Perhaps the biggest difference in my game lately is the mental approach I take for the round, the hole, and each shot.
A little while back IÂ realized that I hadn’t focused much on my mental approach on the course and recognized that it was probably one of the weaker areas of my game. For starters, I was struggling with the mental game in tournaments – I was shooting 20-30 strokes higher than my scoring average as a result. I also started to realize that nobody else seemed to find themselves in the same sorts of bad lies or tough shots I tended to find myself and concluded it was a result of poor decisions.
So, I started doing research and some reflection on my own game. I played a few non-scoring rounds where I focused on nothing but my mental approach for each hole and each shot. I cared less about technique and more about hitting my target. For course management, I started outlining a strategy for my round prior to the course, including determining which clubs I would use for each shot. I focused on balancing aggressive play with conservative play and on only taking risks when I knew that failure to execute wasn’t going to seriously damage my chances of making par.
The result? My next tournament was my best score yet (the 83 at the state qualifier). Not too long after that I had another best tournament score at 74.
I’m playing smarter now. I’m taking into account the reality that I’m not going to strike the ball perfect every time, so I know I need to account for my tendencies and give myself the best chance for success every shot.
For instance, if I don’t hit it straight I have a tendency to push my driver. So, I’ve started to line up on the right side of the tee box with my target line being the left side of the fairway. That way if I push it right I’ll likely be on the right side of the fairway, and if I hit it straight I’ll be on the left side of the fairway. Either way, I’m on the fairway. It’s pretty amazing how a simple adjustment in your mental apprach can change your game. My fairway percentage has gone from averaging 50% to averaging 70%+.
I take similar approaches with other aspects of the game. Basically, for any situation, I pick my target based on the location that will give me the best chance to recover from an imperfect shot. For someone like me who likes to “go for it” and be aggressive, it’s counter-intuitive to my regular thought process, but it’s working.