Keeping Golf Stress Free

Game Focus Tip – Keeping Golf Stress Free

The fundamentals of golf are very different than many other sports. Take baseball for example; when you are up at bat to make your swing, your job is to hit the ball as its thrown to you. In other words, the game is built around your reaction towards what someone else is doing. You cannot make your move until the pitcher throws the ball to you.

In golf, however, you are the boss. You are in charge of making every move. The ball just sits there, waiting for you to make your shot. And you are 100% responsible for every play that happens. You cannot blame a bad play on a pitch, another teammate, or any other excuse.

This is what makes golf so difficult, and yet so challenging and fun to play. And on top of that, you have people watching you, all in complete silence. Talk about the need for focus!

A Positive Mindset Goes A Long Way In Golf

Golf requires that you focus and think about every shot you take. Of course in our comparative analysis of the sport of baseball, those players have to think about the mechanics of their game too, but they have little time to really focus and concentrate on what they are doing, as opposed to golf. They are conscious of the pitcher and the person at bat, but everything else is reaction.

Golf requires so much attention to what you are doing that any type of negative thoughts or worries can have a dramatic effect on the quality of your game. Doubt can easily seep into your mind, especially if you are still a beginner. Once this happens, your body tenses up, you may get nervous, jittery, and the next thing you know your ball has landed in the rough. Consider it to be the equivalent of stage fright. Yes, golf can be this difficult.

How can you prevent negative thoughts and feelings from happening while playing on the course? The answer is extremely simple, yet may be difficult to learn.

All you have to do is take action, and do so faster than your mind can start to consider any negative consequences of making a bad swing. That's the thing about golf – you can literally think your way into a slump.

Stick with the basics and focus on simple movements that are repetitive. Keep your body loose and as you are preparing for your shot, shift the weight of your body from foot to foot, back and forth. Wiggle your club a bit and just loosen up, have fun, and stop worrying about anything negative. Just learning how to play a stress-free game may be the hardest lesson you learn in golf.

Alistair Thomson
http://www.acegolftips.com