Go Easy on Yourself

Jeff Fisher
Director of Instruction
Fisher Bryan Golf Academy at Longbow Golf Club
Mesa, AZ
jfisher@obsports.com

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Let’s face it, golf is hard! And yet, it is supposed to be fun! A lot of the time I spend as an instructor is in helping students evaluate where their game is and where it is headed. Oftentimes, I have to stop a student from being too harsh on him/herself and beating him/herself up over what he/she feels is the state of their game.

Self-assessment is a good thing if done correctly, so I give my students a simple way to evaluate themselves after a round that will keep things on a positive note and at the same time help their game move forward. I call it giving yourself a P.E.P. talk.

The first step in the P.E.P. talk is P - which stands for Praise. Make sure the first thing you do is find something that you did well that day and praise yourself for it! It could be as simple as a single drive, a par saving putt or an overall part of your game, like driving the ball. But, always start with Praise.

Second is E - for Evaluate. Now, take a minute to evaluate not what you did wrong that day but what you could have done better. Remember that we are doing all of this in a positive manner so “wrong” does not come into play. Maybe you had some 3 putts, did not hit as many greens as you would have liked or just made a course management decision that was ill advised and cost you strokes.

The final P - is for Plan. Now, it is time to set the plan for how you can improve what you identified as the part of your game that needed work. Driving, chipping, putting or whatever it was that you came up with in the evaluation phase as having held you back that day. A plan is essential to improving your game because otherwise you will tend to practice without a purpose and get little done.

If you make use of my P.E.P. talk after each round you will spend less time beating yourself up and more time having fun and improving your game!

Jeff Fisher is the Director of Instruction at the OB Sports Golf Academy at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona. Jeff can be reached at 480.414.9330 or jfisher@obsports.com.