Have you been stuck on the same handicap for years?

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As part of our biggest questions answered series, we decided to ask the experts – just why do some people get stuck on the same handicap for years? 

It’s one of the most common groans I hear – the golfer who feels doomed to exist at a set level of competence, from the 22-handicapper to the pro who can’t break through on tour. Typically, golfers who complain about being stuck at a level of competence are also stuck in a rut. They play the same courses, with the same people.

At an unconscious level, that environment is exerting an influence on you; you’ll tend to make the same mistakes at the same holes and fall into your friends’ expectations of you. In short, whatever you’ve been thinking about and working on, you revert to your default level.

The best advice for this golfer is to make changes. Play new courses. Change who you play with; look for better golfers than you because their own expectations and performance will influence you, too.

Above all, note that if you want significant improvement you have to do something significantly different. Your handicap is a print-out of your habits, not just the scores you shoot. If you are not prepared to do anything different in the way you play or practise, be prepared to stay at your level.

This comes from Karl Morris Performance Coach. Visit themindfactor.ne

BIGGEST QUESTIONS ANSWERED SERIES 

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