Nick Faldo Golf Shot Nicknames Drill: Make Every Shot A Friend

Nick Faldo Golf Shot Nicknames Drill

I added the Nick Faldo Golf Shots Nicknames Drill to the Golf Practice Planner today because I asked myself:

“What does Nick Faldo do to ease the pressure when playing tournament golf?”

After a few hours of research, sitting on my couch watching YouTube videos, I stumbled across a video of Faldo explaining to a group of young, teenage golfers the way he goes about giving nicknames to his shots. I watching in wonder, with my mouth open in awe, and eyes pointing to the heavens contemplating what I was still doing sitting down. I had nicknames to create!  I think you’re going to enjoy the Nick Faldo Golf Shot  Nicknames Drill as much I did. By the end of this drill, you’ll be able to play pressure golf because you’ll have a secret weapon that you can guarantee none of your fellow competitors have – your golf shot nicknames. 

I have to admit to being a Faldo fan. Most professional golfers aren’t exactly interesting to listen to, but Faldo is. He’s funny, down-to-earth, and has timeless drills that are still as relevant today as they were decades ago.

The thing I like most about Sir Nick Faldo’s drills is that most of them aren’t technical. Really! I mean it. Faldo is regarded as the most technical player of all time, but the reality is that his drills are designed to banish any technical thoughts when he’s on the course. That’s why he won six major championships.

The Nick Faldo Golf Shot Nicknames Drill is a trigger, not a technical swing thought. There’s a quantum difference between the two. The “trigger” will set you free on the course, but the “technical thought” will put you in a mental prison and send your scores skyrocketing.

If you like this drill, don’t stop there! Sir Nick Faldo personally liked another drill from the Golf Practice Planner when I posted it on my Twitter account. I know! Cool, isn’t it. It’s not every day the best British golfer of all time gives you a digital-like, but the Golf Practice Planner drills are highly likeable, so I understand why he liked them. Okay George, stop bragging about being digitally liked by Faldo. Celebrity naming is so 90’s. Give them the drill. Roger that. It’s the Nick Faldo One Club Challenge Run Drill. Hope you like it.

Name
Nick Faldo Golf Shot Nicknames Drill

Category
Golf Mindset Practice Drills

Difficulty
5 out of 10

Time
15 minutes

Props
Your imagination. Golf Practice Planner.

Steps

Step 1: Watch
Watch the video.

Step 2: Subconscious Brain
With this drill, you will learn how to turn off your conscious brain and activate your subconscious brain when in the heat of competition.

Nick Faldo would give nicknames to the four shots he played the most on a course. Nick would practice the shot (e.g. anti-left fade) on the practice range. And give it a name (e.g. chicken wing).

In competition, if he came to shot with water on the left, and felt under pressure, he could summon up the thought “chicken wing”, and instantly know the shot needed to avoid the water. No guessing. No thinking. No conscious thought. He had practised the “chicken wing” shot thousands of times on the range. Under the pressure of tournament golf, he didn’t have to think. He just thought “chicken wing”, and let the subconscious take over.

Step 3: Nicknames
Give nicknames to your four main shots (e.g. you could call your low fade “Chicken Wing”, and your high launch drive “Launchie”).

Step 4: On The Course
On the course, when you come across one of your “nickname shots” silently say the name, and play the shot with no technical thoughts.

If you come across a shot on the course that gave you trouble, it’s almost certainly because you become conscious about the shot. Write down the shot in your Golf Practice Plan (that you created using the Golf Practice Planner), and resolve to create a “nickname” for the shot during your next practice session.

For example, if the “chip and run” shots caused you problems, get out your Golf Practice Plan, and write down the technical points for a chip and run shot. Then get a lesson from your pro, or pick a chipping drill from the Golf Practice Planner, to make sure that you’re performing the shot correctly. Feel versus real can be radically different. Once you’re certain you have the correct technique, each time you practice the shot, silently call out the nickname you’ve given it (e.g. “Chippie“).

Step 5: Keep Score
Hit 10 balls per nickname shot (e.g. 10 “Launchie” high drives). Give yourself one point each time the shot felt effortless because you summoned up the nickname which activated your subconscious. You get no point if you became conscious and thought about technique.