The Masters in November & what we can learn from watching the best on TV

This month our golf season in Michigan will end but our off season allows us an opportunity to make swing changes and be prepared for a great 2021 season. Like most of you I will be tuned in and watching every moment of the 2020 Masters. Being in November, this Masters will be very different, but everything in 2020 has been different. Watching the best players in the world play on TV gives us a chance to enjoy their spectacular talents but also a chance to learn. There are valuable takeaways when watching golf on TV that I believe can help your game.

·         Play Smart: Take your medicine and play it safe. Don’t try the one in a million shot when your tee shot finds the pines. Punch out a safe shot back into the fairway and give yourself a chance to save par, instead of trying to thread the needle between the trees and making a double bogey.

·         Course Management: Tour players know their natural ball flight and play to their strengths. When they do miss a green, they miss on the right side of the hole. They don’t usually short side themselves. If the pin is front right and the player usually hits a draw, they will aim at the pin and draw the ball back into the center of the green. They won’t try to hit a fade and miss the green short right. Leaving a very hard up and down. Contrary to what most people believe, tour pro’s do not work the ball all the time. They like to hit their natural ball flight.

·         How to deal with pressure and nerves: Watch the leaders on the weekend and see how they handle the lead in the Masters. Veterans know how to breath and take deep breaths and control their emotions in golfs most intense stage.

·         How to handle adversity: All of the players in the event will have bad shots or bad holes but they will not let one bad swing or bad hole snow ball into the bogey train. Bouncing back and saving a par, or making a birdie after a double bogey is how the best play the game.

·         Having a “Go-To Shot”: The top players in the game all have a “Go-To Shot.” When nervous or under stress and fighting their swing, these players have a swing thought and shot they can call upon. For instance, Tiger has his “stinger” and he knows he can go to this under these situations.

·         Pre-Shot routine: This is key for every shot and stays the same from Round 1 to the Final round. The amount of time over the shot and the number of practice swings all remains constant. Having a solid pre-shot routine helps these tour players prepare for the shot and handle the stress of the moment.

Enjoy watching the Masters this month and observe how the worlds best play the game and how we can all learn a thing or two and apply it to our own game.