Holding your Finish

• Posted on Grant
• in Golf Fundamentals, Putting, The Mental Game
• on January 17, 2014
• Comments Off on Holding your Finish

Have you lost confidence on the greens lately? Holding your finish position at the end of the stroke for three seconds could turn your putting around.

When I find myself missing putts, I make sure to regain my focus on finishing the stroke instead of the result of the stroke. I focus on the finish while making the stroke for four reasons:

1. The putter-head will accelerate through impact more consistently when I finish the stroke. This acceleration usually will save me from making an uncommitted stroke.

2. When I set a goal to hold my finish, my confidence will gradually start to come back because I can reach this goal every time. I have found that the more I accomplish the goal of finishing my stroke, the more my confidence goes up. And, the more my confidence goes up, the more putts I make.

3. Thinking about the finish takes the focus off of my missed putts. If my primary goal is to finish the stroke instead of make the putt, I can easily move on after a missed putt. Don’t get me wrong, in my pre-shot routine, I do see myself making every putt. But, while I’m making the stroke, I have found it’s better to focus on the finish and let my subconscious mind take care of the rest. Which leads me to number 4:

4. Focusing on the finish gives my conscious mind a place to go while my subconscious mind takes care of making the putt. In the past, my tendency was to try to consciously guide the ball into the hole; especially when there was a tournament on the line.

Sometimes after a putt, I would think: “I probably could have done better if I hadn’t tried so hard.” I now know that this is actually true. If I put in enough practice time, my subconscious mind is able to perform better when I focus on something simple during the stroke. For me, that simple something is holding my finish.

Have fun holding your finish!

GB