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Overcoming golf's mental blocks?

Tadashi70

Tadashi70

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I think most if not all golfers have had or have mental blocks that holds them back. We know we have these short comings but can't seem to get rid of them.

How do you over come those blocks? How do you make yourself hit an offset irons when you like the look of a traditional head. How do you over come the hero shot and just play safe? How do you make yourself hit the shot you know instead I the shot you think you can hit?

It seems that we get in out own way with our brains. We know what do or what is good for our games but still error on the side of stupidity, for lack of a better term.

Tell what you do? Tell me if your working on it? What are your mental blocks that keep you from playing your best?
 
I have a mental block that I am working on right now....I am trying to keep from standing over the ball thinking "Don't Hook the crap out of it"

I have been struggling on and off with pull hooks most of this year...when I played a fade I could control it much better.

I have been really trying to get over the ball with more positive thoughts...."Hit it here" instead of "Don't hit it there" thoughts...but it's a work in progress.

Great thread idea Freddie.
 
In order for me to overcome them, I have to know they are there and sometimes it's just one of those V8 moments when I finally ask myself "Why do you always do that?" I guess it's like the old saying goes that the first step to overcoming a problem is admitting you have a problem. There are certain things we do on a golf course when presented with the same situation where we just sort of go through the motions.....and self reflection doesn't come into play. Here is a great example:

I played an extremely hard course yesterday. There was a par 5 with a split fairway (middlle was WOODS, not just a few trees) and the left was tight but MUCH shorter and the right was three counties wide. I could have picked the right side and hit three mashies to the green for an easy par. Instead of doing that I go for the short route, hit a push fade on my second shot clipping a tree and the resulting lost ball gave me a double on the hole. <slaps head like the V8 commercial> Why did I DO that?! The thought of going up the right side NEVER entered my mind because the left was shorter. Last night while putting up some pictures of the hole in another thread I looked at the picture from the tee box and realized what a dumb a$$ move that was. I vowed to try to never let that happen again. Between that hole and another, I would have been right on my index on one of the hardest rated courses I have ever played.

I'm going to try to overcome the desire to just go through the motions.

JM
 
TripleBogieTim said:
I have a mental block that I am working on right now....I am trying to keep from standing over the ball thinking "Don't Hook the crap out of it"

I have been struggling on and off with pull hooks most of this year...when I played a fade I could control it much better.

I have been really trying to get over the ball with more positive thoughts...."Hit it here" instead of "Don't hit it there" thoughts...but it's a work in progress.

Great thread idea Freddie.
Click to expand...

Thanks Timmy...I figured we could all help each other out.

For that mental block you have it will just take reps on the new move. But the mind is power and if you say don't hit here or there, chances are it will happen. You're also on a positive path with 'hit it hear or hit it there'
 
I love the idea this thread. Getting out of my own head is half the battle now.
 
My biggest battle is when I'm playing with others of similar ability, my crazy competitive fire come out and I inadvertantly try way too hard. This leads to me overswinging and then all hell typically breaks loose. I usually dont realize it until the round is over. I'm trying to just get myself to calm down and play my game. I'm always in much better control when I play solo and I'm trying to transfer that over to my wager weekend game. ex. Shot 76 solo last friday, saturday I shot an 89 with the crew.

I think this is one of those thing that will improve more as I play. I'm only 2 months into my return to golf so I think a little bit of time will work it all out.
 
I've gotten to a point in my mental game, that I really don't care about bad shots. Or a bad hole, I just learned to blow it off. So what I do to overcome bad thoughts is, I just keep thinking "Thank you Lord I'm even able to play golf" "have a good time" "Your not good enough to get mad" Etc. By thinking these thoughts, it keeps me from mental battles.


Hope this helps!
 
Tadashi70 said:
Thanks Timmy...I figured we could all help each other out.

For that mental block you have it will just take reps on the new move. But the mind is power and if you say don't hit here or there, chances are it will happen. You're also on a positive path with 'hit it hear or hit it there'
Click to expand...

Thanks Freddie...I just need you on the range everyday to tell what I am doing wrong..LOL
 
I have a complete mental block on par 3's right now. I dont know why. I can hit the same iron shot from a fairway and hit it fine. Get to a tee box and hit it fat or thin every time. I have tried teeing it up low, a little higher, and hitting off the deck and it just doesnt matter.
 
