So what exactly is deliberate practice? Let's start by breaking down the word "deliberate" It means that something is done consciously and intentionally. So the first part of deliberate practice involves focusing on and practicing one specific thing that you want to improve in your game-and practicing it with intention and concentration, mentally visualising or rehearsing while you practice and thus experiencing the move in your body. Again, the brain doesn't know the difference between thoughts and experience, so in mentally rehearsing an experience, you are sending messages to your. body about the specific outcome you want to experience and, in a certain way, you are experiencing that outcome. But if you want those messages to be ingrained in your body, so ingrained in your body that what you're working on improving becomes almost second nature so that you can therefore let go of your mind because your body knows what to do, you have to practice that thing over and over again deliberately, which means with concentrated focus, steadiness of mind, intention, and a willingness to push yourself out of your comfort zone. The four key elements of deliberate practice are motivation, knowledge, immediate informative feedback of your performance, and repetition. The key take-away here is that physical limitations are not really a primary concern; it's your mindset and internal perception of self that galvanizes your practice and determines how well you perform. Something to think about when you next go to work on your game!

Dr. Bob Rotella has worked with: - PGA Tour winners - Major champions - Olympic athletes Here are his TOP 3 tournament mindset secrets... Secret #1 Confidence is a CHOICE, not a feeling Most golfers wait to FEEL confident before they play well. Champions CHOOSE to be confident regardless of how they feel. Your mind believes what you tell it. Choose confidence every time. Secret #2 Focus on your TARGET, not your fears Where your mind goes, the ball follows, Don't think: 'Don't hit it in the water' Think: 'Smooth swing to the pin' Your brain can't process negatives - it only sees the image you create. Secret #3 Embrace pressure as a PRIVILEGE Pressure means you're in contention. Pressure means you matter. Pressure means you've earned the right to be there. Champions don't avoid pressure… they thrive in it! Now the Application! How these apply to tournament golf, build confidence through preparation; • Practice target-focused thinking • Reframe nerves as excitement • Develop consistent pre-shot routines • Learn to love the big moments

I bang the shot routine drum quite a lot, but even if you do have one, mistakes can still be made with them! So here are 6 to make sure you are not making with your routine!  1. Not analysing the shot. 2. Taking a set number of practice swings. 3. Not thinking about the target when over the ball. 4. Not picking an intermediate target ahead of the ball. 5. Lingering over the shot (8 seconds or less is the goal). 6. Not having a post-shot routine

They are not the same skill, and treating them like they are is why so many players plateau. A great range session tells you what you're capable of. A great round tells you what you can access under pressure, in front of people, when it counts. The players who close that gap aren't the ones with the prettiest range swing - they're the ones who've trained their mind to perform the swing they already have when the stakes go up. If your range game and your course game feel like two different people, they probably are. The goal isn't a better swing. It's a mind that can access the swing you've already built. What does your practice actually prepare you for, hitting good shots, or performing under pressure?

The attached image is a text I received from Peter who claimed his year long society championship yesterday with a solid final round score and 4th place finish. But the point of this post is what he says about the start and his first tee shot going 6 yards! I know Peter would have been nervous as he knew he was likely to win the championship with a decent round, but this brings its own complications as no doubt he would have had this in his mind distracting him from his own game… hence the first tee shot! But the key was his recovery, he didn’t let this set fire to his round and blow his chance of the overall win, he composed himself and put together a round that got the job done! The point of this is two-fold; Firstly, no round is done just because of a poor start or poor shot, it’s how you respond and get yourself back into the game. If you let it, it will de-rail your game, but it doesn’t have to with the right attitude! And secondly, keep in the moment! Anytime you project forward to a result/outcome, your mind will not be on the job in the present and the result will likely be affected in a way that is not desirable! Two very important mental keys to golf, if you can stay present over each shot and not allow bad moments to affect your round, you will score better and get better results!