In my last post, we talked about the power of Focus and how critical its to maintain the mental image of your desired outcome in your mind. Well another key ingredient to guaranteeing repeatable accuracy is your state of relaxation…

The Chill Factor – You know, if there’s a common ingredient to superior performance in all sports, it’s the relaxation or “chill” factor. Paradoxically relaxation often overcomes brute force. It’s a key a principal underlying martial arts like Aikido and it’s the essence of what football great and recent winner of ‘Dancing with the Stars’, Emmitt Smith calls being in the “zone”. If you’re flexible and you have “give” in you body, you can more easily take effective, clear-headed, responsive action in any given situation. The same holds true for your golf. Cultivate the intention of relaxation over power in your game and focus on striking the golf ball in a relaxed, easy manner. You’ll exert less effort in your swing and you’ll be surprised when the ball travels an equal if not greater distance, then when your intent is on power driving. So chill and enjoy.

Cultivate Your Swing Plane – To achieve repeatable accuracy, you must ensure that your club-head follows a consistent path in the same “swing plane” every time. Think of your swing plane as an inclined disc that envelops the trajectory of your club. Swing planes are as unique as thumb prints. So you’ll need to experiment with your arm positioning to discover the right swing plane that works for you. Move slowly through your downswing and notice how individual adjustments of the different joint angles lead to consistency and comfort. Again, comfort is your key indicator. Remember if it’s not comfortable it’s not right for you.

Align Your Clubface – It might seem obvious but the alignment of your clubface directly dictates the trajectory of your ball. You can maximize control over of your clubface angles by ensuring that your leading wrist is flat with respect to your forearm through your downswing to impact. Don’t be tempted to snap your wrists at the bottom of your swing. It’s a common misconception amongst amateur gofers that the “wrist snap” gives more power. It doesn’t. According to Theodore Jorensen, expert on the physics of golf, this action reduces club head speed. What’s more it screws up your club head alignment. So keep those wrists flat and you’ll enjoy a great foundation for whacking the ball at the proper angle every time.

Laser Guided Precision – Yes, practice these simple strategies and enjoy a wonderful improvement in your accuracy and your scoring. Remember to think David over Goliath and cultivate accuracy over power. Chill out, get in your “zone” and be relaxed in your swing action. Cultivate you unique swing plane for repeatability. Keep your wrist flat for refined control over your clubface alignment. And finally, whack those balls with laser-guided precision when you tie it all together with the simple mental strategy of “Focus, Focus, Focus”.