TAP Into Golf. Master The Mental Game

The Amie Rose Charity golf day was again a big success raising a good amount of money for a very worthy cause, DBSA UK, the Diamnd Blackfan Anemia Syndrome charity in the UK.

This amazing small charity, run completely by volunteers, funds research into vital treatment for the patients and provides much needed support for the patients and families affected by this crazy condition.

I again, gave my time freely coaching those wishing to find more consistency in their game and what a success that was for them.

From the 3 coaching sessions given, produced the individual winner and third place, the winning team and 3 of the nearest the pin and longest drive winners.

But more importantly everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day and over £3k raised for the charity.

From the response I had from those that took the lessons, 1 common comment was that the advice given “made sense” or “that’s obvious” which of course is correct but as I mentioned to all those, if it was that obvious, why are we all not doing it ?

If you want to enjoy more consistency in your game, without altering your swing, then comment on this post requesting a free consultation and lets see where it can take you.

Hope you are all enjoying the good weather and playing some great golf.
I'm now ready for the next group of golfers who wish to be more consistent with their golf by perfecting their mental approach to the game.

I can now offer a free evaluation to detail what is best for you in any lessons you book.

The mental game is not really about having a positive mental attitude, though it certainly helps, I rarely mention that.

It covers things many would never have thought of, off the course too.

Here's an example;
1 of my students proudly announced that he was getting fitted for a new set of clubs, he was surprised when I asked why and advised him against this. Some others he was golfing with suggested it would be a good idea.

Now I'll explain why. He is relatively new to regular golf and, as he said, needed to develop his strength due to a recovery process.
If you're still developing your swing to improve, why would you get fitted with a swing you don't want ?
When I suggested he get to a point where he had a repetitive swing he could rely on and suited him, then would be a good time for a fitting.

He seemed to agree with this logic

That was one benefit that even I hadn't thought about before, but as with most areas I teach, it generally is logical and makes sense, but most don't think about it.

So if you wish to see how you can improve your golf with a strong mental approach, message me for a free evaluation.

Next we are very proud to again be sponsoring The Amie Rose Charity Golf Day at Horsham golf club, West Sussex on July 11th 2025.

If you'd like a fun day out with some great prizes comment on this post. Details below and I'll get remaining information to you

Happy Golfing Everyone.

I had loads of notifications from my last post so I’m following up on that and provide a bit more detail of what will be included in the Free Zoom Call, especially for those that responded positively at first, as there will be a maximum number for the zoom call, which will be on Sunday 2 March 2025 at 7.45pm UK time.
All golfers know that success in the game of golf is based on a very large percentage of MENTAL ability, but how many know how to implement that.
At TAP Into Golf, we don’t often speak about psychology in the same way as many other Mental Game guru’s do. We rarely teach a positive mental attitude in our course.
Don’t get me wrong, there is huge merit in being positive about your game and ability and the majority of Mental Game guru’s provide a valid service to those seeking improvement on that element of their psychology. However, the mental game is not really suited to a 1 size fits all scenario and we focus more on your approach to each specific scenario you’ll encounter in playing golf.
ONE SIZE FITS ALL ?
Let’s take a look at some of the professionals, for an example,
Some, like Justin Rose, need to keep themselves calm to achieve their highest level of performance.
He summed this up himself in an interview following one of the biggest matches he played at the Ryder Cup against Phil Mickelson. Having holed a huge put on 17 to go 1 up, in the interview afterwards, he said that though it was a huge putt, he knew he had to stay calm, whilst the crowd were going crazy, to focus on the next hole.

In contrast, Ian Poulter thrives on the hype of the Ryder Cup and has produced some amazing performances, even encouraging the crowd to keep cheering while he was taking shots and inspiring his team to a fantastic comeback.

