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How to Win at Golf
What's the point of playing sport if you don't want to win? You may try to kid yourself that you're playing for the good of your health or because you enjoy the sport, both of which would probably be true, but the real satisfaction and joy comes from winning. If you don't believe me just study the attendance stats for a professional sports team which is on a run of poor results and near the bottom of the league table. Teams that win fill stadiums, losing teams empty them. People like to be associated with winning teams. We all like to win, it makes us feel better. This is about how to win at sport, any sport, but particularly about how to win at golf which is my game. There are certain actions and thinking patterns which are easy to learn which make a great deal of difference to any golfer's ability to win. In this article I will take you through the ones that I have found to be most effective. Preparation Can you imagine Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, or Phil Michelson arriving on the first tee without having spent a serious amount of time on the practice fairway to warm up? They also spend time on the putting green and probably check through their equipment with their caddie before they get to the tee. Serial winners prepare thoroughly. This is a major reason why they win so often. How much time do you devote to your preparation before you go out to play? Let's face it, most amateurs may take a few practice swings; they may even hit a few putts, if the practice green is conveniently nearby, but it is rare for them to go to the practice fairway before they hit their first drive. I think that your preparation should start long before you even get to the course. When I am really determined to win I start getting myself mentally ready during my journey to the club. In the car I start to think about how I am feeling that day. If I suspect that my feelings aren't 'right', perhaps I am feeling a bit apprehensive or tetchy, I set about taking charge of my feelings. There is no point in letting your feelings run away with you - who knows where they will go? And, if you're not in charge of your feelings you will not play well. It is certain that you will not win. The good news is that your mind can control your feelings if you really want it to. After all, 'whose feelings are they?' If you created those feelings then you can also create a whole new set of feelings which will give you a much better chance of winning. It takes discipline to control your feelings. They often want to escape from your control, but you must not let them escape. You must be firm with yourself. If you find yourself feeling 'nervous' you must tell yourself to be 'calm'. If you're feeling tense, you must tell yourself to 'relax.' You may have to fight for mastery of your feelings but it is a battle worth fighting because if you win that battle you will probably win your round of golf as well. In fact I believe that most amateur golfers feel a bit shy about preparing too well. We don't want to appear over keen. But there's something even worse than that going on in our heads. We don't want to hit a bad shot and then have others laugh at us and say: "all that time you spent on the practice ground doesn't seem to have done you much good." And, there's something even worse than that going on in our heads - we don't want to disappoint ourselves. We don't want to get ourselves all 'revved-up' and then go out and play badly. So we don't take a chance on the warm up in case it doesn't work. Let me suggest a few positive actions you can take in preparation for your round of golf which will help you a lot. They may even help you to win next time you play. First, make sure that you allow yourself plenty of time to get to the golf course. Enjoy the drive and enjoy taking charge of your feelings. Try to arrive at least half an hour before you are due to play. This will give you time to greet a few of your pals, have a drink, change and boot up. Spend 10 minutes on the golf range or in a golf net. Start with some stretching exercises. Then go through your golf swing in slow motion a couple of times. Hit a few shots concentrating on making a good swing with good tempo. Feel relaxed as you play your practice shots. Concentrate on accuracy rather than distance. Spend five minutes on the putting green. Start with short putts and gradually make them longer and longer. If you want to win you have got to sink putts. So make sure that you sink the short ones. Even if they're only a few inches it will help your confidence.Just try to get the long putts within a foot or two of the hole. Now that you've prepared physically and mentally all you need to do is step up to the tee, relax and fire the ball straight down the fairway. This is the first shot on the way to winning. About the author: David Ferrers is a respected Performance Coach and the author of countless articles on 'winning' and 'golf'. He invented The Academy of Winning, The Science of Winning at Golf and The 5 Fundamentals of Winning at Golf all of which are available as free downloads from his web site at http://www.Winning-Seniors-Golf.com
