In 1988, as a club and part-time playing professional,
I was leading the prestigious Australian Masters
by two shots after 69 holes. The field for this
event at the time included six of the world’s
top 10 players, headed by Greg Norman, Bernhard
Langer and Nick Faldo. Three pars would change
my golfing future and give me the chance to fulfill
my dreams. If I won, I would have automatically
been invited to play several U.S. and European
tour events.
So there I was, presented with the opportunity
of a lifetime while standing on the tee of the
70th hole at Huntingdale Golf Club in Melbourne.
Little did I know at the time that my future career
would change in the next 30 minutes, but not as
I had anticipated. My game fell apart. I finished
with a double bogey, another double bogey and
a par. Seventh place was all I could manage.
Afterward, I was sitting in the locker room feeling
sorry for myself when Jack Newton, who finished
second in two majors, came up to me and said,
“There are not many people in the world
with enough talent to get into a position to choke
as badly as you just did. So I suggest you don’t
waste the lesson and learn from it.”
Pressure had changed the way I played, and sadly,
in my case, for the worst. I realized that this
was a general problem that most golfers face.
Back in 1988, as a coach and a player, I was
working with many promising players, including
teenager Robert Allenby. I wanted to solve the
problem for all of my students, not just for myself.
I was determined to learn from my disastrous finish
and create a new strategy that would better prepare
me and my students to play our best golf under
the pressure of competition.
Since then, I have dedicated my coaching to developing
better training and practice methods aimed specifically
at conditioning golfers to play to their ability
under competition pressure. In doing so, I have
identified 10 common problems that you must avoid
to take your practice game to the course and play
your best when the stakes are high.
1. No Assessment — Many golfers unfortunately
have very little knowledge of their true strengths
and weaknesses.
2. Lack of a Target — Most players only
have a vague idea of their target, if at all,
when practicing.
3. Only Hitting Favorite Clubs and Shots —
The majority of golfers spend the bulk of their
practice time with their favorite club and end
up practicing only their favorite shots.
4. Not Enough Work On Weaknesses — Golfers
do not like exposing their weaknesses. Subsequently,
they avoid putting their ability on the line and
putting their game to the test when practicing.
5. Practicing the Wrong Shots — Most golfers
practice the long game almost exclusively. They
appreciate the value of the short game but don’t
seem to find it enjoyable to practice.
6. Too Technically Oriented — Many golfers
seem to only work on their technique and rarely
practice playing the game.
7. Using the Wrong Routines — The hitting
routine used for practice is usually quite different
to that used for playing.
8. Lack of Concentration — The mindset
and attention used in practice is different to
that needed for play.
9. Negative Thinking — Golfers put more
emotion into their bad shots than good shots when
practicing. Because it is easier to remember the
bad shots, the result is the development of a
negative self-belief.
10. No Strategy for Improvement — Golfers
are mostly in a reactive cycle. They’re
always trying not to repeat the last bad shot
or swing instead of identifying an area of their
game that needs improvement, setting a strategy
to achieve that goal and working at that process
to a satisfactory result.
My overall philosophy is a holistic approach.
It includes the technical, physical, mental and
strategic training factors that contribute to
our overall ability to play the game. My teaching
philosophy, with proven success, is what I am
looking forward to bringing to you over the next
few issues of Golf Illustrated.
