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On Course with Rob Bernard

Walking the range one day this week I happened upon a friend of mine who was really struggling with consistency. One shot would be good followed by three or four misses - you could actually see the tension and frustration building.

“What am I doing wrong ?” he asked.

“You’re working too hard,” I said, “stop trying so hard and just swing the club.”

Usually this response gets a laugh or an inquisitive “I don’t understand”, but our conversation turned to his practice habits.

”You’re so focussed on trying to make something happen that your brain is confusing your muscles, causing tension,” I explained. “When you focus on the action of swinging and not on the outcome, the harder you try, the worse it gets.”

“I wish I could hit it with my practice swing,” he said. “Why do I have a smooth effortless practice swing and then make a totally different swing at the ball, when it’s my turn to play?”

“That’s easy, you have no expectations of success or failure when you make a practice swing, so you don’t “try” to swing. When you step over the ball, that’s another story. Your expectation for success, or failure, and the anxiety the golf ball adds, causes tension and you “try” to execute a perfect swing rather than focussing on your target, and your result is normally less than perfect.”
So, how can golfers get out of the “try” mode and into the “play zone” ? The first thing you must do is separate “play” from “practice” and then learn to practice effectively, in order to build confidence. The dictionary defines “practice”, as it relates to golf, as doing or performing a task repeatedly in order to acquire or polish a skill. In order to acquire the skill you need the right information on how to execute and understand the motion, then repeat the motion until it becomes effortless. I find, as a teacher, that if I can get a student to work on the swing motion with short clubs, to a short target, their success comes quickly and this repeated success breeds confidence.

I often relate learning the golf swing with learning to type. You can’t learn the correct typing techniques trying to type 100 words per minute, just as you cannot learn to swing the golf club properly at 100 miles per hour. The problem is, nobody wants to work with short clubs on the range. Everyone seems to want to hit the driver as far as they can. That can be fun too, but bad swing habits form quickly with that approach. Find a 50-yard target and work on your swing motion. Assess your grip, posture, alignment, tempo, and finish position. Always hold your finish position until the ball comes to rest; focus on your target and the outcome of the shot. You will be surprised how easy it will become to execute the golf swing without “trying” hard, and the quick success you enjoy will help build your confidence. The more that you work with your short clubs, the more confidence you will develop and this will carry on throughout your entire set.

In order to really “feel” what’s happening in your golf swing, try closing your eyes during your practice swings. Very quickly, you will become aware of the position of your golf club throughout your swing, where your balance is on your feet and your tempo. Repeating this exercise will greatly improve all of these areas and keep your swing smooth and in balance.

Always remember to practice with a purpose and keep it on course.

Rob Bernard is head pro at Belvedere Golf & CC,
Charlottetown, PEI

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