Last 4 words you need to hear

I play alot of best ball competitions and I hear these 4 words so many times....."WE NEED THIS PUTT"! Well it just got 10 times harder to make for me. It's still the 4 ft slider it was a minute ago, but now: is it really left lip, ok I'll firm it, but if I miss it I'll have a 3 footer coming back, ok i'll die it in, but is it now a ball out or a ball and a half, how can this be so tough? I'm still trying to figure that out. If anyone has any suggestions on how to calm my nerves I'm all ears.

[QUOTE=Strick]I play alot of best ball competitions and I hear these 4 words so many times....."WE NEED THIS PUTT"! Well it just got 10 times harder to make for me. It's still the 4 ft slider it was a minute ago, but now: is it really left lip, ok I'll firm it, but if I miss it I'll have a 3 footer coming back, ok i'll die it in, but is it now a ball out or a ball and a half, how can this be so tough? I'm still trying to figure that out. If anyone has any suggestions on how to calm my nerves I'm all ears.[/QUOTE]

it's just pressure you get used to it after a while... the only way to get used to it is to put yourself in pressure situations more often... there simply is no way to calm down other than getting used to the pressure... sure things you can do is like breathe slower, and do everything slower in youre practice strokes etc... but when it comes down to it there really isnt anything you can do...

[QUOTE=Strick]I play alot of best ball competitions and I hear these 4 words so many times....."WE NEED THIS PUTT"! Well it just got 10 times harder to make for me. It's still the 4 ft slider it was a minute ago, but now: is it really left lip, ok I'll firm it, but if I miss it I'll have a 3 footer coming back, ok i'll die it in, but is it now a ball out or a ball and a half, how can this be so tough? I'm still trying to figure that out. If anyone has any suggestions on how to calm my nerves I'm all ears.[/QUOTE]


You have to commit to looking at the situation for what it really is. It's a four foot putt, just like the last 4 footer you holed, and the one before that, etc... and only two things can happen - you make or you miss. You agreed to those terms when you took up this game. Accept it and just do your best. Relax, breathe, and see it for the normal and everyday event that it really is. If your partner says you guys "need" this one, maybe you should remind yourself that this one is no different than any other - you "need" all those ones too. Maybe he failed to mention those ones to you. :) Rehearse as usual, proceed as normal.

I think the key to putting your best is a level of confidence where you believe you can make anything, but an indifference to the result of whether you do or not. You CANNOT care about the result, but you must have confidence in your ability to "do it".

Think about this - would you rather have that 4 footer, or a 10 footer on the same line instead? How about a 40 footer on that line? How would your confidence be affected in each of those three situations? You may know that a 40 footer is a "must make", but you know that the odds of your making it are slimmer from there. So why do we hole long putts in key situations (clutch) as often as we miss 4 footers (choke)? :eek:






FON

[QUOTE=Strick]I play alot of best ball competitions and I hear these 4 words so many times....."WE NEED THIS PUTT"! Well it just got 10 times harder to make for me. It's still the 4 ft slider it was a minute ago, but now: is it really left lip, ok I'll firm it, but if I miss it I'll have a 3 footer coming back, ok i'll die it in, but is it now a ball out or a ball and a half, how can this be so tough? I'm still trying to figure that out. If anyone has any suggestions on how to calm my nerves I'm all ears.[/QUOTE]

Im a former collegiate baseball player. I heard my coach telling me from the 3rd base box "DONT THINK JUST HIT" 10000000000 times it seems. I would paralyze myself thinking about hitting the ball. Just relax and hit it. Dont get paralysis by analysis. The same holds true for me in golf. If I get over a shot (or putt) and start to think about all the things I need to do in order to make a successful shot or stroke, I tend to mess it up.

Recently, I have been taking indoor lessons at GolfGalaxy. Hell, THAT guy even picked up on my "human rain delay" tendencies. He said you could see the smoke coming from my ears thinking about the mechanics, etc...When he had me just walk up to the ball, take 1 practice stroke, then GO! I really put good swings on the ball with good results. Trust it and commit to it.

I know most will tell you to slow down, but for me its the opposite. Its only a 4 footer, treat it as a gimme and get up there and nail it. G luck.

Strick, that's kind of a dick move by your teammates. It's an unspoken rule that you don't say those kind of things. You also never apologize for screwing something up. Live in the present and stay positive.
That's the kind of thing you say to your competitors to eff with them.

How does the putt get any harder?

The hole is still the same size it was before anyone said anything?

The distance of the putt is still the same?

So what has changed?

The 6 inches between your ears is all that has gone astray. Nothing else. Focus, be confident, and make a positive stroke.

Also read, "golf is not a game of perfect" by Dr. Bob Rotella. Best book on golf mentality I have ever read. I read it at least once a year.

[QUOTE=Horseballs]Strick, that's kind of a dick move by your teammates. It's an unspoken rule that you don't say those kind of things. You also never apologize for screwing something up. Live in the present and stay positive.
That's the kind of thing you say to your competitors to eff with them.[/QUOTE]

That reminds me of last year... We were playing a 2 vs 2 match and I had a 2-3 ft putt for birdie and MY partner says to me DONT MISS IT RIGHT.... What did i do, missed it right, would of made that put in any other situation

[QUOTE=newfie_golfer]That reminds me of last year... We were playing a 2 vs 2 match and I had a 2-3 ft putt for birdie and MY partner says to me DONT MISS IT RIGHT.... What did i do, missed it right, would of made that put in any other situation[/QUOTE]


How can you blame your partner for your miss? You hit the putt, not him.
Saying you would have made it in any other situation is a complete cop out. The first step in developing a strong mind on the course is taking responsibility for your shots. You and only you are the one taking "your" shots.

putt it the same way you would have if it was not make or break. Whatever makes you nervous is going to make you worse.

