Winter 2023

TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT B Y L A I RD SMA L L The Art of Preparation he most frequently asked question I hear from golfers is,“How do I get better?”Very rarely, if ever, do I come across a golfer who is satisfied with his or her game—at any point in time—and doesn’t think they can get better.The very best players in the world are always striving to improve, even to shave just a half stroke per round. One less stroke per round makes an astronomical difference in their winnings! Surely, you’ve looked at your scorecard after a round and said, “If I could have saved a couple of shots, I would have shot my best score, won the match or championship,” we all have! So how can you save those precious one to three strokes per round? How do you get better? You start by assessing your game and everything that impacts it. Before getting into any spe- cific drill or practice plans, remember that there is no mir- acle diet pill in golf. If you’re having a hard time breaking 90, you’re not going to score in the 80s overnight no matter how hard you practice.You get better incrementally, by winning the little battles on the course that might seem small but make all the difference in the long run. Every golfer must define what a win means. It might be as simple as getting past your nerves and hitting the first tee shot at Pebble Beach in play, getting out of a bunker in one shot, or following up one good shot with another for several holes. Maybe it’s hitting a draw around the cor- ner on a dogleg-left par 4. These are all little wins, but by accumulating these victories over time, you’ll stay motivated and will want to continue to get better and practice. Most golfers blame a poor shot on poor golf swing mechanics… and to some extent that is true. Yet many of the mishit shots can come from poor mental focus. In other words, some players miss their shot before they even take the club away. In many instances, the player may not have picked a target or created a plan before striking the ball. Perhaps the player did not fully commit to the shot or to the club selection. Attempting a shot that exceeds your ability is another common mis- take, as is lingering in the past, failing to move on from a double bogey or worse. Eliminating all physical mistakes is impossible, but putting your- self in the right frame of mind to give yourself the best chance of exe- cuting is key to minimizing them. This is how we get started: 1. Take inventory of your game: Take a physical analysis of your game to determine where you are wasting most of your shots. PGA TOUR players use Shotlink. I recom- mend a subscription-based web service called ShotByShot.com which pro- vides a downloadable score- card to help track your shots and build a database to com- pare your shots against. Once these weak spots have been identified, you can work to fix them with the help of your PGA or LPGA teaching professional. 2. Take a playing lesson with your golf professional: A playing les- son will relieve stress on your game, and you will be able to see whether your most common mistakes are the result of swing mechanics or execution. With the help of your coach, you can cre- ate a plan to improve both the execution and mechanics of your shots under pressure. 3. Short game practice: Give this drill a try to improve your feel and ball control. One-handed chipping drill: Drop a few balls in the rough and hit some chip shots as normal, with one notable exception: As soon as Eliminating all physical mistakes is impossible, but putting yourself in the right frame of mind to give yourself the best chance of executing is key to minimizing them. T 92 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 3