I’m proud of a lot of things I’ve achieved in my life so far.

I moved to another country

I’ve coached thousands of people

I’ve given over 15,000 lessons (approximately)

I worked under a Top 100 Instructor for 5 years

I’ve shot 63 (9 under par)

I married a genuine stunner (I told my mates in England I was moving to the US to marry the prom queen)

and a whole load more accomplishments. But nothing will top how I’ll feel next Monday evening if all goes to plan.

Next Monday is the qualifying for the Shell Houston open. I shot 68 yesterday to get through pre qualifying (see the full results here) which gets me into the Monday qualifier.

The silly thing is, it was one of my worst ball striking rounds for a while.

I’m a little steep with the plane coming down and the club face is closed which produces a low left shot that makes me want to snap the club over my knee every time I hit it. I’ve been working like a trooper on the range today to get the club face in a better position and not drive my hips so hard at the ball coming down. Which is a common problem for good players and it just get’s the upper body and arms out of sync..

So I’m thinking of trying to keep my hips closed (less turn) coming down to give my right arm chance to karate chop it’s way in front of my hips.. Now that’s got you thinking hasn’t it….

I did however take care of a lot of my birdie chances and my short game feels solid.

A byproduct of my daily routines no doubt. Which include a putting routine from 3,4,5 and 6 feet from the hole. I go around an imaginary clock face holing 3 in a row. Once I’ve done this, I can then move onto the next 3, and then the next 3 etc. I do this from 3,4,5 and 6 feet from the hole so if I’m not fully tuned into what I’m doing the 6 feet putt’s can take a while to get done.

It’s a great drill because there’s some consequences to it, just like when we are out on the course. If I don’t hole 3 in a row, I start that 3 again.

I also use this drill to role play. Let’s say I’ve got to hole three 6 foot putts to finish par, birdie, birdie to make the cut in a PGA Tour event. you get the idea.

e.g. let’s say I hole a 3 foot putt from 1 o clock and then 2 o clock, but miss the putt from 3 o clock. Well because I haven’t holed 3 in a row I have to start those 3 putts again from 1 o clock. You get me?… If you don’t leave a comment below and I’ll get to it..

Another couple of things that I’m proud of in my game at the moment is my emotional control and the state in which I’m playing the game.

Trust me, when you’re a pro and you hit a few low left shots out on the course you want to curse and shot so bad. I kind of did it under my breath so my playing partners didn’t hear but I let go of the anger as soon as took my glove off. Which is my concentration trigger.

The state I’m approaching my rounds of golf in I can only describe as mean!

By ‘mean’ I’m describing the look on my face. This I’ve found is the best state (for me) to go and perform the task in hand. Of course everyone’s different and you’ve got to go through some trial and error before you know what suits your make up as a person.

Plus, beforehand I was warming up on the practice ground with my earphones in listening to this video. If this doesn’t get you up for it nothing will…

There’s definitely wrinkles formed on my forehead nowadays when I play the game, and also a semi posh spice pout.

I think this comes from being so hungry to make a LOT of birdies when I’m out there that I’m almost pissed off that I’m not making more. Think steely eyed Gary Woodland..

Anyway that’s where I am with my game at the moment and I highly recommend you experiment with some different states and self talk when you are out on the golf course to help you find that optimum performance level.

As always If you feel a strong urge to say something, leave a comment or question below and I’ll answer it.

All the best

P.S. and just in case you’re calling BS about the prom queen thing. Here’s a pic just for your eyes only.

PARKER-0098

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know what you’re thinking, what a lucky girl…