PGA Features

The OpenMind Golf programme was developed by Mid-Sussex Golf Club PGA Professional Neil Plimmer and hypnotherapist/psychotherapist Steve Griffiths and is a gateway for golfers of all abilities and ages to improve their golf.

The two areas of golf where nerves and tension are most apparent are the short game and putting. We need to be calm, confident and committed with the short game but too many golfers take a hesitant swing and consequently thin, fat, duff etc......

The two main mental problems with the short game are doubt and fear.

• Fear/Doubt of missing
• Fear/Doubt of over-hitting
• Fear of going in a hazard, doubt as to where the ball is going
• Fear of thinning, fatting, duffing etc, doubt as to whether you will hit the ball correctly

Remember your follow through should always be LONGER in length than your backswing

We recommend that you visualise playing short game shots off the course and remember to feel that sense of following through on the shot. Begin to associate a word with your short game, saying something like ssswinnnnnnnnggggggggg or smooooooooooooth when you practice the shot. This will associate a rhythm to your stroke which is key to a successful short game.

As you stand at address tense your hands and wrists as hard as you can and then relax them. This will make sure that there isn't too much tension in your arms when you play your shot.

This Works!

There are three things that ALL good short game players have - touch, feel and finesse. This is the ability to control ball flight, distance, roll and spin.

In our experience most club golfers take too big a backswing for too short a shot. This will commonly cause the player to either commit to the shot and hit it too far or more often stop on the shot and fat it. Either way your ability to control strike and ball flight will be affected.

Find a short shot around the practice chipping green (10-20 feet) Take out your driver and chip balls to the target. The first couple of times you do this you will probably hit the ball too far. This will be because you have made too big a swing for the shot required. Once you have improved your ability to control the length of your swing you will find the distance control of your shot will improve.

You will undoubtedly improve your touch, feel and finesse.

Once you have practiced with a driver apply the same feeling to the rest of your clubs when hitting short game shots.

To find out more about the OpenMind Golf Series contact Neil Plimmer at Mid-Sussex Golf Club on 01273 846567 or email neilplimmer@tiscali.co.uk or see openmindgolf.com for more details.