| Statistically the most influential and | | | | But probably if you were to ask a couple of |
| important part of the Golfers arsenal is his | | | | top golf coaches and sports psychologists |
| putter and the ability to make it work | | | | will they felt was going wrong with these |
| properly for him or her. | | | | golfers the moment they hit the grain, I |
| | | | would wager the majority of these advisers |
| How many times have we seen major | | | | would come back and say it all revolves |
| championships decided because certain players | | | | around one word - tension with a Capital T. |
| had problems with their short game? | | | | |
| | | | The technique or one of the techniques that |
| Amateurs and Professional Golfers alike all | | | | sports psychologists use to overcome this is |
| suffer every now and then from the dreaded | | | | to regulate the briefing. Possibly the master |
| nerves brought by the inability to cope with | | | | of this technique on the professional tour |
| successfully negotiating three-foot puts. | | | | today, is the South African golfer Ernie |
| | | | Ells. |
| As I mentioned, punting is probably the | | | | |
| greatest leveller in golf. Not everyone can | | | | Not called The Big Easy for nothing, Ells' |
| smash a ball 3 - 400 yards down the fairway, | | | | secret lies with the fact that he believed |
| not everybody can master the correct | | | | deeply, calmly and serenely. This affects the |
| technique to dig themselves out of the rough | | | | pace he plays golf and his overall mental |
| on regular basis. | | | | agility and awareness. |
| | | | |
| But, if you cannot master the above | | | | The next time you get a chance to watch Ernie |
| techniques to the standard that the other | | | | Ells play, watch his relaxed style. |
| professionals at the moment can the one area | | | | Internally and mentally at times I am sure he |
| of the course that you can very successfully | | | | is reacting like every other golfer in the |
| play catch-up is when it gets round to | | | | game and he is probably have been just as |
| putting. | | | | many mental battles as the rest of us. The |
| | | | reason he probably manages to overcome quite |
| Putting probably more than any other aspect | | | | so many of these battles is that he does not |
| of golf has seen the strangest techniques and | | | | allow mental anguish to a variety his |
| the weirdest collection of clubs. How many | | | | physical approach and style. |
| times have we seen some of the world's finest | | | | |
| players adopting some of the daftest | | | | So how can we mere mortals emulate this |
| practices when they walk onto the green. Do | | | | style? Simple, regulate your breathing. When |
| we all remember the fashion at one time when | | | | you walk onto the green use a three step |
| it was cool to be seen putting with a club | | | | technique. |
| that has an elongated handle and had to be | | | | |
| balance using the golfers chin. | | | | Step one, breath in through your nose to the |
| | | | count or four. Step 2 Breathe out through |
| Off the top of my head I can think of at | | | | your nose to the count of four. Step three, |
| least two of Europe's top golfers who at some | | | | relax and take your put. |
| point have used this technique, Scotland's | | | | |
| Sam Torrance and Germany's Bernhardt Langer. | | | | Go on give it a try, surprise your self. |
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