Welcome

Welcome to issue number 42 of The 3 Minute Golfer. This FREE, weekly publication is here to help every golfer improve their mental game and their personal wellbeing. 

Over the next few newsletters, we will take a deeper dive into some of the performance challenges faced by the predominant mental styles.

Why not subscribe to our Facebook and Instagram!

In this issue:

• Yippy and Nervy - Short Putt and Putting Short Anx …

• Wellness Tip – Why Eye Health Matters…For Golfers

• Mental Demons Q+A

• In Person Events - Book The 3 Minute Golfer

Not already a subscriber? Subscribe here.

Yippy and Nervy - Short Putt and Putting Short Anxiety

If golf had a way to measure pure, unfiltered human anxiety, it would be that palm-sweating moment when you’re staring at a putt that is so close you can see your own reflection in the hole. And for many golfers, the shorter the putt, the greater the pressure…especially if you’re a Yippy or Nervy player.

As discussed in newsletters 10 and 18 respectively, the Nervy and Yippy golfers are the ones most likely to suffer from putting anxiety that has them in fear of both missing short putts and putting short because they fear hitting the ball way past the hole, particularly on longer putts. But the “short putt” phenomenon is not the exclusive domain of Yippy and Nervy. Golfers of all persuasions know both experiences.

Classic Short Putt Anxiety…This is the voice in every golfer’s head whispering “don’t miss, don’t miss,” even as your hands start to quiver and your grip tightens somewhere between a gentle handshake and wringing out a wet towel. According to sports psychologists, the pressure to make the “gimme” putt is so great because it’s supposed to be easy and nothing torments a golfer more than failing at the simple stuff. Research in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise found that performance anxiety spikes when expectations are highest and consequences of failure are most visible…hence why three footers can feel like putting for your life. (Jordet, G., et al. 2017)

The “Putting Short” Phenomenon…Is the other side of the same coin. It’s where you baby the ball, barely nudging it toward the hole, not because you think it’s the right speed, but because you’re absolutely terrified of what’s lurking beyond. The fear of blasting a putt past the cup and facing the dreaded putt back is so visceral that many golfers unconsciously decelerate through the stroke. Anecdotal evidence says this behaviour is more common because many people suffer loss aversion…preferring not to lose rather than to win. Of course, there’s a comic irony here…the more you fear missing, the more you tinker with your technique, and the more you end up missing…either leaving it short or, in a wild attempt at compensation, sending it zooming past. It’s the ultimate golfing paradox, the fear of going too far past often leads to leaving yourself another putt of exactly the same length. A concept that even Einstein might struggle to understand.

The Research Says…Well not much. There appears to be very little research on how often golfers at all levels leave their putts short…even in the pro ranks. One bit of potential evidence comes from over 30 million putts collected by ShotScope. According to their data, for putts over 5 feet, 84 % of missed putts finish short. This means that for recreational golfers at least, when a putt fails, it overwhelmingly fails by coming up short. A very common cause of short putts is deceleration through impact but off-centre hits on the putter face also affect how far your ball rolls. In less-skilled golfers, variability at the point of contact leads to inconsistencies in roll distance, often resulting in the ball falling short. (Griffith Research Repository)

What To Do…Putting accounts for more shots in a round of golf than any other type of play. And the percentage of putts holed decreases as putt length increases, because it is difficult to achieve a consistent range and direction, especially if you play with an anxious edge. So, what’s a weekend warrior to do? It might help to realise you’re not alone. From club champions to Sunday duffers, everyone’s been haunted by the ghost of a two-foot miss or the repetitive experience of leaving it short. The trick is to accept that anxiety is part of the game, take a deep breath, and practice rolling the ball a foot or two past the hole and remember…missing two foot long is better than missing two foot short. Long can drop but short never will.

See the References Here.