Over the many years of watching golfers at all levels at the best golf course in Scottsdale and asking them questions about their games, I am drawn to the conclusion the game centers around four areas we could work on to become the best golfer we can be.

These components are PHYSICAL, which is can I make a swing that will return the clubface through the impact area so we can make solid contact with the ball and have it go in the direction of our intended target as often as possible.

Next up is the MENTAL side of the game which is about making the correct decisions as we navigate our way around the golf course.

Have we picked the club that gives us the best chance for success? Sometimes I wonder what the mental process is for some players at Scottsdale golf courses

as they more often than not expect their best shot every time, and do not play to their strengths and within their capabilities.

Playing within yourself does not mean you are never aggressive when the odds are in your favor; it is a sign of proper course management. It means you have a clear understanding of your game and the shots you know you can execute and you engage the mental strength within you to play within your boundaries. Trust and commit to the shot at hand and execute within your capabilities. Lastly, try and eliminate negative self-talk when you play and replace it with positive self-talk.

It is just as easy to tell yourself what you want to do as it is what you don’t want to do. Negative talk is disguising fear when we play, replace it with courage at Scottsdale golf courses.

Next up is the EMOTIONAL side which is an art to master which says, “Can I handle the good shots and the bad ones just the same and not get too high or low with each outcome?”

Are you the player at Scottsdale golf courses

who has a great front nine and a bad back nine or vice versa and have no idea why  the inconsistency as we believe we are making the same swings each nine?

Maybe we are too outcome oriented and not process and plan driven.

As we all know it is an 18-hole game, so keep plugging along until the last putt drops and then add up your score, but not until then.

Are you a player who says to themselves, “if I just make two pars on these last two holes I will break???? for the first time ever???”

We all get caught in that trap and now that we know it, we should get back to what got us to that point and just keep making the best shots we can until the end on the best golf course in Scottsdale.

The last component to improving is EXPERIENCE. The more times we put ourselves in an environment on the course we are not familiar or comfortable with, the better we will be able to handle the outcome in the future.

One way I suggest you get out of your “comfort zone” is to play from the shortest tees available so you can hit more greens in regulation, thus having more birdie chances.

You shouldn’t wait until you are faced with difficult, unfamiliar situations during your game. You should test yourself as part of your practice sessions, and remember you can never score low enough.

When others ask what the best score you have ever shot, your answer should be ‘I haven’t shot it yet” and keep practicing.

There is no doubt we won’t see success at the best golf course in Scottsdale if we do not put in the time working on the correct things with our mechanics in both the long and short game. Just thinking about practicing will not get it done and warming up before we head to the first tee is not enough.

We need to dedicate private, uninterrupted time to our game to get better, and do our best to allocate time to work on our short game.

Why is it that players hit twice as many drivers when they practice and half as many putts, and when we play, we hit twice as many putts and half as many drivers? We need to re-prioritize our time management.