How do you want to play the game? Do you want to be the aggressive golfer who goes for everything? If so make sure that your acceptance levels are high as you’re going to leave yourself short-sided a lot of the time and there will be a lot of pressure on your chipping? And start to understand that, by leaving yourself some hard chips, you're not going to be chipping it close so you have a lot of 8-15 foot putts. On the upside you should have a lot of birdie opportunities too.

Or do you look at it and think that approach is a bit stressful and you'd prefer a more steady game? If so, spend a bit of time with the wedges? If you’re a plodder and you're missing it in the right spots, then you should be chipping it closer so get really good from six feet and in.

Some of this comes down to skill but also self-discipline and how much you want to re-invent that self image. If you want to go for everything but only drive it 250 yards then there will be certain limitations with that. But we all want some level of excitement and fulfilment from playing and we want to be in the mix, in competitions or playing with our mates, so we need to find the best way of achieving this. 

We hear this a lot but there is more than one way to get into that position. Look at Zach Johnson who has won two Majors and has really maximised his potential with a deadly wedge game. Similarly Phil Mickelson, who also has a spectacular short game, plays the sport in a very different way but they have both maximised the way that they play the game. 

Identify which way you want to do it and then get really good at it. If you finish across the line first, then there's there’s your icing on the cake. If you don't, at least you will have felt alive.

Our personalities drive a lot of this. If we're satisfied doing things safely, then keep doing it. If not, then have a bit of a rip at it. Look at it that way rather than at least I’m not messing up – that’s the slight divide to trying to play great and playing to not play bad.

Tour pros have great clarity at what they’re good at and what they’re not so good at. They play to their strengths on the course and their decision making when to play a certain shot is a little bit sharper than the plus-handicap player at your club.

That’s down to them playing more regularly but being smart with your decision making is a collection of different areas in terms of distance control, knowing when to go for something or when to take your foot off the gas. We play the game every week but how many of us have anything written down about how far each club goes? 

It’s about not playing golf with a bit of an ego and going for the par 5s in two – often you don’t need to go for shots and you should always play the golf that’s going to give you the best opportunity of scoring well.

People label it boring but 10 feet and in on the greens is a great stat and often it's this sort of gain that's going to really help you. I did this with one of my players last year and we worked out that if he was one shot better every round then, over five starts on the DP World Tour, he would have earned just under £2m more. 

As golfers we can let some things get in the way of a great round that really shouldn't be playing any part in our day. In golf, unlike other sports, we don't have a half-time break but we do have a halfway house where we can overthink what's just gone on before and what's still to come.

What tends to happen on a Saturday medal is that everybody stops and has a bacon sandwich and a coffee, we will add up our scores and that creates an opportunity to analyse what we did on the front nine and to try and predict what we need to do on the back nine.

It doesn’t really matter which of these places we’re in, as they’re both pretty meaningless. We either go back to the past and we pull up memories of what we did and didn’t do well and then we flick to the future and we tell ourselves where we can pick up a shot or two. 

This all happens at the highest level as well and, if that starts to happen and we forget about the present, where we perform your best, then we will go to the 10th tee with all these expectations. They then can create tension and anxiety and all these unnecessary conversations with ourselves, when all we want to do is hit a simple golf shot.

Using our time better at the halfway house is essential. It’s just a pause in performance. Lots of us seem to think that the shot that we hit from the 10th tee will determine how the back nine will unfold. On the 1st tee, of all the things that are running through our heads, at least we will have an open mind. On the 10th tee we will have more of a closed mind as we have some pretty immediate memories and we will have also told ourselves what we have to do on the back nine. 

And with these expectations the potential for disappointment also goes up. The tee shot on the 10th might not have been that bad, and it’s just one shot among many, but we will have put too much importance on it, a bit like the 1st tee.

We just need to do our job, make a quality decision, commit and accept any outcome. We don't need to put a tagline on it like it has to be really good.

If we’re going to use our time well, other than enjoying some food and a good chat, ask yourself two very simple questions.

What one thing did we do well on the front nine? And what would we like to do well on the back nine, just in terms of process? So it might be something like committing to more shots or talking more to our playing partners.

There's no need to add our scores up after nine holes. Tour pros won’t mention it and there’s no acknowledgment of it at the turn. It’s a game of 18 holes and you don’t get bonus points for a good front nine. We might worry what people will think of us if we ask not to be told our score after nine holes, we don't want to stand out and look a bit serious, but there's no issue with it and you’re not causing anyone any offence. 

I shared this with one of my players on tour recently. We get so wrapped up in what’s bad that we lose sight that one day we will have our last game, and we don’t know when that’s coming, and we should always remember this. We’re out on a golf course and the absolute key is to get the enjoyment factor up. And the bonus is that you might have played OK.

We are all playing because we’ve chosen to do it, whether we’re doing it for a living or not. There’s a bigger picture than the score and that’s forgotten about a lot. 

This is an area of the game where we can all make at least some small improvements. A tour player goes from a different course to another different course and they have 2-3 days to prep. Some will have played the courses plenty of times, and will have their notes and course planners, whereas a club golfer will pretty much play all their competitions at their home course.

But do we have a plan for how to play it the best? Probably not. We probably go out and make the same number of errors over and over, like hitting a driver off the same tee and getting into the same bad spots 90 per cent of the time or misreading how a putt rolls.

One thing that we all have in common, as club golfers, is that we all want to reduce our handicaps and play well in competitions. So we want to do the little things that will help us lower our scores. 

One way is to just sit down at home and simply think about the tee shot and approach shot – what does a good shot look like for each? What is the best area to put it in? Is 200 yards off the 3rd tee a good place to hit it or is a lay-up always the better option on a tempting short par 4 or reachable par 5? If you know that you can wedge it in nine times out of 10, and you will at least par it, then is that better than bringing in lots of double-bogeys?

By having a simple strategy it will take about 10 minutes to write this down and then see if you can play to it and see, over the course of the next five rounds, if it has helped you? And, if it hasn’t, what hasn’t worked? We are playing the same course over and over so we can definitely become better at our strategy.

By making poor decisions and attacking at the wrong time will hinder all of us, at any level. At an Open there is generally a worse side to miss so managing your way around the course better is huge. If there is a water hazard short of the green and nothing bad particularly long, why are you even looking at front half of the green where a slight mishit or a gust of wind could see us end up getting wet?

Managing ourselves around a course, before we get to the course, is a big way of lowering those scores and at least thinking about the smart side of the fairway and smart side of the green is a great start.

Club golfers can be poor at laying up and we won’t look forward to the shot as we won’t have practised from where that next shot is going to be played from. Whereas tour players are fantastic at this part of the game. One player I work with loves having 63 yards in, 84 is another so they will always lay up to that number as that is the number that they are most comfortable. If they can’t lay up to that number then there will be other numbers and the difference is that they will be very clear on what’s going to happen next as they will have practised it regularly. They are dialled in and will be ready for different conditions, climates and grasses.

We all play the same course over and over but how many of us have a favourite distance in? A lay up will often set up a birdie opportunity rather being seen as a negative. It might be laying up to the widest part of the fairway or from the best angle in. There’s really no excuse for laying up just short of a fairway bunker or water hazard and then knocking it in there.

When you next go to the range use 10 of your 50 balls to find out the number that you’re comfortable with and work out how that feels with different wedges. Give yourself the opportunity to feel comfortable in that scenario.

We all think that we have a bogey hole but, equally, we all have a favourite hole and both of those are led by the same thing, memories. A player’s birdie hole is based on the past and a player’s bogey hole didn’t start off as their bogey hole. They’ve just got some bad memories of some poor shots.

So we want to turn it into a hole that we almost look forward to playing and hopefully have some better results on. Let’s analyse why we’ve played it badly, not in terms of outcome but how are we approaching the hole? What is our mental state on the tee that we’re hooking it out of bounds all time?

Are we engaged in where we want to hit it and are we at least giving ourselves the opportunity to hit a good shot? Is the walk from the previous green one where we are starting the story early on because, if that’s the case, then we need to write a different story. Make our next round the one where we are going to commit to our targets.

Golfers have been emptying clubhouses for decades by talking about how they’ve just played, in great detail and at great length. One thing that is for certain is that it should be limited – sometimes we like our stories more than others do. Also, a lot of the time our stories can be quite unhelpful, especially if you’re the person who comes in moaning that you’ve just shot a 75 and that it should have been a 70.

Number one, nobody is that interested in your golf even though you are. Number two, we are telling ourselves that it wasn’t good enough and the stories that we tell ourselves can be quite detrimental. We talk about the shots that we missed or the bad bounces that we got rather than what went well. That is probably not just a golf thing, we do it in everyday life and focus on what went badly on a certain day rather than the good stuff.

We have to limit what we talk about as people really aren’t that bothered and we don’t want to be the person who, when we leave the room, everybody else breathes a big sigh of relief that we’ve gone. 

If someone asks how we’ve got on, that’s exactly what they mean. We can put a full stop after our score. If the human instinct wants to kick in and make a comment, then do so. We can explain that it was fun or tough but don’t linger on this as people’s attentions are quite short anyway and particularly after a Saturday medal. 

It doesn’t have to be boring and we can have a bit of fun with it. Others will only hear what we say to them but we hear everything that we say to them and to ourselves. We’ve got to be really careful with that self-talk and we have the option to give an example of a knifed chip that’s gone out of bounds or, probably more helpful, we can relate to a great bunker shot at the 18th. 

We do have that choice, for me it would be more beneficial to share the upbeat one. It’s not about shying away from the poor shots, you can address that with a lesson, but by just repeating the story of the poor shot it will just continue internally.

