Getting out of a slump
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Seve Ballesteros who suffered one of the famous slumps in golf |
By Alex Nicolson, PGA
There are two kinds of slump I’m talking about here. Firstly, where unfortunately things are so bad that even in practice, you can’t perform the shots. Secondly the potentially even more frustrating scenario – you can hit the ball fine on the range, but with a card in your hand, it all goes wrong.
When it’s neither working in practice or on the course
The chances are there are some technical issues that need addressing. If the ball flight and the strike are inconsistent, the first question to ask is “what is the clubhead doing wrong?” Ideally under the guidance of a teaching pro, once this question is answered, when he advises on address position amendments or tweaks to the swing, you will have a better understanding of how they will actually improve what the club does at impact.
Often the fundamentals get overlooked by amateurs, but sometimes a nagging slice can be fixed simply squaring up shoulder alignment, for example, and not be a swing issue at all. Sorting these out could end your slump quicker than you thought possible.
Beyond this, if your pro advises you to do some training to cure a swing fault, practise it well and be patient. Changing the movement of a swing takes a while, and you should lower your expectations of performing in medals until the change is more ingrained.
When it’s working on the range but not on the course
“As soon as I get on the course it seems totally different”
For the majority of golfers, performing on the range or the putting green is easier than on the course because a) you get lots of attempts at the same shot (unlike the course), b) the lie is good and unchanging (unlike the course) and most importantly, the environment tends to engender a different state of mind than that of competing on a course. Practising can be frustrating, yes, but there is less anxiety than performing on the course – mainly because you get a chance to immediately redeem yourself on the next shot.
Here’s how you can begin to play to real potential when you need it most:
A change in attitude?
Most pressure, let’s face it, is self imposed. It is also very often a result of becoming too worried about the outcome of the shot. Remember that there are many variables in golf, the wind, that bad bounce, an annoyingly slow round. So don’t get fooled into thinking that you can ever control your score to any great extent. Being mindful of this takes away a lot of pressure, and helps you accept bad shots and bad rounds. Do the best you can on each shot, make the best decision about which shot to play, follow your routine and commit to the shot – after that there’s nothing else you ask of yourself.
Introduce some “performance practice”
This covers a few areas but essentially it is practising for the mental skills you require when making a score: preparing for shots and playing under pressure. Swings are more likely to be triggered if they are in the state of mind in which they were learnt. What this means is that if you grooved your swing solely in the cocoon of the driving range, without any addition of pressure, it will not necessarily work when your knees are trembling. “Muscle memory” is more complex than that. The trick is to make your practice in some ways harder than the real thing. Here are some ideas that help bridge the gap between just beating balls and beating opponents.
Have a routine
On the course, with its hazards, awkward shot decisions and different playing partners there are far more distractions. If you have no routine then there is potentially a gap in your thinking for these distractions to fill. However, by developing a good pre-shot routine in practice you can help your mind focus on the process of preparing for a shot and away from that pond on the right, for example.
On the range/putting green
Target golf
Practise to small targets like trying to land the ball on a glove when chipping, or putting to a tee. Choosing and playing to small targets to help you focus on the shot better.
Add pressure – “this putt to win”
Imagine a pressure situation when practising. If you can do it imagine, how nervous you would be, give yourself one go at it, follow your routine and do it. Invaluable exposure of your swing or putting stroke to pressure, and you can keep doing it until it feels more familiar.
Putting and chipping competitions
If you’ve got someone to practise with, add some teeth to your session by making a competition out of it. Raise the stakes if necessary to make it so you’d hate to lose. Whether it’s a modest bet, or who does the washing up it doesn’t matter, whatever adds some pressure.
Play the course on the range
Use your imagination to help picture a particular hole on the course you’re about to play, and follow your routine as you would on the course. Try to play different shots every go, making it more course-like.
On the course
Worse ball game
The nasty brother of the better ball game. Play a worse ball game with yourself (i.e. play two balls from each tee, pick the worst result and play two from there and so on – including putts). This is tough, but when you come back to a medal, it will seem easy by comparison.
Mark a card in friendly games
Part of the fear of medals comes from the fact that having a card and pencil in your hand is unfamiliar. By marking a card more often, you become less uncomfortable with the “every shot counts” concept.
Don’t get stale, get out more!
If you tend to play all your golf on one course or practice at one range, it’s possible to get a little stale and/or build up bad associations with particular holes. It’s very healthy for your golf and the performance skills we have talked about to give them a change of scenery. This can be done by playing on different courses, in different game formats and with different people. It keeps you thinking about the shot at hand more, and the technique less.
Golf is supposed to be fun
If your game is gradually improving in practice, but still vulnerable in competition, so much so that you don’t enjoy it, take it easy on yourself. Remember that golf is a game and it’s supposed to be fun. Until you are ready you don’t have to sign up for every medal or match. Build up your confidence in friendly games, or less important competitions. However, if the pressure practice has worked, you will become less sensitive to the fear of having a card in your hand and eventually that can become fun as well.
Summary
I hope some of these suggestions you find useful, and it is possible if you take steps to come out of your slump, you could be a better and more contented golfer as a result.