Handling Tee Box Pressure in Golf

by Dave Keegan

If you've played golf for any length of time, you have undoubtedly encountered a situation or two which made you nervous. This phenomena is called 'tee box pressure', or TBP for short.

Perhaps it's happened when you were getting ready to hit your tee shot off #1 with a dozen people watching. Maybe it was when you were paired with the top golfer in your club championship. Whatever the situation, one thing is sure: every golfer will find themselves dealing with TBP sooner or later!

WHY THE NERVES?

What is it about golf that gets us feeling this way in the first place? After all, when you step onto the golf course, there usually aren't any lives at stake. In addition, whether you perform well or not on any given day, there are a billion people in China who will not care!

This is a complicated question which will have different answers for different people. Often times, we have too much of our egos wrapped up in the game. The more we invest in something (and we all know that golf can be all-consuming), the more we expect in return. When the 'game is on', we fear failure. With this fear in our mind, our muscles tighten. This, in turn, makes it harder to have the free-flowing swing and effective touch game that is needed to score well.

Here are a few tips which will help you the next time you are getting ready to play a pressure round.

1. PREPARE MENTALLY

During the days leading up to the big game, prepare yourself mentally for the atmosphere you will be facing. You know you are going to be nervous. Being nervous, however, does not mean you cannot hit good golf shots. Think of all the times you have hit good shots under pressure before.

Picture yourself dealing with various situations that will occur during the upcoming round. Think of the feeling as you prepare to hit your first tee shot. Your heart is beating out of control. Then, you swing under control, in good tempo, and strike a solid one right down the middle of the fairway.

Next, imagine hitting one into trouble. You're confronted with the options and weigh the risks of punching a miracle shot through the trees. Instead, you calm yourself and 'take your medicine' by chipping back out to the fairway. This type of clear thinking will help you to avoid those double and triple bogeys which ruin rounds.

2. CONSERVATIVE STRATEGY - CONFIDENT SWING

The term 'choke' is applied to people who don't perform well under pressure. Who can forget poor Greg Norman losing that 6-shot lead to Nick Faldo at the Masters tournament? The main reason people choke is simply because their thought processes become illogical. They start thinking negatively as if they have never hit a solid golf shot. Or, they start to take unnecessary chances and over-swing in the process.

Before the round, make up your mind that you will not beat yourself. Let the other players beat you. Hit shots that you know you can hit. One top amateur player used this strategy in the Minnesota State Amateur qualifying round at the Lake City Golf Club. He wasn't playing very well on the front nine and was tempted several times to 'go for broke'. On the eighth hole, a par five, his second shot left him about 110 yards out in some gnarly rough. He had a good angle at the pin, but if the shot went long, it was obviously going down an embankment leading to a difficult chip with little green to work with. However, he felt like he needed a 'make something happen'. So, he debated whether to try to finesse a full wedge, or to take a full swing with his gap wedge. He had more confidence in the gap wedge because he knew this club would never put him in the big trouble which was over the green. He selected the gap wedge (conservative strategy) and made a confident swing which left the ball 30 feet below the hole. He two-putted and took his par.

This strategy paid off as he made birdie on the next hole. All of a sudden, his marginal round was heading in the right direction! This may not have been possible if he had taken the aggressive route on the previous hole and gone over the green.

3. LET GO OF THE HANDLE BARS!

A player recently quipped, "You've got to let go of the handle bars!" How descriptive of the golfer who, when under pressure, holds onto the club as if it had "handle bars". Unlike riding a bicycle, holding onto the handle bars is a bad thing in golf!

In other words, you've got to let the club swing to be effective. Holding on and trying to steer the ball down the fairway will produce less distance and less accuracy. A golfer has to feel like they are 'giving up control' of the swing. In other words, the golfer must trust that what he has trained will work when the pressure is on. This is called 'muscle memory'.

Giving up control gets progressively harder as the round progresses. The tendency is to start counting your score as you try to figure out how you're faring compared to everyone else. You must counteract that tendency by consciously trying to swing looser and freer as the round goes on. Stay focused on what you're trying to do - forget about everyone else. You can't control them anyway.

