Is new equipment the answer?
I’m sure most of you are expecting the gist of this article to say no it’s not and you should get some coaching and find the secret in the dirt. If that was the case I would expect some who know me to shout hypocrite. I have never shied away from something bright and shiny and the promise of a few more yards.
I’m sure most of us know we can’t just buy a good golf game and it takes a bit more effort than that. However, there is equipment out there that can help us with areas we struggle with and also there are real psychological benefits associated with new or different equipment. You can gain confidence in equipment just by others describing an item's performance so reviews alone can work as a positive for you. There is an element of belief that the newest model has to be better, surely. It’s fun and exciting to get a new toy and this can give you a lift. It can clear your mind of previous errors as all baggage is removed and you can create a new memory box that I will come onto. What we must do is recognize that these reasons are primarily psychological and if that’s the case what longevity have they got. How long before it’s not the latest model ( not long by today’s manufacturers standards ) or you read a review of another model that is outperforming it. If you were swayed in the first place, by the same logic, do you not get swayed again? There is a danger of allowing outside influences to drive not only your new purchase, which we would expect from clever marketing, but also start driving your current stance on your own equipment.
Understand why you are doing it and why it will give you a boost but recognize that it could be short-lived.
A lot of performance coaches or psychologists will talk about building a good memory box where you store all your good shots and draw on those memories when you need them. There is nothing wrong with this, it’s a good idea but it takes practice to control what you allow to enter this memory box. How do you stop the memory of the last poor shot you hit at this tee creeping into the box and being first in the queue when you begin accessing your memories. The key lies in the emotion you placed on it in the first place. Emotions really cement the memory and give them a greater or lesser level of importance. So if you don’t like the shot keep your emotions as flat as possible and try not to react. On the contrary, when you hit a good shot celebrate it in your mind, recreate the image and that will help to store it, making it the first one that pops into your mind next time.
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