Short Game Thoughts

[rulie]

Good players have a very short memory.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

More rubbish today. On Tuesday I went down to the club and did a good 30+ minutes chipping practice, seemed to be finding something that was working. Back on the course this morning, and when it counts my brain just takes over and does something completely different.

Yippy knife through the back on the second hole. Decent chip on the third. On the sixth I had a grassy lie and swiped completely under the ball with 60 - switched to 50 and knifed it miles beyond the hole. Seventh hole I fat a 50 yard pitch short of the green. On the tenth I clipped a nice one but it flew a bit too far. Eleventh, a glorious up and down pitching from the rough on the left. Thirteenth, another duffed pitch. On the seventeenth I hit a superb chip off a slightly downslope, landing it in the perfect spot to release just past the flag, leaving me a nice uphill 5-footer I made for par.

A proper mixed bag, but every time I mess one up my confidence goes back in the bin and I feel like I'm going to yip the next one. Don't think it's any coincidence that the best shot came at the end when there was no remaining chance of a good score so no pressure on. How do you make yourself forget all the bad ones when you need to produce something??

First point is whilst you did a good 30+ minutes overall that’s not enough to bed in all the changes and build your confidence, it’s a good start but it’s just that a start. You need to continue to do that week on week for it to become second nature and not having to actually think about the shot.

Secondly winter golf isn’t the be all and end all, you need to allow yourself to accept there’s gonna be some crap and that sometimes bad shots happen. After a crap shot take a quick positive practice swing of what you meant to do to reinforce the correct feels and move on.

Thirdly as Rulie says above someone with a good short game has a short memory. Put the club in the bag and focus on the next shot, that last one really doesn’t matter it’s in the past. The more you beat yourself up the more bad shots you will hit as you’re literally talking yourself into it.

Lastly that’s gonna be £60 for the lesson