Playing Under Stress
By Sean Rea MA

When you are tired, stressed, etc. the errors in your technique or mental game become more obvious. Therefore, small errors that normally have little impact on your game will become large errors. So, go back to the basics; focus on technique and staying in the moment. Keep it simple…

You will need to really bear down and focus. This is where key words come in handy. A key word is a reminder to do or feel something. They can be used to remind you to incorporate an important part to your technique, such as follow through etc. But most importantly they help us to focus. Just like baseball players uses a pre-hitting sequence to prepare them to hit, a golfer should have pre-shot sequence to prepare for the shot. A key word is used to set-up your mind before the shot, it sets the tone for how you want to think and feel at the time of your shot. If your key word and pre-shot sequence is identical every time, you will be able to focus consistently. And we all know that the key to golf is consistency.

Your patience and attitude are reflective of the stress and pressure you feel. If you are playing consistently you should feel less stress and be more patient. If you are playing inconstantly or below what you feel is your potential, it will be harder to be patient and keep a positive attitude. Above all remember to have fun…after all there is probably not millions riding on you performance…keep perspective and above all keep it simple.