Applying the Delta / Plus technique to improve your golf performance.
Ever find yourself wondering where to focus your attention for improving your game? With endless golf tips on Instagram, YouTube videos, and new ideas popping up constantly, it’s easy to feel overwhelm.
Golf is meant to be fun, challenging, and incredibly rewarding. If you’re serious about getting better, it’s crucial to take full ownership of your game. This means having a clear understanding of where you are and where you want to go. By taking a structured approach, you can remove some of the emotional aspects that often come with self-assessment and focus on continuous improvement.
The Plus / Delta feedback technique is a powerful tool that helps golfers evaluate their performance and identify areas of improvement. Heres how you can use it to enhace your golf game:
“Plus” focuses on the positive aspects of your golf game or practice session. Consider these areas:
- Shots and Techniques: Celebrating successful shots, accurate drives, and successful putting.
- Course Management: Recognizing good decision-making regarding club selection, shot placement, and strategy.
- Mental Game: Maintaining focus, a positive mindset, and managing nerves or stress well.
- Physical Condition: Observing good physical performance, energy, and completing pre-shot routines.
- Practice Outcomes: Identifying skills or drills that showed significant improvement during practice sessions.
“Delta” pinpoints areas that need change or improvement. Look at:
- Shots and Techniques: Addressing missed shots, inconsistent drives, or poor putting.
- Course Management: Improving decision-making, correcting wrong club selection, or better planning from tee-shot.
- Mental Game: Tackling issues with focus, negative self-talk, or difficulty managing stress.
- Physical Condition: Improving physical condition, or sticking to pre-shot routines.
- Practice Needs: Identifying skills or drills that need more attention or were less effective.
Examples of applying SMART to golf using Plus / Delta Feedback after a round of golf.
Plus:
- Hit 80% of fairways with the driver.
- Specific: Continue focusing on maintaining the same swing mechanics and mental routine.
- Measurable: Aim to maintain or exceed an 80% fairway hit rate in future rounds.
- Achievable: This goal is based on recent performance and is within your capability.
- Relevant: Hitting fairways is crucial for setting up good approach shots and lowering scores.
- Time-bound: Track fairway hit rate over the next 5 rounds.
Delta:
- Approach shots often landed short of the green.
- Specific: Work on distance control with approach shots by practicing with different clubs and distances.
- Measurable: Track the percentage of approach shots that land on the green during practice and aim for 70% accuracy.
- Achievable: This goal is realistic with dedicated practice.
- Relevant: Landing approach shots on the green will lead to more birdie opportunities and lower scores.
- Time-bound: Achieve this accuracy within the next 6 weeks.
Tracking your improvement is not only fun but it helps you focus on the areas that need the most attention, allowing you to take full ownership of your game.
OWN YOUR GAME!