Keep the game simple. Pick your target, go through your pre-shot routine and let your swing go! Stay within yourself and you won't be a victim of that TBP!

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Developing Your Own Golf Style

by Glenn Cutforth

You really do need to develop your own golf style. Now, that may seem like an obvious statement, but some beginners think that all they have to do is imitate Tiger Woods' every move and they'll become an instant golf success.

Unfortunately, it's just not that easy. There are no shortcuts to becoming a good golfer.

To begin with, no two people ever swing at a golf ball in exactly the same way. Next time you're at the driving range, stand and watch the rows of people slapping away and you'll quickly see this is absolutely true. Each person has their own unique body build and develops their own individual set of muscles. Therefore, the style of golf played by a person who is large and lanky and swings the club like a hockey player taking a slap shot has a whole different set of muscles than a person who is small and wiry.

Golf will always be an individual sport and finding a style of playing that produces the best results for you will go a long way in determining how much you enjoy playing the game.

With golf, imitation is not necessarily the best form of flattery. If you find yourself trying to copy someone else's style, and you're not having much success, perhaps hiring a professional coach for a few lessons will help you find your own groove and help you make corrections to your swing. Try to hire someone who works with the natural swing that you already have rather than a teacher who tries to teach you general rules that don't necessarily apply to every type of golfer.

It's also a good idea, if you do hire a pro, to make sure that he or she is a top notch player and teacher as well. If they just stand there and watch you swing without actually showing you how to get out of a sand trap, or hit a fade, or the proper way to putt from the fringe, then you're really not getting your money's worth. The best teachers will try to understand your natural abilities first and then adjust their advice to suit your specific needs.

Once you're ready to play a game, it's important not to think too much before taking your shot. I've played with people who stood so long over the ball trying to remember everything their coach taught them, you wondered how they ever got through 18 holes. It's impossible to make a shot while trying to think of a dozen things like your grip, where your feet are, where the ball is, keeping your eye on the ball, keeping your head straight, and so on. If you make a bad shot, don't fret. You'll get another chance to take that shot again, so get on with it an always try to use your natural way of doing things. The worst thing you can do is to keep changing your style just because you had a bad game.

As you're learning the game, however, there are some fundamental principles that need to be observed.

Here are two basic tips to help you improve your personal game.

An important foundation you need no matter what shot you're making, no matter what club you're using, is balance. You must keep your balance when you strike the ball.

And remember, of course, to always keep your eye on the ball. Make sure your stance allows you to see the ball from every point of the stroke.

Take your time and develop your own methods that work best for you. Unless you're playing golf for a living, you have all the time in the world to get it right.

Like everything else in life, golf takes time and practice and if you're patient and try doing everything as natural as possible, in no time you'll get your first birdie, and then your first chip in for par, and before you know it, you'll be breaking 80 on a regular basis.

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Make Your Golf Practice Count

by Dave Keegan

Most golfers, regardless of their ability level, are guilty of wasting their practice time. How many times have you been at a driving range and witnessed stall after stall filled with tired looking golfers endlessly beating balls. Most have selected the large bucket and think only of launching all those little pellets with the big stick.

Most of these people would have been better off if they had just stayed home and mowed the lawn. Why? They are practicing without a purpose.

PLAN YOUR GOLF PRACTICE

The first step in improving your golf is learning more about the swing. If you do not want to take lessons, there is a wealth of information available in books, magazines and on the web. Find some information related to a part of your game you are struggling with. You'll likely find many articles related to any and every golf sin you could possibly commit. Focus on the cause and effect. Try to understand not only what you need to do to improve, but the causes of your problem. There are likely to be multiple possible causes and solutions.

HIT THE DRIVING RANGE? NOT YET

Instead of running to hit that next large bucket, take those golf tips you learned and apply them in front of a full-length mirror. This is especially effective if you are working on your stance or setup. You can easily compare your body position with those of the pros in the magazines. Take your backswing in slow motion, stopping at various points to again compare your position with the pro. This exercise will help you picture and feel a good golf swing.

