{"id":8442,"date":"2017-10-26T19:44:03","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T19:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=8442"},"modified":"2025-06-09T07:39:48","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T11:39:48","slug":"the-secret-to-playing-relaxed-golf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-secret-to-playing-relaxed-golf\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secret to Playing Relaxed Golf"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8446\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Playing-Relaxed-Golf.jpg\" alt=\"Playing Relaxed Golf\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Playing-Relaxed-Golf.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Playing-Relaxed-Golf-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Overcoming_Anxiety_on_The_Golf_Course\"><\/span>Overcoming Anxiety on The Golf Course<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\/the-secret-to-playing-relaxed-golf\/#Overcoming_Anxiety_on_The_Golf_Course\" >Overcoming Anxiety on The Golf Course<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-secret-to-playing-relaxed-golf\/#As_all_golfers_know_anxiety_is_your_enemy_on_the_golf_course%E2%80%A6\" >As all golfers know, anxiety is your enemy on the golf course&#8230;<\/a><\/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\/the-secret-to-playing-relaxed-golf\/#Relaxation_is_the_key_to_performance\" >Relaxation is the key to performance.<\/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\/the-secret-to-playing-relaxed-golf\/#Relax_Your_body_and_Mind\" >Relax Your body and Mind<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-secret-to-playing-relaxed-golf\/#Golfers_Mental_Edge\" >Golfer&#8217;s Mental Edge<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Sinking a putt on the 18th hole, just when you need it most, can be challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"As_all_golfers_know_anxiety_is_your_enemy_on_the_golf_course%E2%80%A6\"><\/span>As all golfers know, anxiety is your enemy on the golf course&#8230;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Anxiety<\/strong> causes your body to be tense or shaky. <strong>Anxiety<\/strong> forces your shot off line, throws off your approach shot and, in the worst case, could cause you to yip when you putt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anxiety is not those slight nerves or butterflies in your stomach, but that <strong>overwhelming<\/strong> feeling where you <strong>can\u2019t focus.<\/strong> When you are <strong>anxious,<\/strong> your thoughts are primarily on all the &#8216;what ifs&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is impossible to hit critical shots well when <strong>anxiety<\/strong> is causing havock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Can you relate to the experience of Nikki T&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Nikki was having a solid round but so was Nikki\u2019s rival.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Nikki\u2019s rival trailed her by one stroke from the middle of the round up until the 18th hole.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Nikki\u2019s rival shot 1-over on the final hole.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Nikki was <strong>nervous<\/strong> as she stepped to the tee on a par-4 but still put the ball in good position for her approach shot.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Two shots later, Nikki was faced with a 10-foot putt.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Nikki started feeling her body tense up and her heart race.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Nikki started to contemplate missing the putt.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Nikki worried she wouldn\u2019t be able to close out the tournament and was overwhelmed by the enormity of the moment.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Nikki took longer than usual as she stood over the ball.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>As Nikki pulled back the putter, she could feel her body tighten.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Nikki pushed the putt wide to the right.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>It took four more putts before she found the bottom of the cup.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Nikki let the victory slip through her hands all because she allowed her anxiety to interfere with her game.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To sink the final winning putt, hit a great tee shot or set yourself up with a well-placed approach shot, you need to be semi-relaxed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Relaxation_is_the_key_to_performance\"><\/span>Relaxation is the key to performance.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Golfer Anirban Lahiri knows it&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lahiri has had success on both the Professional Golf Tour of India (11 wins) and the Asian Tour (7 wins). Lahiri wants his <strong>success<\/strong> to translate to playing well on the PGA Tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After narrowly missing out on qualifying for the 2017 US Open, Lahiri realized, if he is to be <strong>successful<\/strong> on the PGA Tour, he needs to learn to relax when the pressure is on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of sulking or being hard on himself, Lahiri chose to learn how to <strong>meditate<\/strong> to quiet his mind and relax so he can focus when needed in tournaments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mediation is a form of <strong>relaxation<\/strong> that utilizes <strong>breathing techniques<\/strong> to calm the body and mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lahiri believes that his new-found ability to <strong>relax<\/strong> his body and calm his mind will help him deal with the <strong>pressure<\/strong> that comes along with playing on the PGA Tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>LAHIRI:<\/strong> <em>&#8220;There are so many times when I can feel the nerves on the 18th hole and my heart beating fast&#8230; [Meditation] allows me to just ground myself and center myself and then say &#8216;okay what&#8217;s my job at hand? What do I need to do?&#8217; and then you do that.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Meditation<\/strong> is only one form of <strong>relaxation.<\/strong> If you find a form of <strong>relaxation<\/strong> that works for you on the golf course, your game will improve dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Relax_Your_body_and_Mind\"><\/span>Relax Your body and Mind<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Tune into your breathing \u2013 Your body and mind work in unison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Deep breathing helps your body <strong>relax<\/strong> and quiets your mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Focus<\/strong> your attention on the air slowly filling your lungs then exiting your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take several deep breaths to increase the effectiveness of this strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>focusing<\/strong> on your breathing, you take your mind off of the pressure of the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/golfers-mental-edge-cd-program\/\"><strong>Master your mental game and improve under pressure with &#8220;The Golfer&#8217;s Mental Edge&#8221;:<\/strong><\/a><\/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>Overcoming Anxiety on The Golf Course Sinking a putt on the 18th hole, just when you need it most, can be challenging. As all golfers know, anxiety is your enemy on the golf course&#8230; Anxiety causes your body to be tense or shaky. Anxiety forces your shot off line, throws off your approach shot and, in the worst &#8230; <a title=\"The Secret to Playing Relaxed Golf\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/the-secret-to-playing-relaxed-golf\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about The Secret to Playing Relaxed Golf\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,142],"tags":[460,1086],"class_list":["post-8442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-golf-psychology","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-anxiety-in-golf","tag-relaxation-in-golf"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.6.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you are anxious, your thoughts are primarily on all the 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Cohn\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.peaksports.com\\\/sports-psychology-blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/patrick-cohn-mental-coach-web-sq.jpg\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PeakPerformanceSports\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/PeaksportsCoach\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/sportspsychcoach\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@peakperformancesports\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/peaksports\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MindsetForSports\"],\"description\":\"Mental Performance Coach Dr. Patrick Cohn has helped athletes for over 40 years enhance their performance. Dr. Cohn earned a master's degree in sports psychology from CSUF and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, specializing in Applied Sports Psychology. He is also the creator of The MGCP Mental Game Coaching Professional program. He's worked with athletes in the NFL, NHL, Olympic Athletes, Motocross Champions, and NASCAR drivers. 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