How to master the most mentally challenging part of golf.
Watching Tiger Woods prepare to drain that 15-foot birdie putt to force an 18-hole playoff with Rocco Mediate in the 2008 U.S. Open, you had to wonder what was going through his mind. Can you imagine putting yourself in his shoes? Or inside his head?
To paraphrase Bobby Jones: All putts are five and a half inches—the space between your ears. It’s easily the most mentally challenging part of the game. The tendencies are to think too much about mechanics or worry about what happens if you leave it short or bomb it by the hole. Other common issues include doubting the line or speed of the putt and saying things like, “Don’t pull it.”
These mental tendencies lead to feelings of fear and doubt that show up in the body as muscle tension, especially in the jaw, shoulders, arms and hands. Having good “feel” is important, but a busy mind and a tense body will almost always interfere with your ability to make a good stroke.
Good putters know how to get out of their own way and allow their own natural abilities to come through. They have developed a high level of confidence in their stroke. They also tend to rely on intuition and, therefore, are much less analytical and mechanical.
What can you do to develop these skills?
First, it’s crucial to be in the present moment and focus only on the putt you’re about to stroke. Being “in the zone” is a natural state that occurs when the mind and body are synchronized. The body is always in the present and responding to whatever the mind is doing. The mind can be thinking about that last missed putt or worrying about making double-bogey, which will negatively affect your body. Taking a deep breath and noticing what is happening in your body will bring your mind into the present and synchronize the two.
Second, focus on the process, not the outcome. Joseph Parent, author of Zen Putting, talks about the difference between making putts and holing putts. He believes you should focus on the execution, not just on the outcome. You can control elements such as the line, speed and quality of contact and stroke, and yet the ball still may not go in. If you stay committed to a consistent process, the results will naturally follow.
Bobby Locke, one of golf’s greatest putters, said, “Approaching a putt with doubt in your mind is nearly always fatal.” Having 100-percent commitment to the decisions you make about line and speed prior to setting up at address is one of the most effective ways to eliminate doubt. Once you are over the ball, your mind should be calm and focused. This feeling of commitment leads to a greater sense of intuition and self-trust as well. The more you learn to trust your intuition, the better your intuition becomes.
Try some of these tips to improve your putting:
• Use visualization. During your pre-shot routine, see the ball going into the hole and notice how it feels. Your body will likely relax and allow you to make a smooth stroke that is free of muscle tension.
• Adjust your expectations. Remember that the average PGA pro holes fewer than half the putts he attempts from eight feet or more.
• Scan your body to notice areas of muscle ten- sion, and breathe deeply. Exhale to release excessive muscle tension and grip pressure prior to your putt.
• Increase your intuition. Try looking at the hole while taking your practice strokes. Your optic nerve takes in information about the distance and sends that data to your brain, which then directs your muscles to act accordingly.
• Practice! Repetition breeds muscle memory and confidence.
By Denise McGuire
Denise McGuire, Ph.D., founder of Get In the Zone, uses mind-body techniques to train golfers of all levels. Contact her at denise@getinthezone.net or 303-902-5008.