SMALL BUCKET PLEASE

When you finally get to the range, your mind is no doubt full of energy and excitement as you prepare to apply your new thoughts. That is good. But, remember that it is quality golf practice, not quantity, which counts. Get the small bucket and take your time. Rest between shots. Resolve in your mind to think about what you are working on before each shot. Apply one swing thought before each practice shot. Too many thoughts will result in "paralysis of analysis". After each shot, reflect on not only the result, but how the swing felt. What did you do wrong? What did you do right?

PRACTICE WITH A FRIEND

You can triple the effectiveness of your golf practice if you bring a friend with you. Buy one large bucket and share a stall. Take turns hitting a few shots each. Tell your friend what you are working on and ask him to describe how it looks. Watch one another from the side and behind to get different angles. Ask your partner to focus on different elements of the swing: the grip, setup, plane, top of back swing, lower body position, shoulder turn, etc.

IMPROVEMENT TAKES TIME

Remember to keep focused on improving your weaknesses. It makes little sense to spend 75% of your golf practice time working on your strong points. Don't get impatient. Realize that improvement takes time! Nobody goes from a twenty-handicap down to a single-digit overnight. However, if you apply these tips, you'll be building your knowledge of the game as you practice. This can only help improve your game in the long run.

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“How to Develop More Consistency in the Golf Swing”

by: Sean Cochran

Imagine every one of your shots in the middle of the fairway, every chip two feet from the hole, and every putt nailing the center of the cup. Well, maybe some of us dream of never having to ever putt and each approach shot goes into the hole, but I think you get the picture. A consistent swing is probably what many golfers dream of when our heads hit the pillow.

The majority of us are aware that golf is a game that requires consistent shot making to be successful (and have fun). If we are hooking, slicing, and hitting our wedges fat, it can really start to get frustrating. Consistency is key to hitting a low score and enjoying the game. So how do we get there?

First, let us do a little review of the golf swing. To hit the ball squarely on the center of the club head you must take the club through the proper swing path. A proper swing path will allow the club to align itself correctly with the ball to hit the shot you are trying to hit. For more advanced players this could be in the form of a draw, fade, cut, or some other variation. Higher handicappers will be happy with just plain old straight shots. Anyway, this process begins with your address, moves through your take away, into the back swing, onto the transition between back swing and down swing, into contact, and finishes with the follow through.

Quite a complex sequence of events for the body to perform! And we all know that if our timing is slightly off, or we are just a little off mechanically, disaster is the result.

Knowing that a consistent swing requires the execution of these complex moves over and over again is quite mind-blowing. But let’s get back to our question: how do we develop a consistent golf swing? The answer is two-fold, and I imagine most golfers are aware of the first point but probably only a few are aware of the second. The keys to a consistent swing are: 1) efficient golf swing mechanics and 2) the body. Got it? Good, now I can stop writing this article and all of us can become scratch golfers, right? Well, not exactly, and I imagine some of you are saying, “I already know all this stuff.” Others may be quite intrigued. Regardless of which category you fall into, let me expand on each of these topics a little.

Golf Swing Mechanics

Golf Swing mechanics is probably the easier of the two areas to understand. It is the reason why we take golf lessons and practice so much at the range. Beginning at address, moving through all the stages of the golf swing, and finishing with the follow through, the body is required to move through a specific sequence of movements to perform the golf swing correctly. If the body does not move through this sequence properly then the result will be a poor, inefficient and awkward looking swing. Over time, a poor swing results in poor consistency (every once in awhile you hit a good shot regardless of your swing, that’s what keeps us coming back for more). An easy example of this is when you “come over the top” with the club. This usually results in a slice (I know, easy thing to do and very hard to correct).

In addition to the body performing an intricate number of biomechanical movements in the golf swing, timing of these movements is critical for you to hit the ball successfully. Each and every biomechanical movement within the golf swing has a certain sequence and timing. If they are not performed in the correct order or timing, then the golf swing will not be efficient. Poor timing results in those wonderful slices, snap hooks, chili dips and topping the ball that we know all too well.

Now, how do we improve on the mechanics of the golf swing? I would have to say it is through two things:

1) Proper instruction (Find a good teacher and stick with that teacher. Most of the pros do, why not you?) and

2) Practice, practice, practice. As they say “practice makes perfect”, and I believe this is true when it comes to the golf swing.

