How to get patience...part 3

Dr. Tom Kubistant, CSP

 PRACTICING PATIENCE
     From this base of perspectives, you can improve your tactical patience during each round.  Especially during this time during the year when you may not be practicing diligently or peaking for performances, it is the perfect time to develop your playing patience.  Remember, you can learn how to become more patience on the course.  And this begins with practicing it in low-stress situations.  Here are some techniques to practice on the course.  Apply, at the most, two of these emphases in each of your upcoming rounds.

     Approach each round like you are going to play 36 holes that day.  I want you to learn how to pace yourself so that you "leave something in the tank. "

     Play an entire round NOT trying to make anything happen. For those regular readers of my articles, you know that my primary principle of golf performance is to allow your best performances to emerge from deep within you.
Become in tune with the flow of the round and see what happens.  Do not worry about your score or even the outcome of a shot.  You very well may be amazed at what happens.

     As such, do not force any shots.  Sure, select a precise target, but then just throw yourself into your swing/stroke and release the shot (much like an archer releases an arrow).  You might become pleasantly surprised at how accurate you become when you step out of your own way.

     Swing very easy.  One of the best patience drills is to play an entire round swinging at only three-quarters of your usual power.  Granted, you might have to play one or two clubs more into a green, but swing these relatively easy as well.  You will undoubtedly become frustrated or greedy, but see if you can have the discipline to play an entire round swinging fully at three-quarters power.

     If you are the type of player who likes to work shots, hit them straight.  Just emphasize hitting each ball squarely.  Too often, we try to become too precise and cute.  There is a time of the year to come back to the basics of solid ballstriking.  

     As such, aim just for centers of fairways and greens.  You might become perplexed with how hard this is; not so much mechanically, but psychologically.  As you do this you will be actually making the mental transition from a target orientation to a process orientation.

     If you have an established Risk-Reward Formula, play a couple of rounds not taking any risks.  Even if you can pull off a shot eight times out of ten, opt for the more conservative option  I know, this will be frustrating, but remember you are developing the patience to know how to "take your medicine."

     On the greens, do not attempt to make any putt outside of six feet.  On such putts, merely emphasize making solid strokes with proper speed control.  You will probably be amused with how many of these putts fall in.  Stupid game!

     With all of the above practices you will probably feel tempted to regress to your usual approaches.  Here is the final practice:  whenever you feel tempted to do anything, DO JUST THE OPPOSITE.  Even if you cannot analyze the temptation, immediately do just the opposite.  For example, if you feel tempted to bust a drive, immediately calibrate your swing to be "70% Full." Or if you feel tempted to fit an approach shot into a tight pin, immediately take out one more club and hit the ball to the back center.  Or if you feel tempted to jam in a nine-footer, immediately smoothly stroke it the proper distance.  With such playing situations, few of us are aware of how much temptation influences us nor what to do about it.  Temptation is the bane of patience.  And patience is the cure to temptation.

     Finally, blame it all on me!  It is one thing to attempt these tactics when playing by yourself.  It is quite another thing to practice these patience techniques when you are playing with your regular partners.  So if they question your decisions say, "I am implementing Doc Kubistant's patience drills.  It's HIS fault!"

     There are some core elements to good golf performances.  Concentration, positive attitude, decisiveness, relaxation, persistence, creativity, routines, commitment, and determination are all essential.  And patience solidifies them all.

     Now, if you read this comprehensive article all the way through, you are well on your way to becoming more patient!  You may want to reread this article in the spring when you are gearing up for your more serious golf. 

     Patience is a broad perspective.  It is also a specific playing tactic.  Patience is natural.  It can also be refined and expanded.  Patience is the pathway to mastery in golf.

     Dr. Tom Kubistant, Master of the Intrinsic, is one of the leading speakers, researches, and coaches of the mental and scoring games.  He is one of the pioneers in sports psychology working with Olympic, Professional and Amateur athletes since 1973. Since 1984, he has worked exclusively with golfers ranging from tour pros to average weekend golfers. Over the last fifteen years, Tom has been THE most prolific writer on the psychology of golf with three books and over 275 articles and he maintains (and has read) the entire "Bibliography On The Psychology Of Golf;" everything ever written and recorded on the mental game. He trains other sports psychologists and mental coaches and is widely known as the leading authority on all forms of THE YIPS.  

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