Are You Fully Committed to Playing Your Best Golf?

After taking golf lessons and/or attempting to make changes in one's swing, many players have a difficult time fully committing to executing the new swing on the golf course. There are a variety of reasons for this. Some are concerned because of a fear of hitting the ball in a "bad" place- into a hazard, bunker, OB, etc. Others don't swing the club with full commitment because of a lack of faith in their ability to swing it well, and instead end up trying to guide the ball.

The trouble with making tentative swings is that regularly the shot ends up creating a poor result. Here is how the best players in the world handle this problem.

There are basically two ways to approach a shot, each with two basic results. A swing can either be committed or uncommitted, and the result of any swing can have a positive result or a negative result.

1. Commitment with Positive Result--------------2. Commitment with Negative Result

3. Lack of Commitment with Positive Result------4. Lack of Commitment with Negative Result

Situation 4 is the absolute worst feeling in golf. Swinging the club or executing a putt tentatively and/or without commitment and getting a poor result is a double whammy. Here the player is trying to protect against a feared consequence, hasn't really given himself a chance for something good to happen, and had the feared outcome happen anyway. This scenario scores a direct hit on the confidence because of the lack of courage and the poor result.

Situation 3 is only slightly better. In this instance, the player doesn't really "go after it", but gets a positive result anyway. Most golfers in their heart of hearts know when they've "gotten away with one" as opposed to when they've actually "gone after it". Most players don't feel very good even when they have hit a timid shot or made an unsure putt and had the ball go where they were hoping. Essentially, this feels good in the moment, but it has a negative impact on most players' confidence.

For the most part a lack of commitment, irrespective of result, sets up situations that ultimately hurt a player's confidence.

On the other hand, commitment inescapably does the opposite.

Situation 2, where a player makes a fully committed swing or putt and doesn't get the result he'd like, creates mild disappointment. While this is true, competitive golfers know that they've at least given themselves a chance for something good to happen, and have done what they could to create a positive golf shot. Most live well with this, knowing that over time these types of swings and putts will produce the rewards they seek. This is a net positive to the confidence. Situation 1 is the best feeling in golf. It is the situation where one makes a fully dedicated pass at the ball and gets exactly what one was looking for. These are the moments which generate ? even for the casual golfer- the kind of internal response that connect with one's love of the game. Getting a positive result in a situation where a challenge was confronted head on is high on the list of confidence boosters.

Confidence can be built one shot at a time if swings and putts are made with steadfast commitment!

Jeff served as Director of Mental Training for David Leadbetters Golf Academies, where he was instrumental in assisting in the development of the training programs and methodology that continues to produce golf champions around the world. Jeff works with several touring professionals and amateur players - assisting them in the creation of optimal training plans and developmental strategies. Jeff is the coauthor of a new book, http://www.golffitnessexperts.com.

