PART 5: R.E.P.A.R. SYSTEM - REACT & REVIEW
G'day golfers.
Think about the last time you chipped a ball to within a couple of paces of the hole and then missed the putt. What kind of reaction did you have? I am guessing it probably was not something you would proudly repeat in front of your mother-in-law at Sunday lunch.
Or how about the last time you missed a green from 100 metres out with a wedge in your hand? You probably blew up deluxe, thinking that missing a green with a short iron is like missing your mouth with a fork.
Well, I have got some cold, hard data that is going to shock you, and it might just save your sanity.
THE DELUSION OF THE TV HIGHLIGHTS PACKAGE
The biggest issue in amateur golf is a complete mismatch between expectation and reality. You watch the blokes on TV on a Sunday morning and you see them holing every single ten-footer and throwing darts at pins. What you are watching is a highlights package. You are seeing the guy who is winning the tournament on the best week of his life. You are not seeing the other hundred guys who missed the cut because they could not make a thing.
Let us look at the actual PGA Tour statistics:
From 8 feet away, the best players in the world only make 50 percent of their putts. They miss half of them.
The tour average for a chip shot is hitting it to about 8 feet. The absolute best chippers in the world only average 6 feet.
Pros only hit about 12 out of 18 greens in regulation per round.
In his absolute prime, Tiger Woods missed the green 20 percent of the time from 100 to 120 yards out with a wedge.
If the greatest players to ever live are missing greens with wedges and missing half their eight-footers, why are you blowing your top when you do it?
THE FINAL R: REACT AND REVIEW
This brings us to the fifth and final part of my REPAR system: React and Review. If you want to drop your scores, you have to learn how to manage your reactions.
Golf is an emotional game. When you let a bad result ruin your mood, that negative emotion snowballs into the next shot. You get pissed off, you rush your preparation, you play ego golf, and before you know it, you have walked off with an eights or a nine on the scorecard.
The secret to the pros is that they manage their expectations. They do not have high expectations for the result, because they know the result is out of their control. The wind can switch, the ball can take a weird bounce, or a greenkeeper can drive past. Instead, they place 100 percent of their expectations on their process.
You should only get angry at yourself if you forgot to check the wind, or if you picked a stupid target next to a water hazard. If you did your full preparation and just hit a poor shot, get over it. You cannot control where the ball finishes once it leaves the clubface.
THE THREE QUESTIONS TO SELF-COACH
Once the ball has landed and you have kept your emotions in check, you need to review the shot objectively. To teach yourself how to be your own coach and caddy, ask yourself these three simple questions:
What worked?
What didn't?
What can I try differently next time?
If you are relatively new to the game, just give it your best guess. Whenever I ask my clients what happened on a duffed shot, country club players or high handicappers alike, nine times out of ten their best guess is completely right. They will say, "I think I hit the ground a little bit before the ball." Perfect. Now you can adjust for the next one.
THE MENTAL OFF-TRIGGER
Once you have answered those three questions, you need an off-trigger to tell your brain that the shot is dead and buried. For me, it is the sound of the club hitting the bottom of the bag. For you, it might be the loud rip of the velcro as you pull your glove off.
Once that trigger happens, the shot is finished. Switch off. Look at the scenery, talk to your playing partners about the footy, or focus on your breathing. Give your brain a break, because you are going to need to switch it back on for the next problem in a few minutes.
TRAIN IT LIKE AN APPRENTICE
Look, this is a lot to think about behind the ball, and you only have about a minute to hit your shot. But it is just like training a new apprentice. When they start, they have to tick every box slowly to repair a club properly. The more they practise, the faster it becomes until the subconscious takes over and it is completely automatic.
I have put together a free REPAR cheat sheet that lays out all the questions for you to keep on your buggy or phone. Do not try to fix everything at once. Pick one letter—like Risk or Environment—and track it for five rounds. Give yourself a tick every time you execute the process perfectly on a hole, regardless of the score. If you can get 18 ticks for your mental process, your scores will naturally plummet.
Stop chasing consistency in your swing and start being a consistent problem solver.
Ready to Break Your Bad Golf?
Stop guessing and start playing scoring golf.
If you are on the Gold Coast and ready for a real on-course diagnosis, come and see me at Emerald Lakes GC. We will stop the guessing and start breaking bad golf.
Right now is the ideal time to join our 9 Shots Lower in 9 Weeks program.
Why 9 Shots Lower Works
The 9 Shots Lower program is designed to do more than just give you great information. It’s built to lock in the right habits with:
A clear 9-week structure
Weekly feedback and accountability
Ongoing support so improvements actually stick
If you want faster, more reliable results — this is the program that delivers them.
Click here to learn more about my Breaking Bad Golf programs.
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The Gold Coast offers a range of options including Emerald Lakes, Palm Meadows, Hope Island, Southport, and Coolangatta-Tweed. Paul Williamson provides personalised on-course coaching that goes beyond traditional lessons, covering skills, strategy, and mental game in real playing conditions.
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One-hour lessons provide quick tips but rarely translate under course conditions. Paul’s on-course coaching uses 9-hole assessments to build a tailored plan that actually drops strokes from your scorecard.
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Paul Williamson, a PGA Professional with 30+ years’ experience, provides personalised on-course coaching at courses around Carrara, Hope Island, Robina, Southport, Coolangatta-Tweed, and the broader Gold Coast.
