These 2 keys will help you execute pressure shots

Learning how to handle the pressure it is one of the most difficult and rewarding aspects of the game. On the course, pressure abounds in ways both big and small: hitting a tee shot in front of strangers, carrying a handicap to get to the green, draining a par putt, keeping your composure on the back nine to shoot a career round. or executing a decisive hit that leads to a 1 up victory.

Becoming a functional player who not only survives but thrives under pressure it is often the result of experience and practice. It is difficult to simulate the pressure situations you will face on the course during the practice time, but it can be done. AND GOLF Top 100 Teachers Trillium Rose has two keys to help you remember when faced with a pressure situation on the course.

“Whether you’re a pro or a recreational player, you’ll always want to play your best,” Rose says in a video posted on Titleist’s YouTube page.

So what’s the best way for players to make sure they’re at their best on every shot when it counts? Rose has some ideas.

2 keys to success when dealing with a pressure shot

1. Trust your swing

This may seem obvious, but it is important.

“In tournament play or a round that really matters, it’s not the time to go back to the playbook and think about all the little details of your swing mechanics,” says Rose. “The time to really do that is on the driving range or in practice. When you want to play your best, you have to feel it.”

Instead of thinking about the mechanics of the swing, Rose recommends positive visualization.

“What does the ball want to do? What do you want to see there and how can you feel that movement?” Rose suggests asking yourself. “I’m going to go for the feel of the shot that I know I can trust. I’m not going to try to think of doing something new.”

2. Choose a small, specific goal

“I want my target to be narrow,” says Rose. “I want my focus to be on what I’m doing now.”

Positivity plays a role in this, says Rose, because you want to keep your focus on who you are they want to do, not what you not want to do.

“Keep it in the moment,” says Rose. “You don’t want to think about the water on the right or the trees on the left. You also don’t want to think about the shot you had three holes ago or what you’re going to do at the end of the tournament – whether you’re going to win or not. You have to think every shot as it comes. Trust your swing.”

To summarize: Swing YOUR swing and avoid thinking about the details of your movement. Stay positive, stay in the moment and start successfully executing those pressure shots.

Editor of Golf.com

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural women’s varsity player class, Jessica can blow away anyone in the masthead. She can also drive them in the office, where she is primarily responsible for producing print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her series The original interview, “A Round With,” debuted in November 2015 and appeared in both magazine and video form on GOLF.com.