The Mental Game of Golf
The mental portion of the golf game is as an important part as the physical part, maybe it’s even more important. If you get mad at yourself over your performance (or the lack of it) it is non-productive and will eat away your confidence. Your mind can defeat all the good training with one thought, so the next time you catch yourself getting mad or losing your focus remind yourself you did the best you could and let it go.
According to Michael Anthony, the author of the highly successful mental golf training program THE MENTAL KEYS to Improve Your Golf the goal should be to think in the present. What this means is to forget the bad shot you just made (the past), and focus on the shot you are about to make without worrying too much about the outcome (the future). If at address you already worry that your shot will end up in the lake it most likely will.
As Michael Anthony puts it: “Golfers with a strong mental game realize that the present is all that they can control. They have learned to play in the present without concern about the past or future outcomes. They realize the power of just being in the moment with the full intention and expectation to accomplish their desires without attachment to the results. When they are at their best, they play on instinct and trust their subconscious or “it” to make it happen for them.
Learning to play in the present on instinct requires time and effort. That is why experience is such a priceless commodity. Because when all else fails, the truth emerges from one’s experiences if you are honest with yourself. By training your mind to play in the present, you can shorten the time required to experience the power of being free to play on instinct and in the zone. Unfortunately, many golfers never learn to stop dwelling on their past and future outcomes.
The trick to being in the present is to allow yourself to learn from the feedback each shot provides without your ego being involved in the outcome. By being honest about your present mechanical, strategic, physical and mental limitations, you will increase your awareness of what you can do to improve your present abilities. Then, it becomes a question of how strong your desire is to make the necessary changes or adjustments to improve.”
THE MENTAL KEYS to Improve Your Golf are an interesting read and come together with a CD: part 1 you listen to on your way to the golf course, and part 2 you listen to on your way back home after your game.