Then there is one of the greatest ever players in Tiger Woods.
We all know how he can shout and fist pump following one of his many great shots, who can forget the chip in at the 16th of the 2005 Masters. The fist pumps and shouting really got the crowd going, but then, on the 17th tee he was the perfect example of calmness and composure to see out a win at the tournament.
Each of the professional have their own way of dealing with the mental game. Especially in pressure situations, so you can see why I say it’s not a 1 way suits all solution.
What we do is to help you develop your own specific method of dealing with virtually every scenario you can find yourself in, on a golf course.
We give you guidance on how to improve consistency, give yourself a margin for error for every shot you will need to play, help you develop a plan for lessons, if you take lessons and a plan for practice, if you practice, even if that’s only your warm-up routine before a round. We help YOU develop a plan for virtually every situation you experience on the golf course.
We do give examples of how we go about the various situations, but we don’t suggest you follow those examples exactly. There would be nothing wrong in doing so, but as I say, everyone is different. These examples will give you the ideas to develop your own specific methods to improve your consistency and scores.
Note
We do not teach the swing or the swing mechanics. That’s for the PGA professionals to teach.

So, if you want to know more on how all this can help you, and you’d like to attend the zoom call, which will be on Sunday 2 March 2025 at 7.45pm, UK time, then like and follow this page. Then send a message with your email address and I will send an invite out to all who do so,
In the call I will be giving full details of the course we provide and give some practical tips to help you start your journey to more consistent golf.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday 2 March 2025.

Well with the summer over and winter well and truly here can you reflect on the golfing season with thoughts of success? What are your ambitions for 2025?
Did you achieve what you wanted to achieve?
Or have you remained stagnant with your level of golf.
Maybe you’ve had lessons and it goes well on the range but your scores remain the same.
Do you know someone who takes monthly lessons but makes no progress on the golf course.
If you know someone just like that, put their name and tag them in a comment, or if this is you, pop your name in the comment.
This is exciting times for TAP Into Golf as the number of students grow to higher levels, it’s great to see the improvement in their consistency and scores.
So, what are you going to do over the winter months?
Will you put your clubs in the garage till the warmer weather comes and hope you can pick up somewhere near where you left off, or hoping the next year will be better?
Or do you have a plan on how to improve your game and how to see those scores reduce.
Or do you persist through the winter, wrapped up in many layers and expect to score as well as you do through the summer months.
Whatever it is you do, do you have a plan?
• A plan for lessons
• A plan for practice
• A plan for you round
• And even a plan for each shot.
If not a series of sessions (or even just one) with TAP Into Golf can give you the knowledge you need to make 2025 one to remember in golf for the right reasons.
Whatever you want to achieve in your golf, we can help with a plan to achieve it.
Please note Though, we won’t teach you to hit a golf ball, that’s what the PGA Professional’s do. We help you with attaining the consistency you are looking for which helps you enjoy your game better and reduce those scores.
Comment below for more information and let me know what you would like to achieve.
Return to this page regularly as there will be information on a free zoom call to introduce you to the principles we teach, coming up in February.
Hope you all have a fantastic golfing year in 2025.

All Those Thoughts and Measuring Progress

How many thoughts do we have when approaching the ball getting ready to hit it ?
So many for example;
Target, Distance, Wind direction and strength, club selection, alignment, swing thoughts to name a few and that’s without worrying about that last bad shot, the bunkers and water hazards.

How on earth do we even make contact with the ball with all these thoughts running through our head.

The reality is that if we have a simple process of eliminating thoughts one by one, then when we have been through our set up / pre-shot routine, we are left with just 1 thought, the swing thought that produces those great shots we all hit when practicing.

Oh that sounds so easy, you say, well it does take some practice but with a good pre-shot routine it becomes easier the more you do it.

But how then do we measure our progress in improving our mental game? In lower scores coming through ? Not necessarily.

We have all had games where little seems to go wrong and others with nothing seems to go right!

So in order to measure your improvement of your mental game, I would suggest that you review what went on in your head through the whole pre-shot and shot process.

You will have to be brutally honest with yourself as no one else can score you on that, but if you take 1 thought at a time, focus on that and getting the subject of that thought right, then move on to the next thought and so on.

For example, your standing by your ball and you have the distance you want to hit (from a marker, range finder or watch etc), you don’t need to think about that any more, you can now thing about the wind and its effect on the shot. This will help ascertain your target (the direction you want the ball to start off on).
Once that’s done, the next thought and so on till you’ve addressed the ball and ready to hit.

If you can honesty say that you went through the process focusing on 1 thought at a time, every time, then you will start to see the consistency improve in your game.

Try it out on the range by pretending you are on the course. Pick different targets for each shot and go through your routine. Then when you are ready, take it onto the course and see how you get on.

One thing you will start to notice is when you hit a bad shot, you will often understand that it was due to your thought process and likely having too many thoughts or the wrong thoughts in your head at that time.

You will notice that I don’t often post articles, as I am more and more teaching individuals or groups.

If you would like to know more about game improvement sessions, please feel free to contact me, Gordon Rose on Facebook or [email protected]

I am also organising a charity golf day at the Horsham Golf Club on Friday 19 July 2024 where you could sample the game improvement sessions at a very reasonable cost, which will all go to the charity of the day. Again, contact me for more information.

Hope you enjoy and see your game becoming more consistent.

Well Happy New Year to everyone. I hope you all have a healthy year ahead and improve your golf on the way.
How many of you have played over the winter period? (in UK anyway).
It’s certainly been wet and windy recently, but that hasn’t stopped me getting out a couple of times and some experiences I have had are definitely worth sharing.
I’ve managed to play reasonably well when I’ve been out in the last month or so, and 1 incident specifically stuck in my mind to share with you all.
I had a fairly lengthy putt on one green, around 25 to 30 feet, but in lining it up, I convinced myself I could make it. I believed I had a good read on the line, it was up hill and slightly breaking from right to left. Anyway, I made that putt and in conversation as we were walking to the next tee, I said “I talked myself into that.”
One of my playing partners queried what I meant, and asked how can you talk yourself into a good putt?
After explaining my thought process in preparing to putt, he mentioned that though he tried to make each putt, his thoughts were generally along the line of don’t hit it too hard, or don’t leave it short etc.
He and the others in the group, agreed with the benefits of what II had done and all said they would try that out as the game progressed. Though I suggested they practice this first before taking it to the course, they thought that as we were just playing a friendly game, it would be good to try.
In the bar afterwards, they all agreed that this was a better way of preparing for all shots and thanked me for the advice.
So, the moral of this is really talk yourself into a good shot and not talk yourself out of it.
What we must remember is that our brains control the movement in our body, and when we concentrate on hitting a good shot, whether it’s a drive, or a putt, we must ensure that we are thinking the right thoughts to instruct our bodies to perform the task effectively.
If you have any thoughts other than those for the correct outcome, they WILL get in the way of producing your best, and as we know with golf, that will come back and bite you.
Try this the next time you practise, or have game and see what a difference it can make.
I do have some availability for individual sessions if anyone wants them and am also continuing the Christmas offer for another week or so and will be arranging a group session in the first quarter of 2024, so message me if you want to book or get the discount package.
Very best wishes to you all for 2024.

SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

Well, it’s been a little while since I posted last, as have been quite busy following the success of my live training session, when every attendee signed up to the TAP Into Golf course.

But now back to Facebook and the launch of TAP Into Golf’s SCHOOL OF THOUGHT.

I will post at least monthly, explaining why the key to more consistent golf lies within you, in the way you think on the golf course and with tips on how to improve your thought process to produce better results on the golf course.

I’ll start here with probably the most obvious, though most golfers agree, most don’t actually follow this line of thinking.

You MUST believe that you are going to make a good swing and produce a good shot, with the right club.

