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Pro Shop Golf Tips Articles by Jay Perkins, PGA Professional  •ON THE GREEN• Article Five Once you’ve left practice range, focus on game, forget swing parts How many times have you hit the ball great on the practice range, only to go to the course and fall apart? Well take heart, it not only happens to the amateur golfer, but to the pro, as well. Too many times we tend to carry the same mentality and mindset we have at the range to the course. Unfortunately, it doesn't translate to the same successes. On the practice range, you break down the engine to fine tune the parts and hopefully get it ready for the big race, where all that matters is the race. However sometimes we tend to extend that so-called workshop mentality over to the course, where it simply breaks down. The practice range is for fine tuning the parts of the swing, doing drills over and over, thinking about how one part relates to another or trying the latest tip from the golf magazine. Anyway, you get the picture. Playing golf should be just that, playing golf. That is not the time to think about the pieces and parts. It's time to concentrate on the game itself. You should take the whole swing to the course not the parts. There is an old saying amongst good players that goes, "If you didn't bring your swing with you to the course, don't try and find it here.” There is a lot of truth to that saying. Basically what it's saying is trying to fine tune your swing once you're on the playing field is really tough, if not impossible. Even the best players in the world get caught up in this mode sometimes, especially if they have recently seen their swing coach. The day before the tournament their instructor may have helped them on a new swing thought and they practiced it over and over, but unfortunately they just haven't had time to groove it into their swing routine. Now they are on the course in actual playing conditions and something goes awry in their swing and they hit several shots poorly. The next thing that they do is start thinking about the new swing thought. It is only natural to do so. However they must try and get back to the matter at hand, the big picture not the parts. Once they get their mind off the big picture and start thinking bits and pieces they are doomed to disaster. Any tour player or very good amateur player will tell you they have done it from time to time, until one day they learned to focus on the matter at hand. How many times have you heard a player say in a post-tournament interview, “I just concentrated on one hole at a time.” That in itself should tell you something. If they can only concentrate on one hole at a time, then do you think they were thinking about different parts of their swing while playing that hole? I think not. There are 18 holes out there and all he or she could do is think about one hole at a time. Why? Because that is what matters most at that time. The most important thing at that moment is that particular hole, not two or three out in front of them and not swing parts. They can't possibly play those other holes, because they haven't even gotten there yet. They can't think about parts of their swing, because it's the whole swing that matters at that time. Remember, the range is a pristine environment and is not the actual playing conditions you will encounter on the course. It is important when practicing to try and simulate as much of actual course-like conditions as possible. In other words, practice to actual targets. Don't just stand up to the ball at the range and hit into the wide open field in any old direction. Pick an actual target. Try and create situations that you might encounter on the course like obstacles where you have to curve the ball left or right around the obstacle. Hit from different spots each time and use different targets at varying distances. The course presents many types of situations that you will never find on a practice range. If you try and practice as many different types of shots and situations on the practice range as possible, you will be better equipped to handle the majority of what gets thrown at you in an actual round. Golf is so much like life itself. You can do all the training possible for a particular type of job, but in real life, something will always be presented to you that you have never encountered. Is that the time to think about this bit of information or that bit of information? No. What you concentrate on is pulling from experience and instinct and trusting what you have worked on. That is why experience in life counts for something and why people with it get paid more and get the best jobs. Chances are they will tend to look at the big picture not just the little parts and that is what experience teaches. In playing golf you have to deal with the whole not the parts. You deal with the course not the swing on game day. When in the arena there is plenty to deal with without thinking about whether you are starting your weight shift properly, your wrist position at the top or where your right elbow is going in the downswing. From now on, take the whole swing to the course not the parts. Leave the pieces on the range and come back to them another day. You will find you’ll enjoy the round so much more and I'm positive your score will reflect it. If you have any questions regarding this tip or others, please feel free to e-mail me Jay Perkins at jperkins@pga.com. I will be happy to share with you any thought or ideas I have on the swing or your game. Good luck and thanks for visiting us at www.belairgolfcenter.com. Stay balanced and have fun! Harford County resident Jay Perkins is the PGA Professional at Bel Air Golf Center in Kingsville. Read more about Jay Perkins. More articles |
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