| 17.1 Golf Psychology | | | | 1. Mid Irons |
| I want to step outside of the box for today, and | | | | 2. Long Irons |
| talk a little bit about psychology. I hope you can | | | | 3. Driving |
| stay with me on this lesson, as it is an important | | | | 4. Full Wedges |
| one. One of the most confusing things to me in | | | | 5. Mental Game |
| golf is how often you improve one part of your | | | | 6. Chipping |
| game, only to have another part completely | | | | 7. Putting |
| deteriorate. Here is what I've realized: It's not | | | | 8. Sand Play |
| your fault. | | | | 9. Specialty shots |
| 17.2 Managing Practice Time | | | | Whatever your 9 are is fine. For a moment, we |
| We manage our game according to our values. If | | | | will assume you have the same likes and dislikes in |
| you have three hours to practice golf, you would | | | | the game. Now take a few moments to decide |
| spend those three hours practicing the parts of | | | | which part of your game you want to be higher |
| your game that are most important to you. For | | | | on the list. Got it? Now write down 50 reasons |
| the majority of people, it would be hitting 7 irons | | | | why improving that part of your game will allow |
| or drivers on the range, trying to hit it a bit | | | | you to practice more of the things higher on your |
| further (I've been guilty of this myself). | | | | list. For me, I wanted to improve the short game, |
| Everything else (chipping, putting, wedges, | | | | so they were: |
| management game, mental game, cleaning your | | | | 1. I could go for more par 5's in two, knowing I |
| bag and clubs) will be lower in importance and you | | | | can get up and down (and I can still hit my long |
| won't have time to do it or practice it. | | | | irons) |
| 17.3 Every shot is important | | | | 2. It would give me more confidence on par 3's |
| What happens in golf is that even when you do | | | | (when I'm hitting mid-long irons) because I know I |
| empower one part of your game, say you | | | | can get up and down. |
| choose to have chipping as the thing you practice | | | | ..And 48 more reasons like this. You want to link |
| most, another part of your game will get lower | | | | the parts of your game that are of lower |
| on that list. That's just the way we are. The key, | | | | importance to the ones that are higher up on |
| I believe, is in your mind to link the less important | | | | your list. While doing the exercise, you will feel a |
| parts of your game to the most important, giving | | | | shift in your energy and while on the course, you |
| you the energy to discover why every shot is | | | | will feel the energy surge up as well, as soon as |
| important during a round of golf. Don't you notice | | | | you get over those shots. |
| you love to hit the shots you hit well and you | | | | So what are they for you? |
| dread the shots you don't practice? I'm not | | | | Although short game is lower on my list than long |
| implying that you will love every shot, but you will | | | | irons, I still practice them and understand the |
| give the proper attention to them during practice | | | | importance. When over a short game shot, I'm |
| and energy to them while out on the course. | | | | still focused and going through my routine like any |
| 17.4 How to change your results | | | | other shot. I enjoy hitting long iron shots, but do |
| Here's an exercise for: from these parts of the | | | | not avoid hitting short game shots. They are far |
| game, rank them in order of importance to you; | | | | more important than long iron shots. But take |
| what shots do you like hitting the most: | | | | Greg Norman and Ben Hogan. They were |
| Putting, chipping, sand shots, specialty shots, full | | | | arguably two of the greatest long ball hitters ever. |
| wedge shots, long irons, mid irons, driving, mental | | | | But did they both have world class short games? |
| game. | | | | You bet they did. |
| For me they were: | | | | |