|
Alex Elias  "Success depends almost entirely on how effectively you learn to manage the game's two ultimate adversaries: the course and yourself." - Jack Nicklaus
When a player struggles to manage themself, it is often the direct result of certain expectations. Brad McCluski, Director of Golf at Dedham Country & Polo Club, said, "For an amateur golfer to have a number in mind, say they're a four handicap and they think they need to shoot 76 every time, that becomes harder to do. Anytime you have an expectation in mind, it becomes tougher and you become more anxious." "If you start becoming too scorecard heavy, I think that's an issue. Unless you're in some kind of tournament where you have to keep score for someone else, I don't always agree with writing down the score every hole. I always like to go three or four holes before writing down a score. I think it's easier to focus on that hole or that shot, if you're able to forget about what you made on the previous hole," said McCluski. As a result of becoming "too scorecard heavy", McCluski acknowledged how scoring can not only negatively impact one's mindset, but their routine as well. McCluski said, "When someone starts playing poorly, the game speeds up. Their heart rate starts picking up, they start walking faster, they begin condensing their pre-shot routine because they want to get the next shot over with." "Once you get out of your routine, you're then focusing on something else, rather than the shot in front of you. Meaning if you're out of your routine, your mind frame is either focusing on the shot you hit last or what you need to do moving forward throughout the round," said McCluski.
2 Comments
|
