{"id":12875,"date":"2020-04-08T15:40:07","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T15:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=12875"},"modified":"2025-06-05T08:15:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T12:15:56","slug":"learn-to-play-functional-golf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/learn-to-play-functional-golf\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn to Play Functional Golf"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Try_to_be_Too_Perfect_After_Rising_to_a_New_Level_of_Competition\"><\/span><strong>Try to be Too Perfect After Rising to a New Level of Competition?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/learn-to-play-functional-golf\/#Try_to_be_Too_Perfect_After_Rising_to_a_New_Level_of_Competition\" >Try to be Too Perfect After Rising to a New Level of Competition?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/learn-to-play-functional-golf\/#Subscribe_to_The_Golf_Psychology_Podcast_via_iTunes\" >Subscribe to The Golf Psychology Podcast via iTunes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/learn-to-play-functional-golf\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/learn-to-play-functional-golf\/#Golfers_Mental_Edge\" >Golfer&#8217;s Mental Edge<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>In this week&#8217;s golf psychology session, mental game of golf expert and author of The Mental Game of Golf, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportspsychologygolf.com\/\" class=\"aioseop-link\">Dr. Patrick Cohn<\/a>, responds to a question from Alex who had this to say about his game:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>Hi, I am a college golfer who was performing well towards the end of my high school career, but then once I got to college, my performance decreased significantly. I believe that the cause of this is from me trying to be too perfect on every shot. I have also lost my confidence while playing too. Any advice on how I can improve in these areas? Thank you!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>COHN:<\/strong> Alex, thanks for your question. This is a common challenge I see with athletes rising to the next level of competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>COHN:<\/strong> He was trying to be too perfect&#8230;.that hurt his performance in his first year as a rookie out on tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>COHN:<\/strong> You do have to be careful of trying to up your game when you go from high school or from the juniors to college and also from college to the professional ranks as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>COHN<\/strong>: Trying to be too perfect means your expectations are elevated as well&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Listen to the podcast now to learn what Dr. Cohn has to say about playing a functional versus a perfect game.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/13891328\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/backward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/0441e5\/\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"\" mozallowfullscreen=\"\" oallowfullscreen=\"\" msallowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"90\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-text-color\" style=\"color:#0071a1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Subscribe_to_The_Golf_Psychology_Podcast_via_iTunes\"><\/span><a aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" class=\"aioseop-link\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/podcast\/id253984147\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Subscribe to The Golf Psychology Podcast via iTunes<\/a><a class=\"aioseop-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/golf-confidence-report\/\" rel=\"noopener\"> <\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/play-golf-beyond-your-comfort-zone\/\"><strong>Play Golf Beyond Your Comfort Zone<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/execute-your-range-swing-to-the-golf-course\/\"><strong>Execute Your Range Swing to the Golf Course<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/starting-your-golf-round-with-a-calm-mindset\/\"><strong>Starting Your Golf Round with a Calm Mindset<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Golfers_Mental_Edge\"><\/span>Golfer&#8217;s Mental Edge<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/golfers-mental-edge20-medium.png\" alt=\"The Mental Edge for Golfers\" class=\"wp-image-13572\" style=\"width:228px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/golfers-mental-edge20-medium.png 360w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/golfers-mental-edge20-medium-270x300.png 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s the <em>big sign<\/em> that <strong>your mental game is the weak link<\/strong> in your golf game? When you can\u2019t play consistently as well as when you play a practice or casual round\u2013or your <strong>range game<\/strong> is way better than your game on the course. If you suffer from <strong>lack of focus, low self-confidence, poor composure or other mental game obstacles on the course<\/strong>, you can\u2019t reach your true potential in golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The<em> Golfer\u2019s Mental Edge 2.0<\/em> Audio and Workbook program is ideal for any <strong>amateur, collegiate, junior, and tour professional golfer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Golf coaches and instructors<\/strong> would also be wise to teach \u201c<em>The Golfer\u2019s Mental Edge 2.0<\/em>\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-b9073d7f\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-45db0ee8 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/golfers-mental-edge-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-3478a453 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/for-specific-sports\/products\/golfers-mental-edge-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Try to be Too Perfect After Rising to a New Level of Competition? In this week&#8217;s golf psychology session, mental game of golf expert and author of The Mental Game of Golf, Dr. Patrick Cohn, responds to a question from Alex who had this to say about his game: Hi, I am a college golfer who was performing &#8230; <a title=\"Learn to Play Functional Golf\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/learn-to-play-functional-golf\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Learn to Play Functional Golf\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[148,149],"tags":[749,555],"class_list":["post-12875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-golf-psychology-podcasts","category-mental-game-podcasts","tag-expectations-in-golf","tag-perfectionism-in-golf"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.5.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you try to be too perfect while golfing? 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