Generally speaking our B game will probably show itself the most, our A game will occasionally show its face if you’re lucky and our C game might also be quite common if we’ve been struggling. So, if we are in the bar in the clubhouse, we are going to be surrounded by people who will be telling one another that we’ve left a few shots out there. We’re all thinking similar stuff but we don’t have to externalise it.

If we do make a great birdie at the Stroke Index 1 hole, how do we stop ourselves telling others when we know that all that we want to do is to show off a bit? We could go silent and sit there and say nothing which is a bit weird or we could ask other people a question about their game. Now we are replacing a potentially unhelpful action with a helpful one, ask your mates about their game. A lot of us ask a question with the sole purpose of getting the same question back but you need to limit that. 

A helpful tip is to draw a line under what we’ve done when you’re sticking your clubs in the boot of the car or when we’re changing our shoes. Tell ourselves that we’re done and just go and chew the fat and ask different questions and, if we can do that on a repeated basis, then that will become a habit and it will become the norm.

We all want to be the cool one who doesn’t talk about our own game and shoot some good numbers and enjoy a nice pint after the round. But a lot of us want to extend the suffering and talk about the last few hours and we really struggle to draw a line under any of it. 

I say this to the top players; what you do and who you are are two separate things. We’ve just played golf but that’s not our identity as a person so we don’t have to take that identity into the clubhouse. Don’t bring it into the bar and have some self-disciple with it.

And, if we do, then talk about the good stuff. It’s OK to say that we loved being out there and, not nearly often enough, are we surrounded by people like this but it can have a great impact on those around us.

It is seen as a bad look to lose your temper on the golf course but it is more important to let it out, ideally in a helpful way. To say to someone to not lose your temper or don’t do this or don’t do that, all you’re doing is delaying the inevitable. Everyone is individual and responds differently and that has to be understood. Some are going to erupt at some point but you’ve just got to make sure that you’re channelling it in a helpful manner.

Some players let their anger out in an explosive fashion and, as soon as they’ve done it, it’s gone. It happens in loads of sports, it happens in life, just don’t project it onto something or someone that it didn’t need to be.

Your caddie is the only person out there with a player at the top level so occasionally a player will take it out on them. It’s a bad look but, if you can get away from how it looks to other people and appreciate that it’s helping you as a player, then that’s a better perspective to have. It’s a fine line between it not looking good and it impacting other people and other people’s performances.

More often than not it will come out when you’re not expecting it. You don’t know when a good shot or poor shot is going to come. So sometimes the eruption can come at a random time but it will likely be a build-up of the last few holes or days or even months. And you need to get that energy out.

We all have a good idea of which players erupt and we have an idea of which players who we think don’t get too flustered by things. There’s no right or wrong to be but there is a helpful way to be rather than an unhelpful way.

If you look at someone like Tyrrell Hatton his temper does work for him. You would be clipping his wings trying to get him not to get frustrated, he’s one of the world’s best golfers and his behaviour is part of that. He channels that in a helpful way.

Are we here to be perfect? Far from it. Are we machines? Far from it. Are we human beings? Yes. Do we want to be consistent and do things better? Yes. But sometimes we don’t embrace who we are and we try and fit ourselves around a certain mould rather than this is who I am.

There is always a deeper root to the surface action that somebody shows so a club throw, slam into the bag, bad language or whatever, all of that is just on the surface. To get to the root cause is more interesting to me.

It is like when a child throws something and has a bit of a tantrum, then everyone tells them off and says that they can’t do that. I wouldn’t be too bothered about that, I would be more interested in where it’s coming from and why is that now coming to the surface?

I will work with players a lot on this side of the game and how to have better relationships with certain emotions and feelings like anger and aggression. They are part of sport and life. We need a form of aggression in all sports, some more than others like contact sports, but it’s still about having a good relationship with it and not allowing the anger to control us. 

When it doesn’t work for us we will hold on to that anger and it will play a part in our next shot and even our next round and it just continues. If you are going to vent then you have to leave it where it was and draw a line under it. We need to get a lot better at drawing that line under it and accepting things. We might still hate it but we have to accept it.

We all use Tiger as an example but he was one of the best at this. Think of how amazing his skill set was and how frustrating it must be when he hit a poor shot but he was always able to put it behind him. As well as being highly frustrated he was also a highly excited golfer at times but what he did better than most was that any emotion was back down to a place where he could perform from by the next shot.

Sergio Garcia was very similar, high emotion at times, but the difference was that Sergio didn’t learn that skill of bringing that emotion down to a place where he could perform from. I would put the two of them in a very similar place talent wise.

We can only ever see what somebody puts out there but, from what we can see in their body language, I would always go for someone like a Fred Couples or Retief Goosen as being fantastic at staying around what I call the neutral line. They were never too down, their body language and the speed that they walked at was consistent and the old adage of not being able to tell whether they were five under or five over very much fitted with them. 

A great nugget is, just before you feel like you are about to erupt, to take a breath or a few purposeful breaths as that just settles things and gives you the opportunity to be a bit more logical rather than emotional.  That 5-10 seconds can be crucial in what happens next. This sounds so obvious but not many of us will ever do this.

Let’s take that marginal gains approach to improvement and ponder how many little things you can incorporate to make a BIG change to how great you feel and how great you can play!

Firstly much of this will be obvious and seem inapplicable to golf. But stick with it. Golf mirrors life and the way we react to certain situations on the course reflect how we take on our day to day lives. 

Be the best version of you. We all hear the whole “life is too short” message constantly reverberate about social media and from family and friends but it is not until something big turns your world upside down or ruffles your feathers. Only the do we stop and think, hang on maybe I need to change elements of my day to day. Maybe I need to not feel so tired and not be so cranky. Maybe I just need a spring in my step and to be able to think clearly. 

Maybe these brief pointers can help...

Healthy life habits: Sleep

Sleep is golden and preparation is key. If you sleep well you recharge, your body repairs and you function physically and mentally more efficiently. Aim to get to bed at a certain time and stick to it. Ban the screen at least an hour before bed, opt for paper not iPad. Screens drain our energy mentally leaving it unlikely that you’ll effectively remember what you just read. 

There is a natural rhythm to reading a physical text, turning pages and the tactile quality of holding a book or magazine is grounding. I could write a whole article just on this but try it. Opting for the physical copy of Golf Monthly can be your first port of call on this. Your mind will switch off quicker and your quality of sleep will improve. Take advantages of the amazing deals at the moment and subscribe now for your hard and digital copies. 

A few helpful tips. Get a decent pillow. Adopt an effective sleeping position for your needs. If you shrew yourself up in a tight ball with elbows crunched up you aren’t sleeping in a relaxed position at all. If you suffer from any aches and pains (golfers or tennis elbow in particular) this position will aggravate you further. Lying on your chosen side, place a thin pillow between your bent knees and stretch your arms down to meet your knees. You’ve aligned your hips and can sleep soundly here. 

Water

We all need to drink more water. Again I can go a whole morning just on coffee and wonder why I can’t think straight by the afternoon. But being dehydrated has consequences. You are slower to think and act. Try placing a bottle of water in the car, by your bed to drink when you wake, on the side by the front door and a glass by the fridge. 

I actually keep a water tally now on the fridge door. But if that glass wasn’t there I’d forget to do it. Set your water stations up the night before and keep them topped up. Your body and mind will thank you for it. Drink on the course too. Pupils have said to me if I drink on the course I need a wee all the time. Think of a pot plant that has totally dried up. If you water it the water runs straight through and out the bottom. This is a dehydrated you. Drink little and often and you’ll soon find you don’t need to go as often.

Eat fresh

Eat fresh, the fewer ingredients the better. Try and avoid sugar at all costs. Opt for natural snacks. Golf bag snacks can include granola bars, nuts and not Haribo. Food groups that steadily release energy will help you avoid surges of energy then the energy deficit that usually follows a Mars bar. For some ideas on improving your diet check out our guide to the 10 best supplement and sports nutrition products for golfers.

Exercise

Exercise little and often. You don’t need to book in long winded classes, HIIT type workouts to get your heart rate up, a few days a week, will be sufficient to get those feel good endorphins flowing.  Just MOVE! Once you’ve got into it you’ll want to keep going, taking that first step is important. Find something you enjoy and stick with it, again put it in your diary like a business meeting. Stretching rejuvenates the body and mind, here are some of the best stretches for golf.

Focus on exercise that is building you a strong base (glutes, legs and abs) This translates to a more stable impact position and more consistency in your golf. If you’re fitter you can keep focused for longer. Your golf improves and oh wait, you will feel EPIC. 

Reflection

End of day clear out. Free writing and journaling before bed is such a great way of letting things go. Reflection time and writing down to help clear the decks each day can have a hugely cleansing effect on your mind and soul. What is worrying you, what are you grateful for, what might you do tomorrow you didn’t do so well today?Letting everything flow into a handwritten journal or notebook will help you achieve more faster when it comes to the following day. 

From a golfing perspective it is something I encourage pupils to do following each round. This helps to really pinpoint problem areas and helps them let go of the bad shots and consolidate the good areas. From a coaches point of view I can see looking at said golf journal, where we need to prioritise improvement. This gets results fast. 

Walking and talking

We all know the value that headspace holds, a chunk of time to just mindlessly stomp your legs. While the journaling at night is important to just let your mind have its say and flow with whatever it needs to get rid of, this is a more focused time where you have a specific thing to ponder and a problem perhaps to solve. We all love a good catch up with somebody we haven’t see for a while and this is a great space to reconnect. Plus you can bounce your problem off of another pair of ears. 

Yes you walk playing golf, but there’s the added focus on where the white dimply thing is going. Without the ball I’d say you can tackle bigger issues. 

