Horrible golf swings.
We all have them. They absolutely torment us.
They can visit for a hole or two or stay for an entire round. These haunting swings can stay etched in our mind and can wreck havoc on our golf game. Once in our minds they negatively impact our feelings of belief in our swing and hope in our golfing abilities – a powerful blow to our game.
So if they’re a thing of the past and it’s all a head game, how do we move forward and improve our next golf swing, golf hole, golf round and golf season? Take a tip from author Leslie King.
In King’s book, “The Master Key to Success at Golf”, is a bit of ‘sport psychology’. To help golfers deal with these swing demons King believes that maintaining a positive outlook is your best defense.
Read below how King explains that in golf fortune is shaped by our thoughts – allowing us to brave the setbacks and look optimistically towards our next swing as being the opportunity to reclaim our golf game and win.
King writes;
“Never give up hope and allow your game to slacken after a bad hole or a run of slipped shots has led you to the premature belief that your chance of winning or finishing well up has disappeared. You do not know how the remainder of the field are faring or that your fortunes are not going to take a sudden turn for the better. And the winning score may well prove to be higher than you estimate.
In match-play sharp changes of fortune are common. You may find yourself several holes down. But if you seize the chance when it comes it may well turn out to be the start of recovery. And the player whose lead is being eaten away is under greater pressure than his opponent who is fast making up leeway.
Always keep in mind that you are not beaten, neither have you won, until the final putt drops into the hole.
Make up your mind to go on playing each stroke as it comes, giving your undivided attention to that particular stroke, regardless of what may have happened before or problems which may or may not lie ahead. In this way you will learn, with experience, the invaluable yet elusive art of stringing the strokes together.”
Wow! Remembering this simple, yet powerful, outlook will allow you to deal with the doubts and frustrations that creep in our minds and sabotage our golf game. Keeping a calm cool head is the first step in improving golf swing performance and our golf game.
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