If you have any doubt in your mind, this will get in the way of the ex*****on of your swing and produce a poor outcome.

There’s a saying that I like to quote, “if you think you can, or you think you can’t, your probably right!!”

So, assess the conditions (wind direction etc). Choose your club, and commit to it. Once that is done proceed to execute the shot with confidence.

Unsure of what club to take? If you believe the distance is between 2 clubs. Look to where the most danger is. If danger is long of your target, take the shorter club, if the danger is short, take the longer club, but once decided, stick to it, and hit your normal shot.
Remember, generally there is only about 10 to 15 yards between club distances, so if you follow this rule, you’re not going to be far away with a good stroke.

If you are serious about improving your consistency on the golf course, the TAP Into Golf course will provide you with all you need to improve your consistency and hence scores.

And as Christmas is coming, I am offering individual 1 on 1 sessions and a discounted price of 3 one hour sessions for only £99.00.

After a few questions at the start of the first session, this will be tailored to suit your needs, so whether it’s for yourself of as a gift for someone you know who loves golf, enjoy this special offer while it lasts.

Here’s to a good Christmas and a more consistent game in 2024.

Why the Mental Game is very Much Individual to You

Everyone is different in their own way and what works for some, may not work that well for others.
This is why many of us need a little help in developing their mental game.
Here’s a couple of examples from the professional players that shows how different they can be.
Generally, week in and week out the professionals maintain their composure, as they are on their own, playing for themselves, however, anyone who has watched a Ryder Cup match, sees a different side the to players as they jump up and down shouting when they have made an exceptional shot, sometimes even after average shots.
We also see some of the gamesmanship they deploy.
2 completely contrasting players from the European team of recent past are Ian Pouter and Justin Rose.
And never was it so apparently clear than the match in Medinah in 2012 where Europe managed an epic come back on the final day to win the cup.
We saw Ian Poulters’ bold shots paying off and him high fiving his caddy and whipping up the crowd, where Justin Rose after making one of the greatest putts ever of a Ryder cup to go 1 up on Phil Mickelson on the 17th hole, just had the biggest smile on his face and calmly walked off to the 18th tee.
Where Ian Poulter thrives on the adrenaline, Justin Rose needs to stay calm so he can focus on the next shot.
He gave that away at the after-match interview, when he said that while the crowd were going mad, he knew he had to keep calm to play the next hole well to win the match.
So, you can see how different people have different ways of getting the best out of their performance.
What type of layer are you? Are you aware enough to know?

Now with the launch of this page, I am offering a special offer for a live training session followed by 9 holes of golf at a little gem of a course in Surrey /West Sussex borders, Horne Park Golf Club on Wednesday 30 August 2023.
The session will be a talk on how you can improve your mental game and hence improve your scores, followed by 9 holes of golf, where I will play at least 1 hole with each group.
This will normally be priced at £99.00, but as an introductory offer, I am making this available for just £50.00. But hurry as places are limited.
Message me for more details. But hurry.

So, can we really create a step by step process to help focus and improve consistency in our golf game. I've had many students who swear by it.
Though I will share little tips through this page, and you can take those tips and use them to create your own process, I will also run instructional courses both online and in person, so keep an eye out for updates coming soon.
But for today, I'm going to talk about why a pre-shot routine is so important.
How many of us have done at least 1 of the following;
1. Stepped up to hit a shot, flushed it only to find we were not aiming correctly and seen a great shot disappear into trouble?
2. Listened to your very helpful host explain where all the trouble is on a hole, only for you to find it?
3. Stood behind your ball seeing a lake, or other hazard worried about going in, then hitting it straight in there?
4. Hit into trouble and then say, or think, I always go in there?

