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Make
your next game your best game
- Continued
And it's the same
with your golfing performance. It's not just about turning up and hoping
that you play well. You can do a lot to improve your game and your enjoyment
of it by making the most of your preparation. Let me explain what I mean.
I was coaching a client
who had gone from playing off 10 and loving his game, to playing terribly
and hating the game. He was frustrated with himself, and was ready to
sell his clubs and take up another sport.
As part of our coaching,
I asked him to tell me a little about how he prepared for a great round.
He looked at me as if to say "preparation - what do you mean by preparation?".
So we took a look at what he had been doing recently.
He was running his
own business and working close to 60 hours each week. He would work back
late on Fridays, and spend a great deal of the evening doing book work.
He'd then catch up with his friends for a few drinks. On his way home
he would pick up some take-away, and inevitably go to bed on a full stomach.
Now, as you can imagine,
Saturday mornings didn't see him jumping out of bed full of energy or
enthusiam. In fact, it was a struggle for him to get up. He would hit
the snooze button three or four times, with only enough time to throw
on his clothes and rush out the door.
He didn't allow any
time for a healthy breakfast, or a chance to organise for the day ahead.
He would speed the whole way there, park illegally and have to run to
the first hole to make sure he didn't miss tee off.
As you can imagine,
by the time he made it to the course he was mentally and physically wrecked.
And he was wondering why he wasn't playing so well.
So here are some simple
yet effective tips on how to improve your performance by making the most
of your preparation :
· avoid too much alcohol
and eating late at night;
· make sure you get enough rest the night before (between six and eight
hours);
· allow enough time for a great breakfast - include some cereal, toast,
fresh juice, and fruit; · allow enough time to organise yourself - know
where your keys, wallet, sunglasses and other essentials are;
· check your bag and pack the car the night before - include a hat and
some sunscreen, or even the wet weather gear;
· you might also want to include some healthy food to snack on to keep
your energy up for the whole game;
· be sure to include some water - playing while you are dehydrated only
makes your game more difficult and you'll run out of energy sooner;
· listen to your favourite music in the car - it might be relaxing and
soothing or something to pump you up;
· leave home with enough time to arrive calmly before tee-off;
· have a good stretch and take the time to warm up before you tee off;
· arrange to play with a group you like - this alone can make or break
your game.
I'm sure you will
be able to add your own thoughts to this list.
One thing to keep
in mind is that if you keep doing more of the same, you will get more
of the same. If your preparation, both mentally and physically is not
that great, then you can't expect a good result from your game. However,
make the necessary changes and you can expect to see the results because
what you do before a game is crucial in how well you perform.
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