Alex Elias Brad McCluski is the Director of Golf at Dedham Country & Polo Club and has previously served as the Head Golf Professional at Wannamoisett Country Club (Rumford, RI), a Top 200 Ranked Course, and an Assistant Golf Professional at Oak Hill Country Club (Rochester, NY), ranked 20th in America by Golf Digest. McCluski played collegiate golf at Rutgers. "Success depends almost entirely on how effectively you learn to manage the game's two ultimate adversaries: the course and yourself." - Jack Nicklaus
In managing oneself, certain expectations can easily become at the forefront of one's struggles on the course. Brad McCluski 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." McCluski continued, "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." As a result of becoming "too scorecard heavy", McCluski acknowledged how scoring can not only negatively impact one's game, but their mindset 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." McCluski continued, "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." While managing expectations are one of the many key elements of golf, understanding fear is another. McCluski said, "If you struggle at chipping, then your iron play suffers because you now fear missing the green. Same with the putter. If you struggle at chipping, then your putting suffers because you now fear you're not close enough to make the putt." In tying managing expectations and understanding fear together, McCluski said, "It's why thinking about the next hole is even too much. It's about staying within each shot."
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