Golf Psychology – it’s all in the mind!
Golf Psychology will help you control your state of mind under pressure
Golf psychology is such a huge subject that we could easily build a whole site just dedicated to golf psychology, and here we are only scratching the surface. But it can make a HUGE difference for golfers of all abilities – if you commit to working at it.
Golf is a very unique game in that in a typical four hour game of golf, only a very small proportion of this is actually spent taking shots. Between shots your mind can wander, and if you’re not having the best of rounds quite quickly your chin can literally go down which can put you in a very negative emotional state for playing golf. This is not ideal!
Golf psychology helps us control our emotions, which in turn can help us control our physical bodies. This can affect all parts of your game, but is particularly important when you are putting since the smallest of changes can cause you to miss.
Try to memorize the following key golf psychology points and then build them into your game. They are all key points that will steadily make you a better and more consistent putter:
- Have a strict and consistent routine before every putt. When you’re faced with a real pressure putt, don’t change anything in your routine. Don’t take an extra practise swing, don’t have another look at the hole – just repeat your consistent routine
- Remember – you are trying to hole every putt
- Once you have read the putt and picked your line, commit 100% to it
- Think about the things you can control. You can control your routine. You cannot control the condition of the greens
- Remember some good putts that you have holed in the past and this will give you confidence
- You must realize that missing putts is part of golf and always ask yourself, “what can I learn from that putt?
- Visualize yourself having success
- If you have been struggling with your putting tell yourself that you are learning to become a good putter as this is more believable than telling yourself that you are already a good putter
- Stay in the present moment. Don’t think about the last putt that you missed, or the tee shot you’ll be facing after this putt – stay in the present
Finally try this little exercise next time you play a round. When you’re walking between shots, try to NEVER look down – always keep your chin up and look ahead not down at your feet. You’ll find it surprisingly difficult, but it can help keep you in a much more positive state of mind which is crucial in golf.
As mentioned, we’re only really scratching the surface of golf psychology here, but you’ll find a wealth more fascinating information on our Golf Putting Online DVD. Let our resident Professor Maurice Campbell (KRF – Keen Rugby Fan) show you how to control your breathing and build a rock solid pre-shot routine that will ensure you never crack under pressure!
