39. Pressure creates negative emotions which affects your ability to perform. Therefore work on reducing pressure by playing shots within your capability

Most players can get a good strike going on the range but struggle to take it on the course. The reason for this is PRESSURE.  On the range where there is no trouble and always another ball, hitting shots can quite often be, dare I say," fairly easy". However, the course with all its hazards and you with one ball is another thing. What all golfers need to do is what the best players can do; that is reducing the pressure that you play under. Easier said than done for most players but then most players do not use a Game Management Strategy. You need to play within your capability on all shots and by asking yourself two questions every time, you can achieve this.

The two questions.
1)  Am I capable of making this shot?
2)  Am I comfortable with the choice of shot?

This is how it works; as you stand over your shot, first ask yourself if you are capable of playing it, the answer mostly is yes but now ask yourself if you are comfortable with what you are wanting too do. A knot of anxiety in your stomach means no. The answer to the first part comes from the head while the second part comes from your feelings.

So if the answers are YES and NO, then you need to play with another option because you are creating to much pressure. Never fall for the mistake of believing that because you can play a certain shot in a friendly you can play it in a match. Club golfers too often expect to hit career best shots in match environments when the pressure is on. Most matchplay ties are lost through self inflicted pressure rather than won by one player playing great golf. Strokeplay rounds are determined by your ability to limit the destructive big scores. Pressure creates negative emotions which affects your ability to perform. Therefore work on reducing pressure by playing shots within your capability.

The following examples highlight how the strategy works in certain situations. Par 5s and long Par 4s. Jack Nicklaus was not only greatly gifted in his striking ability, he was also a master tactician. So effective was his Game management that he could still win tournaments even though not striking the ball as well as he would have liked. The following story illustrates how he thought on the course. He was once playing in a U.S. Tour event and on a demanding par 5, hit a great tee shot followed by a superb long iron into a well guarded green. The next day in the same conditions, he produced an identical tee shot but this time he elected to lay up short with his 2nd leaving a pitch onto the green.           

When asked about this in the press tent afterwards, he said quite simply that "Today, I did not feel I could make the shot”. Going for a shot when you feel doubtful about it is a recipe for disaster. Nicklaus is a realist and listens to his feelings. Most amateur players on par 5s and long par 4s feel that they are duty bound to flex muscle and go for length all the time. Taking a six on a par 5 and a 5 on a long par four is not a disaster for a lot of players and by applying the" Capable and Comfortable" questions, you can guarantee that you will seldom take more than a bogey, and even surprise yourself by making more pars than normal