Golf tips from ON THE BALL...

Yesterday I went golfing - 18 hole pitch and putt at Stanley Park. Prior to yesterday, I'd only golfed once in the past 15+ years so was curious to see how I would do. I knew I'd be a little rusty on the swing, but have been writing On the Ball for the past two years so had a few mental tools in my bag ready for action.

I ended up shooting a 58 - 14 pars and 4 bogies. Unfortunately no birdies, but thankfully no double bogey's. All in all, I was quite happy with this round.

Ironically, a friend (who just bought On the Ball) messaged me this morning and said, "Hey! I'm going golfing tomorrow and wondering if you have any tips for me?" Although I am far from a golf pro, I had some advice for her based on the research I did for the book, and the round I played yesterday.

The first and most important thing I told her was to stay away from technique. There's a time and place for technical changes, but not when you want to perform well. For peak performance, you need to FOCUS. Do that by using your eyes. Line up the shot by focusing intently on the pin and visualize exactly what you want. Then, approach the ball and start to narrow your concentration on the ball. This should silence thinking and allow you to nail the shot. So don't "turn your hip" or "keep your elbow straight." Instead... visualize, aim, and focus.

You can learn more in On the Ball. You'll learn what to do before a round, during shots, between shots, and after a round. Then, next time you go golfing, you can try it out. You'll see that it really works!

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