Mental block

Played in the swindle this morning and still no joy on the course. That was tempered with the news that my team had finished third in the cross country competition. To be fair that accomplishment was more down to Alex and Terry but I will still savour the shortcake biscuits and beer I won.

The new grip is still taking time to bed in but when I catch it well it's miles better than my old one. Having limped round in a rather forlorn, error strewn 21 points I spent some time in the bar with the lads before heading home.

However, once I filled the car up at the petrol station I decided to head back to the course. I had to banish my demons and low and behold on the practice hole things clicked. This confirmed the problem. It's not my swing, or the grip, or dry fairways and bad bounces. It's not the wind, or the clubs or a lack of ability. The problem lies within the six inches between my ears.

Too tense, too many thoughts, insufficient clarity or focus. These are the challenges I must tackle. Hitting ball after ball on the practice ground it became clear that when I thought only of my target, relaxed over the ball and tried to maintain my focus on it as I swung easy I made a good connection. The new grip then ensured that the ball travelled in pretty much the right direction. I hope I get the chance to practice/play on Monday as it's medal week next week and it would be great to peak at just the right time!