Sitting in the club house we will often hear golfers reflecting on their round and where it all went wrong. Identifying the mistakes made in a round helps to detect weaknesses in your game, but its equally important to reflect on the good points too, something that most players forget to do. Becoming aware of where you play well and when you don't, gives you a greater knowledge on how your perform during a round of golf. Gathering statistics on your game such as number of fairways hit in regulation, total number of putts made and greens in regulation is highly recommended to track elements of your game, but these numbers alone, will not give you a full picture of your game. Statistics will not identify where you are mentally strong or where you tend to bottle it. Developing technical playing skills is only part of the game plan, understanding your mental and emotional status is key if you want to become resilient and able to perform under pressure. To gain a greater insight on how you play at your best whilst also recognising the "triggers" that force you to make mistakes will help you to develop your mental toughness. Becoming a detective to identify these clues will help you to create the necessary skills to harness the benefits and eliminate the errors. So how can I become a detective? Next time you play, make a conscious effort to be more aware of how you feel in certain situations. Notice how you react and listen to your self- talk, do either of these help you or make the situation worse? Here are a few suggestions for you to focus on
How do you feel between shots
What do you focus on when swinging the club
Where are your thoughts and feelings when putting
How do you react to shots that don't go according to plan
How committed are you to your shots
What can cause you to loose focus
When you've completed your game, take a few minutes to reflect and record your findings in a note book. Over a short space of time you will identify your triggers as well as your areas of strength. If you would like to learn more about these techniques and how tounlock your true potentialplease get in touchwe would love to hear from you
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