Less stress! Less pressure! We are all looking for a life with a little less stress and a little less pressure. So why in the world do we put more on our golf games, and voluntarily!
Understanding our tendencies and avoiding putting ourselves in pressure-filled situations will give us less stress and allow us to succeed more on the golf course.
I’ve maintained a theme so far in these columns this spring where if we put ourselves in a position with less stress, we’ll see better results. This stuff is so easy. You don’t need to mess around with your swing; just play the game better, and you will see better results.
So far, we have reviewed the importance of taking more club to hit the ball the desired distance. We have talked about the importance of understanding ball flight when driving the ball and playing the shot that supports the shape of a flight. And finally, we’ve discussed the importance of making sure we have the right clubs in our bags and what to look for when filling in performance needs.
This week, let’s talk about how you can put too much pressure on yourself when you aim for the flag and where to really aim when trying to putt the ball on the green.
Far too often, golfers aim at the pin as the target and, by doing so, put more pressure themselves. The flag should not always be your target. The open part of the green should be your target.
For example, when the flag is located on the right side of the green and you miss your shot to the right, you leave yourself with a pitch shot from the short side. That means you’ve left yourself on the side of the green with less room to land the ball between you and the pin. It leaves you with a pitch shot that requires a higher, softer shot with less roll and higher level of skill to perform. More pressure, more stress.
If your ball flight is left to right, aim at the left side of the green and bring the ball back to the center, and vice versa if your ball flight is right to left.
Another example is when the flag is located toward the front of the green. We know most golfers don’t pick enough club to fly the ball the correct distance to begin with, and now if you aim at the flag when it’s located up front, you are basically ensuring that you leave yourself short of the green and increasing the stress on your game with a chip or a pitch.
The goal of golf is to have a fun and enjoyable round. During your next round, aim at the open space on the green or the middle of the green. You will find yourself with more chances at birdie or par. That’s the kind of stress you want.
Peter Harris is the director of Golf at the Fore-U Golf Center in West Lebanon. His column appears weekly in the Recreation page during the golf season.