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. News Corp. says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Mark Williams, a News Corp. executive named late on Wednesday as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere, has taken over in an interim capacity, a News Corp. spokeswoman said on Thursday. United shares climb after news debacle (UPI) CHICAGO, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A computer program assigning dates to news stories was partly to blame for a sell-off of United Airlines stock Monday, a Google spokesman said. JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (San Francisco Chronicle) French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. In a statement, the global seller of outdoor advertising said it was in exclusive talks with Rupert... Column: Palin's Nomination Good News Even For Democrats In Alaska (CBS News) So, John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Let me just say, wow. That's not exactly what I repeatedly shouted out when I first heard the news, but it's close enough for publication. Like everyone else, my astonished reaction wasn't due to the event itself being inconceivable - I've heard pundits debating the likelihood of a McCain / Palin ticket for months. Premiere CEO Is Replaced by News Corp.'s Williams (Update2) (Bloomberg.com) Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Premiere AG , the German pay- television company partly owned by News Corp., said Chief Executive Officer Michael Boernicke is being replaced by a senior News Corp. executive. News Corp exec becomes chief of Germany's Premiere (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's chief financial officer for Europe and Asia has been named chief executive of German pay television group Premiere, following the resignation of Michael Boernicke, Premiere said on Wednesday. Business and Finance News (Thailandnews.net) Bolivian protestors stop gas flow to neighbours Thailand News.Net Demonstrators in Bolivia have cut off the natural gas supply to Argentina after a clash with socialist President Evo Morales' government. Site: news - Google News CNET News Daily Podcast: Say hello to the Palm Pre - CNET News
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for golf Ryder Cup Women's Play Golf America Day at Oxmoor Country Club (PGA) LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Oxmoor Country Club will host a fun-filled afternoon of free golf activities for women during the Ryder Cup Women's Play Golf America Day, Sept. 14 (Sunday), from 1-4 p.m. All women and accompanied children (under age 17) will receive free golf lessons from Kentucky PGA Section Professionals. USPGA Tour star Chopra back for Indian golf Open (AFP via Yahoo! News) USPGA Tour star Daniel Chopra will headline the Hero Honda Indian Open next month, marking a triumphant return for one of golf's rising stars. Water limits ease for precious few: farms, nurseries and golf courses (Miami Herald) Those frustrating water restrictions will finally disappear on Sept. 19 -- but only for farms, nurseries and golf courses. Homeowners, you're stuck with them . . . for all eternity. Stage Pick | `Radio Golf' (Miami Herald) Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson died too soon, but he lived long enough to finish an inspired collection of 10 plays -- one set in each decade of the 20th century, each focusing on the lives of black Americans. His final play, Radio Golf, opens this weekend at Mosaic Theatre, where actors Summer Hill Seven, left, and Lela Elam are part of a strong cast that also includes John ... Watering restrictions to ease for farms, golf courses (Sun-Sentinel) Summer storms will soon end Water restrictions for golf courses, agriculture and other large users, but the rains failed to wash away year-round irrigation limits proposed for homes and businesses. Veterans receive thanks at Prairie Isle Golf Club (Northwest Herald) CRYSTAL LAKE ? About 250 veterans showed up to play a couple of rounds of golf, provided for free by Prairie Isle Golf Club as a way of saying thanks. Baker High boys win 3-way golf match (The News-Press) Senior Todd Mallorey shot a 4-over-par 40 on Thursday to lead the Ida Baker High School boys golf team to a 167 total and wins over North Fort Myers... Greenkeepers Discover Burning Body on Golf Course (Fox News) Stunned greenkeepers discovered a horrifically burned body on a top Scottish golf course Wednesday. Area golf (The Kansas City Star) AT GARDNER GOLF COURSE: Paul Sexton, No. 7, 110 yards, 9-iron. AT PARADISE POINTE GC: Tom Petty, No. 10 (Outlaw), 162 yards, 6-iron. Game Reviews: 'Tiger Woods' tops season's golf games (The Pantagraph) If you?re like most sports fans, you haven?t watched that much golf since June, when Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open ? and then announced he was getting knee surgery and was done playing for the rest of 2008. Since then, the PGA Tour has suffered from the absence of its most glamorous celebrity. Site: golf - Google News On Golf: As PGA season opens, Tiger is the elephant in room - San Francisco Chronicle
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