will :) ) or have a crummy hole.......or a crummy front nine, etc. its NOT the end of the world, its ONLY a round of golf which IS a game, and that you've got MANY "blessings" to be thankful for and one of them is the OPPORTUNITY to be ON a golf course challenging yourself. Bad rounds are INEVITABLE, but, poor attitude/temper/anxiety are CHOICES and are also TERRIBLE habits to form in our game.

 

Ninth.......Learn to control your breathing........take the largest breath you can through your NOSE.......hold it for an 8 count......then S L O W L Y let it exit out your mouth......2 or 3 times........if your not careful you'll go to sleep......hehehehe

 

Bottom line, play shots that are high percentage shots for YOU.......eat/drink properly.......prepare yourself.......pick CONSERVATIVE targets, but, make AGGRESSIVE swings.......CONTROL your emotions........and above all, ELIMINATE anxiety.......:cheesy:

[ScottWS33]

I just go done reading a book called "Fearless Golf". Good read, helps you with the mental approach to the game. The author stresses just worrying about you current shot...nothing else. "Wheres my target" should be the only thing going through your mind.

 

I am currently a 10 handicap. Saturday I shot an 82...felt good and focused all day. Sunday (same course) I shot a 90. I was not nearly as focused and was getting frustrated much more easily and often felt doubt when standing over my shot. I tried to forget about my previous shot and focus on the current shot, but I don't think I did a very good job at it.

 

Do any of you have any tips or suggestions on how to "keep your mind right" when you feel the wheels are starting to come off.

 

-Steve

 

I'm trying to work on turning my concentration on and off. When I'm walking up the fairway look at the scenery (golf courses really are beautiful if you really look at them) or speak to my playing partners. Keeps my mind off concentrating on the golf.

[leftysviewuk]

I'm trying to work on turning my concentration on and off. When I'm walking up the fairway look at the scenery (golf courses really are beautiful if you concentrate) or speak to my playing partners. Keeps my mind off concentrating on the golf.

 

 

I'd go along with this, played at the weekend with some good friends, chatting most of the way round enjoying the good weather for a change and not really bothering about the score.

 

Added up the numbers at the end of the round 3 birdies, and a gross 73.

 

I think the keys bascially are:

1) Enjoy yourself, we play for fun :cheesy:

2) You're not at work...... :)

3) Concentrate when you're going through your pre-shot routine and hitting the ball. :cheesy:

4) Switch off when you're not hitting, No-one can concentrate for 4 hours solid....... :cheesy:

[Steve_FLA]

Switching ON/OFF the concentration may work well for me. I will give it a try. Right now I am trying to stay focused for the 4+ hours on the course. Maybe that drains me a bit. However, I never focus on my score. I don't add up my scores until the end of a round. I never know what I shot on the front nine until I have finished 18.

 

Last month I went out with friends from work. I shot a 38 on the front nine. The only thing I did different was had a couple of beers and laughed the entire time. Being relaxed must help a lot.

 

-Steve

[tarik]

The one thing I tell myself when the pressure is on is, "I create the pressure so I can take it away". Always seems to do the trick for me.

[TheLastDon]

 

Develop a preshot routine and at the beginning of it you must have a "trigger"...something that tells your mind and body that it is "GO TIME" and its something you must do every time. For me its a little tug on the shirt sleeve. This is a must. You need something mentally that is a 'beginning' and 'end' of directing your attention to doing only one thing and that is hitting the ball at the target.

 

The routine will help you re-establish lost tempo and get you back in the game.

 

This is an important point, one that I started doing last year that's helped me alot. For me it's putting on the glove (for everything not putting). You can't try and "be focused" for the entire 4-5+ hours your on the course, unless your Ben Hogan or Bobby Jones (both of whom golf almost killed). That being said, everyone can concentrate fully for a minute or two at time. Pick a time to ease into game mode, for riders when you get outta the cart or for walkers when you put the bag down. Start getting yourself focused by checking out the surroundings, lie, wind, yardage. These things don't take much thinking, but get you focusing on the game again. Once you have checked those things out (30seconds tops to calc. all 3), you really start to focus with your preshot routine trigger. Be it putting on your glove, tugging your shirt sleeve, or whatever.......that's when everything gets tuned out and all that matters is your next golf swing. Keep your focus entirely on that shot until it's landed, then forget about.........nothing more you can do.

 

Let your mind drift and enjoy the walk/ride to your next shot. Rinse, lather, repeat.