Accelerating through the line!

 

Adam Sprackling from SingleMindedGolf.com is working with the Gtour to improve the mental side of your game and answers your questions on how to be a stronger player mentaly.

 

Gtour player Bruce Evans asked, Hi Adam, Wondered if you had any advice on this one.

I seem to be able to focus OK on my game when Im in a comp, either at my own course or another. But struggle to get over the line so to speak. As soon as I know its nearly in the bag my game takes a dive. I`ve managed to pull it back to win a few times but a couple of times I`ve let a 2 or 3 hole lead slip. Any advice?.

 

Hi Bruce and hi everyone!

I'm really excited about the opportunity of working with you all to help you get the most from your game.

Great first question Bruce – you’re in the highest company with this question - Greg Norman, Jean Van de Velde, Kenny Perry, Tom Watson…the list goes on! 

To answer it I have to make some assumptions about what happens to you. It sounds like you play your round picking your targets, going for each shot, UNTIL you “know it's nearly in the bag”. At this point your attention turns from your shots to your score and winning. Your mind jumps ahead in time, your body gets filled with excitement about the possibility of winning which turns to nerves when you realise you’re not there yet! Rather than focusing on your targets, you then start playing defensively, focusing on not messing it up. We all know what happens when you think “Don’t MESS IT UP”! Minds don’t do negatives that well! Ever seen what happens when England go ahead and try to protect their score? Am I on the right track here?

The simplest way to tackle this is to take this “in the bag” idea out of the equation and keep going for it, accelerating through the line, just like Usain Bolt is learning to do! In order to keep doing what you were doing for the first 15 holes, you need to remove any trigger that tells you to jump ahead and think about whether it’s in the bag or not, as this is where things go wrong. At Pebble Beach in 2000 Tiger Woods won the US Open by 15 shots. He didn’t do this by wanting to get it “in the bag”. He ONLY wanted to play his very best golf for 72 holes, decimating the competition one shot at a time. Here are some tips to help with this:

  1. To avoid dipping for the line too soon, never aim to win by a small margin – greed is good when it comes to winning, always aim to run away with it! As 100m runners imagine they’re running 150m to keep accelerating through the line, imagine the 18th hole is not the last. Another way to do this is to split your rounds into 3 “rounds” of 6 holes, not 1 round of 18. Your aim with each “round” of six holes is to beat your previous six. This will help you stay focused on your own game for 18 holes and go for it at the end.

  2. During the round, remove your focus from winning – you can’t control whether you win or not. Focus on the thing you can control – this moment, this shot. Use a Think Box and Play Box for every shot. The Think Box is the area behind the ball where you do all your thinking – you check the lie, wind, slope, landing spot, choose your shot and club. This I where to spend your time getting ready. Only leave the Think Box and step up to the Play Box when you clearly see and feel the ball going to the target. The Play Box is where you simply play the shot you have already planned. Most players do this the wrong way around – not much time planning and lots of time thinking over the shot, allowing lots of “what if” thoughts to come in. Having an automatic routine like this for every shot makes the pressure shots MUCH easier.

  3. Trying to positive think away the feelings won’t work! When do you start thinking/feeling differently? How do you know it’s time to do this? As soon as you recognise the shift, what would happen if you let yourself feel those nerves and enjoy the excitement, whilst in your Think Box. Then when you see and feel your shot, step up to the Play Box and play your shot, maintaining your connection to the target?

  4. In your practice, add in pressure to help you get used to it. For example, put bets on practice games with friends and create measured games at the practice ground.

The key, whatever the situation, is to stay present for each shot by seeing and feeling the ball going to the target before, during and after each shot. This will keep you out of your head, and direct your nervous energy into what you want. The more you practise this consciously, the more you know what to do when the excitement is on!

Please let me know how you get on with these ideas.

Cheers,

Adam

 


 Adam has been an inspirational coach and trainer for over 13 years and loves bringing out the best in people. He has a long track record of helping clients to achieve quick, yet long lasting, results in golf, life and business.

Adam took up golf at age 14 and by 16 he played to a good 6 handicap. As his expectations improved, so did his fears and frustrations, leading to his fascination with the power of the mind. He started with a degree in Business and Psychology, but got frustrated with the apparent lack of practical "tools" to create change. Soon after university he became a Master Practitioner and Trainer of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Master Practitioner of Time Line Therapy and Master Hypnotherapist. He passion for the human spirit also led him to become a long term student of Hawaiian Huna and Tai Chi.

He started his career as a trainer and coach in the world of business, helping realise the potential of managers and directors. Loving guiding others to follow their path, he started running NLP certification training in Brighton and coaching private clients to create major life breakthroughs.

At the back of his mind though was his own path and his old love - golf. Adam has since focused single mindedly on coaching golfers to break through their self imposed barriers and truly love their game - and their results. He works with keen amateurs and touring professionals to help them get the very most from their game. His years of experience developing the field has given him an unparalleled ability to diagnose and transform every aspect of the game easily and with a lot of fun!

His guiding principle behind all of his work is to remove any internal battles, resolve any fears and frustrations, and to create the inner belief and congruence it takes to single mindedly commit to every shot.

To reach out to clients who are unable to see Adam personally, in October 2009 Adam released his first complete audio coaching programme, including many of his precision coaching tools - The Single Minded Golf Academy.

Please feel free to ask Adam any questions on how to develop aspects of your own game - you will find his answers generous and genuinely inspiring. You will also find Adam offering daily pearls of guidance on Twitter (AdamSMG).

 


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