Relaxing on the course

A calming guide for hackers

Temper, temper...

Most people that play the game of golf do so as a form of relaxation and escapism from work pressures and the rigors of a hectic life. Problems with this philosophy of playing the game surface when golfers fail to achieve the standards they set for themselves, or just happen to make a mistake that they believe should have been avoided.

During a round of golf things happen that are beyond a players control. Seemingly innocuous situations can arise from out of nowhere (bad lies etc) causing a player to hit a bad shot. When these situations and results aren't dealt with in a relaxed manner the bad shots can 'snowball' from one into many.

Put simply, when a tense golfer hits a bad shot (for whatever reason) the resulting frustration, confusion and self-doubt needs to be cutailed before carrying it over into the next shot.

The results of bad shots can manifest themselves in various ways including:

• Club and ball throwing, a popular sport among amateurs and certain Pro's.

• Confusion, normally arising from having no idea what you did wrong and often followed by letting loose a dictionaries worth of expletives (Pat Perez style).

• Little voices of doubt, can rise surreptitiously from the subconscious to the conscious mind (often manifesting themselves to talk you out of hitting a good shot).

If the introductory text above sounds a note of truth when you think of your game, you should take on board some simple advice that may stop you overheating after a bad shot (or three):

Take a moment to enjoy your surroundings, the neatly trimmed green grass, the trees, birds etc. This will take your mind out of the present for an instant, giving your mind some breathing room and allowing greater focus on the next shot, rather than remembering the last

Focus on your next shot by concentrating on only one thought as you swing (I like to think about keeping my head down). This technique is used to stop a wandering mind running through all the things you may have done wrong. This could be a very long list (stance, swing plane, etc) that should be dealt with on the range rather than before or during the shot at hand.

Positive thinking can be achieved by recalling well struck shots rather than letting the bad ones replay in your mind. As Ernie Els says in the Titleist promotional campaigns 'think happy thoughts'.

Confidence comes from believing in yourself; take a moment to visualize the ideal way you would like to play the hole before playing it. When lining up a putt, see the putt dropping in the hole(in your mind) on the line you chose, then go ahead and play it.

In a social game or practice round, score is only a representation of how you faired on the day, it isn't a morbid document lurking at the end of every hole ready to jump out and spoil your enjoyment. If you are having a bad day on the card take strength from the thought that after a few practice sessions next round will be much better.

If all else fails, consider sinking a cold beer at the 19th hole the result of a good days walk in the country.