Quite often you see players trying to get focused before a tournament round, getting themselves amped “up”. It makes perfect sense. Get pumped up and go shred.

Well, golf of either type is a serious head game. Make no mistake about it. This ain’t no bench press. Lots of players have what it takes to compete physically but just can’t seem get things straight between their ears. Maybe this lesson could apply.

A recent polling of some top touring pros showed us that many of these guys do exactly the opposite. Sure they are trying to get focused, and naturally they want to just nail every shot, but they intentionally try to “amp down” just prior to a competitive round. Seems backwards perhaps, but these are the guys who actually do shred it dude, so bear with me.

Getting in the game mentally and physically CAN be achieved by relaxing and really settling into your own. You have to find your own realm where you can settle in mentally for a long haul. I mean think about it… even if you do get pumped up and ready to attack the course, what are the chances you’re going to be able to maintain that feeling for two or three hours? Much less duplicate the feeling for subsequent rounds.

The next time you head out to the course try to just chill. Want it, but chill. You don’t have to do something lame like borrow your mom’s Yanni CD, but do make an effort to save Rage Against the Machine (or your generational equivalent) for when you’ve just kicked everyone’s butt.

You just might find that focusing more on what your body is “feeling” with every shot, and taking in some scenery along the way, makes a difference. Or, you could just seem totally dorked out. But who cares what others think. If they are worried about what you’re doing then you have no need to worry about them. They’ve already lost much of the battle.

-JP