Use Your Thoughts to Succeed as a Great Golfer!

Golf is like life - it’s a journey and very much like life, often full of self-doubt! This is one of the biggest mental challenges to overcome during a round of golf.

Each hole is a new chance for us to perform and succeed and to be a great golfer. Also, like life golf is a game that needs mastering because it is truly unpredictable and challenging. The memory that we have at some point played a fantastic shot; when mind, body and ability come together in that single moment – is a feeling like no other. This is what makes the game of golf so compelling.

In the same way we go through life’s journey making a series of small decisions, experiencing the occasional trauma and never quite knowing what is just around the corner – I could easily be describing a round of golf.

During life’s journey we have conditioned ourselves to hang onto the baggage we carry with us lamenting the desire to change that which we cannot instead of living life where we are right NOW – in the moment. How often have I talked about letting go of what has happened in your game of golf, not hanging onto the bad shots or the mistakes so that you can concentrate on what is important – NOW! But by hanging on to those bad shots all you do is feed that self-doubt that you carry around the course with you.

Often we will then make our golf journey as safe as possible; playing in a total state of self-protection. Our reactions are then not about enjoyment, fun and letting go but full of fear and self-doubt.

How can we help make our journey around the golf course a better one?

Work out how much time you spend planning to fail on the golf course? Even if it is as simple as one tee shot where you convince yourself you will end up in the water hazard or bunker.

Then use these three strategies to help you to make your golf journey as enjoyable and rewarding as possible –

Learn to change your thinking and self-talk
Altering ‘how’ you think will help you to change your behaviour and together they make a mighty powerful tool.

Alter your behaviour
Once you have chosen to think only positive thoughts ensure that your actions support your new positive mental attitude. By this I mean walk with a confident spring in your step, hold your head up high and ensure that you look to all those around you like a winner. This will also help make you feel like a winner!

Change your intentions!
Actions will follow what you visualise – so telling yourself that you know you are going to end up in the water is exactly what will happen. Check in with your intentions regularly and make sure you are goal-focused i.e. where you want to be by visualising a perfect landing for your shot and not where you do not want to be such as in the bunker or out of bounds!

Altering ‘how’ you think will help you to change your behaviour and together they make a mighty powerful tool.

How much good stuff do you miss out on whilst dwelling on the bad? On and off the Golf Course! It’s time to shift your perspective, to be at ease with winning and to STOP setting yourself up to fail.

REMEMBER: You must have heard the phrase ‘life is what you make it’ – so to is golf – it’s exactly what you choose to make it so be careful of what you put out there when you are deciding how you are going to play today!

‘We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are confident and believe we are going to win out.’