Fix the Engine that Swings the Club

Now, on to the second point when it comes to consistency in golf. Again, this is probably the lesser known of the two points about consistency in the swing. It is also equally as important as the mechanics of your swing. One question might help you realize the importance of “the body” when it comes to the golf swing. What swings the golf club?

Some of the answers I have heard are: “my hands,” “the swing,” “my hips” and even “the grip.” Well, these answers are in the ballpark and are close to being right, but let me simplify it for you. The answer is your body. Quite simple when you think about it: The club head is attached to the shaft, your hands grip the shaft, your arms are attached to your shoulders, your hips rotate through the swing, and on and on we go. It is the body that swings the club. So why is this so important to consistency in your golf game?

We know from our golf lessons, that there are certain positions the body is required to be in during the golf swing. For example, at address we know that the feet are slightly wider than shoulder width, knees slightly bent, back at a certain angle, head in a specific position, and our hands gripping the club a certain way. This is only the beginning of what the body has to do to swing the club correctly. Now, from the address position your body must move the club on the correct path and generate club head speed to hit the ball accurately and with power. Doing this over and over is what we define as consistency.

What most people do not understand is that for the body to perform the golf swing correctly, certain parameters need to be met by the body. The body must have certain levels of flexibility, strength, endurance, balance, stability, and power. If your body does not have the minimal levels of these factors in relation to the golf swing, then what do you think will happen? Well, let me tell you, it will be very difficult for the body to swing the club with the correct mechanics. And what will this result in over time?

The Basis of Golf

by: Chuck Evans

Did you know that... there are 5 "basics" in every good golf stroke? Understand these and YOU will be well on your way to game improvement.

One of the problems with golf is that players routinely do not give enough thought to the actual process of striking the ball.

Striking the ball is the easiest thing to do. Striking it effectively is the hardest!

The solution is of course educating the player so that they have an undertanding of WHAT they need to do to produce consistent shots.

In this article I will cover the basis of the golf stroke to give you a better understanding of what MUST happen before, during, and after the stroke.

(A). Three Parts Of A Golf Club

Clubface - controls direction of the golf ball
Clubhead - controls the downward dimensison of a good golf stroke
Clubshaft- controls the plane of the golf stroke
(B). Three Major Concepts Of The Golf Stroke

Hinge Action - Clubface - Left Wrist
Centrifugal Force - Clubhead - a rotating body
Inclined Plane - Clubshaft - right forearm
(C). Three Essentials For A Good Golf Stroke

Steady Head - No lateral motion or up and down movement
Balance - self explanatory
Rhythm - the left arm and clubshaft moving at the same RPMs
(D). Three Imperatives Of A Good Golf Stroke

Imperative? What does that mean? It means it is an absolute and if the player does nothing else they MUST obey these three Imperatives.

Flat Left Wrist at Impact - not bent
On Plane Club Shaft - not off
Club Head Lag - not throwaway
(E). The Principle Of The Golf Game

The Line of Compression is the most basic principle of golf that separates good players from poor ones.

The Line of Compressions is: Hitting the ball from the inside of the Target Line to outside the target line with a Flat Left Wrist

(F). Three Dimensions Of The Golf Stroke - (on a slant)

Because we play golf on an Inclined Plane the stroke is three dimensional. If we played on either a Vertical or Horizontal plane it would be only two dimensional.

Downward
Outward
Forward

I've covered the basis of all golf strokes in this article and now here's what YOU can expect.

Learn these "basis", apply them to YOUR game and YOU will see immediate results! In 35 years of teaching golf I can tell you that once a player understands the basis, and then applies them to their game they are "magically" tranformed into a player to be reckoned with. I've had 30 handicappers that have improved 15 shots virtually overnight. I've had single digit handicappers lower their scores by 5-7 shots after learning and understanding this basis of golf.

It doesn't matter what level of player you are, YOU WILL IMPROVE!

