Blog

25 Feb 2015 Corina Pelloni

HANDLING TOURNAMENT PRESSURE

I was speaking to a student today about pressure. He said, “My swing won’t hold up under pressure.” He always assumes bad shots translate to his swing flaws. My statement to him was, “I think your swing is solid. It is not your SWING that won’t handle tournament pressure. It is your MECHANICS that don’t stand up to pressure.” Bad mechanics open up a wound on a solid golf swing. They force you to contrive the motion in hopes of scratching out a good result. Most of the time, it is a position we adopt before we ever swing the club that ruins the shot. A good player is on the range and he is deciding whether or not to play you for money today. If he notices a number of quirky or individualistic aspects to your game, he figures that it might be hard for you to play well all day long or when the pressure is on, and decides to give you a try. On the other hand, if your method is simple and free of clutter, it will give him the feeling that you can hit good shots repeatedly and he will steer clear of you. Sometimes, a green driving range mat can be quite useful. When a good player comes to me to “find” his game, I begin on a green range mat. This mat has lines drawn on it that insure the same, correct ball position, alignment, and stance width. Over the course of time, the consistent mechanics begin to heal the wounded golf swing. When you know your mechanics have been the same (and correct) for thousands of balls in a row, you then know the things you feel are correct and worth grooving. Random experimentation makes it improbable that you will ever settle on those things that stand strong under pressure. When our actions, before we ever swing the club, are affirmative and purposeful, then our swing can start to build feel and instinct again. When our mechanics are sorted out, we need to do nothing more than look at the ball and swing. Our mind can lie peacefully and allow our swing to run its course. It is the best way to swing a club, to strike a golf ball and to play golf.

12 Feb 2015 Corina Pelloni

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

When coming back to the game after an absence, managing expectations is very important.  We have all had setbacks in golf; they could be due to a long winter in the north or an injury.  Once we start playing again, the competitive juices begin to flow and we naturally have expectations of picking right up where we left off. It happens to everyone, from Tiger Woods to our students.  It is very hard to manage expectations.  As golf teaching professionals, we need to help our students by developing a proper game plan for their return.  Without a game plan, they will be set up for heartache by not immediately performing to their prior ability. One of my current students, whom I have been working with for a few years, has been playing the best golf of his life over the past year.  His handicap had gone from an 8 to a 3.  Four months ago, he had to have reconstructive surgery on his left ankle.   This was a major surgery that had a great impact on his golf game.  He was not allowed to play for three months.  To make matters worse, the repaired ankle supports his entire weight at the finish of his golf swing.  The closer it came to his return to the course, you could tell how the excitement of getting back had begun to consume his thoughts.  All he would talk about was how great he was going to play, how much practice time he was going to devote to the game, and how he couldn’t wait to start playing in tournaments.  When we sat down to visit prior to his first round, I asked him to follow some guidelines. I recommended that he play the front tees on par 5s and long par 4s, playing one tee back from the front tee on everything else.  I also had him play the ball up everywhere and gave him two mulligans per hole.  At first he was not happy with my request, he was ready to start shooting low scores and beating his buddies. By doing this, golf was free of pressure.  He hit some poor shots without the penalty of having a bad hole.  It was fun.  The shorter course allowed him to swing within himself without putting more stress on his ankle.  The mulligans gave him the ability to redo a few poor swings or bad course management decisions. When dealing with students making a comeback of any sort, we need to help manage their expectations.  This will help their golf games in the short run, plus show your students you are there for their long-term success.

2 Feb 2015 Corina Pelloni

THE GOLF INSTRUCTOR

Just recently, say, two weeks ago, I felt very proud of one of my students.  She was playing in a two-day ladies’ tournament, and after the first day’s play, she came to me and said, “Coach, I need to say something to you concerning today’s play.  While marking my ball on the green, I accidentally pushed the ball forward.  No one saw what transpired, but I replaced my ball and called my marker to inform her of what had happened.  I then called a penalty shot on myself.” Golf shows who we are, what we are made of, what values our parents have instilled in us, and what our coach or teacher is teaching us. I hugged her and said, “Well done!”  She shot 78 with the penalty on that day.  On day two, she played very well and shot 75, thereby tying for first place.  There was a playoff, and in the playoff she three-putted the first hole and lost, but yet, there was a smile on the young lady’s face.  I again hugged her and said, “Well Done!  Did you learn anything from all of this?”  She replied, “Yes Coach.  I feel good about myself.” All of us as golf instructors have a special role to play in the lives of our students.  Whatever we teach them can have an effect on their golf game and on the rest of their lives in general.