On this episode of The Mental Golf Show we’re going to be talking about a key element of the pre-shot routine: commitment. You’ve chosen your target, now you need to hit the shot. But the step between those two is commitment to the target.
You should leave this episode with a better understanding of what commitment is, and a tangible way to be more committed on every shot to give yourself the best access to your skills.
So we’ve jumped right into the heart of your pre-shot routine. You’ve taken in all the factors and you’ve chosen your target. How do you take that target and turn it into a feeling that you can actually execute that shot? This is where commitment comes in.
What is commitment? The Oxford Dictionary defines commitment in two ways: the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc. and an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action. So you get the sense that it’s an adherence to what you’ve decided to do.
I would personally define golf shot commitment as having full clarity on what you want to do with this shot. And there’s two sides to this. You do this by making a conscience choice to know what you’re going to do, and to like what you’re going to do.
It’s one thing to know the shot you should hit here based on a data-driven strategy. It’s another thing to actually like the choice you’ve come to. You can’t have total clarity on the shot if you have that cognitive dissonance of indecisiveness going on in your head.
Now, no you’re not going to feel great on every shot, but I believe you can have total clarity on every shot. You can know what you’re trying to do, and you can like what you’ve chosen.
Let’s go through both steps: knowing and liking.
It’s pretty self-explanatory as to what knowing what you’re going to do on this shot means. It means choosing your target based on conditions and strategy. But it’s certainly not a given. I can’t tell you how many shots I’ve stepped into where I didn’t actually know what I was trying to do. This primarily happens on short game shots where there are multiple options for how to potentially get it close. I’m over the ball and still deciding what I’m trying to do on this shot: do I drive it in low? Should I be using a different club to drive it in low? Or should I flight it over the ridge with a high shot? Do I go dead hands and use the bounce? Or do I do a big flop shot swing? I’ve hit many chips with some or all of these thoughts going through my head. This is a very clear example of not actually knowing what I was trying to do before stepping into the ball.
And then liking what I’m trying to do. This is more of a feeling. This is a much less technical aspect of the pre-shot routine compared to strategy, but it’s very measurable if you’re paying attention. How does it feel to like what you’re trying to do on this shot? It probably means you have some credible evidence of being able to hit this shot from somewhere in your past. Maybe it was in practice, and you’ve tried and succeeded at this same shot many times before. Or maybe it’s from an actual performance, where you had this same shot and you went with this shot choice and hit a good one. This is a very credible way to like what you’re trying to do with this shot.
But I believe you can like what you’re trying to do without having ever tried the shot before. You can say, “I know what I’m trying to do because I’ve chosen a good target based on a sound strategy, and that’s all the evidence I need to know that this is the right choice.” That’s a very solid way to like what you’re trying to do on this shot.
So in order to be committed pre-shot, the key questions you’re answering on every shot are:
If you can answer yes to both of those questions, then you’re committed to the shot. If you answer no to one or both of those questions, then you’re not fully committed to the shot, and you won’t give yourself the best chance to access your skills and hit a good one.
Get to where you can credibly say yes to both of these questions more often and you’ll be more freed up and accessing your skills and giving yourself the best chance to hit a good one.