10 Problems You Need to Overcome In

Order To Play Your Best Golf Ever.

By
Steve Bann
Pure Golf Training
Coach to Stuart Appleby, Nick Flanagan and KJ Choi

www.PureGolfTraining.com
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“Most golfers in the world would love to take their practice games to the

course. But for some reason this very rarely happens. As a result, I have

identified ten problems that my training methods now target in order to

bring out the best in every golfer I teach.” – Steve Bann

10 Problems You Need to Overcome In Order

To Play Your Best Golf Ever.

Steve Bann - Pure Golf Training

Coach to Stuart Appleby, Nick Flanagan and KJ Choi

My Own Tournament Story

In 1988 as a club professional and part time playing professional I was leading the prestigious
Australian Masters by two shots after sixty nine holes. The field for this event at the time included six
of the world's top ten players, headed by Norman, Langer and Faldo. Three pars would change my
golfing future and give me the chance to fulfil my golfing dreams. If I won I would have automatically
been invited to play several USA and European tour events.

So there I was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime whilst standing on the tee of the 70th hole
at Huntingdale Golf Club in Melbourne. But little did I know at the time that my future career would
change in the next 30 minutes, but not as I had anticipated. My game fell apart. I finished double
bogey, double bogey and par. Seventh place was all I could manage.

I was sitting in the locker room afterwards feeling sorry for myself when Jack Newton (2nd in 2 majors
and TV commentator) came up to me and said that “There are not many people in the world with
enough talent to get into a position to choke as badly as you just did. So I suggest you don’t waste
the lesson and learn from it”. That comment in just about any country is called a backhanded
compliment.
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I was back in my pro-shop the following morning cleaning members’ golf clubs that my assistants
hadn’t cleaned because they were too busy watching me play the day before on the TV. Cleaning
someone else’s golf clubs or anything else for that matter is a humbling experience that I promise
helps you to focus on what you need to do to get out of the back room of just about any business. I
was determined to learn from my disastrous finish the day before and create a new strategy that
would better prepare me and my students to play their best golf under competition pressure.

Pressure had changed the way I played and sadly in my case for the worse. I realized that this was a
general problem that most golfers face. Back in 1988 as a coach and a player, I was working with
many promising players including teenager Robert Allenby and wanted to solve the problem for all of
my students, not just me.

It was clear at the time that my current practice and teaching methods were not adequately preparing
me or the players I was working with for the pressure of competition. So since then I have dedicated
my coaching to developing better training and practice methods aimed specifically at conditioning
golfers to play to their ability under competition pressure.

Firstly please let me define what I believe competition pressure is. It can be anything for example
from a golfer trying to score in their first ever round of golf, to breaking 100 and every step along the
way to having a chance like me to win the Australian Masters.

My research and experience at the time have led me to evaluate how golf is practiced in general and
that most golfers in the world would love to take their practice game on to the course. But for some
reason this very rarely happens? As a result I have identified ten problems that my training methods
now target with a more effective and proven approach to taking your practice game to the course and
playing well under competition pressure.

1. No assessment - Most golfers have little idea of their true strengths and weaknesses.

2. Lack of a target - Most golfers only have a vague idea of their target if any when practicing.

3. Favourite club and shots - Most golfers spend the bulk of their practice time with their
favourite club and practicing favourite shots.

4. Golfers don't like exposing their weaknesses. Subsequently they avoid putting their ability
on the line and putting their game to the test when practicing.

5. Wrong shots - Most golfers practice the long game almost exclusively. They appreciate the
value of the short game but don't find it enjoyable to practice.

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 “My overall philosophy is one of a holistic approach, it includes the

technical, physical, mental and strategic training factors that all

contribute to our overall ability to play the game.

6. Too technically orientated - Most golfers seem nearly always to be working on their
technique and rarely practice playing the game.

7. Wrong routines - The hitting routine used for practice is usually quite different to that used for
playing.

8. Lack of concentration - The mind set and attention used in practice is different to that needed
for play.

9. Golfers put more emotion in to their bad shots than good shots when practicing.
Because it is easier to remember the bad shots, the result is that a negative self-belief
develops.

10. No strategy for golf improvement. Golfers are mostly in a reactive cycle, always trying not to
repeat the last bad shot or swing. Rather than identifying an area of their game that needs
improvement, setting a strategy to achieve that goal, and working at that process to a
satisfactory result.

My overall philosophy is one of a holistic approach, it includes the technical, physical, mental and
strategic training factors that all contribute to our overall ability to play the game.

I am looking forward to bringing this proven teaching philosophy to you as part of a series of Pure
Golf Training articles that I plan to provide to my students and website subscribers.

If you found this article useful, or have a comment to make, I would love to receive your feedback on
our Pure Golf Training “Blog” at:

www.PureGolfBlog.com

I look forward to receiving your feedback.

Steve Bann
Coach to Stuart Appleby, Nick Flanagan and KJ Choi
www.PureGolfTraining.net

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Steven Bann, is one of Australia's most successful golf coaches. After turning professional in 1979,
Steven played on the Australian PGA Tour from 1981 to 1996.

In 1990 Steven was appointed the founding Head Coach of the renowned Victorian Institute of Sport.
Steven developed the program for six years, which has produced multiple tournament winners
including 8 graduates earning their US PGA Tour cards and 17 US Tour wins, before handing over
the position to his Assistant Coach and now business partner Dale Lynch, coach to 2006 US Open
Champ Geoff Ogilvy.

In 1989 he began coaching Stuart Appleby, 8 times winner on the US Tour and Robert Allenby, 4
times winner on the US Tour. He remains Stuart Appleby's coach to this day and travels regularly to
work with him on the US Tour.

Steven also coaches Nick Flanagan, 2003 US amateur champion. Nick is currently having good
success on the US Nationwide Tour and is considered one of the games next up and coming stars

Steven also coaches Korea's most successful golfer and World top 50 K.J Choi, 7 times winner on
the US Tour.

Steven is a co director of Bann Lynch Golf which operates at the prestigious Melbourne Golf
Academy with his co director Dale Lynch.

www.PureGolfTraining.com

www.PureGolfBlog.com

www.SteveBann.com

www.Golf.com.au

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