Golf Psychology: Mental Game Keys to Playing Functional Golf
by Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.

Do you struggle on the opening holes when your “normal shot” is not working in warm ups? Many good players worry too much about hitting the perfect shot instead of the shot that works on the golf course. Getting the ball in the hole has to be the priority over trying to fix yours swing that day. Many golfers get too fixated on hitting the right shot instead of hitting the functional shot that will get the job done.

I was happy to see a quote from Tiger on the importance of going with the swing you’ve got that day. I call this playing functional golf. This is the ability to use the swing you brought to the golf course that day to score your best. Tiger Woods I think is getting better at playing function golf. In the past, he struggled with not hitting the ball exactly as he expected. He has learned that some days he will not have his “A game” and needs to accept whatever swing or shot that day. “Some days, it's a draw or a hook. Some days it's a fade or a slice, some days it's high, some days it's low. What it is—is what you've got. You go with it and don't try to find it,” Woods said recently.

Functional golf is a term I use with perfectionist students that have a hard time staying composed when they don’t perform perfectly or hit perfect shots. They become too obsessed with how it looks and how it feels rather than getting it done. In my opinion, this on-course obsession is counter-productive to playing your best golf. Function golf is the ability to get the job done and play to play great today instead of worrying about how you are getting the job done.

Last year, Todd Hamilton won the British Open applying functional golf. He relied on a superior short game and what he called ugly golf. Hamilton noted, “I don't hit the ball as good as a lot of well-known players, but my short game is very good. And I think when I don't hit the ball well, having a good short game allows me to at least be competitive, maybe not on a scale like this every week, but I play what I call ugly golf. I hit a lot of punch shots, a lot of big slices off the tees, or big fades, just to keep the ball in play.”

What allows a short hitter like Fred Funk to win the 2005 Players Championship? I think Funk is one of the best “grinders” on tour. He loves the harsh weather, tough conditions, weather delays, and grinding out a round in 20 MPH winds. He is not a long hitter on Tour, but uses his determination and ability to get the ball in the hole to his advantage. "I felt kind of like Herbie the Volkswagen, The Love Bug, because I'm just out there hitting my little pea shooters and the bombers are going 40 by me… Today was a matter of huge patience,” said Funk about winning the 2005 Players Championship.

Your first mental task is not to make any assumptions about your warm up before the round. If you hit it poorly on the range, do not talk yourself into thinking you can play well that day. As Tiger says, play the shot that’s working that day. If you normally draw the ball, but on the range before the round, you are hitting a fade, do not fight it on the course. Go with the fade until your normal shot comes back. If you fight your swing on the course to “get it back” you will only get stuck on playing golf swing instead of getting the job done as efficiently as you can.

Your second task is to play the shot that is functional for that day. If you lose your “A-game,” do not try to fix your swing. Instead, revert to a shot that you know you can hit. This may be a punch or fade or any shot you have a lot of confidence in and know where the ball is going. Pros call this a “go to” shot, a shot you can rely on under pressure or on a narrow hole.

Golf is a thinking game. However, you have to focus on strategy instead of swing. If your swing is not working that day, relax and put your attention on your game plan for getting the ball in the hole. Do not let your perception of a less than perfect swing derail your focus. Put on your scoring cap and love the challenge of grinding it out and playing ugly golf!

Want to learn how to play functional golf? Check out Dr. Cohn's Golf Psychology programs.