Here’s a golf routine you should try.
Golfers typically take too long to play, and the more time you take, generally the worse you’ll do. You end up thinking too much and before you know it, you’ve worked out 17 different ways to muck up the shot and completely have forgotten your main goal. This happens so often, that I bet many golfers aren’t even aware of it.
Here’s an alternative.
Instead of taking your time, I want you to play fast. Really fast. Essentially, all you’ll be doing is looking at the target, choosing a club and then quickly walk in and hit the ball.
It seems easy, but it may take you a while to get comfortable. But I promise it will work a treat. Here’s why.
– because your first look will take in around 90% of all you need to see. The last 10% is rarely that useful anyway.
– it will force you to trust your system. Instead of hatching and wasting time, you’ll look and react. This is pure subconscious play and way better than most of the analysis you’re doing now.
– you’ll be forced to focus on what you want. Instead of looking at the trouble your mind will be focused on what you do want – the target. This is all positive thinking really is and it’s so much more simple than a lot of the mental mumbo jumbo found in self-improvement books.
– you’ll become uncluttered. You won’t have time for stuffing around, worrying and getting overly nervous. When has lots of information really helped anyway?
This is a form of speed golf and I encourage you to give it a go. Be brave and try it the next time out. I reckon it may just unlock a new found freedom that has been hiding from you. I know some will be hesitant, thinking their golf is too important to play like this – but this is exactly the person this is aimed for.
Give it a go and report back here with your findings.
End note: This is sort of how you play on the practice fairway. After a few balls you get sick and tired of all the analysis & thinking and start hitting. You start going through your own version of rapid fire and for many the results are better than good. When you get to the golf course you lose the flow and start the thinking mindset all over again…
17 Comments
James Smith
March 2, 2013Great advice, Cam. You may want to point out that playing quickly doesn’t mean swinging quickly. One of the best bits of advice you’ve given me is to not conciously set the pace of my swing, but to let my swing tempo find me.
Cameron
March 2, 2013James: yes I should have – it certainly doesn’t mean you should rush your golf swing and go too quick with it. Just need to find a fast pace for your routine and then stick with it for a round or two – this will definitely give you a breakthrough or two. Then, just maybe, you (the golfer) may stick with this routine for good.
I just saw a tiny bit of golf on the TV – it was the European Tour, played in South Africa – the guy leading the tournament had a 12 foot birdie putt – if he didn’t take 60 – 70 seconds to hit the putt then I can’t count. It was so tedious to watch. He stuffed about, fidgeted, looked at the target a heap of times, took practice strokes, looked at the line again, moved his feet, waggled his club and then left the putt short. What a waste. This kind of thing is one of the biggest issues in the game and needs to be stamped out.
I ended up turning the TV off and wrote the above article.
Grayden Provis
March 2, 2013Go to Christopher Smith’s golf page (world speed golf champion) and click on the article “Breaking 100 / 90 / 80 / 70” for more on this important topic. “Hatching” as Cam calls it would have to be the root of (nearly) all the golfing evils.
Cameron
March 3, 2013I was trying to fing the link to the Speed Golf article I wrote a while back and couldn’t find it – need to fix my search function 🙁
Troy Vayanos
March 3, 2013Good advice Cameron,
I see a number of C / D grade golfers every weekend that should be practising this strategy. It makes a lot of sense and can benefit golfers of all levels.
Cheers
Cameron
March 3, 2013I reckon the A graders are a worse lot – they overrate their own level and think they should be playing on the PGA Tour.
Cam280
March 3, 2013I was trying to play like this the other day but the group in front just wouldn’t let us through, so instead of becoming drowned rats we pulled the plug and walked off, it was supposed to be our first round of the club champs but it was cancelled. Seriously we would get to the Tee as the group in front was just walking off ignoring us, they were 2 greens behind the group in front of them. I was tempted to just hit up on them.
Cameron
March 3, 2013The routine should work no matter how slow the group in front is. I know it’s annoying to be stuck behind a slow group, but you’ve gotta learn to not let it get to you.
Grayden Provis
March 3, 2013“The routine should work no matter how slow the group in front is”
Exactly. The “speed” is between deciding what you’re going to do and doing it. If you find yourself standing around between shots waiting for the mob in front take the opportunity to have a chat with your companions. But when its your turn to play execute without hesitation.
cam280
March 3, 2013What oh? furry muff
Lukey
March 3, 2013Funny I was tempted to try something like this but feared I would just be rushing it
Cheers Lukey
Cameron
March 3, 2013Lukey – you’ve got to ignore the fear and really start playing how you want. The fear is a sign that you’re going in the right direction anyway…
cam280
March 4, 2013Q) Does the ball fly further in wet conditions, because I was air mailing greens the other day.
Cameron
March 5, 2013It can fly further. Sometimes water gets between the ball and clubface and this produces a flyer. You can lose control and the ball can go all over the place – a bit like how a F1 car loses the plot in the wet when racing on slicks…
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