So often I hear golfers chastising themselves and putting themselves down on the golf course with phrases like, “I knew I was going to miss that” or “I always hit it there”. Then when they hit a good shot they brush it off as ‘lucky’ or not really a good shot.
Golfers are the ultimate perfectionists always looking for the perfect swing and never accepting anything short of the perfect result for every shot. It is when a golfer accepts that they will not hit every shot perfectly that they will be able to relax and truly concentrate on focusing on the shot at hand.
To help accept this one needs to maintain a positive self-talk during their round of golf. A big reason to remain positive is that the subconscious mind cannot deal with a negative. If I was to ask you not to think about a black cat you would need to think about a black cat in order to delete the image you created whilst trying not to think of the black cat. In golfing terms this equates to one’s internal dialogue of “don’t miss this putt”, “don’t hit it in the water” or “don’t hit it out of bounds”. When you take away the negative word “don’t” you can see how so often golfers talk themselves in to playing the very shot they were so desperately trying to avoid playing.
So imagine how much better you would play if you told yourself to hit the ball where you wanted to hit it instead of where you don’t. Next time you are on the practise range or out on the course try choosing a spot on the fairway or on the green where you wish to land the ball and tell yourself to hit it to that spot. Be positive in your self-talk that that is where you are going to hit the ball then go through your pre shot routine and hit the ball to your target.
Remember I what you choose to focus upon, expands. Ensure you choose every thought wisely during your round I choose thoughts of strength, confidence, consistency and motivation. Your thoughts become your habits, and your habits become your results.
Happy Golfing
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