Take It To The Course – Part I of II

There are eight steps to taking it to the course; we are going to talk about four of them this week. Steps five through eight will be addressed next week.

Step One – The Cue…

Golf takes about four hours to play. It is nearly impossible to concentrate for that long, so you must segment your concentration into short 30 to 45 seconds segments. This allows you to relax and enjoy the companionship of your playing partners, the beauty and serenity of the golf course and, most importantly, to effectively concentrate at the most critical movements.

Your cue can be auditory (the sound of Velcro on your glove) or it can be tactile (rub your fingers together or adjust your clothing). Whatever cue you select, it should be executed in the same way each time. The familiarity of the cue will put you on “auto pilot” and make you more at ease.

Step Two – Visualize your Shot

Jack Nicklaus said he always previews a perfect shot as he stands behind the ball. This image of perfection helps to crystallize the goal of the shot and helps breed confidence. You should imagine how a perfect shot feels, sounds and looks when you stand behind the ball. Picture the ball arcing through the sky, landing close to the target and, in the case of an approach shot, rolling to the hole.

Step Three – Make Practice Swing

Most players make one or two practice swings to rehearse one key movement in the swing, trying to feel the correct swinging motion. It is imperative that you never have more than one swing thought. Research indicates that PGA Tour players have high, right brain activity when executing shots, while amateurs have a very active left brain.

When you take practice swings, you should be eight to 10 feet behind the ball line facing the target. You want enough space between you and the ball so there is no chance that you might accidentally hit your ball or that it may move.

Step Four – Pick an Intermediate Target

You should stand behind the ball on the target line and look for an object one to two feet in front of the ball that is directly in line with the target. It may be a divot, broken tee, or a leaf. Make sure that the intermediate target is close enough to see it in your peripheral vision at address. This makes it easy to reference your alignment while addressing the ball.

Jack Nicklaus always picked an intermediate target and attributes his long, accurate drives to this practice.

Todd Sinclair is the Director of Instruction at First Coast Golf Academy. Sinclair gives lessons at both The Orchards at Egg Harbor and Meadow Ridge Lodge at Cherry Hills in Sturgeon Bay. He can be reached at 904.338.7107 or at firstcoastgolfacademy.com.