Breathe in and out on the tee

Try to relax on the tee before you go into battle and reap the benefits

Gaining control of your emotions is imperative if you want to achieve peak performance. One of the best ways of achieving this is through controlled breathing which, when done correctly, can allow you to enter a relaxed state.

Controlled breathing can put you in the perfect state (zone) to allow you to execute shots to your optimum ability, removing any anxiety and giving you an ultimate clarity of thought.

Place your hands on your stomach and make sure that with each intake of breath, your belly expands and retracts with each exhale of breath. This forces you to take deep breaths from your core, rather than anxiety generating ones from high up in the chest. Repeat this five to ten times, focusing solely on each breath and see how relaxed you feel.

AND ANOTHER THING…

Marking your ball with a line is a great way to ‘free’ yourself over your putts. Simply ensure the line is aimed at your intended start point target, square the putter face up to the line at address and when over the ball, focus on rolling the line end over end before watching them drop!

Andrew Jowett is the Head Golf Professional at The Gleneagles Hotel. For lessons, call Andrew on 01764 694343. Follow him on Twitter @andyj1504

Originally published on bunkered on December 14, 2012.

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