The Mental Game of Golf: 8 Strategies to Stay Focused
By Bradley Turner Keiser University College of Golf, Director of Online Golf Instruction – MBA, PGA
If you are a golfer who enjoys challenging your skills against the golf course, staying focused on your game and course strategy is paramount in performing to your potential. To play well, you must prepare mentally and physically before the round begins. The mental game of golf is a skill, just like chipping and putting are golf skills. Learning to focus your mind on the right tasks is something experienced players have developed over many years of playing the game. This article will highlight eight strategies you can implement into your own game. In short order, you will be preparing yourself mentally and physically to play your best.
1. Be Honest with Expectations for the Day
Positive thoughts and images of an excellent round of golf are a norm on the first tee around the world. It is rare indeed that a player stands on the first tee with the belief that a horrendous round is about to unfold. However, sometimes optimism can overrule common sense regarding your expectations for the day. Your course strategy must match the game you have brought to the course. I suggest you begin every round with moderate expectations and a conservative approach. Even if you have been playing well, you don’t want to take risks early in the round that may get you moving in the wrong direction.
2. Set Process Goals for Your Round
Replace scoring goals for your round with process goals. These goals may include focusing on your pre-shot routine for the day. It might include a focus on being a great coach to yourself in the form of positive self-talk. Another excellent process goal is to visualize every shot with a clear picture of what you want the ball to do. Process goals are much better than concerning yourself with an outcome goal of shooting a specific score for your round.
3. Meditate Before Your Round
Meditating is a great way to calm your mind and reduce negative emotions. It also increases your patience and tolerance level. Meditation can wipe away any stress you have accumulated from life and work activities and prepare you to focus on your round of golf. Time is a challenge for most golfers, so I advocate taking advantage of your drive to the golf course and quieting your mind before the round. Turn off the car radio, drive the speed limit, and be a courteous driver on the way to the golf course. It is amazing how this modified meditation technique can calm your mind and get you focused on playing your best.
4. Focus on You
Experienced golfers can play their own game and disregard the influence of the other golfers in the group. If you measure your ability against others, you will likely make mental mistakes. If a playing partners use a seven iron on a par 3, and you know that a six iron is a better club for you, make the right choice. I have witnessed so many amateur golfers trying to hit a hard 7-iron to protect their egos. Focus on you during the round and how you should play each hole.
5. Focus on What You Can Control
If you listen to the post-round conversation of a group of golfers, it is interesting how golfers like to share their misfortune on the course. Bad bounces and poor lies are all part of the game. What the ball should have done does not matter in golf. It is always what the ball did. Plenty of research shows that a perfectly struck putt from 10 feet will not go in every single time. Imperfections with the green conditions and the wind’s influence are examples of external factors you cannot control. Focus on the things you can control; your pre-shot routine, your self-talk, and the reason you are playing golf in the first place.
6. Stay in the Moment – Concentrate on Now
Have you ever been over a golf shot and started thinking of the future? The proverbial “what if’s” never improve performance in any sport. Worrying about the future influences your ability to play in the present. One of my favorite games on the golf course is the Performance Game. With every shot you hit in the round, you must accomplish only two tasks. First, commit to the shot you are about to play. Commitment implies a clear picture of your intentions, so visualize the intended ball flight. The second task is to trust your ability and make a confident golf swing. This game will keep you concentrating on the now and staying in the moment.
7. Accept the Outcome
Ben Hogan once said that the “most important shot in golf is the next one.” Composure in golf is an attribute of great tournament players and often the downfall of many amateurs. Focusing on the wrong things, like the triple bogey on the previous hole, will only frustrate you further. Accepting the outcome of all your golf shots without negatively influencing the next shot will take some mental discipline. However, the benefit will be better decision-making on the golf course and better overall scoring.
8. Remember to Have Fun
I don’t always agree with the saying that a day on a golf course is better than a day at work. From what I have witnessed in over 50 years of playing golf, for some golfers, work must be a negative and rant-filled work environment. When your golf performance becomes too important, the game can become frustrating and no longer fun. We all play the game for varied reasons, but the primary motivation should be the enjoyment of being outdoors with friends and testing your golf skills. If you can mentally work through the game’s difficulties and simply enjoy the challenge, golf can be fun. A day on the golf course should always be better than a day at work!
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Want more tips? If you want to take your game to the next level, contact our team at Keiser University’s College of Golf & Sport Management today. With our dedication and experience, together, we can elevate your game to new heights. Give us a call today at 888-355-4465.
