You know you have the potential to play better golf.
You know you hit quality shots on the range.
You know you have streaks of quality shots when you play.
BUT
● When you feel competitive Pressure on the course… the quality of your shots can be so frustrating it makes you wonder what happened to all those good shots you hit on the range.
● When you feel negative Emotions after a bad shot… you find it hard to fully let go of those emotions and then your whole round starts to go downhill.
● When you feel low Confidence during a round… you only “see” the trouble on the course and your shots start to follow your focus right into all the trouble spots.
If you struggle with these “Shot Quality Killers” when you play… working with a qualified golf mental coach is the fastest way to hit better shots and shoot lower scores more consistently.
Why is Mental Performance Coaching a key component in your golf improvement process?
1. The best golfers in the world train with Mental Performance Coaches.
PGA and LPGA touring professionals understand the importance of strengthening mental performance… doesn’t it make sense for you to explore training your mind in addition to tuning your swing?
Here are a few examples of elite pros benefitting from working with a mental coach:
Wyndham Clark won the 2023 US. Open despite never having contended in a major before. Clark cites working with his mental performance coach as a key factor in his ability to deal with pressure. Here is a link to the Golf Monthly article:
Jason Day sought help from a mental performance coach to deal with managing the emotions to recover from mid round slumps. Here is a link to the Golf article:
Colin Morrikawa’s “Mastery Mindset” has allowed him to win two major championships early in his PGA Tour career. Here is a link to the Golf article:
2. The bottom line for any golf improvement program is:
Will it help you shoot lower scores… especially in your biggest events.
If you want to shoot lower scores… you need to hit better quality golf shots.
You have choices when it comes to improving the quality of your shots:
Improve the quality of your “best*’ shots.
Improve the quality of your “worst” shots.
Your best shots are your "ceiling".Your worst shots are your "floor".
The fastest way to shoot lower scores is to "Raise Your Floor".
There's nothing wrong with "Raising Your Ceiling".
It is fun to improve the quality of your best shots.
BUT.
"Raising Your Ceiling" means lots and lots of correct PHYSICAL swing repetitions.
It takes a lot of time, energy and patience.
"Raising Your Floor" doesn't require any PHYSICAL swing repetitions.
You just need to train your MIND... to be able to minimize "distractions" like pressure, emotions and low confidence.
When you learn to strengthen your mental game with help from a qualified mental coach you will be able to "quiet" distractions on command and your “floor shots” will get better.
Better “floor shots”... Means better scores.
3. You can strengthen your Mental Performance for golf in as little as 10 minutes per day.
Mental skills challenges, breathing exercises, presence programs and pre shot routine processes have been EEG And FMRI research proven and golfer tested to help you start improving mental performance quickly and effectively.
Thousands of golfers of all ages and abilities have used simple, quick and effective mental performance strengthening tools to take their game to the next level.
Just a few minutes of targeted mental training each day will make a powerful, positive impact on your mental performance AND your scores.
The best news is that you can do your mental training at home, on the range or on the course… whatever works best for you.
How exactly does Mental Coaching help you overcome competitive Pressure, negative Emotions and low Confidence?
Pressure – The feeling of pressure is triggered when your mind is Focused on “results”. Focus on “results” is connected to your “score”.
Overcoming the negative effects of pressure requires tuning your Focus to the “process” of playing better golf.
Focus on the “process” is directly connected to each “shot” you hit.
Here is an example of the difference between “results/score” Focus and “process/shot”
Focus:
Playing golf is like taking a test in school.
In a test at school:
You answer questions.
The better you answer each question... the better your grade on the test.
On the golf course:
You hit shots.
The better the quality of each shot... the better your score.
In a test at school:
If you Focus on the grade you want to get while you are answering the test questions... You are taking Focus away from answering the questions correctly and ultimately making your grade worse.
On the golf course:
If you Focus on the score you want to shoot while you are hitting shots... You are taking Focus away from being fully engaged in/committed to each shot and making your overall score worse.
The reality is... it is not possible to completely control your mind for an entire round of golf.
There will be times when your mind wanders to your score.
Which is why building a “shot” focused pre-shot routine is a key component of managing Pressure.
When you build a strong Pre-shot routine that laser tunes your Focus on the “shot” you are going to hit… you dramatically minimize the effects of Pressure.
Emotions – We all experience emotions on the golf course. Mental Performance Coaching can help you learn to minimize the effects of negative emotions and maximize the effects of positive emotions.
Here is an analogy to clarify the picture of managing emotions effectively:
Think of emotions like the background music for your round of golf.
Maximizing the positive effect of emotions is like having a soundtrack of music that inspires you… and that soundtrack is playing in the background for your entire round and you have complete control of the “volume dial”.
Minimizing the negative effect of emotions requires “noise reduction tools” (EEG research proven breathing patterns, mindful movement patterns and visualization techniques) that allow you to “turn down the volume dial” of negative emotions on command.
Did you know that research science has also proven the primary ‘physical effect’ of your negative emotions (stress hormones) stop after 90 seconds?
If you are staying negative after the initial 90 second "cycle" something in your mind is actively triggering or "Re-cycling" the emotion.
The key to being able to break the emotion cycle is identifying and strengthening your optimum “noise reduction tools” that help you control the “volume dial” of emotions.
Building a strong post shot routine using your optimum “noise reduction tools” gives you a “process” that you can trust to help minimize the effects of negative emotions and get back to hitting good shots.
Confidence – Confidence is the strength of your belief in your ability to overcome a challenge. Your Self-Talk in between shots during the round… is a key component in your ability to maximize your confidence on the course to overcome bigger and bigger challenges.
When you play golf... there is a 4-Hour (or more) “internal conversation” going on.
The Tone (positivity vs negativity) of your “inner conversation” during your round has a big effect on your confidence.
If your “inner conversation” is supporting your “process” and building “trust” in your skills, you trigger “performance enhancing” neurochemicals in your brain and optimum “physiology” in your muscles.
Essentially… your brain and your muscles react to the "tone" of your internal dialogue and help you hit better shots.
Your “internal conversation” doesn't have to be all “sunshine and roses” but the balance must be heavily weighted toward supporting what you want to achieve.
One of the best ways to track and improve your Self-Talk balance is to keep a Self-Talk scorecard when you play.
A simple method for using a Self-Talk scorecard is to give yourself a plus+ or a minus at the end of each hole to indicate whether your “internal conversation” was a positive "tone” or a negative tone for that hole.
At the end of your round, you will have a clear picture of the overall balance of your “internal conversation”.
Are you ready to find out more about working with a Golf Mental Performance Coach to help you minimize pressure, manage emotions and maximize your confidence on the course?
Click this link to set up a free consultation with Award Winning Mental Coach Geoff Greig: