Working on Your Weaknesses Without Losing Your Strength
It’s a difficult balance to find and my results haven’t been what I’ve wanted in the last year. I probably concentrated too much on my weaknesses, rather than thinking about my strengths and knowing what I had as an overall package was probably good enough. I think it’s in every golfer’s DNA to want to improve and try new things. Who knows, some people might have gone down the same route I did and been successful, but it just didn’t quite work out for me.
Statistically people say long game is more important than short game. But what they don’t say is that the best way to gain strokes on your long game is to hit it far. So someone like me, who physically will never hit it 320 yards like some others, has to rely on their short game to be successful. I proved that when I got to World No. 1.
The mental side of the game is important, and it becomes even more important when you start losing confidence. I haven’t putted or chipped as well as I’d have liked this season so that’s had a knock-on effect. But you have to work on that and start believing you’re one of the best again. Mental game is key – we have lots of time to think about shots, so there are plenty of occasions when you’re engaging your mind.
My advice for amateurs is to learn the right fundamentals and spend time on them. If you want to get a good short game, or be good at anything for that matter, you’ve got to put in the time.
Pages
Click here to see the published article.
