We all know golf is a mental game. We have those rounds where the course is getting the best of us and we can’t stop our heads from swimming while standing over the ball. Whether it is the infinite “swing fix thoughts” or the endless to‐do list that keeps making its way into our minds, these thoughts can be detrimental to a good shot.
How can we truly mitigate this issue, and allow for freedom of mind?
Through my work at South County Golf Academy, we believe in a few key principles to help with your mental game.
1. Every day, every frustration, every golf shot, whether good or bad, is an OPPORTUNITY. It takes a lot of mental strength to have this perspective. Often it takes work to get to a place where you believe that hard times are opportunities to become better. It is important to practice this mindset in your everyday life, but also on the golf course. Whether it be a bad shot, a bad lie, bad weather or anything else, look for the opportunity in the situation. Stop focusing on the negative, victimizing attitude that halts any forward progression. How different would our round be if we did this? When you hit into a bunker, rather than get angry and think of all the dumb things that made that happen, what if you were to think, “Yes! Now I get to work on my bunker shots!”?
2. The mind is a tool that can be conditioned for success just as much as the body can for golf. To have freedom of mind on the golf course, a lot of people think they have to have a series of successful rounds or shots, all added up to create a feeling of CONFIDENCE. However, confidence is just an emotional state. It does not have to be built up over time from success. You can exude this feeling with your thoughts alone. You can create a state of mind that is confident without having to wait for the moment of confidence to come with a good shot. So, ask yourself, what makes you feel confident? Is it what you are wearing? Is it who you are with? What are the thoughts that go through your mind related to your confidence and how you feel? Try to create a positive state of mind with every round that you play.
Both tips above make it clear that we have the CHOICE to have a good mindset. Negative thoughts are not something that happen to us, they are something we allow. We allow our minds to get off track by entertaining the negative thoughts instead of focusing on opportunities, and not creating the confidence that we deserve.
Being women, we tend to have a lot more on our mind all the time. So, it is vitally important to take the time to train our mental state just as much as we do our physical state. Practice looking for opportunities, and practice creating confidence. Practice truly does make perfect, so get started on your next round by changing your mindset!