Goal setting in golf seemed to get tougher and tougher as I got older.... Why? Most likely, because as I once heard Dave Pelz say.... "Life gets in the way of golf". Golf is still very important to me, and man oh man I still want to play good golf! But, I'd be lying if I said it had the same significance to me today as it did 20 years ago....
I still think goal setting is important, I just go about it differently today. Let me share my ideas on 'goal setting for the part time player'.
Got a couple big events planned for the year? Let's assume so and that your 'goal' is to play well in these events. The key to performance, in my opinion, is the action steps you take leading up to the events! If you're like me- busy with life and all it offers- you can't train consistently all year long.... What you hopefully can do, is set up action steps for training leading up to your events! I Like to set up a training schedule 4-6 weeks out, if possible. If not, I'll set it up for 2-3 weeks.... The key is that I create atraining sheet before the events to keep my practice focused and high quality.
Grab a sheet of paper and list out the major areas of the game you plan on working on: For example;
Driver:
Iron shots:
Wedges:
Bunkers:
Putting:
If there are trouble areas of your game, write them down and focus extra in that area!!!
ex; downhill lies, or distance putting
OK, the next step is to break each category into various drills so you know exactly what you'll practice when you go out to the range:
Driver:
1. Front Route Drills (20 front routes is one block)
2. Driver Drill (100 drivers in various gravity drill modes)
3. 4x4 Drill with one arm (32 balls. 4 right hand only/4 left hand only, repeat 4 times)
These are the drills I will do with my driver.... I will continue to break out each category (iron shots, wedges, putting, etc...) into the drills I will do when I go to train.
***Never go to the range just swing searching for a swing! Build skills with a few quality drills... Gravity Drills are by far the best way to train!
The final step is figuring out how many times you want to complete each drill over the period you've chosen to train before the event:
Driver:
Front Route Drills: 3 times a week ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
(*I put lines there so I can check off each time I've completed a task!)
Driver Drill: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
4x4 Drill: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
When I'm finished, I'll have a full sheet of paper that lays out how I want to train for the event. Exactly which drills and how many times I want to complete each drill. The goal is to complete the action steps before I tee it up in the event!
The greatest benefit of setting up a training list and completing it before you play is that you'll take great satisfaction knowing that you have prepared for the event! Being prepared, and completing action steps is the best way to achieve any result oriented goals you might have.
Keep it simple. Keep it focused. Check it off the list! Now go PLAY GOLF! Stop 'Thinking golf swing!'
Pete Dunham, PGA Certified Professional/Instruction, Retail, Golf Operations
Director of Golf
Snee Farm Country Club
1200 Club Drive
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
(843)884-2600
RiverTowne Country Club
1700 RiverTowne Country Club Drive
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29466
(843)849-2400
Director of Golf
Snee Farm Country Club
1200 Club Drive
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
(843)884-2600
RiverTowne Country Club
1700 RiverTowne Country Club Drive
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29466
(843)849-2400
Athletic Golf :: Golf is a Sport, Play like an Athlete
0 comments:
Post a Comment