Use this thinking to improve your game

We’ve all been there… it’s hole 5 or 6 in the middle of the front 9 and our game isn’t going as well as we’d planned. We might have had an okay start but we’ve taken a few more shots than we’d have liked and we’re starting to lose confidence. But don’t worry, we’ll have a good back 9 we think…

I hear this so many times when I’m out on the course, and for years I was guilty of this myself. Partly it’s because of how the scorecard is laid out - you play the front 9 and then you play the back 9 so you think of your score in the same way.

But earlier this year, I changed my mindset. Instead of thinking about the course as a front 9 and back 9, I split the holes into three. Instead of having two chances at playing well and restarting on the 10th hole if things weren’t going to plan, I now have six chances.

If you don’t have the best start to your round, reset at hole 4. And equally, if you’ve had a good start, don’t get ahead of yourself. Reset and compose yourself at hole 4.

So whether you’re a professional golfer of 28-handicap, have a go at using this system. Set yourself a goal of what you’d like to achieve for every three holes and mark physical lines on your scorecard to remind yourself to reset after every set of three.

Watch me talking about this in a video on my Facebook page and let me know how you get on!