Golf’s mental game is hard.
Golf is not just about form and how you putt or swing a club, it also has to do with your ability to concentrate – to develop a positive mental attitude and improve your score.
That means shifting your focus toward your immediate goal and away from future results.
Therefore, the idea is to set small precise goals for practicing and playing golf that will ultimately become subconscious habits and behaviors. By improving your concentration in this way, you can access and locate the target more frequently.
Focus on the process – not the possible outcome
If you want to play better under pressure and break through to new and lower scores, you need to train yourself to focus on what you are doing right now.
This permits you to become immersed in the process of golf rather than worrying about the outcome of each shot.
When you become too immersed in the result of a round or shot, you end up speculating on things that are not certain. Think about it – Who in the game of golf can say, with absolute certainty, where a ball will land or what score they will end up shooting?
For example, giving yourself goals, such as promising yourself to par the first few holes or telling yourself you will make a putt only sets yourself up for feeling stressful. In turn, what do you really accomplish?
You end up with an increased heart rate, a poor focus (something you certainly don’t want), and tension. However, when you focus on the process of playing golf, something magical seems to occur. By taking this stance, your focus shifts to what you can do in the present to increase your chances of a favorable outcome.
This type of process is totally within your control, which allows you to realize your goals with certainty.
By using this technique, you create a mindset that is a calmer and more focused. In turn, you have achieved a golfer’s state of mind. Different players use different methods to perform their best and connect with a shot. As long as you stay in the moment, and don’t focus on the next hole, but the current hole, you are doing things right.
In other words, your mind is not jumping to the next shot or you are not thinking about tomorrow. You are totally living and playing golf in the present.
This will help you narrow down your thoughts, so you direct your thinking to only those thoughts that you should be paying attention to.
Mentally getting rid of the chatter
As a golfer, you already know that sometimes the mind fills with mental chatter – chatter that takes the form of “What if this happens?” “What if that occurs?”
You may also over analyze a technique, and therefore lose your focus. At this point, the mind gets pulled in various directions. When this occurs, it starts, again, to affect your nerves and disposition as well as your blood pressure and heart rate.
Burning that type of mental energy makes it impossible for you to access your best skills for the game. Instead, you end up feeling angry, frustrated, or regretful.
Research shows that most people produce 3 negative thoughts for each positive idea they embrace. If you don’t learn to focus on the game, and in the present, you end up cluttering your mind with negativity. This type of mindset, again, affects your overall performance.
Follow the way of the Samurai
To keep your mind in the present, you have to review some examples from the past. For instance, Samurai warriors adopted the practice of Zen Buddhism and meditation so they could fight with a clear mind.
Doing so freed them of their fears and doubts and allowed them to concentrate on their technique. When the battle began, they were able to focus purely on the action.
Therefore, by staying in the present with your thoughts, you won’t allow your attention to be diverted. You won’t think about what has just happened or the consequences.
You will only look at what is happening now – not 2 minutes ago or what will happen in the future. The focus is on the present.
As a result, you are not concentrating about past mistakes. Your main goal is to play the shot at hand. There is nothing else to consider.
Learn to be impartial
The goal is to listen to your inner thoughts with impartiality. Thoughts bring on emotions and emotions affect a person’s mood, which ultimately impacts a person’s golf score.
Try this mental exercise:
Choose to focus on an object, such as a glass, golf ball, or even your breath. Hold your attention and see how long it takes for a thought to come in.
If you notice your mind drifting, gently return to your former mental state. Doing so will help you play golf with less bias. Quiet your mind so you can become an observer of your thoughts rather than a reactor.
Remember, if you give a thought too much notice, you will also give it the power to turn into an emotion and change your mood. This type of response will affect your game.
Keep this perspective in mind and you will improve you game and lower your score overall.
Looking for more ways to develop your mental game?
Here are three books on golf’s mental game.
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