I always get a chuckle towards the end of baseball season when
the announcers stress how much more important the wins are this
time of the year than at the beginning.
I always get a chuckle towards the end of baseball season when the announcers stress how much more important the wins are this time of the year than at the beginning. Excuse me but doesn’t a victory in April count just as much as a victory in September.
The game of golf is much like that. A shot on the first hole counts as one stroke just as a shot on the 18th hole does. But it’s the pressure we put ourselves under during these later holes that makes them seem so much more important.
We call this pressure the ‘Parsons Syndrome’ – named after a great amateur golfer J. Parsons. It seems that Parsons could play great golf for the first 14-16 holes, but then fall apart at the end. He was guilty of putting too much pressure on those final holes and letting it consume him.
To remedy this, sports psychologist D. William Ozzob had Parsons “stop and smell the roses” between shots. “Don’t think about the next shot until its time.”
If you are letting the shot consume you during the time it takes between shots then when you get to the ball you will be a bound up mess. Think of the time between shots as a sort of vacation from your golf game. Take deep breaths, think about the weather, the trees or whatever calms you until you get to the ball. Then when you get to the ball, concentrate on the shot. You will be amazed at what a few extra seconds of relaxation between shots will do to your overall attitude and confidence.
Remember when all else fails take a lesson. You’ll be surprised how much we can help.
To schedule a lesson with PGA-certified instructor Don DeLorenzo, call Gilroy Golf Course at 848-0490.