Anyone can improve with knowledge and understanding and the proper training. Once you get these concepts and apply them to your game YOU will enjoy the game even more.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Chuck Evans, G.S.E.D.
www.ChuckEvansGolf.com

P.S. Visit our website for more information how YOU can become the best player YOU can be.

(c) Copyright 2004 by Chuck Evans

About The Author

Chuck Evans is one of only 31 Teachers in the world to hold the designation of "Doctorate in Golf Stroke Engineering", he is one of the most highly sought after instructors in the world not only by players but other teachers as well and is known as the Teacher of Teachers!

Chuck has appeared on numerous golf talk shows, written and published instructional articles in local, regional, and national golf publications. His DVD, "60 Days To Game Improvement" has sold in excess of 10,000 copies and his new eBook, "How To Build YOUR Golf Swing" is in the library of amateurs and Teaching Professional alike. He has also appeared as the featured instructor for education classes regarding the golf swing at various PGA Sections and Chapters around the country and has been nominated numerous times for Golf Digest's Top 50 Teachers and Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers.

In addition Chuck has held the positions of Director of Schools for the PGA Tour Golf Academy and the Director of Instruction for the United States Golf Institute.

You can reach Chuck through his Golf Academy in Mesa Arizona by calling 480.862.6544, by email at chuck@chuckevansgolf.com or through the website www.chuckevansgolf.com

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Instruction For Swingers (Golf)

by: Timothy Gorman

Could your golf swing use some improvement? You are in luck because there are lots of sources for golf swing instruction. Golf swing instruction will be beneficial for your game.

If you are looking for golf swing instruction you may want to talk to one of the golf pros at the course where you golf. A golf pro can offer excellent golf swing instruction.

Maybe you want to try golf swing instruction on your own. Look at a golf shop for golf swing instruction ideas. The employees will be able to point you in the right direction for the best golf swing instruction aids available.

You can check out golf swing instruction books at a bookstore. The library may also have books or manuals that will be beneficial for someone who needs golf swing instruction.

Golf swing instruction tips can be found in many of the golf magazines. There are articles written by golf pros about golf swing instruction.

Check out the golf swing instruction tips online. There are many sites that are devoted to golf and golf swing instruction is part of the information offered.

There are golf swing instruction videos that may be helpful. These golf swing instruction videos will actually show you how to improve your swing.

If you have friends that golf they may be able to offer you golf swing instruction. Sometimes this is a great idea and will greatly improve your game. There may be areas that you can help them with also.

You can take lessons at some community colleges. The instructors will be able to spend some time with golf swing instruction.

As you can see if you need golf swing instruction, there are many options.

About the Author

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Golf-Swing-Improvement.com. He provides more golf swing and golf putting tips that will improve your golf game and lower your golfing score.

A large amount of time spent on the range with little improvement on the course and a swing that looks less than desirable.

So what does consistency in my golf swing really come down to?

It is vital to understand that improvements in your golf swing mechanics and improvements in your body specific to golf are equally important when it comes to creating a consistent golf swing.

If you ignore either the body or the mechanics, it would be safe to say that your golf swing and game will suffer. Take some time on a routine basis to address both the mechanics of your swing and the body supporting it. I think you will find the benefits to be very rewarding.

If you are interested in more information on better golf swing mechanics and how to improve your level of golf fitness, please take a look at our web site www.bioforcegolf.com

About the author:
Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf swing improvement techniques available to amateur golfers on the website www.bioforcegolf.com Check out his manual and DVD, Your Body & Your Swing, at www.BioForceGolf.com

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The Psychology of a Confident Golf Swing

by: Adam Eason

The Psychology of a Confident Golf Swing Part one.

Before focusing on the subject of developing confidence with ones golf swing I want you all to think about this notion; you cannot just "Think" yourself a wonderful golf swing. Otherwise, we would all just think about pots of gold arriving in our front rooms and we'd all be rich. However, the pots of gold do not arrive just by thinking about them, likewise, our golf swing does not transform into that of Tiger Woods just by thought alone. Something needs to be done to get confident about that golf swing. So, this is the first notion that I want you to think about before I talk about building a powerful level of confidence in your golf swing.