I actually give many a golf lesson as a walk and talk session. We pick somewhere scenic so we are feeding our souls as well as our minds. We discuss that person's game and life. Whilst we walk the issues and hang ups in that persons golf flow out far clearer than when they are also concentrating on hitting a ball. It’s more a mindfulness session with golf searing through the structure of it. 

Breathing

Learning how to breathe properly is a life skill that should be taught in schools (it is in my daughter's primary school). Having the power to be quiet in your mind and body, letting go and calming down can be applied to so many scenarios in life as well as on the golf course.

Mindfulness and mediation is essential to being in control of your own reactions and feelings. A really simple way to breathe well is to practice Rectangular Breathing. Take a scorecard for example. Breathe in for the short side and out for the long side, repeating for a good few minutes. This will calm your heart rate and your racing mind and see you able to control any anxiety or worries fast. 

Working even just one of these seven pointers into your life will make you feel energised and in control. Translate this to the golf course especially one that makes you smile, and you’ll be well on your way to a better game. New habits don’t need to wait until 1st January to be adopted. Why wait? Life really is short and you only get one go at it so make it count.

You’re not born with confidence – it’s something you have to practise. Mental golf expert Gary Leboff teaches you how to trust your inner self and achieve lasting results

How To Build Confidence In Golf

Golfers have a fragile relationship with confidence.

Absolute belief in their game is swiftly shredded by a couple of bad swings.

Throw in a missed three-footer and confidence is transformed into complete doom and gloom.

A great deal of nonsense is talked about confidence.

Most sportsmen and women have no idea what it is, how to get it or even how to hold on to what they already have.

The desperate need for confidence has given rise to widespread ignorance and misunderstanding.

So what is confidence? Fundamentally, confidence is a relationship of trust between you and you.

One of the great myths about confidence is that you are either born with it or you are not.

I cannot overstate the damage created by such a facile misconception.

No wonder so many golfers lacking confidence fall into despair.

Such people may even be highly accomplished in other areas of life.

Despite their achievements in business, finance or other areas, golfers facing a challenge on the course will often think about similar situations in which they’ve failed.

When I ask if such an approach would work in any other walk of life, clients smile at their own stupidity.

Continues below

Expand Five Ways To Get Better At Golf

Five Ways To Get Better At Golf

Struggling to get your handicap down or just…

Expand How To Curb Your Anger On The Golf Course

How To Curb Your Anger On The Golf Course

Are you an angry golfer? If you're looking…

Expand 5 Golf Psychology Tips

5 Golf Psychology Tips

Some common sense tips to consider on the…

Expand Bob Rotella: How To Master The Mental Game

Bob Rotella: How To Master The Mental Game

Tips to improve your mind came from the…

Confidence on the golf course boils down to this – trust or doubt?

There is no middle ground – you cannot trust yourself 99%. Faced with a tough shot, golfers either trust or doubt their own ability.

Trust Yourself

Confidence is a muscle and it has to be worked.

Confident people practise trusting themselves, especially under pressure.

Anxious golfers become so used to doubting their ability, they don’t even notice it happening.

How golfers look back on their rounds can also be devastating to self-confidence.

Human beings are hard wired to repeat what we see in our minds.

The images we replay in our heads send a message to our nervous system – ‘more please’.

Instead of focusing on highlights, golfers tend to wallow in heartache – drives in the bushes, putts that lipped out etc.

One of the key things I teach golfers is how to go back through their round, select the best tee shot/iron/pitch/chip/putt and replay successes.

Bad shots are simply ignored. And what does confidence do?

The purpose of confidence is not, as many believe, to control the outcome.

The purpose of confidence is to give yourself the best chance of success.

No actual proof is needed. After all, if confidence could only be generated by results, no one would ever be a first-time winner.

If you wait for results to believe in yourself, you may wait a very long time.

Confidence Demands Action

High achievers in general experience the same reversals, setbacks and disappointments as anyone else – but they refuse to relinquish their underlying self-belief.

Confidence comes first.

Confidence is not just a state of mind. Confidence demands action.

Watch Rory McIlroy the next time he’s playing badly.

While Rory’s instant response to a bad shot may be to thump the ground in frustration, what he does not do is far more instructive.

How many golfers struggling for form let their heads drop and spirits plummet? This is no coincidence.

Sports psychologists know it is far easier to become negative when your head is down.

Lowering the head provides space for ‘internal dialogue’, the voices that say you are useless, worthless.

Retaining an upright posture and keeping your eyeline at flagstick level silences these voices almost immediately.

Confidence is NOT mysterious, fickle or elusive.

Confidence is a SKILL to be learned.

And like any other skill in golf or in life, practice is essential.

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Suzann Pettersen reflects on the depth of women’s golf these days and how it is more relevant to normal club golfers than the men’s power game

Suzann Pettersen reflects on the depth of women’s golf these days and how it is more relevant to normal club golfers than the men’s power game...

A closer comparison

The depth of the women’s game has never been greater, with so many good young players coming up. I remember when I was the youngest and now I’m more like the oldest! That’s another great thing about golf – the longevity of it if you can stay healthy. I think people can relate more readily to our game because the men’s game is outrageous – they hit it so far and are so powerful. From what we see and experience in our Pro-Ams, good male amateurs are very similar to us. You just can’t compare yourself to what the guys are doing – it’s insane at times.

Keeping up with the girls

The men in Pro-Ams try to outdrive us all the time! Once in a while you get the guy who can bomb it 300 yards, but most of the time I can take care of business, although sometimes you have to step on it to do it! But Pro-Ams are great – 99% of the time you meet great people. You see some of them year after year, so it’s always nice to come back to certain tournaments. You get to have good friends pretty much everywhere.

More of a power game

You could probably say women’s golf is becoming more of a power game too, but that being said, Lydia Ko is not necessarily a bomber – she’s just very good overall. The best females over the last ten years have all been great putters: Inbee Park makes everything; Lydia makes everything she looks at. But our courses are getting longer too. The US Open this year was 6,900-7,000 yards, so it is an advantage to hit it far.

Think about it more

Average golfers could save themselves so many shots with better strategy, probably on the tee more than anything, but also on certain approach shots. Sometimes 3-wood is the play off the tee to give yourself a good yardage instead of being in between clubs. And then there are certain pins you just don’t go for, where par is a good score or middle of the green is good, and you take your two-putt and move on… and probably have the honour on the next! But at the same time, if you’re never going to push your own limits, it’s going to take you longer to get really good. We have great caddies to guide us along, especially if you’re playing well and feel you could take on anything.

A different take on rhythm

In terms of the swing, people sometimes say, “I’ve got to have good rhythm”, but that’s never been the way for me. It’s always mechanical. I’ve never had a lot of swing thoughts relating to rhythm. For me, rhythm is more about getting into the flow of the game. It’s nice to get to a good pace as if it gets slow it can affect you. You’re out there for a long time so you’ve got to somehow find your own way of creating your own pace, because you could be waiting forever.

Pettersen in action during the 2015 Ricoh Women's British Open at Turnberry

Blend caution and aggression

I’m naturally aggressive. I’d rather risk and regret than not take any chances and regret. I feel that will help you develop as a player. I’ve hit a lot of greens over the last five years – 77% or so – and I think it’s because I never give up the centre of the green. If I have a left pin I’ll hit a draw from the centre out, and to a right pin I’ll fade it in. I hate to have to aim outside the green to attack the pin, but if you feel really good, you do it.

When to attack

Early in the tournament you probably wouldn’t go for it, but coming down the stretch needing an eagle on a par 5 to have any chance of winning… well, you’re not playing for second. Other times it might be one in ten. Is it worth it? You’ve got to be good at calculation. Can you save yourself if you do get in trouble? That’s also when it’s good to have a caddie to play ball with – is it worth it? I like to shape the ball, but if you hit every shot on the range yet never put it in play, what’s the point in practising it?

Learning from Phil

I played with Phil Mickelson in March and he has an unbelievable wedge game. It’s like he says: “My wedges do exactly what I need them to do. They react exactly how I want.” If he took my wedge it probably wouldn’t quite react the same with his attack angle. I learnt a lot from Phil and the way he explained it was really simple. Obviously it’s his way of doing it, but I feel like it made sense. People say he’s kind of ‘hinge and hold’ – you know how he holds it through the ball – but he still releases it. He also uses the bounce and the leading edge exactly how they were designed.

The mental side

I think it’s underrated. It’s probably as important as the long game, the short game, everything, because if you can’t control what’s between the ears, it doesn’t really matter how good you are.

Photography: Getty Images

Sports psychologist Dr Michael Lardon, the man Phil Mickelson credits for his Open win, shares his best golf mental tips

Ahead of The Open at St Andrews, Dr Michael Lardon, technology company Game Golf's resident sports psychologist and mind guru for a host of players including Phil Mickelson, has shared his best golf mental tips.

During an interview with 888sport he covered a number of topics, including handling the adrenaline when you're in contention and coping when your playing partner is having a nightmare round.

Here are his top golf mental tips in his own words...

1 - Prepare for adversity

St Andrews is so much about the weather that you could end up playing 20 different golf courses, so you have to prepare for that. There is a saying – 'life is 10 per cent what happens to you and 90 per cent how you deal with' – and if there is one sure thing in a major it’s that you will hit a great shot and get a bad lie. If you end up in one of those coffin bunkers take your medicine. You’re going to get burned sometimes and how you react to those things is critical.  You have to remain cool, calm and collected, because you will be facing adversities.

2 - Recover from a poor start

We have the choice to think in certain ways. Let me use one of my students Phil Mickelson as an example. If he bogeys the first, one of his sayings is “well that usually means I’m going to have a good round”. I don’t know statistically if that’s true, but if he thinks it’s true I love it. Another great thing Phil says is, “I don’t worry if I make a bogey here and there because I always make five or six birdies,” and that’s a great way to think about it.

3 - Kick on from a great start

Let’s look at the flip-side where you get off to a fast start. You don’t want to think "well that must mean a bogey is due" or start to feel the pressure. You have to be adaptive and think "today I’m in the zone so I’m going to burn through everything".  This is the highest level and those guys are coming after you, so you have to put every birdie in the bank you can as you’re going to need it later. You can’t get comfortable until you’re having a beer at the 19th.

4 - Master your bogey hole

Struggling on a particular hole? Spend some time on it before your round or tournament. When Phil won The Open in 2013 he had gone out to the 17th and practiced firing those 3-woods in there and making the putt from the front to the back of the green. So when the day came he was more comfortable. I say to the players, "let’s make this hole our girlfriend, let’s have some fun with it" rather than building it up as an ominous bad thing.

5 - Worrying about losing ground on the field

Let’s say the stroke average of a short par 4 is 3.6. You may be thinking "if I make par I lose half a stroke to the field", but you can’t think like that because it’s a waste of energy and not adaptive. Your job out there is to execute golf shots and what I care about is the 30 seconds where you think very carefully about the shot you're about to hit. Take a moment – and this is what amateurs don’t do - to really create the shot. Whether that is seeing it or feeling it. We don’t want to just go in there and swing. We want to have some intention.

6 - Dealing with a playing partner's nightmare round

At Chambers Bay Rickie Fowler and Louis Oosthuizen were playing with Tiger Woods and they all shot a million and it cost Louis the US Open. Rickie grew up idolising Tiger and now he’s playing with him and Tiger is playing bad. It's easy to get pulled into that vortex. You need to say things to yourself proactively such as "that’s his thing today, I’m sorry for him but that’s not my job right now. My job is execution, staying in my bubble, and doing my pre-shot routine" and take your time. Just like with bad weather when you make sure your grip is dry and double-check things.

7 - Using adrenaline when in the hunt

When I start with somebody I ask them similar questions about being in contention, and there are two attitudes normally. The right attitude is "well this is what I play for. I came here to be in contention on the Sunday on the back nine…how much fun is this?!"

Not everyone is like that though, and some can feel overwhelmed. If that’s the case we need to prepare for it. They’re going to feel nervous because they’re supposed to feel nervous. That’s a good thing. It increases adrenaline and they will hit a little further.  Their caddy and the player needs to factor that in and maybe club down and then just embrace it. Let’s have some fun with the pressure. Let’s us it to perform better, rather than see it as oppressive.

Major Champion and multiple tour winner Charl Schwartzel reveals his mental-game keys

Charl Schwartzel tips: how to think smart on the golf course

Mental strength:

Keeping your form going is a mental challenge. Winning just gives you so much confidence, so your chances of playing well are good. But you need to keep doing the same things to make sure you don’t get ahead of yourself. It’s more a mind-game situation; your mind can start running away from you, and you think, “Wow, I’m doing so well, how long can I keep this up?” You need to keep that under control, and that’s how you continue to play well. You also need to stay calm when things go wrong.

Resetting your goals

Every player needs stuff in mind that you try to reach but for me, these aren’t things I would write down. It’s more things that drive me, which I try to achieve for myself – and so I would have very few specific goals. But you do need something to aim for. Wherever I play, I’m always trying to win. Whether it’s the BMW at Wentworth or the smallest tournament out there, I’m there to win. If you enter yourself into a competition you should do everything possible to play well. I want to play well in the big tournaments, but I try and treat them all the same.

Coping with pressure

The situation is what you think of it. By that I mean if you think you’ve got everything to lose, then you do. If you don’t, then you haven’t. You can be your own worst enemy at times, but it is hard to keep your mind from wandering. The more you get into big positions, the more you are likely to be able to cope. It’s difficult to pin-point how to cope with nerves; it’s just something you learn through gaining experience.

Video: Watch Rory McIlroy explain the mental game keys that turned him into a champion

Finding Fairways

I don’t make a lot of bogeys; I’m usually pretty solid from tee to green. But for me, I guess it’s about how good I am from the tee. If I drive well, my iron play is normally pretty good; if I get the ball going down the fairway, I’m in for a pretty solid game. That’s the same for most people. Tiger is probably the only player I know who can hit it sideways and still make a score! If you are good off the tee you shouldn’t make too many mistakes. It’s a big key - here are some toip driving tips.

Staying Positive

I’ve got a much better frame of mind than in the past. I’m thinking a lot better on the golf course; I’m more positive, and also, with that, my whole game has changed and I’m hitting the ball better. I have always hit it good, but I would hit a bad shot [in the past] and it was like, “What is that?” and I’d get down on myself. I just feel more positive and believe in myself more.

I suppose this comes with a bit of experience and years of doing the same thing over and over [and knowing that it’s not working]. After a while, you realise maybe there is something wrong. Maybe you’ve got to analyse it. My dad used to tell me – and I hate to admit when your dad tells you something – that I would “get down on myself” and that I was also “too hard on myself”. “You need to be more relaxed and more positive,” he would say. I thought about it, had a good holiday and came back, and it sort of just changed. I just started thinking a lot better.

Thorbjørn Olesen became a DP World Tour winner for the eighth-time at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, securing a six-shot victory over Rasmus Højgaard. Being a serial winner at the top level requires more than just a consistent golf game, it is also the ability to manage and control a tournament that has made Olesen so successful at the top level.

Considering the impact that the psychological side of the game has on performance, we asked Olesen to share his strategy secrets to help you acquire that winning mentatlity...

Thørbjorn Olesen's Strategy Secrets

Developing a game-plan that gives you the best possible chance of shooting your lowest score is one of the big challenges in golf, no matter whether you’re a pro or an amateur. On a lot of our courses, you can be quite aggressive, but when you get to the Majors, and other tough layouts, you need to think more about where you hit it.

The same applies to club golfers – sometimes you may need to curb your aggression and accept that it’s OK to hit a 5-iron into a par 4 instead of a 7-iron. I’m definitely hitting more 3-woods off the tee than I used to, and maybe hitting it just a bit softer. Some of you may like to go after the ball hard, but if you’re trying to shoot your best score, you need to feel comfortable swinging softer at the ball.

Learn From The Best

If you’re playing with someone with a lower handicap than yourself, you could learn a lot from them in terms of course management. I certainly did when I played with Tiger Woods in The Open Championship at Royal Lytham in 2012. 

I was very nervous at first, but gradually settled down and hit a lot of good shots. I was surprised by how defensive he was from the tee, but at the same time he was very aggressive around the greens. I soon realised that this was a good way to play on a links – get it on the fairway and then you can be aggressive when you get closer to the green. 

I’ve also played many practice rounds with Thomas Bjorn, and he’s helped me develop my strategies. I played two or three times in practice with him at Augusta, which was great because that’s a tricky course and you’ve got to know where to hit it. Of course, it will also help your game if you can find someone with more experience than you to listen to and watch.

When Your Game Is Off...

If you’re struggling with your game out on the course, I think you’ve got to focus on avoiding trouble. Try to find the middle of the green and see if you can get it round in a reasonable score from there – for me, level par, one-under or one-over. 

On such days, you can’t afford to be too aggressive – taking on difficult or dangerous shots is likely to end badly. So you need to trickle it around, be a bit more defensive and slowly get your confidence back.

I find that it’s all about limiting the damage, so I’m still in the tournament rather than completely out of it. I would certainly say that working on your swing mid-round often makes things worse, so try to just get it round, then head to the range afterwards to sort things out.

Keeping It Going

I expect some of you have real trouble when you get off to a fast start and suddenly realise that you have a real chance to shoot a great score. What should you do – press on, or protect what you’ve got? It’s a difficult one, but I feel you’ve got to stick with whatever game plan you had at the start. Try to forget what you’ve done and just keep on playing, still being aggressive where appropriate.

Four or five strokes under your handicap is a good round, but if you can get it to eight or nine, that’s a great round. So don’t change your game plan to become more defensive and protect what you’ve got – use your head, be aggressive when it’s the right thing to do, but don’t be too rash.

A Run Of Bad Form

We all experience bad form at one point or another. Sometimes it’s technical, sometimes it’s more about confidence. If you don’t feel there’s anything significantly wrong with your swing, try to look back at how you’ve played in the past, like competitions you’ve done well in, and remind yourself that you can do it. If you’ve done it once, you’re good enough to do it again, so keep trying and practising until it clicks.

In my first year, I had a number of really high finishes, but also a number of missed cuts. It wasn’t that I’d suddenly become a bad player, it was more down to getting off to a poor start on those off weeks. The differences weren’t that great – it was just a matter of confidence, believing in myself and reminding myself that I’m good enough and that I can win any week if I’m playing my best.

Stepping Up A Level

When you’re looking to progress to a higher level, such as winning a big club competition or, for me, the Majors, it’s always important to just play the course and not focus on what other players around you are doing. You’ll often be playing against better players, in my case, the best in the world. But you’ve just got to focus on the course, how to play and your strategy for it, rather than worry about those other things that you can’t control.

It sounds easier than it is but if you’re able to do that well, and just play your own game, there’s no reason why you can’t succeed. I learnt a lot playing all four Majors last year, and a couple the year before. I’m getting more used to the pressures involved. I certainly have more confidence now and believe that I can actually win one.

Justin Rose displayed impressive nerve and compusure en route to his maiden major championship at the 2013 US Open.

Below, Rose talks us through how to win under pressure and what he does to conquer nerves out on the course.

Click here for Rose's video:

Golf Monthly has teamed up with Alex Nicolson at Premium Golf to draw attention to the way many golfers think about the game.

Alex, a PGA Professional, has an fresh and innovative approach to coaching and instruction, and will be writing a regular piece in Golf Monthly throughout 2013.

He aims to change the overriding attitude that golf is all about the numbers, and dispel the 'performance equation', suggesting how well we play is directly proportional to how much we enjoy the game.

To help refine topic areas for future columns, your feedback is sought, so please take a moment to fill out the Premium Golf Enjoyment survey (link below).

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How many mistakes are you allowed to make? From the reactions I see from many golfers and the way they talk to themselves after poor shots, I am not sure there is a lot of tolerance for anything other than their very best.

Darren Clarke's recent Open Championship win was fantastic for many reasons, not least the reward of years of hard work, but I hope that it didn't go unnoticed that amongst the superb ball striking, accurate driving and deft touch around the greens, were missed putts, uncharacteristic errors and some good fortune!

So even though we are well aware that perfection is not necessary I often see great golf shots met with almost a sense of expectancy; an attitude that suggest 'that's what I am supposed to do'. Any shots failing to meet these levels can provoke a range of emotions and reactions from anger to bewilderment and a desperate need to correct and find immediate solutions.

Such an approach to your golf offers little opportunity to keep confidence levels high for the situations that really demand self belief. The best players in the world have the support and kind words of a caddie, the adulation of cheering crowds and rapturous applause in response to their long drives, miraculous recovery shots and holed putts, how do you maintain your confidence?

I am not suggesting for one minute that you have to run round the 18th green fist pumping like Tiger when you hole the winner in the mixed foursomes but a tap on the shoe with your golf club or a slap on the thigh accompanied by some positive or motivation self talk can be YOUR very own self congratulation that will ensure a healthy perspective of how you are a playing.

Picture your battery three-quarters full when you start your next round. Your job is to increase the confidence level right from the 1st tee; acknowledging each time you have performed well so that it is fully charged WHEN you need it most!

Mind games:

Golf psychology tips

Whether your goal is to break 100 or to make an assault on the world's professional Tours there is a book out there that will proclaim to have the secrets. The thing that always strikes me is that whether it is Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, John Daly or Tiger Woods telling you how they play the game, the content is very different and so maybe we are a missing the point.

These great players describe the strategies, techniques, routines and approaches that they have found work best for them and we then try and apply these to our own games. Instead I want you to write your own book on how YOU play golf.

Think about the different chapters that this book would have; what would they be called? For example, there would be a section on how I prepare for tournaments, another on how I structure my practice sessions, certainly there will be chapters dedicated to how you swing the club, but what about those that deal with how I cope under pressure, how I perform when in the lead and how I manage disappointment?

If you can see writing YOUR book as a structure for your development it can start to bring new meaning and goals to all your performances and training. Your intention every time you go out is to research for your book and the only way you can fail in research is if you do not learn anything.

Yes you will experiment with strategies technical, psychological and strategic and those that are not successful are not failures that hold you back but knowledge of what does not work for YOU and so will never go in your book. Believe it or not you are the experts on your golf swing! You have insight and access to a valuable sources of information through thoughts and feelings that we as coaches will never be able to understand unless you feedback the information. You are at the centre of the coaching process so do not passively take on board new information; listen to it, challenge it if necessary and then through practice, tweak it and make it your own!

Feel players aren't born they have simply learnt in a different way.

Karl Steptoe BSc, MSc, works with club golfers and European Tour Professionals through his Sport psychology consultancy a mind to perform Ltd and Golf Mental he is also a PGA Advanced Professional and is involved in doctoral research looking at performance under pressure in golf.

Karl Steptoe blogs

Commitment, concentration, emotional control and dedication ...just some of the characteristics needed for all of us glued to the television for the US Masters. Whatever the outcome I am certain there be key shots that will shape the tournament with a golf course waiting to pounce on anyone who does not have the technical and mental capacity to get the job done.

The tournament's history provides psychologists with endless material with which to demonstrate the importance of mental strength. The ordinarily unflappable, machine like Tour professional has on numerous occasions succumbed to the extra meaning that a Major provokes.

So how do skills break down under pressure when at any other time they are repeatedly executed with apparent ease and precision? How did Scott Hoch miss from inside three feet and why did Greg Norman let go of a seemingly unassailable lead? What we understand is that the importance creates a focus of attention that is not normally present. There can be a tendency to start trying harder, breaking routines and focusing on elements of performance that are normally automatic.

Imagine drinking a glass of red wine. If I asked you to be careful as you carried it over my white carpet I would increase your chances of spilling it; you would try and control a movement that would ordinarily be carried out with little thought.

Golfers who do not carry round all these rules are often described as 'feel' players but this implies that they have an ability that cant be learnt, which is just not the case! They have simply learnt in a different way. They have interpreted the words into feelings or thoughts that encompass many things that may not be of any meaning to anyone else.

Next time you play with a card in your hand make a note of how many rules or swing thoughts you take on to the course with you and at what times you think more about them. It's at these times that attention needs to be taken away from how to do it with a commitment to consistent routines.

Karl Steptoe BSc, MSc, works with club golfers and European Tour Professionals through his Sport psychology consultancy a mind to perform Ltd and Golf Mental. He is also a PGA Advanced Professional and is involved in doctoral research looking at performance under pressure in golf.

More from Karl Steptoe

Sound good? What if I said you can even keep the same familiar golf swing? Well you can... as long as you admit you're playing the wrong game! I don't mean you should bin the clubs and take up tennis, more that your perception of good golf may be distorted. How you currently measure success is having a dramatic effect not only on your enjoyment of the game, but also on your consistency, scores and quality of practice.

So what is straight? When Peter Alliss proclaims a player has 'hit it straight down the fairway' do we assume that the ball has travelled without deviation? Tournament fairways are 20-30 yards wide generally, how wide are they at your club? For a ball to go 'straight' down a 40-yard fairway, it could, therefore, be 20 yards left or right of dead centre!

I see players making swing changes in response to a ball drifting from the 150 yard marker which is about a metre wide! Straight is not a straight line; each element of the game has parameters, a 40-yard fairway, a 15-yard green and a 4.5" hole and it will be your improvement in dispersion that will define you as a golfer.

It gets better still! You do not even have to hit this new definition of straight every time. Tour stats suggest that 12/14 fairways and 14/18 greens is pretty good going so if that is acceptable for the elite what should you ask of yourself?

How do you currently know whether practice has been productive, is it how many balls you've hit or for how long you brave the elements?

Do two things this month:

1. Find the average fairway/green width at your club 2. At the range recreate them using yardage markers and use your handicap to determine a margin of acceptance. Simply record how many drives out of 14 and approach shots of 18 go 'straight'.

Work on improving your personal best this season and you will walk to the 1st tee with a greater belief in your ability to hit it straight.

Karl Steptoe BSc, MSc, works with club golfers and European Tour professionals through his sport psychology consultancy, a mind to perform ltd amtp.co.uk. He is also a PGA Advanced Professional and is involved in doctoral research looking at performance under pressure in golf.

The turn of the year has no doubt given you time to reflect and commit to achieving your golfing goals in 2011! But why is this year going to be any different? You could commit to finally taking those much needed lessons; you may even forgo the Full English Breakfast for 30 minutes practice before the medal... but is that the answer?

Although technique, strategy and now even fitness are recognised as vital components of successful performance; underpinning their success are factors of a more psychological nature (I guess I would say that!). You may know why you are prone to the odd slice or hook, or that shot selection lets you down at the critical moment. You may accept that your tiredness at the end of round contributes to a loss of concentration, but at the heart of these dips in performance are issues such as learning style, performing under pressure and decision making, all of which are challenges of the mind!

On too many occasions I have gone to the practice ground or putting green with players after such performances only for the ability to execute the skill to miraculously return! My wish for you in 2011 is not to take on more information, not to add more swing thoughts and to make a move away from constant correction and towards understanding the barriers to your performance!

If I could wave a magic wand to break down your personal barrier which would you chose? Now is the perfect time for some pre season training! Next time you play I want you to make a note of any thoughts and feelings associated with poor shots or playing situations so that you can determine whether poor technique is holding you back or if something else is triggering those well learnt skills to break down.

Do not be afraid! There will be no time spent on the couch, just strategies and techniques that will enable you to overcome the barriers to your potential. Make 2011 the year. I look forward to working with you.

Karl Steptoe BSc, MSc, works with club golfers and European Tour professionals through his Sport psychology consultancy, a mind to perform ltd, amtp.co.uk. He is also a PGA Advanced Professional and is involved in doctoral research looking at performance under pressure in golf.

How familiar does this scene sound? "So, I'm 150 yards from the middle of the green, a little light breeze blowing gently left to right, greens are holding today, ooh that's an interesting looking pigeon just landed, I wonder what time her parents are coming to lunch later, mustn't forget to get those reports finished tomorrow, and how on earth have I left that short??"

Losing concentration happens to all of us, and if it happens just as we prepare to take our next shot on a few occasions, it can deal a significant blow to the quality of our round. Most people would find it extremely difficult to maintain high levels of concentration for a whole round (for say, four hours), but that's OK; we just need to focus at the right time, i.e. when we're about to play the next shot! Focus on that shot, on that moment, bring all the senses into the sphere of concentration, through the shot, and then relax.

But how? One way is find something that triggers your concentration, something that you can bring into play for every shot, a simple 'reminder' to get your mindset back on the case in hand. A great deal has been written about what is an excellent recent example of this - Louis Oosthuizen's little red dot on his glove during this year's Open. By focusing on the red dot before each shot, Louis was able to completely focus on the task in hand, i.e the next shot. This was his trigger to concentrate, ignore the distractions that had been there just moments before, and prepare totally for the shot.

Of course, it doesn't have to be a red dot on a glove, it could be anything that triggers your mind to refocus all your attention and energy in preparing for and executing the shot. It should be personal to you, and be something that can be 'accessed' quickly and easily, and on a frequent basis. Some people recommend saying a trigger word, such as "Focus", but there is always the danger that you are so distracted you might forget to say it! So I prefer to recommend a visual trigger.

Another good technique relates to redressing the balance of the brain when attention wanders - and it is as simple as blinking your eyes! To help release tension and to refocus:

- try blinking your eyes quickly half a dozen times - then squeeze them shut and open wide, again half a dozen times - take three deep breaths - move your eyes as far left as you can comfortably, and then far right; this helps rebalance both sides of the brain - now, refocus on the shot, commence your pre-shot routine.

This technique is something that can be done at any time out on the course, although it may draw a few odd stares from your playing partners. Just keep in view that concentration is a key weapon out on the golf course, but it is most needed when you're about to take the next shot!

To contact Russell or for more information, visit personalmindtrainer.com

Although a golf fanatic, I'd readily admit that facing Andrew Flintoff in the nets would be more appealing than standing over a tricky four-footer for par. It's not really a case of suffering the yips, more that I get the odd case of on-course demons.

So, deciding that enough was enough and seeking help from external sources, I headed off to spend a day under the watchful eye of Golf Monthly’s very own mental expert, Gary Leboff. The venue was Hartsbourne Country Club, where Gary offers mental therapy (sorry, that sounds a bit deep, doesn’t it) to those who struggle with the psychological intricacies of the game.

If you’re one of those people, then following mental game golf tips may be of some help…

1. 80% - no golf shot should ever be struck at more than 80%. Start by hitting 60% shots in the net to generate tempo and rhythm.

2. Breathing - a) breathe in, b) breathe out, c) take your shot in the 'gap' before the next 'in' breath.

3. At address - aim at the highest leaf on the tallest tree directly above your intended line.

4. Remember how I got you to throw a ball towards me? - get your attention OUT towards the target.

5. Over the ball, golfers have a choice - to trust in or doubt their ability. Practise trust.

6. Pitching: Use the clockface. Do you want to hit a 9/10/10.30 etc? Your tendency to decelerate is caused by an overlong backswing

7. Putting:

a. pre-shot:  take a practice putt from behind the line of the actual putt (not from the side)

b. Entrainment: Thoughts have an effect on the heart and put body systems out of sync. Heart-rate influences human ability to read putts/execute physical activity.

Entrainment brings together the major systems in the body: heart/brain/respiratory system. This is the optimal state for peak performance. T

Think of the green as separate from the rest of the course (like a ring in boxing or the square in cricket).

a) as you walk onto the green, look down at the fringe. Notice the change in colour and length of grass

b) look up

c) as you look up - for 10 seconds - breathe through the heart.

Where next?

Short game: The hybrid chip Mental: Improve your focus on the green  

Tiger’s doing it. So is Justin Rose. Using Eastern practices like Zen meditation to enhance your golf performance is not a new fad, but a scientifically proven approach to developing key mental game skills like attention control and relaxed concentration.

Jayne Storey has been teaching meditation and T’ai Chi for over 20 years and her unique coaching method for golfers, Chi-Power GOLF™ is part of the PGA’s Professional Development Programme.

Here she talks about meditation and how this simple practise can enhance your golf game.

How to Practise Zen:

1. Sit upright on a stool or hard-backed chair – feet firmly on the ground, palms resting on your thighs. Hold the crown of your head up, as if it were held by a thread. Keep your eyes open. Look down at the floor or gaze gently at a blank wall about a metre or so in front of you.

2. Once you are comfortable, concentrate your mind on your breathing, silently counting each breath from 1 to 10, or silently repeating the mantra “Breathing in – breathing out”.

3. Relax fully. Do not try to take deep breaths, but just keep your mind quiet for the duration of the exercise by gently observing your breathing.

4. As thoughts come into your mind, simply watch them, like clouds moving across the sky on a warm breeze, and take your awareness back to your breathing.

Weekly Practise – the ability to achieve a relaxed yet focused state of mind needs to be trained on a regular basis, and is not a technique that can be pulled from the bag on the day of competition. You need to start preparing your mind now, by learning to detach from all the trivial problems which beset every-day life.

Aim to practise at least three times per week, for between 10 and 20 minutes.

While preparing to play – Once you have been practising for a few weeks, you can start to meditate while in action. For instance, you can focus on your breathing while putting on your spikes, or when taking your clubs out of the bag.

During a game - During the game itself, use your meditation as a trigger to increase your focus and relaxation during moments of pressure. Also use short bursts of meditation when walking to and setting up for the next shot.

Focusing on your breathing will also help timing, balance and rhythm.

For information on personal tuition and workshops, please visit chipowersports.com or contact Jayne Storey on 07986 447 250

Where next?

More golf tips: - Improve your golf game with positive thinking - Improve your focus on the greens with the Black Box Recorder technique - Managing your golf expectations

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I want you to learn the Black Box Recorder for yourself. The entire exercise takes 10 minutes at most. With practice, you can use it on the course between shots. The Black Box Recorder places distractions in a "safe" place within the subconscious, calming irritations and allowing peak performance to return. Think of something or someone that gets on your nerves, read through the instructions and give it a go. Imagine you are sitting in your favourite chair. Feel how comfortable it is against your back and legs. Allow yourself to be completely supported. You realise that you are in a room looking out at your favourite view. It might be a beach or a mountain range. Make it somewhere you love and know really well.

Back in the room, you see a desk in front of you. On the desk is a sheet of paper and a pen. Pick up the pen. Feel the weight of the pen in your hand. Now describe your distraction on the sheet of paper  (eg "my 100th goal"). Write as much or as little as you like in your own handwriting. Once you have finished, put down the pen and fold the sheet of paper in half.

Turning around, you notice a black box behind you. The box has a slot for posting notes through. Take your note and post it into the slot in the black box. Turn back around and enjoy that wonderful view for a few more seconds.

Next page: Black Box Recorder Technique - Part 2

Where next?

More Mind Game instruction: - Manage your expectations  - Sensing the danger - Control your anger on the course - Train your brain - Five steps to positive thinking

Feature: Golf Monthly's Top 25 Coaches Video: Instructions and tips

Sports psychologist Gary Leboff, explains why spatial awareness in golf is so important and how to improve yours...

Have you ever wondered why teams play better at home than away? From a distance, it makes no sense at all. After all, the players are the same, the grass is the same, the rules are the same (unless, granted, you’re appealing for a penalty at Old Trafford). While home-crowd support is clearly influential, the chasm between home and away form suggests other factors must be at play.

One of my favourite football sessions unfolds like this. I might watch a practice match for a while before blowing the whistle to “Stop!” Everyone on the pitch has to remain precisely where they are and close their eyes. The aim is to test “spatial awareness” – one of the subtlest yet most crucial skills in sport. At random, I’d ask any player to tell me, a) where he is standing on the pitch (halfway line/penalty box/corner flag etc), b) the precise location of as many team-mates as possible.

This is where players with “vision” come into their own. Fabregas, Alonso, Carrick, Silva – they all have the ability to look at the ball yet pick out a pass to team-mates on the other side of the pitch. They do this by assembling and responding to “pictures” in their minds.

Spatial awareness in golf requires a similar skill. On the course, I want players to get their attention “out there” (on the target) rather than “in here” (focused on swing thoughts). Keeping your eyes on the ball when your target is hundreds of yards in the distance demands the ability to create a clear mental picture. Only this way can you make a truly target-oriented swing.

It boils down to this: what a golfer should be seeking to produce is a reflex response to visual, auditory and kinaesthetic (sight, sound and feel) stimuli. The computer in your head processes the information and creates a swing. Before settling over the ball, you must build a complete picture of your target – including the flag stick, landing area, trajectory and roll. Load the wrong software by picturing a bad shot – or don’t bother to load any at all – and your golfing brain has nothing to work with.

VIDEO: See how Rory McIlroy mastered some of these techniques to become a champion

The absence of spatial awareness skills is one of the key reasons that so many golfers struggle with the game. It is spatial awareness that gives you a “sense” of where the clubhead is any time during the swing. If “the lights go out” at the top of your backswing, you need to work on spatial awareness.

Back to football. Spatial awareness affords the home side a significant advantage because they are familiar with the territory. Landmarks like the dugout, areas of seating or advertising hoardings provide orientation in the heat of the battle. When travelling to away grounds, my teams are instructed to spend 10-15 minutes walking around areas of the pitch they will patrol during the game, so that they can gain an awareness of their surroundings.

Spatial awareness skills can also be developed by golfers. By far the most effective technique is the Back/Hit exercise created by Inner Game guru, Tim Galway. Here’s how it works. Take a shot as normal but at the top of your backswing – as close as you can to the very top – say the word “back”. Begin the downswing and at the moment of impact, say the word “hit”.

Back/Hit feels awkward at first. It’s best to try it when there’s no one around or others will conclude you’ve started talking to yourself. However wacky it sounds, the results of Back/Hit are phenomenal. Creating spatial awareness in golf where none existed before, Back/Hit is the fastest game-improvement technique that I’ve ever seen.

Read more top golf tips

Trust is a word I use a lot around golfers. It takes trust to look in one direction (e.g. at the ball) when the true object of your focus (the target) is somewhere else entirely. Spatial awareness delivers that trust by providing the subconscious mind with reassurance that the target is clear. In the absence of such clarity, the margin for error is immense – and guesswork is no way to make birdies.

Last summer, I took a call from a 2-handicapper. His game was solid, his technique was sound but somehow he just couldn t get to the next level. We went out on the course and I introduced a few ideas. Over the next couple of hours, he played seven holes, made four birdies and missed a couple of other good chances. Stunned at a glimpse of his true potential, he confessed he d never played so well in his life and couldn t wait to learn more.

He never contacted me again. We d bump into each other from time to time and he d mutter something about meaning to call me but he never did.

One of the most common complaints among golfers is that their game has plateaued. Conventional wisdom dictates you play for a few years, improve in fits and starts, finally settling on a handicap that hardly varies until old age and decrepitude set in.

I don t buy it. Some golfers plateau because their technique is inadequate. Most, however, flatline because they catch a glimpse of who they could be and back off.

You may think that s ridiculous. After all, isn t the whole point of the game to keep getting better? It certainly should be. However, for many golfers, scaling fresh heights of achievement presents a challenge to their identity .

A new level of expectation can be threatening. Your margin for error shrinks, better players ask you to join them and everyone wants to know what you ve shot as soon as you walk off the course. Faced with that kind of pressure, many golfers such as my client can t stand the heat.

The price for doing so was illustrated by a lady golfer I was asked to help recover from a serious injury. Before we d even got on the course, I knew that the injury wasn t the problem at all.

Taking up the game relatively late in life, she d cut a swathe through the ranks of local golfers and tournaments. Equally at home on the national stage, she kept on winning although her game had long since stagnated.

An extended break provided pause for thought and a nagging sense of disquiet. This was an intelligent, vivacious, accomplished woman who craved excitement in all aspects of her life. I cut to the chase, telling her that her game had plateaued and she was bored.

Watching her play confirmed my suspicions. Her driving was straight but constrained, her irons safe and precise, her short game calculated and clinical. In short, her golf was bloodless. Playing within herself had filled her front room with trophies but drained the joy from her game.

Why do you play? is one of the most powerful questions I ask any golfer. Everyone s game needs a sense of purpose, of direction, of propulsion. Most golfers are obsessed with winning club tournaments, holding their own in a fourball or simply avoiding embarrassment. There is no passion, no juice, no fire.

I give demotivated golfers a new set of goals. For the time being, their score is irrelevant. Walking onto the course, they have to choose one of three games.

a) Creative Golf: they must try to develop new skills by playing the most imaginative shot available in each situation.

b) Reactive Golf: no thoughts are allowed they must be instinctive and play by feel.

c) Party Golf: they should maximise the fun element on every single shot.

Success or failure is measured not by the scorecard but by how true they stay to the format. It s a great way of rekindling appetites as well as taking a break from the slavery of par.

Golfers plateau because they lack the courage or imagination to look beyond what they know. The game they play is safe and familiar. However, as I tell all my clients, Do what you have always done and you will get what you have always got. If you want something more, you ve got to be braver.

Mind coach Gary leboff explains how to manage your expectations on the golf course to produce positive results

You may recognise this scenario. It’s a beautiful morning as you stride onto the tee. The sun is shining, your game is just where you want it to be and you fully expect to shoot the lights out.

Four hours later and it’s all gone to pot. One mistake has led to another, confidence evaporated as the round wore on and the scorecard is as average as ever.

A golfer’s form is rarely predictable, but most play well when expectations are lowest. One of the pivotal jobs for a sports psychologist is to provide a foundation for consistent performance from which excellence can regularly emerge. Here’s a question even the pros get wrong: when does a round of golf begin?

The first tee is far too late; golf is not like a light bulb that can be turned on and off. Nor is the answer a) on the practice range, b) putting on your spikes, or even c) driving to the club.

A round of golf begins between 12 and 18 hours before you get to the course. At a conscious or subconscious level, most golfers are anticipating, contemplating or stressing about their round almost a day in advance.

I ask sportspeople for a number out of 10 to describe how intense they feel when entering the competitive arena. Ten is ideal for boxers, footballers should aim for a seven – but golfers who score themselves above a three are too agitated and will find it hard to stay calm on the golf course and control your anger.

Staying calm when you need to demands preparation. Signs of excessive intensity include rushing your food, driving too fast and shortness of breath. Eat slower, walk slower, breathe slower, be slower. The choice is yours – do what you’ve always done and you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got.

Another problem for golfers expecting to play well is trying to stay grounded this prevents them for managing their expectations. It’s not as easy as it should be, because the heady prospect of success can be intoxicating.

VIDEO: Watch what Rory McIlroy has to say about the secret of his success

I work hard to keep my players grounded at all times. One of the disciplines I ask them to follow is to feel the ground beneath their feet while they walk around the course. It may seem a bit esoteric but the benefits of this exercise are immense. Here are some of the effects you can expect:

a) The pulse rate slows b) Awareness improves c) You stop fretting about the last shot or worrying about the next one D) You stay in the present – an essential prerequisite for entering “The Zone”.

Another tendency for the more excitable golfer is to set aside course management. In the heat of the moment, they forget to play their normal game and attempt to pull off shots even Tiger Woods might consider ambitious.

I demand that my players – and I do mean demand – create a strategy for each hole in advance of a round.

Read more top golf tips They have to know, preferably by heart, which club they will use off each tee, which side of the fairway to aim for, which iron to hit and which side of the pin provides the best birdie opportunity. Having a Plan B (to deal with, for example, a change in wind direction) is also imperative.

One of many benefits of having a clear course strategy is that it clears the mind on the tee. It’s like pressing a reset button. Your subconscious will relax when it is prepared, when it isn't you'll start to feel a sense of panic.

No matter if you’ve just come off an eagle or a double bogey, clarity of purpose cools the emotions and provides you with focus for what lies ahead.

I’m the first to admit I can be a killjoy. I do not want my players bounding onto a golf course like some exuberant puppy in possession of a toilet roll. Patience, confidence and a composed mindset are the ingredients that deliver success. By all means look forward to your round, but keep your anticipation on a short leash.

PG Wodehouse knew all about golfers. One of his characters, having missed

a crucial putt, complains that “the uproar of the butterflies in the adjoining meadows” ruined his concentration.

We’ve all had the dubious privilege of spending 18 holes in the company of such people. They are prickly, short-tempered and self-obsessed. Worst of all is the impact they have on their playing partners. Someone in your group constantly whingeing or foaming at the mouth can lead you to lose concentration. You end up hoping their game improves just to keep the volume down.

Playing alongside a slow golfer can also be infuriating for partners seeking to avoid a reputation for tardiness. Rushing shots to make up for lost time just makes matters worse.

The ability to cope with distractions is critical at all levels of the game. In the pro ranks, distractions can include spectators chattering away on their mobiles, cameras clicking at the top of your backswing or having to field endless questions about Tiger.

I want to introduce you to the most powerful sports psychology tool of them all. I have used the Black Box Recorder on hundreds of occasions for over a decade and it has worked every single time.

The Black Box Recorder wipes out distractions. Examples of distractions might be your mother-in-law or someone who keeps parking in the space outside your house or going on the clock in the middle of your round. Distractions, in other words, are minor irritations that get under your skin.

The Black Box Recorder erases them all. For example, I used it to help an international footballer stuck on 99 goals whose obsession with three figures had become a distraction. After guiding him through the technique, he scored twice in the next game.

Next page: Black Box Recorder Technique

Where next?

More Mind Game instruction: - Manage your expectations  - Sensing the danger - Control your anger on the course - Train your brain - Five steps to positive thinking

Feature: Golf Monthly's Top 25 Coaches Video: Instructions and tips  

Sports psychologist Gary Leboff explains how to control your anger on the course to trun your frustration into a positive for your game

By and large, golfers have a reputation for equanimity - an inate ability to stay calm under pressure. A reputation that, in my experience, is completely undeserved. Too many golfers are great balls of fire, unleashing their fury on clubs, trees or themselves.

It wouldn't be so bad if it worked. If throwing your clubs or swearing at volume led to better scores. Sadly, it does not. What it does do is cause your game to implode and self esteem to shrivel. Throwing a tantrum is none too impressive if you are past your fifth birthday.

Anger Management is an important part of my work. Helping people overcome anger issues produces significant benefits in the workplace and at home. Control your anger on the course and you will also play better golf.

One of the prime causes of anger are RIGID beliefs about how we think things should be. Everything in life is right or wrong, positive or negative, black or white, good or bad. That even extends to what kind of golf I should play.

This way of thinking is, at best intolerant. At worst, it is BRUTAL. Individuals who behave in this way are relentless towards themselves and terrifying to those around them. Their misguided struggle for perfectionism keeps them in a place of dissatisfaction, refusing to recognise their achievements for fear of easing up. Unsurprisingly, given their harsh perspective on life, such people are ANGRY.

Some of you reading this column may already be wincing. Angry golfers are at the mercy of what psychologists term 'The Reptilian Brain' - the part of our minds that becomes active in threatening situations. Unfortunately, The Reptilian Brain makes little distinction between being attacked by a wild animal and hitting a poor golf shot.

If you have difficulty keeping cool on the golf course, ask yourself this:

a) What expectations do I have of myself (e.g. breaking 80, 10 GIRs, hole every putt under six feet). Make a list of everything you expect of yourself - WRITE THEM DOWN.

b) Now go back through your list, take one expectation at a time and ask - is this realistic?

Angry people set the bar at an unreasonable height. They persuade themselves that striving for perfection is noble - then beat themselves up for failing to achieve goals that were never attainable in the first place.

Read more top golf tips

Another trait of angry people is putting a personal spin on impersonal situations. I have worked with people in business who feel aggrieved if their e-mails go unanswered for 15 minutes. It never occurs to them that the other person may be in a meeting or out of the office. Bad drivers, late trains, your football team losing - none of these are about you. Grab that pen and sheet of paper again:

A) In what circumstances do you get angry or irritated on a golf course? Who says or does things you take umbrage at? What do they do? Here are five things golfers do that tend to infuriate other golfers...

