Getting the Most From the Range

■ TEE TO GREEN

GETTING THE MOST FROM THE RANGE

By Dean Sklar, PGA Professional

It does not matter if you are a pro golfer or a high handicap player, one of the biggest challenges golfers face is taking their so-called practice game to the golf course and performing as well on the course. Many players can hit the ball great on the range and putt well on the practice green, but when they step on the course, they become a different person. These players cannot play with confidence nor can they play to the level they are capable of playing given their present physical skills.

What is mysteriously changing the moment you walk off the range or practice green and step onto the course? Nothing – it is your mindset that changes, not physical skills or ability. You still have to hit the ball to a target and putt the ball in the cup. Why is it that you walk off the practice tee, step up onto the first tee, and not stripe it on the course as you did on the range a few minutes ago? Usually it is your perception of the importance of the round.

As you tee it up on the first hole, hitting your ball to a target is no longer as simple a task as it was on the range (at least that is what you think). Now that you are on the course, you think “it counts”! You only have one ball and one chance at hitting the ball to the target. Then the pressure mounts (but only because you put the pressure on yourself to perform) and you focus more on the result and trying not to screw up.

If this scenario sounds too familiar, you first need to understand how you are blocking your talents from shining on the golf course. Does your mindset change when you get on the course to a mindset of avoidance golf or defensive golf? That’s right, defensive golf! Players can get into mental quicksand on the golf course in ways they are not aware of including the mindset to avoid errors. Therefore, the first step to improving your performance is to understand how you block your ability on the course.

The first sign that gets in the way is you try too hard to play well. Most highly motivated players, sometimes perfectionists, have trouble playing well on the course because they try too hard to play well. You cannot play your best golf when you try to too hard to hit a perfect shot, make every putt, or hit every drive long and straight. You might be thinking to yourself “Aren’t I supposed to try hard?” Trying hard does not help you play better golf. The harder you try in golf, the more you tense up and control your swing.

▸PGA Professional Dean Sklar is a member of the Quarter Century Club of the PGA of America, an elite group of members who have served the PGA with honor and pride for 25 years. If you would like to talk to Dean about your golf game, contact him at Dean@SklarTeam.com or visit Rose and

Dean Sklar at Coldwell Banker online at www.SklarTeam.com.