The pressure is On. What are your swing Thoughts

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By Carl T

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  • 15 Replies
  1. Carl T

    Carl T
    Little Rock, AR

    Here is the scenario. You hit about 6 or 7 greens a round on average so that means you have to get up and down a lot to shoot a good score. You spend hours on your short game, chipping, pitching, bunker play and putting and you get decent results with the majority of your shots giving you a very makeable putt. But then the round starts with your buddies and you find your self with a short pitch over a bunker to a pin that is about 15 to 20 yards away. You have practiced for hours on this very situation and you get over the ball and like a deer in the head light you tighten up and chunk it right into the bunker. Then I get in the bunker, get out leaving a six footer for bogey and the putt burns the edge and you take a double for your opening round. This is a wake up call and it may or may not repeat it's self for the remainder of the round. I want to hear from my fellow golfers who have been there but were able to thinks about the chip/pitch and clear that bunker and give them selves a chance at making par. What is your thoughts on this common situation ?
  2. Bomber3

    Bomber3
    Lake St Louis, MO

    Military

    Ignore the bumper, water hazard, etc... and just focus on where you want the ball to land on the green.....focus on where you want the ball to land on the green....focus on where you want the ball to land on the green.  Way to often we focus on the hazard and then we tighten up and do just what we didn't want to do.  Focus on the positive result of the ball landing where you want it to.

  3. Todd T

    Todd T
    San Diego, CA

    Military

    Simply put...... Think on something other than GOLF... Maybe a fine cigar or great SD craft beer.

  4. Mike C

    Mike C
    Dallas, TX

    I always try to focus on the spot where I want to land the ball when I am hitting a shot into the green. Just remember that you are hitting a certain distance with the club and that it really all that matters. The fact that there is sand, water, an alligator or just grass between you and the spot where you intend to land the ball is irrelevant. Just pick your landing spot (and I mean be specific, like a pitch mark or blade of grass, swing freely towards that target and hit your distance. Focus on where you want the ball to go and nothing else. Simple, right? It's easy to know what to do but often much harder to actually put it into practice. Good luck!
  5. Michael T

    Michael T
    Winter Garden, FL

    I'm not kidding when i say this.   In my yardage book I keep this picture:

    If I start to over think the shot I just look at this and start laughing.  TENSION GONE!  9-10 times it gets me loose and just let it rip.  I got the idea from another golfer that had a bag tag right below his wedges with a similar photo of the judge. 

    I'm telling you it works!!! 

  6. MMHarmon32

    MMHarmon32
    St Louis, MO

    Military

    Eliminate the negative thoughts about the hazard and focus on the spot you want to land the ball, visualizing the arc the ball will take to fly up and land soft on that spot, then a couple of practice swings FEELING the shot and seeing it before executing.

    I work to control my breathing and release tension with a good long exhale before finally thinking to myself "I got this".

  7. Carl T

    Carl T
    Little Rock, AR

    Thanks for the replies. When I tense up and get "deerish" I do loose my focus. Focusing on a spot you want your ball to land is the key. I just forget to do this when I get in a situation that is uncomfortable. Hopefully this will make these type of situations a no brainer.
  8. Double Bogey

    Double Bogey
    Priceville, AL

    Carl-

    I feel your pain.  I have been there.  The good news is that I have figured out a way for me to get over it.  The posts above are correct, totally focus on trusting the club and your practice and really focus on the landing area.  And by landing area, I mean the size of a ball marker.  The more laser focused the better.  It has helped me on most shots especially those pressure packed ones ie 1st tee, birdie putts, and short sided trouble shots.

    Hope this helps and TRUST IT.

  9. Carl T

    Carl T
    Little Rock, AR

    You are right. Played yesterday and had about a 20 yard chip to the pin. My only thought was to just get on the green somewhere near the pin. Results: a sculled chip that raced across the green and 10 yards from the pin on the other side. This time I focused on a landing area and almost holed it out for par, but an easy tap in for bogey.
  10. Joe D

    Joe D
    Minooka, IL

    Carl I like the phrase SFT SEE IT ,FEEL IT. TRUST IT.I know it was in the movie seven days in Utopia  but after watching the movie I liked the phrase so much I mark my balls with these 3 letters to help remind me to stay focused .

