“I always make a bogey or worse on this
hole”. “I hate the way this hole is laid
out”. “I always play terribly on this
course”. These are but a few of the hundreds
of comments that I have heard from players
with whom I’ve worked as they speak about
particular golf holes or golf courses.
It can sometimes be difficult to get out of
one’s head the past failures and struggles on
a particular hole or at a particular course.
How can you improve on those holes or courses
that have historically been a challenge?
There may be some benefit to making sure that
the course management strategies utilized for
the hole are a good fit for your game. It is
astounding to me how many players hit the
same type of shot over and over again on
certain holes despite having had little
success with their strategy. Once those
adjustments are made (if necessary) then it’s
back to the thinking about the task at hand.
Past hole “troubles” is just one form of
outcome thinking. If you’re thinking about
how you played previously, and you fear how
you might play it the next time, you’re
thinking about result or outcome. Shifting
your attention to what the shot requires –
“Ok, I’ll hit a driver toward that chimney
in the distance so that the ball ends up on
the right side of the fairway”- may fill your
mind in such a way as to overcome the
negative thoughts and pictures from previous
trials in that circumstance. It can be
helpful to remember similar golf shots
(drivers hit to particular targets) that will
fill your mind with positive pictures of
having been successful with these types of
shots.
Another thing to keep in mind is that our
past does not have to repeat itself. In
other words, simply because you have not had
success on a particular hole or at a
particular course previously, this does not
have to have anything to do with playing that
hole (or course) today. What challenges most
players in this situation is not the hole
itself, but the memories of playing poorly
historically. Recognize that this is nothing
more than your own thinking- which you are
generating in your own head!
Every shot, every hole, and every round of
golf is an opportunity to produce something
new. Pay attention to the prospect of
creating something positive and productive
and give less “power” to the thoughts and
pictures of your previous misfortunes!
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