Chasing instant gratification is not path to golf success

Guadagnoli, the mental training consultant for the UNLV men’s golf team and a professor in the UNLV School of Medicine, said studies reveal tour professionals think 80 percent of golf is mental but they spend less than 20 percent of their time trying to improve in that area.

“People are drawn to instant gratification, but it’s difficult to see immediate gains with mental practice,”Guadagnoli said. “However, it’s easy to see immediate gains on the practice range when you hit the next drive longer than the previous one.”

Guadagnoli is continually stunned when he observes the practice habits of the majority, but said simple changes in the physical practice routine also can make a positive impact on the mental side of golf.

“Among the attributes needed for success in golf are good tempo, good patience, the ability to be mindful of conditions, course strategy and those kinds of things,” Guadagnoli said. “But when people practice, they hit balls one right after the other, and that affects tempo negatively. They don’t have a strategy to what they are doing. There’s no patience during practice, and if they mishit a ball, the tendency is to hit the next shot even more quickly. Most people actually hurt themselves, not help themselves, when they practice.

“It should be more about the quality of practice shots you hit, not the quantity. There are two simple practice rules that can make a huge difference. The first one is to never hit more than three balls in a row. After you hit three balls, take a moment to assess how you hit them and also plan how you want to hit the next three. The second rule is to always watch the ball hit the ground before grabbing the next ball to hit. With the UNLV guys, we call it ‘watching the ball down,’ and it helps create patience. If you do these two simple things, which will save you time because you won’t need to hit as many balls, it will have a dramatic impact on your golf scores.”

The UNLV men’s golf team begins the spring season Feb. 15 to 17 at the John Burns Invitational in Hawaii.

PLAY THE SNGA

The complete 2017 Southern Nevada Golf Association tournament schedule is posted at SNGA.org, and reservations are being accepted for net and championship tournaments.

PUTTING CHAMPIONSHIP DELAYED

Last year, organizers for the new Masters Series of Putting announced a multimillion dollar putting championship that would be in Las Vegas in March. The event has been postponed until Oct. 27, but qualifying has begun. The first qualifier was Jan. 10 in Orlando, Florida, and about 125 more are scheduled between now and March 5. The Las Vegas qualifier date has yet to be announced.

The MSOP, patterned after the World Series of Poker, is scheduled to offer a variety of putting tournaments, including singles and team events in stroke play and match play formats with exclusive events for amateurs and professional golfers. The updated schedule now features 20 events, including a High Roller Invitational. The lead investor in the MSOP is Cirque Du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte.

For more information, go to MSOP.com.

GOLF DEAL OF THE WEEK

Clark County residents can join the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort email membership and receive ongoing discounts and special rates throughout the year.

STARS ON, OFF COURSE

Michael Pena, Danny Masterson and John Walsh were among the notables wearing “Hope” shirts at the annual Canon for Kids tournament at TPC Las Vegas last week to benefit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. TPC Las Vegas is owned and operated by the PGA Tour and open to the public.

The golf notebook appears Thursdays. Freelance writer Brian Hurlburt is a two-time author who has covered golf in Las Vegas for more than two decades. He can be reached at bhurlburt5@gmail.com or @LVGolfInsider.