This is an issue that bothers a lot of golfers as they ponder why they can seemingly hit the ball so well on the range but not be able to convert this to the golf course. There are several factors that contribute to this which mainly boils down to insufficient preparation when venturing out to the course especially suiting up for competition golf. Some of the reasons for bad performance include:
The necessity of having correct alignment when on the course.
The realisation that the environment is totally different including the distraction and anxiety of playing with other people.
The feeling of wanting to score well.
Hazards including water, bunkers and other obstacles on the course.
High expectations especially if feeling though you are hitting it well on the range.
The pressure of competition.
Overthinking technique.
The solution to this problem is that you must practice as is if you were playing on the course. The biggest thing you should do is that before your planned golfing event (roughly 24 hours before), you should spend an hour going through what I call ‘competition preparation’. The biggest aspect is that the time you take during your routine should be the same every time you hit the ball during ‘competition preparation’. I don’t want you to think about technique just count how many seconds you take every time you go through your pre-shot routine. Aim to take the same amount of time every time you go through your routine. Mentally I want you to be in instinctive mode when you go through ‘competition preparation’. Meaning don’t think about technique, go through your routine and act like your reacting to the target. It’s difficult to do in golf because someone is not hitting a ball to you like you would if you’re playing tennis or cricket. Therefore you need to imagine being reactive when you go through your routine and stepping up to hit your golf shot. In summary you should take the same amount of time with your routine as well ensure you approach the ball the same way every time with your mental approach being reactive rather than technical.
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