How to play golf with more consistency

This part is the most fun. I believe that many golfers can skip week 3 and move straight into the good stuff. If you’ve been playing golf for any length of time, the chances are that you already have a decent swing…you just need to be shown how to unlock it more of the time.

If you’ve read this far you’ll know by now that the secret to a better game is learning to make it more natural and automatic. Conscious control is a swing wrecker! You have no chance of playing to your full potential if you continually try and manually control your swing. You need to learn to hit the automatic pilot button, and enjoy what comes out.

Let me tell you more.

The hardest thing about playing great golf is learning to take your game from the practice fairway and out on to the golf course. Most golfers hit the ball well in practice but struggle when they get to the golf course. The pressure and extra stress of the golf course is enough to tip many golfers over the edge.

Great players are able to manage their game. They can perform well despite feeling nervous and extra pressure. Mastery enables you to play even better when you’re under the pump and everything is riding on it. I believe this to be the most important skill in golf…far more important than a perfect swing, high-tech clubs or a positive attitude. When you reach mastery, and you will, golf becomes much more fun and is full of nice surprises.

Becoming a master:

Let me share with you a strategy for automating your game every time. This technique is simple, but will have a profound influence on your game if you give it a chance to work.

Playing golf automatically is no different from driving a car or riding a bike, two skills that we do automatically without a problem in the world. Golfers like to think too much about their swing when they play…if they could let their mind be free for the duration of the swing, a new world of possibilities would open up.

So…instead of thinking about technique, score or results, golfers would be better if they thought about something else during the swing. I bet you don’t think about the mechanics of cycling when you’re out riding your bike? Learn to let go and you’ll naturally slip into the automatic zone…and experience moments of peak performance on a consistent basis.

The process:

When you’re hitting the ball you want to think about something that does not relate to your golf game. I recommend counting…once you work out what club you want to hit (the thinking part) start counting. Continue to count as you move into your set up and start your swing. The idea is to lose your conscious mind in the act of counting (or anything that you find interesting) and let your subconscious take over and hit the ball. This works in the same way that you listen to the radio when you drive a car or talk to someone while you’re out running. Your conscious mind is busy and your subconscious is free to do the rest.

You need to force yourself from thinking about the swing when you hit the ball. Trying to swing slowly or shift your weight will not work. This is manual control and almost always leads to disaster. Golfers have become so accustomed to this that they don’t realise that there is an easier and better way. Give it a go…you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.