SPECIAL REPORT
By Bobby Lopez, PGA
I was very fortunate growing up in Miami in the early years, when golf was growing and there were lots of great players in the area. Especially Miami Beach at Bayshore Golf Course were some of the best golf gamblers in the country hung out. We’re talking Bobby Riggs, “The Fat Man” Marty Stoyanovich and others. Why does this matter? Because it is from many of these golf gamblers, and by gambling myself, that I learned some of the techniques I am about to offer you.
There is a different kind of pressure when you play in a tournament than when you go man to man for money in your own pocket at risk. I have a Special Report on some of the gambling techniques but right now let’s concentrate on playing under pressure.
Different players do different things to calm down. Each of us have our own personalities. I found that players that had a bad opening round, (75 or more) and agonized in their room about it, had another disastrous round the next day. The guys that went out to play pool, had a few cold ones, and just relaxed, came back the next day and shot 67. Make it fun and look forward to playing, enjoy the challenge. Don’t care what anybody else thinks of your playing ability. Be happy that you’re able to participate at all. Like Jimmy Demerit used to say, “they can’t electrocute you if you play bad.”
Use your warm up routine to relax and slow your tempo down. I see golfers go for the range and begin
beating balls like a lunatic. Hit less balls and take longer to hit them. Take a breather between each shot. Take a deep breath, hold it in, and then let it out slowly. Swing a lot slower that you would on the golf course at first and gradually build up to playing speed.
Get off to a good start by playing conservative. Unless you are very confident and on a roll, try starting off easy. Concentrate on building a rhythm right from the start. MORE IMPORTANTLY, DO NOT LET A POOR START BRING YOU DOWN! Really good players can make a double bogey on the first hole and deal with. Even great quarterbacks can throw an interception early in the game and shake it off.
I remember many many years ago a player, (forgot his name) who was a relative no name won the U.S. Open. He claimed that the way he handled the pressure was to keep telling himself during the final round, “I’m just playing golf with my old buddy Johnny.”
When I started playing on the European tour I lost my nerve at first. I played better in a practice round gambling with some of the players. Those same players beat the pants off of me in a tournament.
I talked to my friend Vincente Fernandez about it and he said, “You’ll keep choking until you get tired of
it.” I decided he was right and got real tired of it fast! Roberto DeVincenzo told me, “to make it out here you either have to have a great swing or great faith, and great faith beats a great swing every time.”
Here’s what I did to adjust from gambler pressure techniques to golf tournament stroke play techniques. Entertain yourself the night before. Agonizing the night before about tomorrow’s round will not do you
any good. Fretting over the bad round just shows lack of confidence.
Monitor your grip pressure constantly. Grip pressure is usually the first thing to tighten up when you’re nervous. Take your money and move it from one pocket to the other..consider it gone! I learned this from my gambling days and kept it going in stroke play. Consider the money lost and go for it. Make all the birdies you can. Keep in mind it’s only golf. Be happy you’re out there in the first place.
How To Play Relaxed Under Pressure Seven Easy Steps For Playing Better Under Pressure
Step 1 – Entertain yourself the night before.
Step 2 – Make it fun and look forward to playing.
Step 3 – Use your wormup routine to relax and slow your tempo down.
Step 4 – Get off to a good start by playing conservative.
Step 5 – Monitor your grip pressure constantly.
Step 6 – Take your money and move it from one pocket to the other..consider it gone!
Step 7 – Keep in mind it’s only golf.
www.quickfi xgolf.com | 833-88-QUICK (78425)
