To prepare and play any golf shot takes quite a short period of time.
If a top professional takes one minute, then adding up for a full round, shows that the total “work” time is not much more than an hour, therefore what do they do with the rest of the time?
The expression “Don’t forget to smell the flowers” has been used quite frequently over recent years, and what Walter Hagen meant when he made the statement many years ago, was that time between shots must be used wisely.
We often hear golfers say that they find it difficult to concentrate and to “think golf” from the start of a round to the end of it but the golfing mind has to be organised more intelligently, to avoid the build up of stress and keep the golfer in the contented mood which is essential for good play.
Between shots, and just as importantly before starting to play, the golfer must occupy his or her mind with pleasant and positive thoughts and it is no good considering the possibility of “getting things wrong” or engaging in wishful thinking and hoping that you can perform better than your ability suggests.
You have to behave this way to remove the negative effects of fear, anger and doubt, before, and after the shot has been played because confidence can only be maintained by distracting oneself from the problems ahead and just as importantly, from earlier shots – ‘Just smell the flowers’.
One golfer who found a good way to overcome stress between shots was Lee Trevino, he talked a lot to distract himself by joking his way round the course, eased the stress and made sure that the “smile” which was so much evident in good play, was there to help his game.
Perhaps the most stressful time of all at golf is the waiting time, particularly the time waiting to putt and there is a very simple and effective way to solve the problem, think about something else, organise your bag, clean the grass from the spikes in your shoes, anything to take your mind away from the putt so that when it is your turn to play, you are still “in control”.
“Spare” time at golf must be used wisely, don’t use it on negative thoughts.