My mental block is my driver. If I don't have the confidence with it, and I am on the tee knowing that the drive is the first step for me to be successful at that hole and worried about where it is going - chances are my score is not going to be good. My best rounds are when I do have the confidence in the driver and there is completely no thought process going on when I am standing on the tee box. See the ball and hit the ball.

To get over the block, I have been working on swing tempo and just putting as much practice time into it as I can. Making sure the swing tempo is the same everytime, so I can trust the driver at all times. I am getting there.
 
Mental blocks are hard to snap. Mainly because they (at least for me) tend to change from round to round. Maybe I'm the only one, but that's what I'm working on. I'll find a spot in my game that, while playing a round, is my "fault of the day" and when I get to that specific shot later in the round....that's what's going through my mind. I think it's common nature to have those, and I'm not sure they will ever truly go away, but it's how we deal with them at the time, that makes us a better golfer. So how do I over come such issues? I have to take a step back and tell myself to trust my swing. Easier said that done, right? Let's say I've not been hitting my driver well, but the fault is one sided, meaning it's been a small draw all day no matter what. Then I come to a long par four with a dog leg right...well that won't work with this baby draw. I have to hit a small cut, but my brain is telling, no no no, not today. You have to focus on making the correct swing, you've done this before, you can do it again. Make the correct practice swing, visualize it in your head, do it again, then step up, trust yourself and make the swing.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I think most if not all golfers have had or have mental blocks that holds them back. We know we have these short comings but can't seem to get rid of them.

How do you over come those blocks? How do you make yourself hit an offset irons when you like the look of a traditional head. How do you over come the hero shot and just play safe? How do you make yourself hit the shot you know instead I the shot you think you can hit?

It seems that we get in out own way with our brains. We know what do or what is good for our games but still error on the side of stupidity, for lack of a better term.

Tell what you do? Tell me if your working on it? What are your mental blocks that keep you from playing your best?
Click to expand...

This thread is SOOOO confusing. Tadashi is aking what kind of mental blocks I have and what is going on in my head. ALL WHILE his profile says that HE'S in my head...So. Confused. Right. Now. GET THE PANDA OUT OF MY HEAD!
 
I have a pretty big mental block on the green. I just cannot get comfortable with left to right putts. I just can't trust that I am aimed right and end up pushing the putt and always miss on the low side.

So that leads me to over-reading the break and not even coming close to making the putt. I have been working in this by getting a set routine down and starting the stroke before I can let my mind get in the way.

So my routine consists of reading the green, lining up behind the ball and finding the line I want to hit the ball on, I will then step up to the ball and line the putter up to my intended line, I will then move the putter to the side and take 2 practice strokes so that I get comfortable with seeing the putter head move through the stroke, I will then address the ball again and get comfortable, I take one last look at the hole and my intended line and when my eyes reach the ball I make the stroke. It has really helped keep my head out of it and I find myself making a lot more putts.
 
I'm pretty lucky in that I really have no ego when it comes to golf. I just play within myself 99.9% of the time. I've hit some great shots in my 35+ years of playing and nine times out of ten, those come when least expected.

I jr high school, I had football coach that always told the running back to "hold on to the ball". He never ever said "don't fumble the ball". All of your thoughts in golf have to be positive. You can't stand over a shot and tell yourself not to hit it out of bounds, you tell yourself to hit it in the fairway. If you think negative thoughts, you have little chance of success. Anytime I tell myself anything, it is the thing you want to do, not what you don't want to do.
 
My mental block is compounding one bad shot into triples and quads. It's like once a hole gets away from me a little, I can't get it back under control, and I hit one bad shot after another. Usually fat shot after fat shot. Then, on the next tee, everything is fine again and I get back to hitting solid shots. I will do this a couple times a round which almost guarantees me 7 or 8 over before I even tee off. My frustration at a poor shot is causing me to do something mechanical, but I can't seem to figure out what it is.
 
The mental game is likely my biggest obstacle to improving. It's a multi faceted issue. If I play well, I usually wonder when it'll fall apart, then I get pissed when it does. If I play with guys I don't know that well, I put a lot of pressure on myself to play well and press, which usually doesn't end well, realizing that they're thinking to themselves how much I suck. Otherwise, it's a lot of being way too hard on myself and overly critical coupled with getting pretty fired up on some mis hits.

