Consistency
Consistency can be split into two different areas.
- Striking the ball
- Scoring
1. Consistent Ball Striking
Consistent ball striking requires the correct body positioning, mechanics and muscle engagements. These can all be practised and developed, however this sequence will not be the same for everyone. We can easily see from the worlds top players there are different ‘styles’ of play depending on a players build, flexibility and balance points. Attempting to swing like John Daly would be a mistake unless you possessed the same hyper-mobility and copying Ben Hogan would be futile unless you have the strength, agility and the high quantity of type IIb (fast twitch) muscle fibres possessed by such a great athlete. While there is great fun in copying these swings and others, if you wish to play consistently and play at the top of your game you have to develop and understand your own range of movements.
Adopting the correct body position and structure allows your skeletal system to operate in a manner that allows your joints to articulate efficiently and produce an effective and comfortable movement (Mobility).
Muscles create stability and speed. Your address position determines if your muscles are correctly engaged for stability, this in turn allows the speed sequencing to be learnt to produce powerful shots.
2. Consistent Scoring
Scoring at the top end of your ability requires an understanding of the skills you possess and your limitations. As you practise and build new skills, time must be taken to develop your confidence to use them during competitive rounds.
Beginners, novice and junior players should be frequently advancing their game. This can produce erratic periods of play as mistakes are common during the battle of play in competition. Problems occur as your movements improve and power is increased. Club selection can become problematic until your new distances are recalculated.
Established intermediate players look to score at the top end of their skill level by keeping risk taking to a minimum. Having security in a ‘favourite club’ allows players to stay within their ‘comfort zone’. This often occurs when the player fails to understand what impact different clubs have on their swing. These slight variations are easily learnt and for improvers and junior intermediate players courageous and experimental play should be encouraged.
Advanced and elite players perform with a much higher skill level. Reducing ‘rogue’ shots are the priority. This requires a greater understanding of body positioning and body control to allow the club to swing freely without producing unpredictable club face positions especially at high speeds.
Athleticism should be a priority for improvement while establishing and maintaining body balance. It is very easy to increase lower and upper body strength and neglect the middle body. As power increases your mid body must be capable of delivering that power into the upper body otherwise all your efforts are wasted, resulting in a miss strikes. Screening is recommended for this level of player in order to specify their training program.
The ability to alter the pace and length of the swing while maintaining a high quality contact and accuracy is the secret to performing consistently at a high level.
This skill will allow you to play in difficult weather conditions, including heavy rain, wind and the cold. It will allow you to play when you don’t feel great and it will allow you to play yourself into the game if your warm up routine has been hindered.
If your technique doesn’t allow this then you need to go to the fault finder section of this site because it should!!
If your intersted in playing more consistent then go to the following links: -
Proprioception in Golf
Kinesthetic Awareness
Positive and Negative Moves
Controlling Ball Flight and Spin
Mastery
Skill v Talent