---

Google News Updated : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:07:34 GMT Jenkins: Murray willing to play the spoiler - San Francisco Chronicle BBC Sport Jenkins: Murray willing to play the spoiler San Francisco Chronicle - 23 minutes ago (09-06) 18:24 PDT New York -- Andy Murray must feel very alone just now. He's a long way from his native Scotland. He's carrying the hopes of British tennis, but the London press would really prefer him to be English. Federer beats Djokovic to reach US Open final The Associated Press Split stadiums for US Open semis ruffles crowd International Herald Tribune The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Bloomberg - Independent - New York Times all 486 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:44:27 GMT European space probe completes asteroid fly by - Reuters BBC News European space probe completes asteroid fly by Reuters - 11 hours ago BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Space Agency obtained on Saturday the first images of an asteroid 360 million km (224 million miles) from earth, part of a space mission which scientists hope will help them understand the origins of the planets. Rosetta spacecraft takes asteroid photos United Press International Spacecraft flies by remote asteroid, camera stops The Associated Press Taipei Times - Sky & Telescope - Detroit Free Press - Slashdot all 571 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:13:31 GMT Gates outacts Seinfeld in Back To The Future - CNET News Seattle Times Gates outacts Seinfeld in Back To The Future CNET News - 2 hours ago Which is why Crispin Porter Bogusky, the agency responsible for the otherworldly new Microsoft TV spot featuring the clowning Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, is already happy. Microsoft's Renewed Vista Strategy PC World You Thought Vista Was Bad? InformationWeek Ars Technica - New York Times - CRN - Macworld all 514 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:01:52 GMT Palin and McCain’s Shotgun Marriage - New York Times BBC News Palin and McCain’s Shotgun Marriage New York Times - 49 minutes ago By FRANK RICH SARAH PALIN makes John McCain look even older than he is. And he seemed more than willing to play that part on Thursday night. An Apostle of Alaska Newsweek 'Sarah Palin Is Wasilla': Town Stands Behind VP Pick ABC News Wall Street Journal - The Associated Press - Los Angeles Times - The Observer all 1,411 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:18:29 GMT Report: Samsung working to acquire SanDisk - San Jose Mercury News Report: Samsung working to acquire SanDisk San Jose Mercury News - 9 hours ago AP Samsung was reported Friday to be considering buying Milpitas-based SanDisk, whose revenue has diminished and stock has plummeted in recent months due to the saturated flash-memory market. SanDisk Shares Soar on Samsung Interest BusinessWeek SanDisk Shares Surge as Samsung Considers Acquisition (Update3) Bloomberg New York Times - Forbes - IntoMobile - Financial Times all 424 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:19:13 GMT Dodgers overtake first place - MLB.com The Associated Press Dodgers overtake first place MLB.com - 2 hours ago By Michael Schwartz / MLB.com LOS ANGELES -- Manny Ramirez's five RBIs propelled the Dodgers into first place in the National League West for only the second day all season Saturday after a 7-2 win over the D-backs at Dodger Stadium. Ramirez, Billingsley lead streaking Dodgers into first place The Canadian Press Dodgers move into first place Los Angeles Times The Associated Press - Sports Network - AZ Sports Hub - National Post all 679 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:14:26 GMT Movies opening this week - San Jose Mercury News Canada.com Movies opening this week San Jose Mercury News - 5 hours ago By Mercury News "Burn After Reading" (R): The Coen brothers follow "No Country for Old Men" with a dark comedy about two inept gym employees who get hold of a CD-ROM containing a CIA operative's memoirs. Toronto Review: The Coen Brother's Burn After Reading First Showing Pitt Rocks to Madonna FOXNews Reuters - Newsweek - Entertainment Weekly - People Magazine all 213 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:56:32 GMT Automatic Blogging RSS Software

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Improve Your Putting By Developing Rock Solid Confidence On The Green

All of us have missed a short putt before. It... Read More

The Ideal Exercises For Senior Golfers

The really tricky part about exercises for senior golfers, and... Read More

Why Golf Training Products Don?t Work For Most

The mere mention of golf training products is bound to... Read More

Wanna Play More Consistent Golf? Learn and Apply 10 Proven Techniques Golf Professionals Use

For the past seven years I have been researching what... Read More

Finding A Good Golf Product Is A Lot Easier With The Net

The World Wide Web has made life a lot easier... Read More

Getting Your Hands Through the Ball at Impact

Have you ever thought about what your hands and forearms... Read More

Backspin Advice

Lately, I have received many requests for 2 things.1. Advice... Read More

A Valuable Golf Swing Tip

No serious golfer will fail to be eager and maybe... Read More

Play Better Longer - Peak Performance For Golf!

The golf swing is a dynamic movement that demands precise... Read More

The Size and Weight Of A Golf Ball

Golf ball manufacturers pay attention to how most weekend golfers... Read More

Golf Fitness Evaluation Is The First Step Towards Improving Your Game

Golf fitness evaluation can be an invaluable tool in helping... Read More

Golf Club Swing Weights

A golf club's swing weight helps the player to be... Read More

Golf Fitness Training Equals Better Golf

If you've watched any golf on the television you've no... Read More

How To Choose The Best golf clubs For Your Game

Wilson , Callaway, Titleist, Adams , King Cobra, Yonex, Ping... Read More

Golf Swing Improvement The Fast Way

Golf swing improvement is a never ending goal for every... Read More

The Perfect Golf Swing Through Improved Posture And Balance

Every golfer is continually in search of that elusive feel... Read More

Golf Specific Core Exercises Improve Your Drive Distance

What if I could give you three important exercises for... Read More

How Better Course Management Can Lower Your Golf Score

Whether you are just starting to learn golf, or you... Read More

A Free Golf Swing Tip That Will Revolutionize Your Game

Here is a free golf swing tip that will help... Read More

What Do the Core and the Golf Swing Have in Common?

The concept of "core training" is a "buzz word" in... Read More

Improve Your Golf Game With This Secret Weapon

Any golfer who has made any effort to improve their... Read More

Golf Exercise And Stretch Program For Total Golf Performance

Golf exercise and stretch. This is a combination I use... Read More

How to Become a Real Golf Bandit

It all started when he lost three games in succession... Read More

How To Get Hybrid Wood Golf Clubs On A Discount

There are lots of attention getting into hybrid golf clubs... Read More

Beginner or Novice Golfers: Start with a Pre-Owned set of Golf Clubs

As a beginner or novice golfer, you want to avoid... Read More