Did you ever notice that right after you or your mate has that first sip of Singha on the golf course in Thailand that drives fly longer and straighter? Why is this almost always the case? The simple answer is stress, or lack thereof.
Stress on the Thailand golf course is an insidious golf "disease". Tension starts in your hands and creeps into every muscle in your body. It breaks your golf swing and it strips it of power and accuracy. When tension gets into your address position, it generates mistakes like the dreaded pull hook (which is actually the same root cause as a high slice). Eliminate tension from your body and you eliminate strokes from your score when golfing in Thailand. That is why Singha works!
On the other hand have one too many, and this will not only relieve tension, but also leave you drunk, and if not worse, dehydrated. So what is the best stress-relief solution when golfing in Thailand?
Focus on eliminating all bad thoughts (i.e. recalling a bad shot from memory, thinking about the out-of-bounds or water hazard down the side of the fairway, and lacking confidence in your shot making ability). Doing this produces a smoother, more rhythmic swing that allows you to drive the ball longer with much less effort. Here are three more suggestions for achieving a stress-free swing.
1. Add to your pre-shot thought of feeling relaxed. Take deep 2 breadths with an inhale count of five and an exhale count of five. This prepares you for taking a lighter, softer grip.
2. Make mini swings in slow motion. Concentrate on your rotation, with your hands and arms swinging freely and the club head moving through the impact zone. Make a conscious effort to relax your hands.
3. Before walking into your address position recall your most solid shot and how great it felt when the ball left the club head.
Eliminating tension from your hands and body will help you drive the ball further, will add power to your swing, helps cut strokes from your Thailand golf game. Sounds too easy or corny? Try it and watch those drives fly!
Place a stick or broken club behind you and keep your butt against it . Address a ball and focus only on keeping in contact with the stick, that will help you stay down on the ball.
Posted by: Annie | June 20, 2012 at 09:52 AM