June 24th was our second on-course lesson, when we played 9 holes at Benny’s home course Royal Selangor.
On the first two holes, I once again just observed Benny, his routine, body language and general arousal level. His routine, I'm afraid, was non existent and his body language had no clear focus. His arousal level was high, in which state Benny or any golfer cannot expect to perform to the best of their ability.
After a triple bogey 7 down the first and a bogey 6 down the second, at the 3rd tee it was time for me to intervene and bring this problem to his attention. I then proceeded to work hard with Benny on his shot process.
Firstly, I wanted Benny to understand that it is impossible not to think about anything, but the mind needs to have a method to follow. If left untrained, the mind runs amok on the golf course and it's exhausting .The routine must have a start signal and an end signal.
Switch on, switch off.
During the next 6 holes Benny did some great work and he started to understand the state of mind he needs to be in, to play his best golf. What we are able to control and what he cannot control.
Observing the areas that needed the most attention are his sand game and pitching (30-80 metres). He was missing the green from 50 metres and leaving the ball in the bunkers. Not unlike most golfers, Benny is playing with a lot of fear and unpleasant memories around the greens with no clear intention of what shot he is attempting to play.
It was a good on-course lesson. I now have a much clearer picture of Benny's game and what areas we need to concentrate on. At the completion of the round we had a drink and had a good discussion about the day’s events and what areas we need to focus on. Benny is now getting what they refer to in business as a 360 degree evaluation. I recognise the enthusiasm he has for the next 11 months. As an instructor, I can after 3 weeks design Benny's improvement plan to help him achieve his goals.
In conclusion: The majority of golfers try one quick fix after another, never really understanding their game and what they need to do to play better golf.
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