Bobby Jones famously said "Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course, the distance between your ears.” This is an all time quote that still proves true 35 years on from when it was first said. A strong and stable mental state is simply crucial to achieving high levels of performance. My goal today is to offer a new perspective to peak performance in golf, using the foundations of a game changing tactical decision making system. I am referring to the DECADE system (shout out to Scott Fawcett, the man behind it all), used by many of the best golfers in the world to track their key performance metrics and teach them a strategic, emotionless approach to performance.
After familarising myself with the system, I immediately knew how important it would be to any golfer looking to gain an edge. My fascination was largely due to the link I could see between the principles DECADE teaches and common mental barriers golfers face. Here is a criminally brief run down of the DECADE before we start. DECADE is a course management system that combines shot distribution patterns and PGA Tour scoring statistics to give players a simple way to optimise their target selection. It shows and proves how bogey avoidance outweighs birdies made considerably no matter if you are trying to break 80 for the first time or compete on the PGA Tour.
Having used DECADE with my students for the past months, it has given me a new approach in deciphering momentum, an elusive performance concept that I believe is crucial for achieving peak performance in any sport. In my "Life on Tour" content I explored the concept of momentum within golf and the effects it has on outcome, both potentially negative and positive. How is it that a golfer can shoot a 60 on day one holing every putt and follow it up with a 76 where they cannot buy a putt? This also proves true for other sports, team and individual. It is a fascinating concept that I have begun to understand in more depth allowing me to develop strategies to utilise it in golf.
Momentum is either in your favour (positive) or working against you (negative) and it is an athletes job to maintain positive momentum for as long as possible. If I asked any top athlete how they do this, they likely would not be able to give me a definitive answer as it simply comes naturally to them at that level. I can tell you that controlling momentum is largely down to maintaining state control, managing fluctuating emotions and is limited by the parameters of an athletes self-image.
On-course decision making is one of the few controllable factors a golfer has and smart decision making will lead to lower stress outcomes. It is much easier to both build momentum and find momentum when the majority of shots we face are low stress. So building a game plan where the goal is to leave yourself as many low stress shots as possible is key. This is when the DECADE game plan comes into play where the over arching goal is bogey avoidance. To avoid bogeys a golfer has to think about their target selection off tee and approaching the green. Taking into account their own tendencies (common misses) and what levels of stress certain misses would give them. DECADE has a system for managing these decisions as it gives a modifier (a distance to aim further away from the trouble) for every type of hazard whether it be rough, a bunker or water. This whole strategy results in very few times throughout a round of golf where you aim directly at the pin. If done correctly even a bad round of ball striking should not result in overly high scores.
In order to make these clear decisions, we need to first build a disciplined mindset in practice where the appropriate habits can be developed. An easy way to test yourself is to play a round of golf where your sole focus is on hitting every approach shot to the middle of the green, ignoring the pin location. This may seem easy but you will be surprised by most players unwillingness to adopt this change in mindset as it goes against their every natural instinct. The purpose of this game is two fold. Firstly it is designed to challenge the players ego and stubbornness and to see if they really can be disciplined enough to ignore the flag. Secondly, it develops the idea of prioritising low stress situations where if executed appropriately, green in regulation numbers should increase drastically. It is statistically easier to two putt than it is to up and down in almost every situation and this is at the very core of what I am teaching. Moving my players away from what they feel they are good at to what the facts and data states they are good at.
Golf at any level is hard enough as it is, therefore finding the little changes that make the most noticeable difference is key. Whether you are aiming to improve, mentally, tactically or physically, the same deal of discipline applies…
If you are looking for training and on course drills that aim to promote this new tactical mindset or even to discuss how you can implement these techniques I have discussed feel free to drop me a message at mindlessgolf@outlook.com or on instagram at mindless.golf.
