LEARN TO WIN – ONE SHOT AT A TIME

 

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The following excerpt is from Dr Mo’s first book, Learn To Win - One Shot at a Time.

The 4rs process of playing one shot at a time

If your head is in the wrong place, you can expect everything else to follow – Unknown

 When you are thinking your best, you focus on one shot at a time. There is no thinking back or projecting forward. Thoughts of score or what you might shoot do not exist.  Mistakes from earlier in the round are completely forgotten. Your focus is entirely on the shot before you and nothing else. When not playing a shot, your mind is consumed with the simple joys around you – - – the smell of the grass, the beauty of the clouds, a conversation with your playing partners.  You are not thinking about the next hole, or how the match stands, or why you just pulled your last shot.  You are in control of your mind and your focus is clear and concise.

 The million –dollar question is, “How do you keep your mind this focused every time you play?”.

I believe your best chance of achieving this focus is to have a thinking process which occupies your mind.  This process gives you the best chance of playing great more often.  The key is to make your thinking process 1 – effective and 2 – a habit.  Make it become a true “part of your game”.

 In my opinion, all great players utilize a consistent thinking process.  And even average golfers are using such a thinking process when they are playing great.  You have used this thinking process.  You may not have used the same terminology I do to describe it, but in essence, when playing great, all golfers are using the same basic thinking process.  What is this effective thinking process?  It is what I call the “4 r’s of Golf”.  And when consistently applied, the 4 r’s produce the 5^th R, Results.  Especially the kind of results you want to achieve. 

The 4 r’s, in order, are:

    1.  refocus – This is your golf decision-making (shot selection, club selection, lie, wind, best place to advance the ball, etc.).  This is when you should be doing the vast majority of your thinking on the course and it occurs BEHIND the ball before you walk into the shot.

    2.  routine (pre-shot routine) – This is your golf preparation (how you walk in, get set up, and take practice swings if desired).  This happens only after the decision has been finalized and it occurs WALKING INTO and BESIDE the ball but before you actually swing.

    3.  react – This is your golf execution (making the actual swing or stroke).  This happens IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ROUTINE is done, and can best be described as the player’s “trusting and going”.          

4.  relax – This is your relaxation on the course. This is how you spend time BETWEEN SHOTS, and when doing this, you are not focused on golf.  During this time you can think about architecture, wildlife, clouds, hobbies, anything — just not golf.  Surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of your time on a golf course is spent in this r (or at least it should be!). 

 

Thoughts for the Course

Following is a list of some productive thoughts for the course.  Pick the two or three that you feel are the most relevant to your game and focus on these throughout your round.  This will help you stay focused on the process of playing the game instead of worrying about the impending results.  Have fun and enjoy your day! Dr Mo

• There are only 3 types of shots – Quality shots, acceptable misses, and poor shots. Focus on hitting quality shots and just see how many of these you can hit throughout the day.
• Tell yourself what a putt IS in terms of 1 – distance, 2 – slope, and 3 – break (i.e. 20-foot downhill, left-to-right putt) not what it’s FOR in terms of score (i.e. 20-foot downhill, left-to-right putt for birdie). Describe the putt physically, not emotionally.
• After a missed or poor shot, say out loud an Immediate Positive Reaction (Give me a good lie, Get a good bounce, etc.). This helps you stay future focused, not past focused.
• If you take practice swings, make them realistic. Do not make practice swings that are too hard or that are a continuous motion – they are not productive for the upcoming shot. Each practice swing should have a definite beginning and end and have a similar tempo for the shot being played.
• You will find what you wait on. Wait on good things to happen (making a long putt, holing out, chipping in, etc.), not poor ones (duck hook, 3-putt, etc.).
• On the golf course you can change your tempo (slow down), but do not change your golf swing or your swing-thought. Only change these on the range. The closest you can come to changing your golf swing on the course is to change the shot you are hitting (if you normally play a draw and you can’t improve it by tweaking your tempo, hit a fade or a punch-shot).
• Use a physical boundary (edge of the green, putting your club back in your bag, etc.) to help you stay mentally composed. You are allowed to be upset/frustrated before you have reached the boundary, but once you do, stop, take a few deep breaths, remind yourself golf is still a game, and then proceed. This will help you limit one poor shot from carrying over to another.
• Your vision should always “match” the shot. For full shots, your vision should be at the target or beyond (tree in the distance). For partial shots, your vision should be at the target or before (i.e. a landing area). Since everything goes through your eyes and into your mind, and your mind tells your body what to do, how you process the golf course visually has a direct impact on how well your body performs.
• Put simply, if you can’t aim, you can’t score. Therefore, getting properly aligned to your target should be the first consideration once you walk up to the ball. To get properly aligned, first align the club as it is behind the ball to your target. Then separately align your feet to the clubhead. Trying to align both the club and your feet at the same time promotes a comfortable set-up but in most cases poor aim.
• If you feel like you are moving your head or “peeking” over short-game shots, see where the ball “was” (after the club contacts the ball). This will allow you to focus on a visual aspect of playing instead of a mechanical one. Great vision promotes playing while mechanics often promotes over-thinking.
• Always think of where you want to hit your ball (which is specific) versus where you don’t want to hit it (which is too general). Thinking of where you don’t want to hit it (water on the left) leaves open the option to hit it to an equally bad location on the “opposite” side (severe bunkers on the right).