| Are you listening to your instincts? | | | | while addressing the ball. Either club may have |
| Accomplished golfers regularly rely on their | | | | been a reasonable choice, but a lack of confidence |
| instincts and play their shots accordingly. An old | | | | while swinging the club will cause you to hit the ball |
| adage states that in any given situation, your first | | | | ineffectively. By trusting your primary instincts, or |
| instinct is usually the right one. We have all | | | | intuition, you can make decisions with confidence. |
| experienced making a decision that result in failure, | | | | If you can learn to listen to your gut instinct and |
| and in retrospect realised that we ignored our | | | | react accordingly, you will make better predictions |
| "gut feeling". It is human nature and is often | | | | and know what to expect rather than taking |
| acknowledged by saying, "I knew I was going to | | | | chances and hoping for the best. |
| do that!" Instincts come from knowing deep down | | | | Are you taking unnecessary risks? |
| inside what your true capabilities are. Second | | | | Take care not to go for the "hero" shot when |
| guessing your first instinct or doubting your "gut | | | | the risk reward ratio is high. If you are |
| feeling" is usually signalled by a moment of | | | | contemplating a shot that, realistically, is out of |
| hesitation and when uncertainty begins to take | | | | your capability it is better to take on a shot that |
| over the mind. When a player experiences | | | | you are confident you can execute. Believe in |
| indecisiveness, it is difficult to mentally prepare for | | | | your own abilities. Self-doubt will only weaken your |
| the shot and the player's flow and swing | | | | capacity to focus and perform. You know what |
| mechanics are affected. For example, you are | | | | works for you; don't let a temporary lack of |
| walking up to your ball with a club that you've | | | | self-confidence affect what you have originally |
| chosen, and then find yourself second guessing | | | | planned for a shot. Of course, that is not to say |
| your club choice while addressing the ball. With | | | | that you can never change clubs, it just means |
| hesitation, you switch clubs, but before swinging | | | | when you do, be confident that you made the |
| the club, you question whether you made the | | | | correct choice and don't doubt the reasoning |
| right choice. Meanwhile, you're uncomfortable with | | | | behind your decision. Once you've made that |
| your decision and it has caused doubt to enter | | | | choice, stick with it and rest assured that it will |
| your mind, and consequently you hit a poor shot. | | | | work for you. |
| Sound familiar? A common first reaction is to | | | | Tips |
| blame the poor shot on the club choice, under the | | | | 1. Listen to your instincts. Second guessing |
| assumption that sticking with the original club | | | | yourself will lead to poor shots because doubt |
| would have resulted in a better shot. Although it is | | | | divides the mind, disabling your ability to focus. |
| a very common mistake, it's unlikely that the club | | | | 2. Be confident with your choices, stick with them |
| choice in this scenario is to blame for the poor | | | | and rest assured that they will work for you. A |
| shot. | | | | temporary lack of self-confidence can affect |
| What causes the poor shot in these situations is | | | | what you had originally planned for a shot. |
| the pervading uncertainty that distracts the player | | | | |