Have you ever had the first shot of your golf game ruin your whole game? Your playing partners will always without a doubt say “shake it off.” That is much easier said than done. The minute you duff that shot, your whole attitude about that particular game of golf is changed. You can’t take any shot back but that first one is so critical. At that moment the golf mental game has begun.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “golf is a mental game” a thousand times. Now you can make that 1001 times. Golf truly is a game that can get inside your head. So what is the average golfer to do? Even if you don’t make a bad first shot, it may be the second, third, or 15th hole when everything goes south. I know I sometimes get so worried about my tee shot that I end up doing exactly what my mind was telling me I would do. I slice or hook the ball just like I imagined I would.
I have read countless golfing tips that say you must visualize your shot before you take it. From my experience this is the one thing that helps every time. If your golf mental state can cause you to make a bad shot, it only stands to reason that the same should be true for improving your game. But if it were just a matter of visualizing where your shot will go, then every amateur golfer out there would be shooting under par games.
While your mental state while playing golf is of the utmost importance, you still need to keep the basics in mind as well. I find it crucial to any game, not just golf, to practice every chance you get. There is no substitute for practice. Practice makes any golfer more comfortable on the course and that comfort alone has a great deal to do with your mental attitude.
Along with practice, one should always visualize where the ball is heading. While this always sounds a bit corny, it does work. It is like the old saying “If the mind can conceive it, the body can achieve it.” Stand behind the ball before your shot and visualize where you want it to land. Now be reasonable here. If you normally hit the ball two hundred yards, you probably shouldn’t visualize it going four hundred.
Even the most experienced of golfers occasionally miss that sure shot, or get a bad shot off the tee. The only difference in how they approach the problem and how the average weekend golfer approach the same problem is their mental state. The “mental” player knows that the one shot is not the whole game and that the worst thing he can do is dwell on the issue. So he can truly “shake it off.”
So warm up, practice, every chance you get, and remember that the golf mental game is every bit as important as the physical aspects of the game.