B) Go back over your list and ask yourself - what meaning do I attach to this event?

For instance, if missing a three footer is on your list, what are you telling yourself when that happens ? ("good players don't miss", "I hate that green" "I can't putt under pressure?).

All that actually happened is you missed a putt. The rest is your interpretation. You have given the missed putt a meaning. You MADE IT UP!

C) Find an alternative, PRODUCTIVE meaning: (I usually make those/ that was a one off/my stroke was good but the green wasn't). If you must tell yourself a story, make sure it's one that works in your favour.

More mind game tips

Golf can be a great way of venting your anger. After all, one of the best things about the game is it gives you something to HIT. But golf has a ruthless way of finding your weak spot. Keep getting angry with a club in your hand and golf will give you plenty of reasons to explode.

There are certain things you can't control - the weather, the amount of sand in the bunkers, pin placements and the lie of your ball on the fairway.

You need to ensure that these factors do not take control of the way you feel.

If you react angrily or despondently to these factors, your game will suffer accordingly.

If you remain calm and relaxed within yourself, you'll be in a far better mindset to cope with these uncontrollable factors.

I recently set my England under 16 boys team a challenge in which they hit balls from a bunker to a sleeve of Pro V1's on the green.

The first player to hit the pack got to keep it. The shots they hit were phenomenal.

I then changed the game by placing the flag flat on the green. I gave them an ultimatum each boy had one shot, if he failed to pitch the ball over the flag he had to go home.

This time the shots were a mish-mash of thins and fats.

Obviously, none of the boys were sent home but this game highlighted just how powerful your mind can be.

It showed that if you dread the outcome, fearful of the result a bad shot becomes far more likely. If, however, you can train your mind to relish the challenges that a round of golf presents your performance is guaranteed to improve.

If you hit a good shot don't be afraid to celebrate it.

A show of emotion will make that specific moment far more memorable in the future.

If you can recall positive feelings before you play any shot you'll be far more likely to deliver a good result.

If you are longer off the tee than your opponent, stand next to your ball as you watch him hit his second/approach shot (as long as you aren't near his line of play!).

Your opponent will feel pressure to deliver a decent shot as you loom rather menacingly in the foreground.

If you are playing first your objective should be to put pressure on your opponent.

Hitting the centre of the green or laying up in the ideal spot on a long par 5 will place extra stress on him as he contemplates his next stroke.

Never show your frustration at a poor shot this will only serve to galvanise your opponent.

If you have just fired through the back of a green, missed a short putt or struck a wild drive, it is important to act as if everything is under control.

This will show your opponent that you have confidence in your recovery skills.

Having a sound plan from the tee is crucial and in match play amateurs often make poor

decisions.

Don't be afraid to change your strategy if your opponent finds trouble play safe and be sure not to follow him into difficulty.

When you have the honour stick to your game plan as if you were playing stroke play.

Imagine if you could access the feelings of playing your best golf whenever you wanted. Imagine if just before that difficult approach shot you could recall the feelings of confidence, positiveness and focus you'd experienced when playing a fantastic shot in the past. Well you can, with a technique known as "anchoring". This is essentially the development of a "trigger" or "switch" which when applied creates an automatic emotional or behavioural response.

Below I show you how to create an "anchor". It can be a word, an image, an action or even a smell which you can turn on like

a switch to create the positive feelings you require when you step onto the golf course.

5 points to positive thinking

1 Choose a word, image or physical action that will be your "trigger". It might even be a piece of equipment/clothing/object or a smell.

2 Recall a time when you were playing really well, whether a particular day, hole or shot. See yourself there. Notice all that you could see. What sounds were there? How did it feel?

3 When the feeling is intense use your "trigger" and hold this thought for about five seconds. Shake and relax to break your state.

4 Repeat this sequence 5 -10 times, either with the same experience or with different ones until the "trigger" begins to work for you.

5 Think of a time in the future when you want to access this positive state. Imagine going forward to that time. "Fire" your "trigger", notice those positive feelings coming back and then spend a few minutes visualising performing well.

Practise this process a few times to build the strength of your "trigger". Then when you want to access that positive state simply "fire" your "trigger" and feel the difference.

Good performances don't happen by accident they're a result of good thinking. Don't leave your thoughts to chance train them. Establish a "peak performance vocabulary" a list of key words and powerful images you can deliberately choose to think of in specific situations and contexts to take charge of your emotions and performance.

Think how you would like to feel in certain scenarios and come up with a set of key words and phrases (and/or visual icons/images) that generate those feelings. Rehearse them until they become "anchored" as a habit.

It's been wisely said that the trouble with positive thinking is that you have to think about it! You don't want to have to try to be positive; you don't want to have to try to feel confident and relaxed. You want to develop an automatic and unconscious skill.

What could you say or imagine in each of the following situations to feel more capable and confident? Your opponent is leading. You're anxious. You have taken the lead. Your concentration is lapsing. You're feeling fatigue. You've lost motivation. There is friction with other team members. You have done better than expected.

Having key words for both positive and negative scenarios is equally important.

Key words and visual icons can also be used to focus more effectively on important aspects of performance. You might have a key word, phrase or image to help with your swing, a particular shot, concentration, will to win or relaxation.

Make a list of what emotional states and performance aspects are important to you, and note beside each item a key word, phrase or image that you will use to generate it. Use them in practice and play make them a habit of success! Some players like to write theirs on small pieces of card and have them in their golf bag, or pocket.

What you can learn from the special forces to help you play better golf...

When it comes to successfully performing under pressure, there are few people who are better trained to do it than the troops of our Special Forces. Let's face it, the kind of pressure that they operate under goes far beyond any stresses we may face on the golf course during a monthly medal!  The mental approaches that they have developed to perform at the highest and most dangerous levels, are also applicable to achieving peak performance on the golf course.

The Special Forces approach to each mission they undertake is built on what they describe as the "3 S's" State, Strategy and Skills. All three aspects are important, but ultimately the key is being in the right (mental) "state", to deliver your "strategy" and "skills". Ensure that you create the right mental states for yourself on the course by learning to manage your thoughts and imagination better. It's what players like Rory McIlroy do and you should be doing similar. Here's Rory explaining how he became a champion:

If your mission is to conquer your golfing demons and play to your full potential this season, then adopt this Special Forces-inspired plan and put the enemy at bay.

Stage 1 Set objectives for your mission. Know what you want from your game. What are your goals? What do you want to score?

Stage 2 Do a "recce" of the terrain you have to tackle. Course reconnaissance is vital to avoid silly mistakes so do your homework. Remember Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor Performance!

Stage 3 Get into the right mental state. Whatever you are doing in life, you do it better when you are in the right state of mind to tackle it. Identify the mood in which you play your best golf and work actively to create it.

Stage 4 Select the right tools for the job. Course strategy is vital you must select the right club for every shot, not just "blast away". Your choice should be based on your past experiences, and the results of your "recce".

Stage 5 Play your shots without fear. If you have got your mental state and course strategy right, you should be able to let your golfing skills shine through.

Golfers generally think a positive mental attitude means dealing with negative events in a positive way, but this is only half the story. Just as important is how a person deals with positive events. There are many golfers who, even when things are going great, don't enjoy or celebrate the fact. Is that you? What do you do after hitting a great shot? Do you use that feeling to improve your game or are you content to rest on your laurels?

It is vital to have a strategy for dealing with shots that make you happy and harnessing that energy. Using an "ALIAS" will help you reproduce great shots more consistently. Try this technique and it will become an important part of your game.

Acknowledge the great shot you have made by saying it to yourself, "Great shot", "Fantastic", "Perfect", "Just what I was trying to do." No need to bore your playing partners with self-congratulation, but let yourself know!

Love yourself for playing it! Create a gesture that builds the feeling into your body, such as holding your arm out in front and then clenching your fist.

Imprint the shot into your mind. Replay it again and again so you can see, hear and feel it. Maintain this simple routine until you can relive the whole sensation of the shot and all the senses it unleashed at the flick of a mental switch.

Ask yourself to do it like that again the next time. When you are faced with a similar shot, pull out your own personal "ALIAS" and rewind to that great moment. Ask yourself to repeat what you have done before.

Score. Watch the numbers suddenly shrink as your great shots become second nature. By now, you have raised the bar in your mind's eye and you can fully expect to reproduce those great moments on a regular basis.

The best players in the world look at tricky on-course situations as a test of skill and a chance to show exactly how good they are.

Take Seve for example. He adored being the centre of attention and focused every ounce of energy into somehow escaping with his score intact.

If your ball nestles in deep grass or bunkers around the green, take time to map out the perfect escape. Consider not only your lie, but the undulations on the green and the position of the flag.

Relish the opportunity to take on a high-tariff escape and show off your touch and imagination.

A more positive outlook will help you to deliver a decisive stroke.

When the best players in the world talk about their greatest rounds, they often say they were "in the zone" or "in a bubble".

This refers to a state of total concentration where the player is in complete control of his physical and mental performance.

To help create this feeling as you look to build a score on the green, use your hands to shield your eyes from peripheral distractions.

Visualise your ball rolling smoothly towards the hole, breaking with the slopes of the green. This simple mental rehearsal will improve your focus.

One of the easiest ways to improve your score is to devise a game plan.Before you head to the 1st tee, spend five to 10 minutes looking through your course planner.

On each hole mark the positions from which you'd ideally like to play your second or third shots.

Think about your strengths, when to attack and when to defend.

By considering exactly where you want to hit the ball you'll develop a positive mental approach.

When you get to the course, it's vitally important to stick to your strategy.

Having plotted the best route around the course, never alter your strategy to protect or chase a good score.