Monthly Golf Tip by Canadian Golf Pro: Britt Por November Tip:

Every wonder how good players manage how to hit good shots on a regular basis?  Part of the answer is simple. They have “the glass is half full mentality, not half empty”.   By this I mean the good player is always thinking about where he/she wants to hit the shot.  They never think, “don’t hit to the left because there is water over there!”  Theythink “I am going to hit this ball in the middle of the fairway”, no matter what hazard or trouble is on the left.

Next time you find yourself on a difficult hole with lots of trouble, both left and right, (take the 12th hole at Colony West) be aware of the trouble, but the trick is to focus on where you want the ball to finish.  The fairway is always a good spot: but that is not good enough, be more specific.  You need to find a tree or some other marker to focus on based on your own shot pattern and ability (fade, draw, slice, hook, or the ever popular straight ball).  

By Clearing the Mechanism you are essentially ridding your mind (arguably your worst enemy in golf) of all the trouble spots and visualizing the one shot you want.  Be positive.  It is much easier to focus on that one target, than sorting through all the places you don’t want the shot to end up.  I have played many rounds of golf with amateur players on golf courses that I had never played before and when I ask, “What is the story with this hole?”   Undoubtedly, the responses come to me in the way of “don’t hit it right…that’s dead, and oh yeah left is no good either, there’s water by the green and OB left!” GOOD LUCK!   Once I process that and ask “ok, where do I want to hit it!” The shot becomes simple, “right at that tree just left of that bunker”. 

The next time you play, stay positive and “Clear Your Mechanism” to see your scores lower.