Each round of golf has its own surprises. Depending on the day, we will shoot and awesome score, one we are embarrassed to talk about, and one that has so many hills and valleys that we get dizzy just thinking about it. The latter roller coaster round is one that most players experience on a routine basis. There is no rhyme or reason for the ups and downs……or is there?

The effort of concentrating for 4+ hours is very taxing regardless of your skill level. I know that during each round there are moments when your mind goes on a walkabout only to dragged back to reality by a poor golf shot. This is not uncommon and believe me I have made some amazing trips in my mind while looping a golf course. This lax in concentration, for me, is generally where my roller coaster scores are rooted. Fortunately, I understand my weakness and fight to avoid it whenever possible.

The times of my greatest concentration failure is during a friendly round. As the round starts, I find that I engage in conversation and never seem to stop. We chat about everything and I become focused on the conversation and forget to focus on all my golf shots. This is nothing new and I accept that fact that my score will be up and down; I do not mind because the social interaction was well worth the time on the links.

Other times, I find that I am too engaged in the results of each shot. The harder I try to focus, the more challenging it is to meet my expectations. I become overly critical and become frustrated when I cannot hit what I perceive to be an easy shot. Those rounds are less fun and the up and down score is a result.

By now, you have figured out that there is a happy medium for concentration and focus when playing golf. Each play has there own level of concentration that fits their game. I will warn you that this process is not the easiest, but when you find your rhythm of what does work, your game will reach new levels of excellence. Being able to concentrate when making a golf shot is an art.

The professionals are a great example of how when it is time hit, they narrow their focus and then after the shot revert back to a steady state. I is fun to watch and worth the price of admission sometimes. Regardless of where you are in your game, working on how and when to concentrate will help minimize your roller coaster rounds of golf. I know it has really helped my game.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!