A Quarterly Newsletter for PGA Tour Professionals from SportPsych®, Inc. by Dr. Graham & Jon Stabler December 2001, Volume XI, Number 4 Optimum Practice: Part One We won’t mention names, but the wife of one very prominent PGA Tour player (who has the reputation of being a bit of a “couch potato”) says she must organize rounds with some of his golfing friends just to get him out to practice during his multiple weeks off. By contrast, another successful PGA Tour player’s wife says that in all their years of marriage, she does not remember being anywhere with her husband when he did not take his golf clubs. She explains that she must be very convincing to get him to take a day off from golf for other activities. So who is the best role model? Little wonder so many aspiring champions ask the question, “How do I know how much to practice?” The answer is, “It depends!” Not trying to be vague, but there are actually many factors you should be considering when determining how to get the most out of your own practice. One factor, a very important one, to take into account is your own basic personality. If for example, Freddie Couples had practiced like Ben Hogan, or if Hogan had practiced like Couples, it is very likely that neither one would have achieved their respective levels of success. Other things you might consider include the quality of your practice habits, the time available to you, current health, and current goals. In this newsletter we help you identify faulty practice habits. The next newsletter, Part two, will offer numerous suggestions for getting the very most out of the time you have to work on your game and the style or type of practice that is optimum for your personality. PRACTICE RELATED MISTAKES TO AVOID… Optimum practice starts by recognizing and changing common mistakes. 1. Practicing for the Wrong Reasons When quizzed about their motivations for practice, struggling players will often reveal faulty motivations for putting time in at the course or the practice area. Do you ever practice for one or more of these reasons? If so, check out the accompanying suggestions… Guilt-Feeling that if you do not put in a specific number of hours, you are not worthy of playing good golf. It may even have occurred to you that if you do not work hard enough, you are not a worthy person in any regard. Suggestion: Take steps to understand how you have come to tie your identity so closely to your golf. Strengthen self-esteem. Anxiety-Feeling unable to relax or feel at peace unless I put in my practice. Tormented by the thought that for every hour I do not practice, someone out there is gaining ground on me competitively. Suggestion: Shift your emphasis from others to you. Learn to relax and feel at peace before and during (and even without) your practice. Progress is entirely individual and related more to "how" you are practicing rather than "how much". Optimum Practice Release of Frustration-I often feel I must go to the range and bang balls to get out my frustration, either because of my golf or something else in my life that I am upset about. Suggestion: While banging balls can be a release of your frustration, it seldom improves your game or helps you resolve the underlying problem. Take steps to talk with someone about the problem(s) to resolve them rather than just trying to alleviate the symptoms. Keep your practice a more productive and positive experience. Boredom-I find myself hitting balls to fill time because I am expected to, often with no goal and little purpose. Suggestion: Set meaningful goals to practice with a purpose, or find something else to do with your time. Practicing with little focus or purpose seldom helps your game, and it can actually make it worse. SportPsych, Inc., PO Box 1976, Boerne, TX 78006, 800-322-5044 © 2001SportPsych, Inc. GolfPsych® Update December 2001 Escape-When life gets to be too much for me I find relief by losing myself in my golf. Suggestion: In addition to finding relief from life’s challenges, look for ways to proactively manage them so that they do not end up managing you. Your golf will ultimately be better for it. Social Connection-Golf gives me the chance to be social, to meet and enjoy people. Suggestion: If golf is your social outlet, you likely need to take a look at how you organize your practice. Plan your practice so that you have quality time for working on your skills, balanced with intermittent social breaks to keep it fun and interesting for you. To Make Someone Else Happy-I practice golf because certain other people tell me I should and I want them to be happy with me. Suggestion: To play your best golf and to get the most out of the time you devote to it, you must have a passion for the game. At some point you must decide to play and practice primarily for yourself. This is especially true of players who start the game to be with or please a parent or someone else they care about. Under-emphasizing weaknesses-When I practice I prefer hitting shots I know I can execute well because I want to enjoy my practice and leave feeling good about my game. Suggestion: You can begin and end your practice by focusing on your strengths, but at least somewhere in between spend time improving your weaknesses. This is how you develop your skills and gain the needed performance confidence for your next competitive game. Over-emphasizing mechanics-So much of my practice involves drills, work on fundamentals, using practice aids and tinkering with equipment that when I play or compete. I find myself obsessed with doing things like checking positions, correcting my swing, and watching my putter blade. I am unable to truly play athletically, visualizing shots and maintaining great feel and tempo. Suggestion: Set aside some of every practice session to use “right brain practice” or in other words to practice as you play: invent games, be creative with your shot making, hit into various targets, and most importantly, practice your mental routine. If you need guidance in any of these areas a qualified psychologist with knowledge of sport can easily help you with these and other challenges. 2. Under-practicing If his wife does not get him off the sofa and out to practice, there is a good chance that our couch-potato player will struggle his first couple of weeks back on Tour for one or more of the following reasons. Check the list to see if your game is suffering some of the same symptoms. Low performance confidence-You have not practiced the shots that have been giving you trouble and therefore do not have the performance confidence to fully commit to these shots in competition. Poor touch and feel-You do not have your best touch and feel, particularly around the greens. Overall feel for greens, clubs, shots and strokes is just not sharp. Bad timing/tempo-The timing and rhythm of your swing and stroke is not as fluid and athletic as it can be. Conscious (or Subconscious) Feelings of Being Un-deserving of Good Play-Self- recrimination tells you, you have not practiced enough to play well. And if you feel that, of course you won’t. Going one step farther, guilt can make you feel you are un-deserving of playing well. Self-fulfilling prophecy will make that so. 3. Over-practicing If the second wife is unsuccessful in getting her husband to take some time off, our workaholic player will ultimately struggle with some of the following challenges. Check to see if you are experiencing any of them in your own play. Unchecked Expectations/Outcome thoughts-Excessive practice tends to propel a player toward higher expectations and performance inhibiting “outcome thoughts”. Such as an underlying attitude like, “I have put in so many hours; there is no reason I should not have a really low score today”. This player will be much less tolerant of mistakes and much more likely to react emotionally—neither of which helps your play. © 2001 SportPsych, Inc. SportPsych, Inc., PO Box 1976, Boerne, TX 78006, 800-322-5044 Optimum Practice GolfPsych® Update December 2001 Fatigue-Before you realize it, signs of fatigue will appear in your game. Symptoms include finding it harder to make and commit to decisions, to visualize your shots, to remain patient with your caddie and those around you, and to repress an irritable mood. Burn-out-Prolonged fatigue leads to burn-out. Symptoms, including the above, can lead to reduced passion for the game, to the point of feeling you are starting to dislike the game. Injury-Excessive practice will ultimately take a toll on the body, from nagging aches and pains, to play-inhibiting injuries, to repeated and even career ending surgeries. Compromised personal life-Over-practice reflects a life that is out of balance. While the effects may not be felt immediately, it is likely that long-term neglect of family, marriage, friends, and personal/spiritual needs will eventually inhibit your play. This is particularly true if those you care about give up on the hope that you will one day spend more time with them and decide to move on. Summary Review the following chart to determine where you are relative to effort and performance Optimum Practice SportPsych, Inc., PO Box 1976, Boerne, TX 78006, 800-322-5044 © 2001 SportPsych, Inc.
