Golf is more than having a great swing, there are many elements which make a great golfer and one of those is the mental side of the sport.
You can have all the ability in the world and know you are capable of playing great golf yet cannot quite seem to get it together during a round. The problem could be your mental approach and today we have some great tips for mental game improvements.
If you are playing a round of golf once a week, with very little practice in-between it is very unlikely you are going to play under par for the round. If you begin the round thinking you are going to break the course record you are going to be in for a big disappointment. Managing expectations is a huge part of golf and you must know what you are capable of doing on the golf course.
Be realistic with your ability. If you have never shot under 90, do not expect to make many birdies because if you believe you should be making several birdies, you are going to be very unhappy with the outcome. Make realistic goals and doing that will mean you have more fun on the golf course. If you are not working to improve your game between rounds, chances are your score is not going to get lower so keep that in mind and just enjoy playing.
Another aspect to enjoying the round and improving is to stop making excuses when something does not go to plan.
If you play a shot and it doesn’t have the desired outcome, the tendency is to look at the club, blame a noise or the golf course as an excuse. Doing this does not allow you to improve. Yes, there may be the odd occasion when something out of your control leads to a poor shot but most of the time, it will be your own fault.
Do not be so quick to place the blame elsewhere and take a look at yourself when something goes wrong on the golf course. Make a note of what happened and try to fix it for next time.
Having a process before each round can help you play better. Doing something which makes you feel comfortable and relaxed before you play is great and worth repeating before every round. It could be anything from playing a specific song or laying your things out in a certain way in the locker room.
Finally, whatever you do and however badly the round may be going, never give up. This is perhaps the most difficult mental game improvement to make but giving up half-way through a round is never going to help.
If things are going badly on the front nine, think about how happy you will feel walking into the clubhouse at the end of the round if your turned things around. Battling back from a bad start is one the proudest feelings you have can have on the golf course and you will never enjoy that moment if you give up.
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