I've been working on it this season by doing the pro mental coach, which generally helps with focus, that Zen Golf book is pretty good, and mainly I've just played as much as I can with other people. And the more I accept those mis hits and realize they happen, the better I play. Finally, I've been working on focusing a lot more on visualizing my shot and starting my backswing as soon as I address the ball to prevent any tension, doubt, etc. creeping in before my shot.

It's definitely a struggle, but there are a lot of times when I forget all of it and just go out and play well. Just need to figure out how to do that more often.
 
I could write a book on all the stupid junk that goes through my mind before and during a shot, but the worst is simple negitives. I have no fix for it, but will hope someone comes along who does.
 
It's no secret that I've struggled with the mental side of it. I tend to get in my own way alot of the time. I'm a perfectionist and I want every shot to be about as perfect as possible.

One thing I've tried to do is too just except every shot for what it is. Each shot is a new challenge. I shouldn't dwell on how I got there (good or bad), but rather, do my best to get the desired result. Almost like something I'd simulate in practice.

To focus, I've been working on having one spot to aim at and and focusing on it. I have 1 or 2 swing thoughts that I do in my pre-shot routine. After that, it's all about the target.
 
I really stopped thinking to much about anything on the golf course. I let my mind do all the work I just think about where I wanna hit the ball for most the shots. I def stay positive more now than ever which has helped me out so much.
 
Playing golf and taking the ego out of the game has taken me so long to figure out. My last couple of rounds I have played with the mental attitude of playing for bogey every hole and man has it made a difference and my index is dropping, also I am having more fun. I have found myself just being so much more intelligent with my club and shot selection, for example if I have a bad drive on a par 4 and am over 200 out to the green I will "lay up" instead of going with the hybrid. It gives me such a better chance to avoid a big number with a penalties or duffed shots.

Great thread.
 
thedue said:
I could write a book on all the stupid junk that goes through my mind before and during a shot, but the worst is simple negitives. I have no fix for it, but will hope someone comes along who does.
Click to expand...
Dude...if you would stop thinking about those high kicks in your avatar, you could probably shave 5 strokes!

JM
 
GregDan said:
I have a pretty big mental block on the green. I just cannot get comfortable with left to right putts. I just can't trust that I am aimed right and end up pushing the putt and always miss on the low side.

So that leads me to over-reading the break and not even coming close to making the putt. I have been working in this by getting a set routine down and starting the stroke before I can let my mind get in the way.

So my routine consists of reading the green, lining up behind the ball and finding the line I want to hit the ball on, I will then step up to the ball and line the putter up to my intended line, I will then move the putter to the side and take 2 practice strokes so that I get comfortable with seeing the putter head move through the stroke, I will then address the ball again and get comfortable, I take one last look at the hole and my intended line and when my eyes reach the ball I make the stroke. It has really helped keep my head out of it and I find myself making a lot more putts.
Click to expand...
Hi. Here is an odd question. It has nothing to do with putting, address, or stroke, please bear with me.
Are you right eye or left eye dominate? If you are left eye dominate, read the green from a clockwise arc from the ball to the pin. If you are right eye, then read the green from a counterclockwise arc. The reason is the way your brain interprets the information.

Go to a putting green and prove this to your self. Walk you arc about 15 ft off the line. It must be an arc an not a straight line.
 
My biggest mental block is with my driver. Thinking too much about too many things with it. Trying to work on just thinking about making a nice smooth swing and let everything else go. It's tough.
 
Johnny mojo said:
Dude...if you would stop thinking about those high kicks in your avatar, you could probably shave 5 strokes!

JM
Click to expand...

Lol, that's part of my personal positive input!
 
Great thread Tadashi!

My mental block is not trusting my swing ie. I don't trust that if I swing the way I was taught through lessons this summer that I will get the distance I am looking for. This is especially true on the tee box I want to crush the ball wether it be with driver/3wd/or an iron.

I'm working on trusting my swing with club X will produce Y distance if I just put my swing on the ball and I don't have to swing hard/hit the ball hard to produce Y distance.

Playing the safe shot/layup after a terrible 1st or 2nd shot. I'm working on that by thinking how do I save bogey not par, laying 10-20 yds short or more to give myself a shot at hitting the green from there and 2putting. Still a work in progress but I'm getting there.
 
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