Golf World UK - August 2017

AS MUCH LOFT AS POSSIBLE

Useyourmostloftedclubandopenthefaceas
much as feels comfortable. Widen your stance
andmovetheballforward.Slightlyweakenyour
gripsoyouseethreeorfourknucklesonyour
righthandtohelpyouholdtheclubfaceopen.

1

AIMANDSWINGLEFTOFTARGET
Aimyourfeetandbodyalittleleftofthetarget
and swing parallel to your feet to chop across the
ballalittletooff-setthedownslopeandopen
face.Picktheclubupquitequicklygoingbackto
encourage this swing path and a clean contact.

2

HITTHESANDCLOSETOTHEBALL

Youwanttohitthesandascloseasyoudareto
theballtomaximiselaunchangleandthespinyou
canproduce.Contactneedstobeprecisesokeep
yourlowerbodyasstableaspossibleandswing
with a slower tempo to increase control.

3

Three keys to get

out of this situation

Your focus often deserts you

when the consequences of

failure compromise your

ability to think clearly and play

confidently. To counteract this

tendency, you need to break

the shot-making process

down to these four key phases

to improve your concentration

and reduce fear and tension.

By Steven Orr

1 COMMENTATE TO

CONCENTRATE

Askyouself‘Whatwoulda

good shot look like here?’ or

‘HowdoIwanttheballtofly?’

These types of questions

narrow your focus and

improve your concentration.

2 COMMIT FULLY TO

THE SHOT

Doubts about what you are

trying to do or what you don’t

want to happen erode your

commitment. Rate each shot

onascaleof1-10basedon

how well you executed the

shot with freedom and

confidence, without worrying

about anything else. You will

soon see a relationship

between strong commitment

and better scoring.

3 TRUST YOURSELF

ANDYOURSWING

Wedo things better when

we think less about them.

Learning to trust yourself and

your swing is central to being

able to swing purposefully

without excessive thoughts.

Like any task you are trying to

accomplish, a clear image of

itsoutcomehasapositive

effectonmakingthe

necessary movement.

4 ACCEPT THE

OUTCOME

Thefinalpartofbetterfocusis

accepting the shot’s outcome

–goodorbad.Ifashot

doesn’t quite work out, don’t

trytobreaktheswingdownto

findareasonforthepoor

outcome. Trying to self-

correct on the course will only

raise doubt for your next

effort. Analysis is good, but

make sure you leave it until

after the round.

Fear of failure is

holdingmeback

WHAT IF...