Pace Wires Performance

Ever think of your pace as an art? At least it seemed that way on the golf course last week. Because January's warmer than usual, a few avid players showed up on the course. Not only did our game move faster than normal, but I saw connections that pros such as Tiger Woods speak of – to improve a game. Pace and focus enhance the art of the game.

It wasn’t just me either. The faster, uninterrupted pace meant longer, straighter shots to the green - balls that surprised our foursome. It’s a timing thing and the brain can act like a metronome on the golf course when the pace is right.

For example, Richard Coop speaks of, “a shot clock in a golfer’s mind,” and shows how, “the penalty for poor time-keeping is poor shots.” Cook clocked pros and discovered that most take between 18 and 22 seconds at the tee. Consistency in time and procedure counts in golf, as rhythm counts to an orchestra, or a marketing campaign for a new line.

Tiger Woods put it this way, “Most amateurs don't go out with a plan, and they aren't in rhythm when they get to the first tee. The result is a nervous, tentative opening shot that sets the wrong tone. By the time they find that feel--if they find it at all--it's too late. The round is shot.” Have you noticed that?

Makes me wonder if I’d have played even better out there, if I’d keyed in Wood’s reminder to, “maintain the same pace and tempo.”

Pros like Woods, “Never play a shot before you're ready. That's why a consistent pre-shot routine is essential to good tempo and rhythm.”

What’s the difference, then, between a pro and the rest of us? “The tendency is to speed up mentally and physically under pressure. Your natural rhythm is broken, and you start making mistakes. And, here's the key. "My pre-shot routine,” Woods asserts, “has a calming influence on my nerves and helps me stay in rhythm.”

He simply walks to the ball at a steady pace, which offers him time to think about his shot and “balance his emotions.” For Woods, it’s a matter of playing “within yourself,” where you pace in ways that allow your natural rhythm to kick in.

You could say, it all boils down to a few straightforward strategies that link art to mind for a few more winning shots to the green…

1. Hit the first tee with a game plan to win
2. Move down each fairway at a steady pace - start to finish
3. Swing faster at each tee – without losing focus or engaging emotions
4. Plan shots ahead– and select your next club in your mind, long before you reach for it
5. Avoid time scratching for lost balls in the rough – drop a new ball - take your penalty – and swing.

Check out this new IMAX documentary of Wired to Win for another snapshot of art and mind as it improves performance.