In this first part of a Q&A series, Dr. Winters addresses a common golf anxiety.
![]() |
Buy at Amazon / Barnes & Noble |
Dr. Bob Winters: This is a common occurrence for many golfers. Almost everyone that plays in competitions or with others often feel that they "do not perform to their true golfing potential." They often tell me that they feel like "over-motivated underachievers." That is, they put so much effort into their training and practice but fail to see the fruits of their labor in lower scores and finished outcomes when playing with others or in a tournament situation. This lack of playing well often results in frustration, disappointment and anger. It seems the harder they try the worse it gets!
You have to ask yourself, what is pressure and where does it come from? How does it affect you?
These are serious questions for introspection and self-analysis for sure. The reasons for one's feelings of anxiety may come from a number of sources. But, more than anything, you must dismiss the result or the end value of a shot. You must let go of outcome or result thinking.
A key component of playing to your true potential is that you focus on executing your shot according to your decision plan. You must remember and adhere to the task. Your task is to hit the ball where you desire it to go. The pressure that we feel almost always comes from within. Pressure comes from YOU. Often, we want things so badly that we tend to get into our own way and suffer from wanting it badly and trying too hard.
I call these self-imposed afflictions "wantism and tryosity."
These afflictions show up because we put added pressure on ourselves because we are trying hard to impress our playing partners and also to avoid looking inept or incompetent. These are some serious performance inhibitors that will always hold you back.
![]() |
Dr. Bob Winters |
The great Jack Nicklaus once told me that whenever he had a big shot and he knew the outcome was crucial, he focused exclusively on completing his backswing before he made his move back into the ball. So, the essential part is that you step into the ball with a specific action plan about what you want TO DO with your shot and make a full swing and accept the results.
It worked well for Jack, and I am sure it can work for you as well!
TO BE CONTINUED.
No comments:
Post a Comment