Golf tip: Good vs. great - What separates the elite from the rest?

"Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives. Choice, not chance, determines your destiny."

- Anonymous

By Chris Oehlerking

The Golf Practice

A certain level of functional skills or "hard" skills are required to be good at any competitive sport. In golf, these hard skills include the various golf strokes: full swing, putting, and wedging. Good players can predict where their ball is going to end up with reasonable accuracy.

What separates great players from merely good players is the "soft" skills that are required to compete at an elite level. Those soft skills include the ability to practice effectively and purposefully, a readiness and eagerness to compete, an understanding of tactics, and the mental fortitude necessary to recover from adversity.

When a student in our academy is interested in reaching that next level, we examine the following areas of their game to help determine where they can gain a competitive edge.

• Effective Practice - Great players are more intelligent about what, when, and how they practice. When determining what to practice, they can accurately identify the areas of their game that need improvement. This is done through statistical analysis and reflecting upon recent rounds. Great players also know how to practice. They have a plan and are specific in their intention. Practice sessions should be divided into specific tasks, and each task should be given full attention. Lastly, great players know how to measure their progress. They can objectively measure their current level of progress in any given situation and adapt their practice plans accordingly.

• Readiness to Compete - When watching professional golf on TV, viewers rarely see the enormous amount of preparation that players make behind the scenes. This preparation includes practice rounds, note-taking, dialing in their yardage book, deciding upon a strategy for each hole, stocking of the bag with snacks and fluids, gathering appropriate weather gear, selecting equipment for that given course, and managing time in the pre-round warm-up. It's a lot more than just showing up and playing.

• Mental Skills - The most consistent elite athletes have maturity, wisdom, and the ability to manage their mind in ways that elevate their performances. Top performers are able to get themselves "in the zone," which is that place where time slows down, alertness is heightened, and they are operating in the present moment. As they move around the course, each shot is a new opportunity. The best mental practice I've been exposed to revolves around the practice of mindfulness. Dr. Arthur Hoffman, a professor at Rush University, trains our College Prep athletes. Their mindfulness practice includes learning how to focus on the present moment while also paying more attention to their experiences. This mindfulness practice enables them to more easily let go of disappointments, frustrations and anger, and helps them learn to not be affected by the self-criticism or self-doubts that inevitably arise.

• Tactical Skills - Many golfers know this concept as "golf course management," but I prefer the phrase "tactical skills" because it's an accurate description of a carefully planned and calculated strategy that resonates more clearly to people. I once heard Hank Haney say that when Tiger Woods was dominating, nobody realized how smart and disciplined he was in devising his strategy for a course. When creating your plan, you must understand how the course is playing that day and how to effectively use your strengths to minimize the likelihood of you having to hit uncomfortable and low-probability shots. Each shot is its own moment. You have to determine what choices you have, assess risk versus reward, check in with how confident you are with those choices, and then make a decision that weighs probability and circumstance. Once decided, elite players are fully committed to that decision and are OK with the result no matter the outcome.

If you are wishing to upgrade your game to that next level, give these "soft skills" some attention. You will be glad you did it.

• Chris Oehlerking is managing partner and director of instruction at The Golf Practice in Highland Park.