Find Your Zone

You’re trying to have a good round and your rowdy buddies are guffawing behind the eighteenth tee.  You would ask them to stop except they are your friends and you’re supposed to just be out for the regular weekend round.  But you’re looking to go under par!  What do you do?

You find your zone.  A lot of people think that focus is something you need from the time you tee off on the first hole to the time you putt out on the eighteenth green.  This thinking is incorrect.  Some of the best professional golfers have been complete jesters in between shots.  But that doesn’t make them any less focused when it’s their turn to hit.  So how do they do it?

Well, a solid pre-shot routine helps.  By making yourself do the same thing before every shot, you are helping your mind learn when to focus.  A good pre-shot routine should be short so that it’s repeatable in any situation and precise so that your mind knows exactly what it’s doing.

To find your zone, you’re also going to have to work on tuning out distractions.  The best way to do this is to go to the range with a friend and encourage him or her to distract you in your backswing, in your pre-shot routine, and any other time.  This way, you learn how to deal with the little things that mess up a lot of golfers.