Avoid this common mistake, says Top 100 guru Krista Dunton.
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If you are a person with disabilities, looking for a quick and easy way to improve your resultsa leading instructor cites a surprising reason you may tend to struggle: trying to be too perfect.
According to 100 Best Teacher Krista Duntonpeople with disabilities suffer when they try to think too much about things on the course, and this desire to be technically perfect can backfire. When playing a round, the less you think about the ball, the better. Dunton suggests practicing your pre-shot technique at the range to develop your skills so you’re more comfortable standing up and pulling the trigger during a round.
“I’ve always tried to try to get my students to commit to four things,” Dunton said. “Commit to the shot you’re going to hit, the club you’re going to use, the swing you’re going to use, and your skill.”
Dunton encourages the use of Top 100 colleagues Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott’s idea “Think Box/Play Box”, in which you set aside a space to think about your shot and a space just for action.
“When people with disabilities go to play, they have to get behind the ball, make the decision, commit to the shot, determine where they want to go, and then get up on the ball and go do it,” Dunton said. “And then work to make that movement much faster.”
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If you have to think about the ball, Dunton says it should be something simple that relates to how you feel when you’re playing well.
“It can be, I feel free, or in balance, or I do a good turn“, she said. “Then get up there, sight the target and go.”
Getting to this cheap and easy spot on the course is certainly harder than it sounds. And that’s why Dunton says it’s important to spend some practice time.
“If you go to the range and work on it or do things at home, do more practice in the mirror, practice with more purpose and then play more freely, I think really that preparation phase and commitment to the shot becomes more natural .” she said. “Right off the bat, we all struggle to be very aware. You have to try that speed so you can feel comfortable with it.”
Try Dunton’s tips to make 2025 your best year yet in this course.
