97. Avoid choking in the stroke play events by disciplining yourself to digest the round in small bite size bits; ie one shot at a time

How often do you hear the leaders of tournaments state that in order to win, they have to stay focused on one shot at a time? I remember reading a piece after Tiger Woods won the Masters a few years back that so focused was he in the process; it suddenly dawned on him that after the last putt had dropped that “there were no more shots to hit, it was over”.

It is this ability to see one shot at a time that enables a Top player to perform. Lesser mortals when they hit a bad shot carry the mental baggage, in the form of anger, frustration and negative vibes, to the next shot and so on and so on etc;

Good players seldom hit two bad shots together but to do so requires mental discipline. You must first of all look at a round of golf as many separate shots and treat each shot with the same respect. By that, I mean give yourself the very best chance by not allowing bad emotions to rise when you stand over the shot. To help you achieve this, avoid judging the shot just played be it a good one or a bad one because both are impostors in this situation as a good shot can generate excitement which can distract you from your next shot. (Many a player has rehearsed a winning speech with 3 holes left to play and has not been called to use it.) Judging shots incites emotional response, which reduces your ability to perform.

Have you ever had a bad first 9 holes and followed it with a great back 9, I bet you have but why wait till the 10th tee to wipe the slate clean and start afresh, do it on the very next shot. Avoid choking in the stroke play events by disciplining yourself to digest the round in small bite size bits; ie one shot at a time

I will leave you with this quote from the great Bobby Jones, “It is nothing new or original to say that golf is played one shot at a time. But it took me many years to realise it”