Centred and Concentrated

Last month we promised to unravel the golf teaching belief system we developed together with our Master Mentor, Gary Player. First and foremost, before we even begin to explain the technical, mental and physical dimensions and how they all integrate, perhaps the most important statement in the methodology is found in the black outer circle, that is:

BALANCE: MIND & BODY

BALANCE: THROUGHOUT THE SWING

These words, whilst seemingly self-explanatory, actually epitomise the Player life mantra. Bear this wise philosophy in mind as you absorb the secrets two of our Gary Player professionals will unravel for you in the next few issues of the Moregolf newsletter.

 

Stephan Spies will discuss the benefits for performance golfers.	Gabba Wessels will apply the principles for new golfers.

The Mental Dimension: Centred & Concentrated

Every serious golfer, from world No. 1 Tiger Woods to the club golfer trying to lower his scores to the new golfer, has the same desire – to gain more consistency. The first step towards this goal is to execute every shot with a 100% effort and in order to achieve this effort level, one needs to be centered and concentrated on each task at hand.

 

Stephan says…

The performance golfer must have a solid and trustworthy pre-shot routine to achieve the desired state of being centered and concentrated on every shot.

 

For the performance player this concentration does not end when the shot has been completed. After every shot he/she needs to be just as analytical and focused as they were in their pre-shot routine. If the shot was executed to perfection, a mental pat on the shoulder is in order before moving on to the next shot. If the shot did not meet expectation, a quick analysis of what caused the bad shot should be made, purely to determine what feeling caused the bad shot. It is not wise to over-analyse during a round – it is advisable to make a quick correction, then to move on. The post-shot process should provide closure so that the next execution can be approached without any “baggage” from previous shots.

 

 Gabba says…

New golfers will be wise to start early on to build a reliable and repeatable pre-shot routine.

 

A vital pre-requisite for a good routine is a trigger move that helps to “switch the golfer on” in preparation before executing the shot. This trigger move can be as simple as putting your glove on or lifting and replacing your cap. The trigger becomes a signal to your brain that you need to stop chatting to your mates and start focusing on the shot at hand. This trigger move will form the foundation of your pre-shot routine.

Short game tip

To get centered in putting, focus more on the speed that you are going to roll the ball at.