Improve your game

It is natural for our emotions and feelings to affect the way we play golf. The way in which we prepare for a game can also greatly influence our state of mind as we walk onto the first tee.

At all levels of the game many players, including myself, struggle for a consistent performance throughout a round. From rudimentary analysis of my own game, it is clear that for a period in the middle of nearly every round of golf I hit wayward iron shots, my putting stroke deserts me, and i’m lucky to get more than 150 yards from the tee.

After looking into my own game, and observing others, I may have stumbled onto a theory that seems to explain at least part of the problem, hence this article ‘The Intensity and Lethargy battle’.

Definitions

When talking about the word ‘intensity’ in relation to golf, i’m describing the positive focus and concentration needed to play a good shot. Some may describe it as the state of mind known as ‘a heightened sense of awareness’.

‘Lethargy,’ on the other hand, is the way in which our mind relaxes its focus and concentration on a task. It can be a negative force if is happening before or during a swing, and can result in bad shots (hooks, slices, mis-hits etc), or at best inconsistent yardage and direction.

Every day example

Throughout our daily lives a certain degree of intensity is required to perform basic tasks; walking down stairs, even though we have done it many times, requires us to have enough awareness and skill not to fall.

In a golf swing, no matter how many times we ‘groove’ it into muscle memory by practicing on the range and course, without a higher degree of awareness to accompany our skill, the results we achieve are not going to be consistent.
Professional golfers

In professional golf it is clear how certain players react to and control the two states of mind. Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo (in his prime) are good examples of how a controlled intensity can shut out external distractions and focus on winning a tournament shot by shot.

The method chosen by these two golfers is to block lethargy from their games by alienating everything and everyone (apart from their caddy) from the round. This focus has been mistaken for a bad attitude by playing partners, media, and the public.

Phil Mickelson is a player who takes a different approach to finding his intensity on the course. His method appears to include periods of light-hearted fun (lethargy) with crowds, playing partners and his caddy that offset his intensity when he takes his stance to play a shot. His mind is able to turn a higher concentration level on and off as and when required.

Identifying periods of lethargy

A round of golf consisting of 18 holes can take four or more hours to complete; asking our mind to sustain a high level of focus and concentrate for this amount of time is a near impossibility for a player of any skill level.

If we can identify periods when our state of mind is lethargic, it becomes easier to rectify before we take a swing and in doing so improve our concentration, ball-striking ability, and score.

Energy levels can be a crucial factor in maintaining our focus at the right time. Carrying food such as a banana or an energy drink to give us a boost at the right time can prove invaluable.

A balancing act

If we are to play our best golf, the two opposing states of mind must be managed in a kind of balancing act. As I have already described, Phil Mickelson can manage his intensity with the flick of a switch turning it off between shots and on when playing. Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo have the extraordinary ability to keep the intensity for a whole round.

How you are able to balance the two states of mind will greatly affect your game. Most golfers fall into the category of trying to focus only after taking a stance and during the swing. If lethargy creeps in between your shots remember that this is natural and it’s the way your mind balances out all the time you have been concentrating.

Trying too hard to find your level of intensity also increases the chance of failing to find it, try to find a natural balance, if it doesn’t come to you immediately (like everything in golf) it will take some practice. Practicing and exploring your different levels of intensity and lethargy can be done while hitting balls on the range or while on the putting green (I find the putting green before a round ideal).

Incentives

Money and competition have always been used as a way to create an intensity on the course since golf’s inception and provide golfers with that little extra incentive to play at the best level.

Gambling is part of the game; even if you don’t have a wager on the outcome of a game, by believing you are playing for money or that the next putt is for the title may help you gain the intensity required in lethargic moments.

Concluding thoughts

Remember to be aware of your state of mind during your next round, and try to build up the intensity and positive focus it takes to make every shot your very best. If you have lethargic feelings or thoughts while on the course, acknowledge them and replace them with a positive intensity for the next shot.

Golf is a game for enjoying, so enjoy it! I wrote this article to help golfers be more aware of some aspects of the game they might not have previously considered. Please don’t fall into the trap of trying too hard to analyse the article or your abilities, take it on board and move on.