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Golf Academy of America. |
How often do you arrive late at the golf course and race to the first tee without warming up? Do you think that is the way Phil Mickelson prepares for a round of golf? If you hope to play your best, realize that you have to prepare yourself mentally and physically to do so.
To play your best, you have to sustain your concentration for four to four-and-a-half hours. Give yourself a chance to relax and get your mind ready to concentrate on playing your best. I would recommend that you allow yourself about 45 minutes before your tee time to prepare for any important match. Begin by spending 15 minutes or so on the putting green, getting a feel for your putting stroke and building your confidence. Then go to the practice tee. Start by doing some simple stretching exercises to loosen up your muscles. Once you’re loose, start with a wedge or nine iron and begin hitting balls using a three quarter swing. This will allow you to slowly warm up your muscles and to develop some rhythm. Once you’ve found a nice rhythm with that club (6-10 swings), hit three balls with your full swing, paying particular attention to the ball flight. Then, start working your way up through your bag using every other iron (e.g., 9, 7, 5, 3, etc.), continuing to hit three balls with each club using your full swing. After working your way through your irons, go through your metal woods, finishing up with your driver.
You only need to hit about three balls with each club to properly warm up, establish a good rhythm, and determine what kind of swing you’re going to have for the day. Accept the swing you have. Look for consistency of ball flight. Don’t try to correct your swing before your round. When you go to the tee, allow for the ball flight you had on the practice tee. Concentrate on trusting your swing and be willing to accept the outcome of every shot. Focus all your energy on making your next swing the best one you can.
The time to go to the practice tee to work on your mechanics or short-game problems is after your round. At that time, you can reflect on what you liked and didn’t like about your game and work on whatever bothered you. It’s also a good time to recall and try to repeat your best shots of the day to reinforce the feeling and image you had making those swings.
You might not always have time to prepare properly but you need to realize the importance of doing so and commit yourself to doing so every time you have the opportunity. If you do, you’ll improve both overall performance and your consistency.
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