Developing a Strong Mental Game in Golf
How much time do you devote to improving your mental game?
You might say, “I visualize sometimes,” “Occasionally, I do some relaxation prior to hitting the greens,” or, “Every now and then, my coach talks to me about having a preshot routine.”
These responses are common among golfers but are “sometimes,” “occasionally,” or, “every now and then” enough?
Do you work on your tee shots sometimes?
Do you practice putting occasionally?
Do you look to improve your short game every now and then?
The answer to these questions is a definite, “NO!”
You spend countless hours tinkering, tweaking, practicing and honing your physical golf skills. After all, how can you improve without focusing and working on your swing, right?
Unfortunately, most golfers ignore the proper focus on their mental game.
Even though every golfer knows the huge impact the mind has on performance, most golfers only seek expert mental advice or devote time to mental training when slumps hit.
Think of how ineffective that “Band-Aid” approach would be if you applied the same philosophy to your physical game?
You would never consciously decide to not practice for the three weeks prior to the biggest tournament of the year. If you did, you would not be able to rely on your physical skills or trust your swing.
Unless you play like Bruce Lietzke did when he was on tour, you might not have full confidence.
Yet many golfers only work on their mental game when the mental game fails them.
Four-time major winner Ernie Els has had a Hall-of-Fame career (72 career victories) but his performance has steadily declined over the years. In fact, Els’ last PGA Tour victory was in 2012.
Els made only three cuts in his first 11 starts during the 2017 season and his best finish was 53rd at the Masters, where he finished 20-over par.
Els sees mental lapses in his game as the cause for his poor consistency this year.
ELS: “I really need to get my mental game going.”
This begs the question… How much attention did Els dedicate to his mental game prior to his performance woes appearing? Or did Els come to the realization that he needed a stronger game only after he was entrenched in his performance drought?
Truth be told, mental training or sports psychology is a lot more than dealing with under-performing and overcoming slumps when they arise…
Mental training can help prevent performance issues or minimize their effects when challenges do pop up.
Therefore, a strong mental game requires daily attention or training if you are to play at your peak on a consistent basis.
Mental Game Training Tips:
- Create a mental game plan, such as increasing confidence or managing competitive anxiety. Decide on the top priorities for your mental game and work on these one at a time.
- Once you have your mental game plan, ask yourself, “What can I do today to work on this mental skill?” Elicit the help of golf coaches or mental game coaches if you need more help developing an action plan to develop you mental skills further.
Golfer’s Mental Edge
What’s the big sign that your mental game is the weak link in your golf game? When you can’t play consistently as well as when you play a practice or casual round–or your range game is way better than your game on the course. If you suffer from lack of focus, low self-confidence, poor composure or other mental game obstacles on the course, you can’t reach your true potential in golf.
The Golfer’s Mental Edge 2.0 Audio and Workbook program is ideal for any amateur, collegiate, junior, and tour professional golfer.
Golf coaches and instructors would also be wise to teach “The Golfer’s Mental Edge 2.0” principles to their players. This program is perfect for any golfer who wants to improve performance and consistency by managing their mind better on the course.