Why is it that until 2010, Tiger Woods always made the shot when he needed it?
This topic has to do with emotions in golf and whether or not they are relevant.
When a player makes a shot and does a fist pump or chest bump, he/she is emotional. When a player spits out of disgust or throws a club after a shot, he/she is emotional. When a player fires the "S" word or gives a fan a high-five, he/she is emotional. What really is going on here? When a player gets emotional on the golf course, he/she is creating a path for memory.
Let's take Tiger Woods pre 2010. Tiger could call upon all the times he made the shot, sank the putt, hit the incredible recovery. He did this through becoming emotional when performing the act. The memory fried into his brain and he could bring it back whenever he wanted. Take a moment and think about where you were or what you were doing at 9.30am on monday, September 10, 2001. If you are like me, you probably don't remember. There were no special emotions attached to that day. Now think about the next day at the same time. That specific time period is fried into everyone's memories because of the amount of emotion attached to it. You probably could recall exact details about that moment.
So if emotions open some of portal to memory, how does it relate to our golf play / practice? I would venture a guess and say it makes more of an impact, but mostly on our negative practice / play. How many times have been SO UPSET after a round of golf that you reacted negatively toward your family or friends? How many times have you thrown a club or wasted shots because of haste to move onto the next hole. Getting this emotional will almost guarantee that you remember every detail about the bad shot, missed putt or poor round. Am I suggesting that you should throw your fist in the air like Tiger and give a big "YES" when you make big shot. Of course, I am! When you create the emotion associated with the POSITIVE action, you will be able to draw upon this later in the round, if need be.
Don't take golf shots for granted, they are hard. When you pull one off, don't be scared to give yourself a big ole pat on the back! Here is a video of some of Tiger's Emotions. Pay attention to his emotions and tell me if he will be able to recall these later on?
So now that you know the importance of emotions in the role of learning (positive or negative), you have a choice as to HOW you react to different situations / shots. When practicing, I would recommend that you introduce some sort of consequence in your training. This is especially important for the more-effecient golf technique. By introducing consequence to each shot, you are sure to get some emotions and attach some meaning to what you are doing. Stop the "drag and hit" method today! Allow yourself to express some feeling when you hit a good shot!
Here are some quick examples of consequence games / drills / ideas:
(1) Create a virtual fairway on the range (make it as tight as your skill level). Your goal is to hit 3 shots in a row to this fairway. If you miss, you start back to zero. Start your routine over after every shot.
(2) Play the star putting drill (FIVE balls in a star pattern at a length that is closely related to your skill level). When you make a putt, you move to the opposite side of the hole. Your goal is to make all five in a row. If you miss you start over. Play with a buddy and put a side bet on who wins 3 Stars first.
(3) Practice on the course. Play a shot on the golf course over water to a tight hole. Pull out your most expensive ball and play for birdie. If the cost of the ball means nothing to you, then simulate a situation such as "I need a birdie to win, or if I knock it where I am looking, I take my wife out for the best dinner ever" - You can make up anything really, but attach some meaning / consequence to the shot.
Once you start practicing with more consequence, with more meaning, it will become easier to become emotional (happy, glad, excited, focused, intense) when pulling off these difficult shots. The entire point is to create a way to remember the good shots when you need to.
Thanks for reading,
Steven
Credits/inspiration: Mark Guadagnoli
Steve,
ReplyDeleteAnother super post.
Do you find it difficult to create the same kind of emotion in practice when competing against someone else? Is it better to do your drills against someone else or against yourself?
JG
Hello John,
ReplyDeleteI think it is very individual. We have kids in my program who love nothing better than beating their buddies (and the entire course knows it too). We also have those who practice alone and create all sort of situations in their head. I guess the key for me is to help a player find what works best for him/her.
Personally, I like hearing the story of when Phil Mickelson won the PGA at Baltursol. He had a tough chip at the 18th, which he made look very easy. Later, he said that he remembered back to situations as a kid, practicing that shot thinking he had to beat Jack Nicklaus or Tom Watson. To be able to recall those moments requires some meaning and emotion (like YES! I pulled it off). So I think a player's mental profile would determine if practicing with others or alone is best.
Either way, I like to see more meaning and consequence attached to the practice shots. In the end, it is easier to get the emotions flowing and memory working.
Steven
Great concepts Steven, I think you're hitting on an area that's been neglected. Golfers in my observation are terrible at practicing, as it's the one sport where most players are uncoached. Personally I like to celebrate my good shots on the course and forget about the bad ones after about 5 seconds of being pissed.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nick, it's really interesting how we learn things and getting your emotions involved will definitely speed the process.
ReplyDeleteHello Steven! Emotions in golf is a area that I think very few golfers is aware of as a importent part of their game. As being a musician(and a golfer) I can relate directly to emotions as a performer and I've been practicing with emotions when learning my instrument and making concert performances. When I practice my instrument I always focus on relaxation, technique and flow and when preparing for a concert performance I focus mostly on flow. This is because I want put my positive emotions in front and my technical thoughts in the back just so I can focus on my feelings. When playing golf I follow that pattern and I'm almost never down after a bad shot or a bad score
ReplyDeleteThanks Jazzman for that post. You are so correct in your approach regarding relaxation, technique and flow. Are there any other tips that might help our readers regarding nerves playing in front of a large group of people? I remember playing the Saxophone as a youngster and getting so nervous that it affected my performance negatively. Do you have any good advice? Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteSteven
Hello! When you are getting nervous the best thing to do, I think, is just to focus on your breathing and the basics and recall a positiv feeling. In golf it might be breathing, G.U.B.B.S and finding that good feeling. It's easier said than done but you do have to practice on this.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jazzman! Breathing is crucial to changing your "state" right? I know when I get very nervous, my breaths get short and are usually up in my chest. By working more on deep breathing, down in my belly, I can physically feel myself calming down. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSteven