Golf is extremely mental. Yes, while you need to be able play and hit the ball, you can’t succeed if you don’t have a good golf mental game. I’ve been working with my mental coach since my sophomore year of high school and I don’t know what I would do without him. He has taught me so many lessons that I’ve been able to incorporate not just on the golf course but in my everyday life.
Some of my favorite and important golf mental game notes to always remember:
- If you get 1% better everyday than in 100 days you will be 100% better. So if taking a day off is your 1% that day, then that is what you need to do for yourself!
- Don’t get upset about things you can’t control
- For example: If you have perfect preparation and you commit to the shot you can’t, or shouldn’t, get upset if the shot doesn’t turn out as you wanted. There could be other factors at play such as slow greens, slow play, weather, a bad bounce, etc. This is also a great life lesson!
- Keep your emotions even
- We all get upset over a poor shot which means we should be excited when we have a good shot. When you hit a great shot it seems like most golfers expect it, instead of using the positive self-talk like “heck ya Anna nice shot”! Instead, we always focus on the negative. If you can keep your negative self talk to a minimum and balance it with some positive affirmations, you’ll look like a different player!
- Attitude is everything
- I like to keep calm and composed so spectators won’t know if I am shooting 65 or 79, my body language will remain the same. Now don’t get me wrong, I get upset from time to time. Eventually though, I became a more calm golfer because I have worked hard at learning how to stay present and not give up! Which brings me to my next point.
- Stay in the present
- Focus one shot at a time and don’t get a head of yourself. Golf is one of my favorite sports because you can have a bad hole or a bad round but you can always come back if you stay in the present and keep grinding.
- Stay focused on your target and visualize
- On the golf course there are hazards, blind shots and more to avoid. But you if train your brain to focus on your target, you are going to have a better chance of hitting that shot you envision. If you say “Oh gosh, ok, don’t hit it in the water left,” chances are you are going to miss the shot left. Stay focused on your target.
- Commitment
- A committed shot with the wrong club will always be better than the right club not committed!
- Law Of Attraction
- A positive mind will always get you farther. Find the positive and learn for each situation. For example: you can see where to improve by evaluating your stats. You just have to also remind yourself of the great shots you hit and improvements you’ve already made.
- Trust the process
- HAVE FUN! No matter how you are playing, remember to have fun and BElieve in YOUrself!
In addition to working with my mental coach, I also love to read golf mental game books. If you can’t see a mental coach, a lot of the great ones have written books so that these tips are easily accessible.