Most mid- to high-handicap golfers don’t have the time, money, or desire to hit thousands of practice balls, but every golfer can develop the attitude that allows them to consistently play to the best of their ability.
Constant improvement is a byproduct of developing the beliefs that allow you to unlock your potential.
How would you define consistency?
Its definition depends on expectations. Perhaps changing your expectations could reveal that you are actually more consistent than you think.
Most of my students equate consistency with punctuation; break 95 or 90 or 85. Once you’ve set a goal (in terms of scoring), the next step is to figure out the mental barriers that seem to constantly block your progress.
Which shots have the biggest effect on your score: the number of perfect shots or the number of missed shots?
Perfect shots are a fortuitous accident; Nice when they happen, but impossible to predict. You never know if you’re going to hit a perfect shot. On the other hand, imperfect shots are inevitable; it is not a question of Yeahbut rather whena bad shot is going to manifest itself.
The secret to consistency is minimizing the effects of the first bad shot. You never know when it will happen, but you can prepare mentally by minimizing the chances of missing more than one shot.
Learn to play by feeling; choose the club that feels right to you instead of trying to follow a preconceived idea of how a hole should be played. Scoring in the nineties is bogey golf. When you remove the double bogeys, breaking ninety is easy.
Consistency isn’t the result of hitting the most perfect shots; it is about reducing the severity of the poor.
Bad shots are inevitable. At first, this may sound like a negative thought. Allow yourself a reasonable number of imperfect shots per round. If you score in the nineties, I would start with ten. You can reduce the number as you improve,
Your golf swing is constantly changing, depending on how you feel. The better you feel, the better the chances of recreating a smooth swing.
Would you feel better allowing yourself to hit bad shots or punishing yourself by constantly demanding perfection?
Consistency is not an all or nothing concept. The best players in the world understand the unpredictability of the game. Developing the mindset to accept this fact is the most important thing you can learn from the best players in the world.