We all want to perform at our best. We may even believe we are doing all the right things to perform at our best, but are we? Having consistent performance in golf is like performing well in school or business. It is those small things that you do daily that add up to creating a better outcome. One thing we have noticed over the 20+ years of working with high level players and listening to the best players in the world talk about their improvement process is they all have a few things in common. They know what questions to ask themselves, and trust me, it is not always easy! To improve your performance, it is important to ask the right questions, to not only ask peers, teachers, coaches and mentors, but it is paramount that you ask yourself the right questions. Am I doing what it takes to improve at the pace I expect? This question really can evoke some great emotions from players. “What do you mean, I always practice hard and for hours!” This is a typical answer, but it may not be the right answer.
Are you tracking your progress? If not, why? If you are not measuring your progress with the correct statistics or measurements how do you know you are improving? Your scores are lag factors which are not a good indication of improvement. Where are you losing your strokes or having trouble? Are you blaming others? It is easy to blame your trouble on others, course conditions, or external factors but have you considered that it may be any of these things? You can’t overlook the fact that you may not have prepared properly. You must be honest with yourself! Don’t make excuses to be prepared to practice and perform. There is always a way to practice wherever you are! No excuses, period!
If you want to be good enough to win the club championship, or AJGA event, or play in college, excuses will not get it done! Do your pregame analysis, postgame analysis, know what you need to do, ask specific questions to your coaches as to what you need to do. Believe it or not sometimes experimenting with the opposite of what you are working on can help you understand what you are trying to do better.
Going into the fall season is a good time to assess your summer season results and ask the right questions. Assessing your game with your coach or coaches will give you a better measurement of your overall game, physically and mentally. Make your time count, just because you are busy doing stuff doesn’t always mean that it will make you better! Make sure you are focused on the right stuff!
Enjoy Your Journey!
