Follow along as Golf Digest’s Chief Digital Instructor, Michael Breed, demonstrates how to use data from an indoor simulator to help you become a better, more consistent shotmaker. Learn how the orientation of the clubface at impact and other vital launch stats, such as ball speed, angle of attack, swing path and spin rates, dictate the distance and direction of every shot you hit.

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By Madeline MacClurg

We’ve all been there: You’re playing pretty well, and then you slice a drive out-of-bounds or top one into the water. A series of stupid mistakes follows, and suddenly you feel like your game is spiraling out of control.

You’re not alone.

The good news is, bouncing back after a bad shot is easier than you might think.

In his latest Golf Digest Schools video series, Fireside Lessons, Butch Harmon reveals his favorite tips for recovering quickly and keeping a round on track. Watch the clips below to find out what they are—and the 10-yard rule that can rescue even the most agitated golfers.

Have a short memory

Most golfers struggle to put bad shots behind them. Having a short memory after a miscue is a skill that can take your game to the next level. Just look at the pros.

“One of Dustin Johnson’s greatest strengths is that the last shot never happened,” Harmon says.

Johnson is one of many tour players who use this skill multiple times a round—and it’s not just golfers. Many elite athletes apply this mentality in their sport.

“Think of a cornerback in the NFL and how many times he gets beat before he stops a pass play or makes a great tackle,” Harmon says.

This kind of perseverance might not come naturally to you, but Harmon explains that letting go of your mistake will allow you to be more focused on the next shot, which will open up more opportunities for a comeback. With practice, you can definitely get better.

The 10-yard rule, explained

After a mistake, Harmon says to remind yourself that you can’t go back and fix it, but you can control what’s happening next and the shot you have to play.

“If your mind is still thinking about the three-putt or the dubbed chip or the boned shot out of the bunker where you made double bogey, there’s no way you can give 100-percent effort on this next shot,” Harmon says.

This distracted mental state is likely the reason that a single slip can wreck your rounds. By implementing the short-term attitude that Harmon suggests, you can step up to the next shot completely focused and avoid careless mistakes that snowball into big numbers.

“If you give 100-percent concentration and effort on that shot, you’ve given yourself the best chance to hit a good one,” Harmon says.

After all, it’s not about eliminating mistakes—we all make them. It’s about minimizing the damage and moving on quickly.

And Harmon says his 10-yard rule is one of the best ways to do that.

Harmon says being upset after a bad shot is natural and that every player needs to process their emotions in their own way. This isn’t a green light to throw clubs or have a tantrum, but if you’re someone who needs to vent a little, Harmon has a solution.

“You’ve got a 10-yard rule,” Harmon says. “You can get as mad as you want at yourself for 10 yards, but after you walk that 10 yards, it has to be out of your nervous system. You have to be focused on the next one.”

Think of Harmon’s 10-yard rule as a trigger to refocus yourself. Once you cross that imaginary boundary, commit to letting the last shot go. Having a set space to vent will help you compartmentalize your emotions and move on from your mistake faster.

“It might take you five minutes to walk 10 yards,” Harmon jokes, “but try it. It’ll help.”

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Six exercises that will prepare your body for the course with Tom Hemmings

Tom Hemmings is a fitnes instructor with the Sea Island (Ga.) Golf Performance Center. His line of work involves working with junior golfers on strength and development exercises, amateur golfers wanting to improve functionality and performance, as well as PGA Tour golfers who require periodized programs to match the demand of the tournaments they participate in. Hemmings currently works with Harris English, Hudson Swafford, Michael Thompson, Sepp Straka and Jonathan Byrd.

Effective warm-up routines are rare for most golfers. Instead, most arrive at the golf course, pound a few dozen balls on the range and roll up to the first tee—which is a recipe for injury and a decrease in performance on both golf and overall movement patterns within your body.

To help prevent injury and maximize your performance, these six exercises detailed below can be performed in a simple manner using nothing but your club. The drills are quick, effective, can be performed at the house before leaving for the course, on the range itself, or even while you are waiting to tee off.

The hip hinge is an essential movement for the hips in everyday life as well as the golf swing. This flexion and extension drill will mobilize the larger muscles involved in the movement pattern, utilizing the hips and not your upper body.

1. Hip Hinge

Perform 1 set of 10 repetitions.

Tempo: Slow

2. Hip Opener

In a kneeling position, with hands on the floor, maintaining a straight spine, rock the hips back and forth toward the heel. There will be a “stretch” felt on the inner thigh of the leg that is straight, aiding the hip motion.

Perform 1 set of 10 repetitions.

Tempo: Slow

3. Thoracic rotation

While in a split stance, one foot in front of the other, the rib cage or thoracic region will be the area of the spine where the movement will occur. The arms will be straight, eyeline facing forward, then rotate the upper body over the leg that is in front of you. This is a fantastic drill for separating the upper and lower body, allowing the body to move more freely within the golf swing.

Perform 1 set of 10 repetitions.

Tempo: Slow

4. Pelvic Tilt

Standing in proper setup posture, the idea of this drill is to keep the lower and upper body stable, while performing a pelvic tilt. This is a quite an awkward motion as it involves the pelvis tilting back and forth (this is known as an anterior and posterior pelvic tilt). The goal of the exercise is to arch and flatten the lower back.

Perform 1 set of 10 repetitions.

Tempo: Slow

5. Ankle mobility, half kneeling

This ankle-mobility exercise optimizes the motion of dorsiflexion in the ankle. This can be done in the kneeling position, by placing pressure in the heel of the front foot, while rocking back and forth, driving the knee over the toes. It is important to keep the knee and hip in alignment with the toes.

Perform 1 set of 10 repetitions each side.

Tempo: Slow

6. Side step to rotation

This integrated exercise is a great way to conclude the routine as it brings everything together. This drill combines the lower and upper body with a lateral step, followed by a thoracic rotation. The lateral step accompanied with the turn challenges hip internal rotation, allowing the body to perform a rotational movement, running parallel with the golf swing.

Perform 1 set of 8 repetitions each side

Tempo: Medium

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