>>> The 6 inches between your ears is all that has gone astray. Nothing else. Focus, be confident, and make a positive stroke. <<<

You're right but it's one of those things that we all know but don't necessarily work on anywhere near as much as the physical part of the game.


bd

surely the 4 words you never want to hear - 'IT'S STILL YOUR PUTT' !!!

and dont forget the 4 words you never want to say

"YOU SPILLED MY BEER"

[QUOTE=LyleG]How can you blame your partner for your miss? You hit the putt, not him.
Saying you would have made it in any other situation is a complete cop out. The first step in developing a strong mind on the course is taking responsibility for your shots. You and only you are the one taking "your" shots.[/QUOTE]

Well I didnt mean every other time i have that putt i make them, I was exaggerating but, I ffairly confident on making a 2.5 foot putts.... So what your saying is if your all lined up for a putt just about to make your stroke and someone says to you, dont miss it right, breaks towards the ocean, etc., it has absolutley no effect on your? If thats the case your not human...I totally accept the fact that I took the shot, take full responseability, I was just saying that I would of had a better chance of making it if he hadn't of said anything to me, Geez

No it wouldnt affect me at all. I would back off, and start over at the beginning of my routine.
I never blame someone else for a bad shot. You and only you are responsible for your shots. Everything else is an excuse.

[QUOTE=LyleG]No it wouldnt affect me at all. I would back off, and start over at the beginning of my routine.
I never blame someone else for a bad shot. You and only you are responsible for your shots. Everything else is an excuse.[/QUOTE]

I backed off to, but come on, your saying that thought wouldnt be in the back of your mind at all???? Espically when your playing a match with your firends, and you know there going to be all over you if you miss, and your putt is to win the hole, if you were just playing a normal round you would just go up and tap it in

Newfie, you choked. It happens to everyone. Worst part is, your buddy now knows that affects you.

It didn't bother me at all that I missed it, cost me probably a quarter, i was probably more mad at coming within a couple of inches of a hole in one and ending up with parrrrrrrrrrrrr...

[QUOTE=newfie_golfer]I backed off to, but come on, your saying that thought wouldnt be in the back of your mind at all???? Espically when your playing a match with your firends, and you know there going to be all over you if you miss, and your putt is to win the hole, if you were just playing a normal round you would just go up and tap it in[/QUOTE]


Yes, thats exactly what I am saying. Unlike you apparently, I am not a mental midget and can overcome a little adversity. I simply refuse to let anything bother me when I am playing. Back off and start over, what just happened is done, over, fineto. I really dont know what else to tell you.

Damn. If Newfies and regular-ass Canucks can't get along, where is the hope for the rest of the world?

[QUOTE=LyleG]Yes, thats exactly what I am saying. Unlike you apparently, I am not a mental midget and can overcome a little adversity. I simply refuse to let anything bother me when I am playing. Back off and start over, what just happened is done, over, fineto. I really dont know what else to tell you.[/QUOTE]

I dont want you to say anything else, didnt want you to say anything in the first place, I was just commenting on a post that someone made that reminded me of a situation in the past then you started to blow it out of proportion, thats all

[QUOTE=Horseballs]Damn. If Newfies and regular-ass Canucks can't get along, where is the hope for the rest of the world?[/QUOTE]

hahahahahaha

[QUOTE=newfie_golfer]I dont want you to say anything else, didnt want you to say anything in the first place, I was just commenting on a post that someone made that reminded me of a situation in the past then you started to blow it out of proportion, thats all[/QUOTE]

I simply pointed out that you have the mental resolve of a tennis ball. I fail to see how that is blowing anything out of proportion.

[QUOTE=LyleG]I simply pointed out that you have the mental resolve of a tennis ball. I fail to see how that is blowing anything out of proportion.[/QUOTE]

Im just going to drop the topic here because I dont like where this could potentially be going....

It seems that Newfie and Strick have made the error of letting the situation and consequences of missing a putt occupy their thoughts, instead of concentrating on the process of making the putt. If you start focussing on missing a putt, you run the risk of talking yourself into missing it. It has happened to all of us at some stage in our golfing journey, and I'm still guilty from time to time of thinking of the 'what ifs' as I'm standing over a putt in the middle of a good round.

The best solution I can offer is to develop a pre shot routine that allows you to concentrate solely on the process of making the putt, and allows you to stay in the present. In reality it's only a short putt that you should make if you read it properly. The other piece of advice when standing over any putt is to committ to the line you choose and then just concentate on hitting a solid putt, not on the result. A solid putt from the sweet spot should always go in from 4 feet unless you have seriously mis read the line. Just stay in the present and go through your routine and the putts will drop the same way they did on the practice green before the round (assuming you do practice which is the key to developing a good stroke, a good pre shot routine, and confidence).

One last bit of advice from my own experience is to concentrate even harder on putts early in the round. I usually find that the first couple of putts set the tone for the day for me. If I manage to drop some putts early, I gain confdence and have the expectation of making every putt when I'm standing over it. If I miss something I should have made on the first hole, I usually have alot of trouble on the greens for the rest of the day. And in a match, if you make positive srokes early on the short ones you will soon find your opponets giving them to you. If you yip a short one early, you can be sure your opponent will make you putt everything for the rest of the match.

Sound advice NaH and others, will impliment into my game right away, thanks again.