Practice is all about developing new habits. When you practice, you’re developing new playing habits. Practice is where you try new things and adjust your swing to produce better results.
But you must be able to transfer what you’ve learned in practice to the course. Otherwise, practice will be wasted. The key transferring what you’ve learned to the course is to de-velop a “trusting mindset.”
Here are five keys to developing a trusting mindset:
1. Make a conscious choice to do so
2. Warm up properly and effectively
3. Simulate pressure shots in practice
4. Commit to long-term improvement
5. Target short-term objectives
The key to transferring new habits to the course is to approach the first tee with a trusting mindset. Here’s how to develop a trusting mindset:
1. Start by making a conscious effort to do so. If you don’t shift gears at the start, you can’t make use of what you’ve learned in practice.
2. Prepare yourself by warming up properly. This means getting loose by stretching, working on your tempo and rhythm, and settling into the right frame of mind be-fore tee off.
3. Simulate some pressure shots at practice green. Work on the pressure shots you typically encounter when playing. They’ll be different for each player.
4. Commit to long-term improvement. It takes a long time working with a coach or alone to develop lasting improvements. Keep this idea in mind for the future.
5. Target short-term objectives in practice. Committing to long-term improvement doesn’t mean abandoning short-term objectives. Instead, it means improving step by step. They’re the baby steps you need to take to achieve your long-term goals.
These keys can help you transfer what you learn in practice to the course. It’s called building a trusting mindset. Build this type of mindset and you’ll not only break 80, you’ll shrink your golf handicap to single digits.