Taking One Side Out of Play — Build Confidence & Perform Better
Golf doesn’t reward great shots as much as it punishes bad ones.
That’s why one of the most powerful skills you can build isn’t hitting perfect shots —
it’s removing one side of the course completely.
If you can confidently say “this ball will not go there”,
the game becomes a lot easier.
The Real Performance Shift
Most golfers aim for perfect.
Good golfers manage misses.
The difference is subtle — but massive.
Instead of trying to hit the ideal shot every time,
you start shaping your intention around what must be avoided.
Water left?
You build a motion that doesn’t go left.
Trouble right?
You accept left and remove the right side entirely.
That’s not defensive golf.
That’s controlled intent.
Never Miss Left — Understanding the Pattern
Let’s take a hole where the entire left side is dead.
The “safe” play is often to just aim right and hope.
But that doesn’t build confidence — it builds hesitation.
Instead, you want to create a motion where left is structurally unlikely.
In a Big Arc Swinger pattern, this often means:
- Slight grip adjustment
- Ball position influencing release
- A follow-through that keeps the face from shutting down
You’re not steering the ball.
You’re building a motion that makes the miss predictable.
Never Miss Right — Same Principle, Opposite Direction
Now flip it.
Trouble right.
Left becomes acceptable.
Again — most golfers just aim left and hope.
But better players create the shot through intention.
In this case:
- Slightly stronger grip
- Forward ball position
- A release pattern that encourages closure
Now the ball wants to move left.
And when you see it happen a few times…
confidence builds fast.
Why This Changes Everything
Every time you successfully remove one side:
- Decision making becomes easier
- Commitment improves
- Swing tension drops
You stop reacting to the course…
and start managing it.
This Is Not Manipulation — It’s Understanding
This only works when it’s built on a functional motion.
If you don’t understand:
- How your pattern produces speed
- How your release behaves
- What your follow-through is doing
…then trying to “take one side out” becomes guesswork.
But when you do understand it:
It’s no longer about fixing your swing.
It’s about using your swing.
Final Thought
Taking one side out of play is not a trick.
It’s a performance layer.
And it only becomes available when your motion actually makes sense to you.
That’s where real confidence comes from.
Not from hoping…
…but from knowing what your ball won’t do.
Check out the Forgotten Master Moves homepage here.
In the FMM Academy I teach differnt patterns and it’s all about fit – has it’s overview page here.