I have seen many great players play their A game on day one just to blow up on day 2. What do the top pros's do that keeps them focused down to the last putt?

My opinion is they learn to turn their brain off. They have the skills, its just a matter of not thinking about it. Just play and have fun. After all, its only a game.

I love pressure situations. The best way to deal with those situations is to treat them like any other situation. Too many players start to look at the big picture once it begins to develop. I'll use the example of someone I golfed with this weekend: all day long he was hitting putts. Every putt. His up game was solid. He was playing well and looking like a good chance to take me down and beat me for his first open cash/win.

But as soon as he got into a situation where it looked like he could take a lead, he just lost it. He was missing 20-25 footers he had been hitting all day long. And I think he was just looking at the big picture all of a sudden. Thinking about the potential outcome, the meaning that certain putts would have in 30 minutes at the scorers table. The best thing you can do for yourself is play each shot as an individual game.

Or if you're like me and you can't shut it off completely break down your rounds into rounds of 3. It is easier to control smaller events. If I'm on an easy course and I want to birdie 2 of every 3 holes, and only get 1 of 3 during a stretch that game is over. The next set I try to get 2 of 3 again. And I keep it simple and small.

The best to do would be as The Natty says, though. Turn it off completely. Get out on the course and focus only on the shot at hand, the putt at hand. There's no reason to be thinking about how this 50 footer with 5 holes to go is a must get because he'll hit his 20 footer and then you're looking at a tight battle the next 5 holes and maybe a playoff... Just step up to the 50 footer and think "I am going to make this shot." There's no why. There's no reason. Just focus on that one thing.

I have seen many great players play their A game on day one just to blow up on day 2. What do the top pros's do that keeps them focused down to the last putt?

Helps to have over a 5 stroke lead going into the last round.. ;) :) :D

My opinion is they learn to turn their brain off. They have the skills, its just a matter of not thinking about it. Just play and have fun. After all, its only a game.



What do you do to turn your brain off?

I struggled the last round this weekend, until I needed to finish strong, after being +2 with only 1 birdie on the first 12 holes, I finished with 5 of 6 birdies... 4 par 4s, a Par 5 and a par 3.

Needless to say, I wished I had played that well the REST of the tournament, or round for that matter.

My opinion is they learn to turn their brain off. They have the skills, its just a matter of not thinking about it. Just play and have fun. After all, its only a game.



What do you do to turn your brain off?



It takes time to learn to do this. It took me a while until I figured it out. Basically I never think about the shot I am about to throw/putt until I am on the tee or behind my mini. Once there I pick someting to hit, in the putting case its a link, and the only thing I think abotu is hitting the link. Not about how I am holding the disc, how fast I need to putt it, how high, or anything like that. Just tellign your self to hit the link. thats my method, and eventually it becomes second nature. But like I said, it takes time and practice at it in pressure situations.