When anyone is developing a new confident golf swing, there needs to be an element of action that is taken to alter and update the golf swing properly and effectively. Something new needs to be done enough times for the unconscious mind to learn it.

The early success philosophers and gurus like Stephen Covey and Napoleon Hill recognised that in order for a new behaviour to happen unconsciously and automatically, it needs to be done for 21 consecutive days. So then the new behaviour is learned thoroughly by the unconscious mind and your confidence in your golf swing can begin to happen on auto-pilot. So, any confidence with your golf swing needs some conscious effort and repeated application for your new confident golf swing to happen unconsciously.

Now, when you have a new way of doing things, the other, old, unwanted way of doing things doesn't just wither away instantly. It remains in the bank. If you were confined to a wheelchair, the muscles in your legs would begin to experience atrophy, the same way that when certain parts of your brain are not used, they experience atrophy; this is why it is difficult for us learn languages when we are much older and school kids find it a bit easier; that part of our brain has not been used for a long time.

The old golf swing needs significant time to experience atrophy. Imagine that here and now as you read this, your unconscious mind has carved out a distinct way of you swinging your golf club and this way is well defined by repitition from the past. Every time you step up to perform your golf swing, your unconscious mind carries on down that well trodden pathway that you have always gone down; your golf swing is the same. It is the only way that it knows and is the easiest route to take.

When you create an alternative, confident new golf swing, you are carving out a new pathway that needs to be trodden down and paved well several times, so that your unconscious knows it is there and knows that it can take this route in certain circumstances, events and situations.

Ok. So then with repeatedly taking the new pathway, the old pathway can begin to overgrow and have its own atrophy. However, we all know how easy it is to unearth an old pathway and drift back to our old golf swing; if we allow ourselves to go back along that way, it can begin to get carved out again.

These notions can form the foundation of any programme of change. However we are focussing on your golf swing here today and how to develop enhanced confidence with your golf swing.

When I first became involved with the world of hypnosis, NLP and personal development, I read a wonderful book by a man called Dr Maxwell Maltz entitled "Psycho-cybernetics" that formed the basis of many modern ideas as to how we understand personalities. Dr Maltz was a plastic surgeon and he found that if he changed the way people looked, often it changed their personality too. When people looked different, they also felt different. Often people that had lacked confidence, were transformed into more confident, outgoing people who lived life with more zest.

What perplexed Dr Maltz is that some of clients did not seem to get happier. Some, whose appearance had changed a lot, didn't seem to change their feelings. They still felt lacking in confidence.

So what Dr Maltz concluded was that cosmetic surgery would not benefit the client if they had a poor image of themselves. His solution was to create a visualisation technique that helped them to change their inner self-image. He had some wonderful results. So when the clients changed the way they felt about themselves, they became happier and more fulfilled and their confidence grew. You know that when you feel great about your golf swing, your golf swing is better and you are more competent with your golf swing. The technique is simple, here it is;

Firstly, imagine your golf swing as you would ideally like your golf swing to be. Think about how you would look if you were as happy and confident as you wanted to be with your golf swing. How do you walk? What do you wear? What expressions are on your face? How do you move? Take all the time necessary for this, to really get an idea of how you are when you are confident with your golf swing.

Secondly, when you know what you will look like, make a film clip inside your mind, in your imagination of yourself being happy, confident and deeply self-assured with your golf swing.

Thirdly, imagine yourself stepping into that film, imagine seeing through those eyes, hearing through those ears, and feel those confident feelings, think to yourself; how do I know the confident feelings? Where in my body are they? Enjoy feeling and being exactly how you want to be.

Lastly for this exercise, imagine that when you get up tomorrow you awaken as that ideal you, feeling this good and imagine your golf swing going as you want it to and be confident about your golf swing.

Remember what I said at the beginning, you must use this technique over and over in order to get the most from it and really make yourself a confident golf swing. Look out for part two of this article of getting confident with your golf swing.

About the author:
To receive Adam's amazing bi-monthly newsletter, packed with modern, innovative, psychological tips, techniques and information visit http://www.adam-eason.com You'll also receive a free instantly downloadable hypnosis session to enjoy at home.