Better Self Management
The basic, underlying thought to getting better at a sport is to know where you're going and how you're going to get there. Everybody knows you have to have good swing technique and sound fundamentals to execute the golf shots needed to score well. In golf, improvement often means better self management.
You need to understand what you are trying to achieve before you swing a golf club. Jack Nicklaus played with a crystal clear idea of his intent on every shot. He thought his way around a golf course with every shot. He thought through every shot before he even got to the golf course and envisioned every shot (including those on the practice range) before he hit it. He is probably history's most disciplined golfer. Tiger Woods patterned himself after Jack Nicklaus. Here is a selection of the key factors contributing to the making of a golf champion. They originate in Nicklaus' great book, Jack Nicklaus' Playing Lessons (with Ken Bowden, Pocket Books, 1976). Contents - Key Factors of Better Self Management:
Factors to Consider: Two things motivated Jack Nicklaus to improve: failure and desire for self-improvement. By failure he meant not living up to what he considered to be his capabilities or the standards he set for himself. As you might expect, Jack was not easily satisfied. He set high standards and drove himself hard to achieve them. When he achieved one set of standards, he set new goals and tried to achieve those. More than anything else, his standards are what he attributed to the success he achieved. Despite winning 20 major championships, he was satisfied with the way he won those tournaments on only about half of them. In many cases, he considered that he didn't really win; what really happened was that he "...failed a little less than the other people who had a chance to win." So what motivated Jack was to go back and fix the mistakes he made in those victories that might have caused him not to win. Jack's focus on better self management was based on an internal assessment of what caused his mistakes and a burning desire to eliminate them. Another telling quotation highlights the drive to improve: "There never has been a round -- much less a tournament -- that has absolutely, totally, 100 percent satisfied me personally. And that motivates me. Golf is no different from any other worthwhile effort, the more you put in, the more you'll get out. Confidence is the most important single factor in being successful. Confidence in your technique -- your ability to make the shots needed in any given situation -- comes from practice. Your experience in practice will convince yourself that you can make the shots needed to be a winner. The more success you have making the shots you envision, the better tactical and strategic decisions you will make under game situations. If you play with confidence, you play with the conviction that you: a) have made the right decision (club, ball flight, strategy), and; b) have the skills built from experience and past success to execute the shot successfully. That confidence comes from practice. Winning golfers have a plan for every shot on every hole and are convinced their plan will, if executed properly, produce the desired result. As Nicklaus says, if you fail to have a plan before you step up to the tee that allows you....."to map out your easiest and safest route from tee to cup, you will always -- repeat, always score worse than you swing." Combating pressure is a big part of your ability to reach your goals at any level. When you want something badly, you will inevitably feel pressure or nervousness. You feel your body change. Muscles tighten, heart beat quickens, breathing patterns change, palms sweat -- there are many physiological and mental forces that come into play. This is golf's inner game of better self management. Maybe the toughest part of the game. Jack Nicklaus experienced as much pressure (maybe more pressure ) as any player in golf. Some of his keys for dealing with pressure are listed here:
The most important shot in a round of golf is the first drive on the first tee. The first shot sets the mood for the round. Getting off to a good start is a huge plus for your confidence. Conversely a bad shot hurts your confidence and forces a defensive mindset. Your next shot is a recovery and you are immediately trying to make up lost ground to the course and your opponent. Having a driving strategy is essential for a good round. By being extra deliberate while setting up on the tee, you minimize the chance of an involuntary urge to hurry creeping into your shot. Plan the tee shot, take your setup, focus on your tempo, complete your back swing and release your swing without tension. Analyze, plan and concentrate on a specific target. The objective of your drive is to land the ball in the part of the fairway that leaves the easiest possible second shot. Four conditions determine that "easiest second shot" position:
Work these factors into your driving decision, set yourself and go. Nicklaus was famous for leaving the game behind after the round was over. He took breaks from the game. Apart from being the most disciplined player and practicer of his era, Jack was just as serious about making time for himself away from the course. He very much believed in Walter Hagen's line, "Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers along the way." This philosophy also applied to time on the course during a round. A round is 4.5 to 5.5 hours long. During that time, you're probably actually golfing for about 1 hour, or a quarter of the time. The rest is walking between shots, between holes and waiting on the tee or for the foursome ahead to hit their shots. That time, in Nicklaus' view should be used to take your mind away from the game. Give you and your mind a chance to relax and enjoy your surroundings. After all, golf courses are some of the most beautiful surroundings we can experience, so why not enjoy that time. Your frame of mind will improve, the more relaxed you are. This approach feeds on itself. Take things easier, take bad luck and good luck the same and you will be more successful overall because life's changes are less likely to throw you. Learn to roll with the punches, adjust your expectations and you will more often let yourself play to your abilities. Keep a positive attitude, golf is too complex and unpredictable a game to expect good results all the time. Enjoy its challenges and relish the experience. Whatever happens, if you enjoy the process of playing you'll do better than if you constantly stressed over the game's consequences. Nicklaus used to say that in winning as many majors as he did, he cannot say he "won" them all. Rather, he says that, " he failed less than most of his competitors." Always realize that golf is not about being perfect at all times, but giving your best effort on every shot is a key to victory. Mistakes are going to happen, it is how you react emotionally to your errors that matters. Getting angry and giving free reign to your emotions is probably your least productive reaction. Again, containing your emotions plays to the theme of better self management. To overcome your mistakes, put them out of your mind as fast as you can. Focus your mind on the now by concentrating on what you must do to make the next shot. By staying calm and clearly dealing with your current challenge of what you now must do with the ball and how you are going to hit it, you develop a much more useful habit to deal with recovering your game. Nicklaus had a ten-point plan to winning golf:
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