How Serious Are You About Your Golf?

Do you honestly want to play more consistently and perform at your best each time you tee it up? Is golf more than just a game with you? Could it be?

It is easy to say 'yes' to these question but quite a different thing to actually take action and do something about it. It is really no different than saying you want to lose weight. Lots of people talk about the need to shed a pound or two but few do much about it. And even if they do take some sort of action, once they see some results and feel better, the temptation is to slip back into old habits and before you know it, they are right back where they started.

I realize that most of us are not trying to qualify for the U.S. Open, but that should not prevent us from trying to be the best we can be on the golf course - Learning to enjoy the game more by playing up to our potential.

Most all of us have heard that comparison between life and golf and it is so true - not just in values such as honesty and respect, but things like patience, temperament, practice and even self control. And I must add to all of this consistency - consistently being patient; consistently controlling your temperament; consistently showing self-control... These are the things that lead to better golf.

What we are talking about here is getting the most out of each golf round each time we play. Are we always going to hit the perfect shot? Of course not... But there is no reason for us not to get the most out of each round based on conditions, and how we are hitting the ball that particular day.

This is the very reason why it is a sound practice to keep a complete record of each hole and what happens to the ball when it lands from virtually any location on that hole. Whether you play a course frequently or not is not the issue. The issue is maintaining a record so that regardless of what is going on, you have a reference point to keep you focused on the round.

There are enough distraction every time we hit that first tee and after every shot depending upon how well we are playing. It is easy to get caught up in what is or just happened. And it can affect you the rest of that hole and beyond. Having an anchor that makes you stop and think a bit about what you are doing is a good practice and can definitely have an effect on your final outcome.

Typically in golf, all of us have more than enough to think about and yet the golf course it self is a fixture. It is our position, the club we are hitting, how well we are stroking the ball, the spin we are generating or not generating, the weather and so on that are the variables. So why not take the "thinking" part of the course out of the equation and just refer to your notes before each hole and each shot? This allows you to keep your focus and stay on plan. It makes you think before each shot regardless of what has just happened. It keeps you on track. It allows you to make good decisions so that you minimize wasted strokes.

How many times have you completed a golf round and talked about the strokes you left out there? How often do you look back and reflect on where you could have improved that round significantly? Well, why not eliminate those wasted strokes and get the most out of every round you play? That is what this is all about.

Keep a record of what you see and have a plan before you hit the course. Start taking control of your game rather than letting the game control you.