  11. andy r

    andy r
    Cheshire, CT

    Tempo, tempo ,tempo and finish.
  12. joe t

    joe t
    roseville, MI

    My thought when under pressure chipping or pitching is, "keep your height, relax your grip, and swing longer then you think you need to". In the Hole, Birdie Boy
  13. Carl T

    Carl T
    Little Rock, AR

    joe t said:

    My thought when under pressure chipping or pitching is, "keep your height, relax your grip, and swing longer then you think you need to". In the Hole, Birdie Boy
    That is an excellent thought. When we get tense we tighten up, don't get the club up high and get quick on the down swing. My routine now is to pick a spot where I want the ball to land, address the ball and immediately hinge my wrist as the first move. This gets the club up high enough to make a crisp chip. I just have to remember I have a chipping routine and use it. In summary I have a tee box routine, a fairway routine, a chipping/pitching routine and a greenside bunker routine. The chipping routine has been absent from my golf for a long time and I believe that is the cause of the deer in the head light syndrome. Thanks guys !
  14. Edward K

    Edward K
    Wesley Chapel, FL

    Military

    Carl T said:

    Here is the scenario. You hit about 6 or 7 greens a round on average so that means you have to get up and down a lot to shoot a good score. You spend hours on your short game, chipping, pitching, bunker play and putting and you get decent results with the majority of your shots giving you a very makeable putt. But then the round starts with your buddies and you find your self with a short pitch over a bunker to a pin that is about 15 to 20 yards away. You have practiced for hours on this very situation and you get over the ball and like a deer in the head light you tighten up and chunk it right into the bunker. Then I get in the bunker, get out leaving a six footer for bogey and the putt burns the edge and you take a double for your opening round. This is a wake up call and it may or may not repeat it's self for the remainder of the round. I want to hear from my fellow golfers who have been there but were able to thinks about the chip/pitch and clear that bunker and give them selves a chance at making par. What is your thoughts on this common situation ?
    The key is acceleration through the shot, especially with tight lies. And remember, the harder you swing, the more spin you put on the ball. As some of the guys have already mentioned, tension creeps into all of us. Tension and hesitation are, IMO, 100% the reason behind poor shots. As Johnny Miller said, "I've never seen a bad practice swing". Same tempo through the shot!!....
  15. Hotsauce

    Hotsauce
    Georgetown MA

    I recently faced the most pressure I'd ever felt on a golf course.

    Here's my exact scenario-  I'm in the final match of my club's four ball championship. It's one of our majors and there's good money to the winner. To add to it, there's a decent crowd of golf carts containing spectators watching us come down the stretch. We're 2 up with 3 to play and both my opponents stripe good tee shots down the 16th. It's a long par 5 with O.B. right and left. My partner proceeds to sail one O.B. and I just feel a lump form in my throat. Driver is my least favorite club in the quiver and my last tee shot almost found the drink on the previous hole. 3 wood leaves a tricky lay up and I need to make a par at worst to keep up.

    Although I've hit this shot a thousand times, this time when I address the ball I feel faint. My hands start to tremble; now I feel like my arms are following suit. I think- I should back off.  Then my mind argues- what will the gallery think, I don't want my opponents to know I'm nervous... I felt my whole body vibrating at this point. I backed off and put everything in perspective. I remembered, If I miss or make this shot my life will not change. Nobody will even remember it a week and even if we lose the hole, we have two to go. I took a deep breath and said here we go.

    I stepped in, stuck to my routine, and hit the fairway.

    Take a deep breath, put your shot into perspective and swing freely. It's the best way to keep cool under pressure.  

  16. Carl T

    Carl T
    Little Rock, AR

    Josh, I hope you and your partner won. You are right about swinging freely. You cannot guide the ball and have continued success. You just have to trust your swing and let it go and that is really what makes this game so hard. As Yogi said, golf is 90% mental and the other half is physical.

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