The amount of players I have played with or taught that have done one or many of the above is absolutely incredible.
The benefit of having a sound pre-shot routine will help eliminate any though of where the ball is going except where you want it to go.
Imagine on your next round, if you could step up and every shot you struck well, went where you intended it to go?
What would that do to your scores.
You will notice that I said every shot you struck well. This is because everyone hits bad shots, even the top professionals, so don't imagine that overnight you can vastly improve your consistency, but bit by bit, you can reduce the number of bad shots in your game.
What would that do to your scores and your enjoyment of the game?

I welcome comments back so for this and all the tips I'm going to post, give me your feedback and any questions will be welcome.

Just thought I'd share a few comments I have received over the years from students I've taught.

Ian, Kent. I owe you a pint. I've just had my best round ever, by quite a few strokes.

Mark, London 1 thing you said really sat well with me and I used it through my round today with great success. Thanks.

Nathan, Surrey. I'm new to golf, had 3 lessons from pros before and I think I've learned more in half hour with you than in any of my lessons.

Joe, Berkshire (During a a particularly bad round he was having and after a couple of thoughts given to him) 320 yard drive and straight. I think I'll cancel my lessons and come see you.

Chris, West Sussex. Those tips you gave me are brilliant. You should write a book.

David, Surrey I always remember how you advised me to get rid of all the thoughts in my head when I'm hitting a shot. It's helped me a lot.

Keith, Middlesex. Thanks for the tips before the game, I feel embarrassed to take your money now, I would never have played that well without them. (his pair beat me & my partner that day)

Mark, West Sussex. After our 9 holes together, just went out to East Sussex National, and played my best round. Thanks for the advice.

All good reasons to follow TAP Into Golf. Master The Mental Game

Hello everyone. It's a rainy day where I am i the world so thought I'd introduce you all to TAP Into Golf. Master The Mental Game, now on FACEBOOK.

So what do we all think when someone says that golf is a mental game?
A lot of people immediately think of the power of positive thinking, focus on the target, and all the psychology that is generally taught, and though that is all valid, somehow it does not fully translate into the game of golf.
Golf goes against all our natural instincts and due to the amount of time we have to hit a shot, it allows us to think more. And the more that is going on in your head, the more chance we mess up.

What other sport is like that. Darts is the only one I can think of.
We are also conditioned to recall the bad things that happen. It was a survival necessity originally, but manifests itself into the discussions almost every 4 ball has in the bar after with their tales of woe and what nearly was.
At TAP Into Golf. Master The Mental Game we believe that to master the mental game, we need a step by step process to concentrate on for hitting every shot.
This sounds so simple, and in essence, it is, but how many of us actually have a step by step process that eliminates the bad thoughts that mess up the outcome of our shots?
The course we have set up, will take you through everything from your first, or subsequent lessons and how to plan them and get the best from them,
practicing,
preparing for a game, if you prepare at all,
hitting your first tee shot
to making the final putt and all the shots in between.
I will be posting regularly to give you snippets of what you can do to improve your consistency and hence scores and enjoyment of this wonderful game.

However, if you would instant like access to the whole course, just message me and we can tailor a course that suits you, your needs and your budget, because everyone is different. We have different handicaps and abilities, but ALL will benefit from TAP Into Golf. Master The Mental Game.

Next post will be some comments I have received over the years, to give you some indication of the impact this can have on your game.

Welcome to TAP Into Golf, Master the Mental game. Here I look at what is meant by "The Mental Game" and provide simple, easy to follow explanations on what the every day golfer can do to improve their consistency.
Having been playing golf for over 40 years, and achieving a reasonable low single figure handicap, I was fortunate enough to learn from an early stage the benefits of a good thought process when playing golf.
We know that all the professionals employ psychologists to help them perform at the highest level, but most of us amateurs can't afford the prices that those sports psychologists charge, but the good news is, we don't need to.
A good thought process can easily be developed on your own, however, habits tend to get in the way of us improving our thought process.
Over the years, I have taught many golfers little tips that have helped them immensely and now I teach this professionally to give many others the chance to enjoy the game to the best of their ability.

I hope you enjoy the regular posts and look forward to the feedback.