Break Your Golf Plateau This Season

Yes, it can be frustrating, but it’s unlikely there will be another time when you improve as rapidly. As you pile up experience, your game will naturally level off. But if you’re a competitive person, this plateau may not be palatable. In this lesson, I’ll discuss how to break through those golf plateaus to find new, higher levels of performance.

This Lesson Is For You If:

You want to see your game improve dramatically

Where Are We Headed?

Before you embark on your journey of improvement, it’s important to define your goals. “Get better” isn’t going to get it done. Are you trying to get longer off the tee? More accurate with your irons? Better around the green? Have fewer three putts? Drop your handicap by three strokes? We need to start by picking a goal.

You should also set a deadline. I wrote a lesson many years ago about SMART goals, an acronym for setting good goals. The “T” stands for “Timely” meaning that a good goal has a due date. Without that time pressure, it’s too easy to say, “I’ll work on it tomorrow.”

Finally, I’d encourage you to be realistic. Golf is not a game of perfect. You can work harder than anyone in human history, and you’ll still hit the occasion hook. I’m all in on your goal of knocking three strokes off your handicap this year. However, I’ll take the under if your goal is going from a +20 to a -3 in one season

Do Something New

Henry Ford is credited with the line, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” There is no better summary for this lesson. If you want to get to a new level of performance, you need to do a new level of work. This can mean one (or more) of three things.

New Work

My favorite way to bust through plateaus is by finding the low hanging fruit. In this context, that means doing the stuff you aren’t currently doing to improve your game.

The two things that come to mind for me are club fitting and fitness. The majority of golfers have never been fit for their clubs. That means they can, quite literally, buy a better game. Similarly, most golfers are not doing anything to improve their body. This could be as simple as committing to a five minute warm up before playing or practicing. It could also mean something more serious like improving your diet or exercising regularly.

Of course, these are not the only forms of new work. If you’ve never put any time into putting practice, that could be yours. It could be taking a lesson. Maybe it’s working with a new training aid. Any of these things can lead to a golf breakthrough.

More Work

Another way to get through a golf plateau is to put more time into your game. If you’re currently practicing once a week, find a way to practice twice a week. Investing more time is the simplest way to see better performance. The one catch, however, is that you need to put in quality time. Which leads us to the final route to improvement.

Better Work

We are all guilty of going through the motions at times. It could be on the range, on the green, or in the gym. We’re there in body but not in mind or spirit. If you want to see your performance improve, cut these “empty calories” out of your practice. Put something on your golf bag that reminds you of your goal. Set a reminder on your phone to give you a daily shot of inspiration. If you’re putting 100% focus into every minute of your practice, you’ll ascend to new golf heights in no time.

This is Golf as You've Always Imagined!

Daniel is a Top 100 Golf Instructor and the Head of Golf Instruction at IMAGEN Golf the area's leading golf instruction and advisory firm, host of the IMAGEN Golf Podcast and Best-Selling Author of "Unleash The Golfer Within" and inventor of the Pure Putt Grip.

For more information visit www.ImagenGolf.com or call 215-595-6299 Reach out to Daniel directly at:Daniel@ImagenGolf.com

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