Going Low After a Low Round
Winning a golf tournament or shooting your lowest score is a great accomplishment… Following that up with a strong performance in the next tournament can be extremely challenging.
You might think:
“How could that be? If I won a tournament, I would be on a roll and my confidence would be high. Why would it be hard to play at my peak one or two weeks later?”
The reason why some golfers have difficulty with replicating performances or consistency is that your level of preparation often changes.
For instance, the following is a story of a teenage golfer…
Tony G. won a local junior tournament, the first of his lifetime.
Tony worked hard to put himself in position to win.
He works on his game four times per week, following a specific plan to work on each component of his game.
Tony’s practice regimen helped him feel prepared, confident and focused.
Each tournament, Tony had seen some part of his golf game grow and he was able to win the tournament by having all aspects of his game click at the right time.
After winning, Tony became a bit over confident and cut practicing to three days a week eliminating a practice session on the putting greens.
Over the course of the next few tournaments, Tony felt a little less prepared and unsure of himself and his putting suffered as a result.
Tony’s problem was that he reveled so much in his previous victory that he lost his focus on the task at hand and abandoned the very preparation that aided in his previous success.
There is a certain mindset that puts you in an optimal frame of mind to follow up a successful golf tournament.
After a successful tournament, you should definitely celebrate that success. You worked hard to play at that high level. Perhaps, even reward yourself for your efforts, but then get back to what made you successful in the first place.
Your level of effort, focus and preparation were your recipe for success…
Why change what works? Sticking with the plan is key when trying to follow up after a successful tournament.
Justin Thomas understands the importance of getting back to work after a victory.
Thomas, who turned pro in 2013, won the 2017 PGA Tournament, his first Major Championship. Despite mandatory media obligations, Thomas knows that if he is to be successful in the next tournament, he needs to quickly get back to his preparation and focus on the task at hand.
Thomas is focused on one thing… the next thing, which is the FedExCup playoffs.
Even though his commitments have affected his practice schedule, Thomas realizes he needs to be 100 percent focused on the upcoming tournament and Thomas acknowledges that he has total control over where he places his focus.
THOMAS: “It definitely was tough, just the way everything kind of happened the next three or four days after the PGA [Championship victory]. I tried to forget about it as quick as possible… It was like, look, it’s awesome. I’m extremely happy I did it. I’m proud of myself and proud of me and my team. It’s over with, and you know, I’ll enjoy it in the off-season when I can enjoy it and don’t have to worry about the next tournament… [The FedExCup] is the No. 1 priority now since the majors are done.”
The lesson to learn from Thomas is… If you want consistent results, maintain consistent effort, preparation and focus.
How to Follow Up a Successful Golf Tournament:
Write down what has contributed to your success.
What is your success recipe? How have you prepared when you were at your best? What was your level of effort? What did you focus on when you played your best golf?
Do you best to follow the plan that worked. However, don’t expect to hit the ball or putt as well as you did when you won. Your high expectations can derail you.
You can tweak your plan when needed but don’t scrap the very thing that contributed to your success.
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