Paying attention to the four "Cs"

Paying Attention to the Four “Cs” The success of many great players has to do with qualities outside the shot-making realm, namely possessing the four C’s: Confidence, Concentration, Courage, and Common Sense. Let me review these qualities common to golfers who play their best with great frequency. CONFIDENCE The best dictionary definition of confidence is “full trust.” Applied to golf, that means essentially this: When a player thinks he’s going to hit a good shot, he usually will, provided, of course, that his positive attitude is realistically based on a fundamentally good swing and at least a fairly good shot-making ability developed through regular and rigorous practice.The harder you prepare for anything, the higher your level of confidence about it, thus, the less pressure you feel and the better you perform. Practice solid fundamentals regularly and with a purpose, focusing on quality over quantity. CONCENTRATION There is always time to have fun and socialize with your playing partners in between shots. But when you get to the ball and you’ve selected your club, this is the time to fully concentrate on the task at hand. Pick out a target and imagine a good shot hitting that target before swinging. Try to stay in the game by imagining circular targets in the fairway on tee shots and on the greens on approach shots and to count how many times during a round you can hit the bull’s eye. COURAGE Many golfers, pro and amateur players alike, fail to live up to their full potential because they never learn the secrets of developing a courageous on-course attitude. These are the immature types who throw clubs, continually cuss themselves out, sulk, or even walk off the course after one too many bad bounces or bad holes. Their problem is that they expect perfection, whereas the complete and intelligent – and courageous – golfer respects the game’s unpredictability, takes it in stride, and gets on with the job as best as he or she possibly can. Even when they’re having an absolutely awful day, this player still gives every shot 100 percent concentration. His final score is his absolute best effort for that day, and biting the bullet like this hardens him or her for future rounds. Courage, then, is not inherited, but developed through a combination of experience, sheer grit, and determination. Jack Nicklaus was not a great all-around player. In fact, he admits to being just a fair wedge and bunker player. Yet, his courage brought him to the winner’s circle a record 18 times in major championships. COMMON SENSE I’m forever amazed by the foolish chances many golfers take during a round of 18 holes. The typical club-level golfer would never dream of driving a car 120 miles per hour down a regular road or gambling a life savings on a flip of a card. However, on the golf course, many amateur golfers seem unable to retain even an ounce of common sense. Playing with common sense involves making the decision to play aggressively or safely, based on a realistic appraisal of one’s capabilities. And in doing that, the chief consideration should be the reward of pulling off the shot relative to the cost of missing it. What this requires above all else is discipline, which just might be the most important word in the entire golfing lexicon. For game improvement lessons you can reach me at john@jmlongdrive.com or by calling me at 404-405-1403