Patience Is A Key Part Of Playing Great Golf

Being patient on the golf course allows you to wait in position until luck swings your way. Being patient ensures you do not give in. Rather you dig deep and step up to the eve- present challenge that golf presents.

Watching Tiger in the last couple of rounds at Memorial confirmed yet again the importance of patience in golfing success. A good golfer has to be a very patient man or woman. You have to possess the ability to trundle along and reign it in when luck doesn't seem to be on your side and keep yourself in position to benefit when a little or a lot of luck swings your way.

Part and parcel of that patience is keeping your emotional equilibrium and not allowing yourself to become despondent. Every golfer knows that as Bob Rotella's book title says, "Golf is not a game of perfect".

You are not going to hit perfect shots all of the time. In fact, some days your rhythm and timing will be off for some inexplicable reason and you just cannot seem to get into your groove. This is the time when you have to dig deep into your store of patience, acceptance and understanding.

You have to do your best with what you have got, and not allow yourself to become frustrated and despondent. If you allow yourself to drop your shoulders and look at the ground then you will lower your standards way more then would otherwise be the case.

This is the time to straighten your back, grit your teeth, and play with every ounce of "heart" that you have. You have to understand that every shot is not going to be perfect and that luck will not always be on your side. But you also have to appreciate that you have not "lost" your swing, nor allow your brain to be overloaded with technical thoughts.

Once again, if you allow this to happen things will only go from bad to worse. You have to tighten up your focus, not let it wander off into a mechanically orientated no-man's land.

When you are out on the course you have to play with the game, rhythm and timing that has decided to appear today. You have to focus very clearly upon one shot at a time. If one putt doesn't drop you have to remind yourself that you are due some luck next time; sit tight and make sure you are in position for that luck to happen. Your patience will be rewarded. This is inevitable. Don't throw your chances and opportunities away.

It was good to see Tiger swinging more freely at Memorial. The fact is that you are never going to play your best golf when your mind is consumed by mechanical thoughts. It is inevitable though, that a golfer who has been recently focusing upon a swing change will take a certain amount of time to get back to releasing those thoughts and swinging freely once again. You just have to be patient.

Roseanna Leaton, golf addict and specialist in golf hypnosis mp3s and author of the GolferWithin golf mind training system.

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