Everyone has had difficulty with certain shots on the local golf course. Sometimes we curse the course architects for making a shot seemingly impossible. If you let the complexity of a shot get in your head, you’ll rarely overcome your fear and take a perfect swing. If you’re concerned about how narrow a shot appears, we’re here to help you with some tips for hitting straighter, helping your mind take it all in, and taking a successful shot.
Focus
While it can be hard to overcome a difficult shot in your head, it’s important to keep your head level. After a bad couple of shots, it can be hard to talk your game up, but it’s important to be sure that you’re still able to focus. Take a second before you take your shot. Grab some water, take a deep breath, and then calmly analyze your shot.
Take a second to pick out the perfect spot on the golf course for a landing area, and be sure to stand right behind your ball. Visualize a line straight back from your landing spot, to your ball on the tee. If you’re able to do this, it will help you visualize and complete the shot.
Find the immediate target. Disregard the hazards or other things that could distract you from your shot. If you ignore the hazards and focus only on your shot, you have a better chance at a successful shot.
Last Chance
Take the time to give your shot a last once over. Make any small adjustments or tweaks that you need to make before you take your swing. Try to end your last look but focusing on your landing area. By doing this and focusing on the place you want your ball to land, you’ll help your shot. Most pros take a last look at the landing area for their shot. Try to focus only on getting your ball straight to your landing spot.
Follow Through
Don’t doubt your swing. Doubt somehow always finds its way out onto the golf course, and it will affect your swing. If you take a confident swing, your shot will be more accurate. If you have a tricky swing in front of you, spend some time calming down, analyzing your shot and mentally preparing yourself for a successful shot.
Practice range
Head out to the practice range to work on your mental game, and a straighter shot. Use the technique of mentally lining your shot up, and try to ignore anything else that will trip you up, like hazards. Remember to have fun and not get in your head too much. You always want to play your best, but the more you stress about your shot, the more you’ll tense up. So relax and use this technique to help improve your game at your Bend Golf Course.
Source: River’s Edge Golf Blog