There are two places in a round of golf that are susceptible to dropping shots. At the start of the round, when the body is stiff and your feel for distance may not be switched on, and at the end of the round. Coming down the stretch of the last few holes is the place where it is very easy to get on the bogey train and not be able to finish off what could be a good round.
The end of the round is what I am interested in. I think there are 2 main reasons why shots are frittered away. 1. Physical fatigue. 2. Mental fatigue.
Over the next few weeks what can you do to prevent both physical and mental fatigue?
To prevent physical fatigue you can work on your cardio vascular fitness either by running or swimming. It is worth remembering how far you have to walk in a round of golf and also the fact you will be on the course for 4 hours or more. If you were going to improve your fitness then make sure you start slowly and gently gear up your training efforts. Don’t go out and run a half marathon straight away or you will be walking round the golf course like John Wayne!
An exercise that I think can help golfers is Squats. Squats can help to strengthen the legs, improve core strength and stability and works the chain of muscles down the back of your body that is vital to a golfer. In the same way you shouldn’t go out and run a marathon straight away start with a small number of squats and build up the reps and sets over time.
Here is an example for you to watch.
In the next few weeks I think you can probably reap bigger rewards by improving your concentration skills and prevent mental fatigue.
The title ‘Feed your concentration’ can be taken literally. In the 4 hours that your are on the golf course what do you eat or drink to feed your brain and help concentration?
A bacon roll or a cake at the halfway house will help your stamina but I don’t think it will aid focus and concentration.
I think that water is a must. Energy drinks are fine but I would still have water in the bag as well. As much as some drinks companies tell us that their drink hydrates better than water in my experience mother nature usually beats man-made! Being well hydrated will help you to stay focussed for longer.
Seeds, nuts and berries are all brain foods. They will help with energy levels and stamina but will also improve concentration during the round. If you have some in your bag then you can grab a handful every few holes to keep yourself topped up rather than eating something half way round when energy levels are low and it may be too late.
If you eat bananas for energy then you may want to think again!!
Bananas contain melatonin and serotonin which are both chemicals that are well-known to help you to sleep. As well as that, Bananas contain high levels of magnesium which is a muscle relaxant. Don’t believe me? Check out Bananas and Sleep on the internet.
I have recently started to use a couple of golf specific products to fuel me round the golf course. Max Golf Protein have developed a Protein drink and energy bar that provide slow energy release. Here’s what they say about it:
“Max Golf Protein contains a slow release protein and just the right amount of carbs to keep you going around 18 holes. It keeps you feeling fuller on the course, has a high protein content to help those muscles, and a very low fat content, especially compared to other refreshments available in golf shops. It tastes just as good as (if not better than!) any treat, but has all the health benefits to go with it – we may be biased but it’s a win-win situation.”
(If you want to try any of the products then you can get an exclusive 10% discount by adding the code N1NEAL at checkout!Click on the picture above and it will take you to the website.)
My final piece of advice is about preserving concentration. We only have about 1 1/2 hours of good concentration a day. If you think you need to concentrate for the entire round then forget it. I think of concentration as an egg timer and if you keep it running all the time then it won’t last beyond the front 9.
Conserve your concentration by using the following ideas.
Have a start and finish to each golf shot. In particular you need to make sure that once the shot is finished you accept the result and then turn the egg timer back off. Dwelling on bad shots will achieve nothing and will only eat into your concentration levels.
Have you ever heard that saying “stop and smell the Roses”? It’s a quote from Walter Hagen and you need to think about this in between your shots. Rather than walking down the fairway with your head down thinking about the next shot, what might be or what has been, take a look around you.
When your eyes are looking down it enables your brain to ‘self talk’ so when you are walking down the fairway looking down I bet you will be chatting away to yourself. This will affect your levels of concentration.
Instead try to keep your eyes above the height of the flag or even look at the tree tops and landscape. When your eyes are looking up it helps to prevent you from ‘self talk’ and your brain accesses pictures and images. It may sound odd but it really does work. I use this idea to make sure the egg timer is on its side.
Try to add some of these ideas to your own game. Make sure that you start to implement things now so that you get used to them and form habits rather than trying things out for the big competition.
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