THE SHOT ALL CARRY OVER THE WATER
Why it's so scary: "I guess it's a little embarrassing if you hit your
ball in the water and your playing partners see it," Hayman said.
"Often times, it's not just a stroke penalty but it's stroke and dis-
tance, so you're dropping 6 feet in front of you and having to try
that shot over the water again."
How to overcome the mental obstacles: "It's really like any shot
on the golf course – you want to recognize the trouble spots and tell
yourself where you want to hit it, not where you don't want to hit
it," Hayman said. "Instead of saying 'Don't hit it in the water,' for ex-
ample, pick a spot 10 feet right of the flagstick and tell yourself you
want to hit it there. You give yourself positive affirmation. Golf is 80
percent mental anyway."
How to hit the shot: "Maybe take one extra club and swing easy,
as opposed to trying to hit your exact yardage and counting on a
perfect ball strike," Hayman said. "If you take an extra club and
swing easy, you know you'll have plenty of club to carry the hazard.
Don't try to over-hit it, and it will usually work out in a good result."
THE SHOT THE 5-FOOT KNEE-KNOCKER FOR PAR
Why it's so scary: "The average player has no idea how to hit it correctly," Lohman
said. "Everything that a pro does in their practice and pre-shot routine is designed to
allow them to eliminate angst, anxiety and differential thoughts. By the time they hit it,
it's as mechanical as possible."
How to overcome the mental obstacles: "Most players will worry too much about it,
then get over the ball, look up at the hole during their stroke and not make a good
pass through the ball," Lohman said. "But the pros you see on TV will have practiced
this putt 10,000 times – so it's all about repetition and making it automatic."
How to hit the shot: "You have to accelerate into the putt, stay very still, keep your
eyes over the ball and finish your stroke. If you train by doing those things and get
used to them, by the time you get to the golf course, you'll make more putts. I find
that a lot of players watch the putter go back, watch the putter hit the ball and then
watch it go left. If you eliminated that, you'd make 50 percent more putts."
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YOUR GAME
OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE
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FALL 2018
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obsports.com
Stay very still and keep
your eyes over the ball.
The par-3 fifth hole at Tijeras Creek in
Orange County is all carry from tee to green.
