In my studying to become the best amateur golfer (I've succumbed to the idea I'll never make the Tour) I've realized the difference between shooting in the 80's versus the 90's is staying focused. It's not about how hard you can hit the ball (although that helps) or how well you strike the ball (although that helps, too). It's all about maintaining focus and keeping composure.
The Pros are excellent at staying focused. Tiger Woods is legendary for his laser-like focus on the golf course, especially when leading or close to the lead. Pros can cut out distractions (unless in their backswing) and focus in on each and every shot. If a shot gets pulled one way or another, reset themselves on the next shot and make up for it. They don't harp on the last shot and get too emotional when playing. That's why they are so good at a game that can be so hard. To make my point, how many times has someone pulled their cart behind you, so that you feel them watching you, and you screw up on that shot? Or you're trying to impress someone only to duff that shot? Don't worry... We've all been there and if you haven't, you should stop reading now.
I played last weekend at Woodside Plantation (the Wisteria Course) in Aiken, SC. It is a brilliant course Rees Jones created in 1987 that reminded me of Pinehurst with all the Longleaf Pine trees that line the fairways. The fairways and greens were in supreme condition and it made for a great round of golf....if you can stay focused.
I went to the course with a game-plan in mind. I was going to focus on each shot, from driver to putter, and limit my mistakes. If I made a mistake on a swing of any kind, then I was going to make up for it the next shot and not just swing the club to reach the green. On my putts, I was going with the mindset of making short putts and leaving longer ones close to the hole, so that there would be no three-putts.
The front 9 went great. I was striping my driver down the middle of the fairways and leaving myself a good second shot to the green. The problem was that my second shot was off, and I didn't strike it as well as I would have liked. No problem. I made up for it with the next shot by chipping it close. I either made a par or missed the putt and made a bogey, which I'm happy with. I ended the front 9 shooting a 41. Not bad for someone that can easily make triple digits by the end of the round. I was happy with my front 9 score and (sadly) that was the best I would play for the rest of the day.
The back 9 came up and I was ready to shoot in the low 80's, possibly squeaking in the 70's if I was lucky enough. I was not. My drive started out great but that's when the wheels fell off. My swing went back to the old style, I sprayed the ball all over, and chunked the ball over and over. Luckily, my chipping saved me for some holes, but my putting was atrocious. I left way too many long ones and started three-putting to finish holes. It was brutal. Walking away I knew I shot bad and ended with an 89 to finish the day. You can do the math to figure out what I shot on the back as I'm still bitter about it. And it all fell on one thing: focus. I'd lost it. I was too amped up from the front 9 and figured I'd keep shooting that same way without a plan of how to attack. Once I lost it, I became frustrated and started hitting worse shots than before. It was hard to shake off the putts that should have been easy, but I continued to make it harder on myself. My focus was gone and that's a recipe for disaster on the golf course. If I would have stayed in my lane and stayed focused, who knows what kind of score I could have put up. But instead, I showed the real bonehead amateur that I am and lost my mojo.
As I walked off the course I had realized where I went wrong, but it was too late. The round was over, and my score was what it was. My mind wasn't laser focused on having/keeping a plan and swinging the way I should. I let it all go with the wind. I realize that to constantly put up good numbers it's not about how good you swing it, but how you limit the mistakes and make up for them when they are made. Even the best golfers make mistakes, that's just part of the game. But it's making up for those mistakes by staying focused on the next shot. And when I say the next shot, I mean where you want to hit it, the club you need for the shot, how you want to hit it, and staying true to that mindset.
What makes the difference between the professionals and the amateurs is the focus of each shot. Yes, they can probably hit every shot better than an amateur, but that's because they've been programmed to focus on making every shot count. They have become so good at blocking out distractions and limit their mistakes or at least make up for them on their next shot. That's what I was doing on the front 9 and it worked well. I disagree with Chubbs when he says, "It's all in the hips". I know that it's truly "all in the head". Next time I'm out there I'm going to keep that same laser focus that I went in on both the front and the back 9's. Maybe that way I'll "KeepItInTheFairway" better and put up some good numbers. Stay tuned to see how it goes.....
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