Preparing for a Stroke Play Tournament

Stroke play tournaments are a different beast. One slip and your score can climb higher than expected. It is evitable that situations will arise that cause consternation, but how we respond will determine our successes. I played many stroke tournaments in the past with mixed results. I won a bunch and failed to perform in others; regardless, as my experience grew playing in stroke play events so did my preparation. It is not a difficult process, but a proven method that works for my game.

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Walking Improves My Golf Game

Fitness is a very important component of successful golf. Having the ability to walk 18 holes with enough gas left in the tank to perform is something every golfer should be capable of accomplishing. Of course there are always exceptions and it is not my intent to shine a negative light on other golfers; I am only talking about my golf game. If given a choice, I will walk most golf courses. There are some I have played that walking is not wise due to its design, however 95% of golf courses are walkable and I enjoy taking the stroll. Other than the physical benefits of walking a golf course, the mental benefits are often overlooked. I play better golf when I walk and here is why!

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Focusing On Confidence In Golf

Every golfer walks the tight rope on the links. It is that fine line between over-confidence and apprehension. You know the spot where each shot offers a player the opportunity to think about success, envision success, and execute a successful golf shot. Being an experienced player, I find walking this narrow path easier because I understand my strengths and limitations. Interestingly, my ability to focus on confidently hitting golf balls was developed over years of playing successful golf. The peaks and valleys of my play showed that there is a zone of success created in the six inches of real estate between my ears. I was able to do it and you can as well!

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Does ‘Faking It Till You Make It’ Work In Golf

Confidence in golf is very important. Understanding that any aspects of our golf game could go off the rails at any time, it is important to stay confident regardless of how well we play. Using the old adage ‘fake it till you make it’ sometimes is the only approach to help keep our game afloat. I have experienced poor play and could not get out of my funk in the short term. The only thing I had in my back pocket was to will my game in to success! I have had to fake it till I made it many times and will likely have to do that in the future as well. But, what exactly does this mean?

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Intimidated By Your Opponent In Golf

Watching the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play yesterday sparked my curiosity. As I watched Dustin Johnson battle Brooks Koepka battle for the win, I wondered if either was intimidated by their opponent. Probably not because they are the tops in the world rankings. How about Shamus Power (42) or Corry Conners (35) who are ranked much lower in the standings playing their matches. I would suggest that many professional golfers are less intimidated during any match vice that of an amateur. Amateurs battle many other factors that could easily cause them to be intimidated during competitive matches.

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