Last week we looked at the four fundamental principals to making your pre shot routine solid and reliable. This week Will Robins, a PGA instructor based in California shares some excellent ideas on how to actually improve your game by changing how you practice
Episode Highlights
It’s important not to focus on the bad parts of a round. If you doubled 16 and shot 73 your instinct would be to dwell on that one thing that held you back. Well flip the script - If you doubled the first hole but managed to shoot 73 you would be riding a wave of confidence about your comeback. So make sure your analysis is objective.
How to analyze (statistically): Did you give yourself 18 opportunities to score? After that did you give yourself 18 opportunities to get down in two?
Why GIR isn’t always helpful as you think: If the best player in the world can only hit a green in regulation 70% of the time from 180 yards (with a 7 iron and you’re using a hybrid) why are you tracking a stat that you can’t be great at. - You’ve got to track the stats that will help improve your score
How to analyze (mentally): Measure your tipping points. Did you stick to routine & process on a tough up and down? Did you get frustrated with a result and let it cloud your next shot too? This is how you remain objective with your mental analysis.
Who were you being when you made the error:
· Were you fully committed to it? – Well then you just hit a bad shot. Leave it behind and focus on the next one.
· No I wasn’t committed – Well, then why would you be mad? You weren’t committed to it!
Most people play golf with a lot of tension, fear, trying not to miss, and thinking a lot. If you do anything like that you’re not going to be overly successful, so why would golf be any different?
Practice makes what? Perfect PERMANENT. What you do more of you get better at. So if you go to the driving range and pound 50 balls and have 15 different swing thoughts, never doing the same thing twice – you’re getting better at thinking a lot. This makes it incredibly difficult to replicate swing with any consistency on the course because you have been training to think a lot, not be target focused.
What would happen to a marathon runner who had trained for four years to be in the Olympics then gets a last minute letter saying he’ in the 110 meter high hurdles? They would be a train wreck! That’s essentially what you’re asking your body to do with that type of driving range practice.
Write down on a piece of paper what you’d like to do on the golf course. What’s on your list?
· Commit to your shots?
· Trust your swing?
· Stick with decisions?
Alright, start doing that on the golf course. It’s all about what you practice. Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Jason Day have all spent time practicing confidence and commitment. That’s why they don’t get tripped up over these things as much as most amateurs.
There are two types of practice – drills and performance.
· Drills are where you learn the skill and do the repetitive practice.
· Performance practice is testing yourself. Give yourself a target and see how many times out of 10 you can hit it. Write down the result. Tomorrow when you practice again go through your drills again and give yourself that performance test. You should see incremental gains each time.
This is how you build emotional muscle and become a reactional golfer!
The Nutter Game: Play your worst golf ever, but do it on purpose. This is probably one of the most counterintuitive things you’ve ever heard. Just give Will a chance and give it a try though. He explains it best and the explanation starts right at the 26 minute mark.
Links mentioned in the show:

will@wrgolf.com
www.WRGolf.com
Golf is Not a Game of Perfect