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Mental vs physical golf ratio

baylrballa

baylrballa

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I might be giving too much credit but I'm going to assume everyone knows how percentages work and they have to add to to 100. But we will see.

What percentage of golf is physical and what percentage of golf is mental?
 
Tough question because I think this is really determined differently from golfer to golfer and the normal circumstances at play when they tee it up
 
70 mental 30 physical

The mental ability to focus and repeat a swing is more important than swinging harder or faster.
 
I believe it is somewhere around 90% mental and the other 10% is in your head.
 
80% physical. 20% mental.

With Shot Scope tracking - it's becoming more and more physical. The thought is being taken out of the game, and that's ok.
 
According to my swing coach, my problem is 100% "between the ears."

My opinion is something like 75% physical, 25% mental.

The issue I've seen with this discussion is how we define "mental".
 
It is an interesting question.

My initial thought is 60% mental. 40% physical.

To that, I think the answer has an inverse correlation to age, because 20 years ago, I would have pegged it at 80% mental, 20% physical. But as I get older, the amount of time I spend maintaining each aspect is waxing and waning accordingly.

It really is an interesting question...
 
I’ve gone through a bit of an arc with this question. When I got back into golf i woukd answer it as a lot of physical.

As I got a better swing and touch. I understood just how important the mental aspect is.

Now, as my body isn’t cooperating…physicality component rises again.

The fact were thinking about it…

All mental wins.
 
78% physical 22% mental
 
90% mental, 20% physical because you’ve got to give it 110%.

Serious answer 60% mental 40% physical. You have to be able to execute the plan.
 
For me it's probably 60% mental and 40% physical. I have some mental block keeping me from going full out on the ball when i swing, it's like a mental limiter. I know technique is involved as well, but a little more mental I believe.
 
80:20
physical:mental

I save a bunch strokes through smart course management, but if I was faster or more consistent I'd be a bunch better.
 
Depends on the skill level I would suppose...but I think once you get into the single digit handicaps, it's going to be 80% mental/20% physical. At that point, you've got the tools to do it, it's about mentally preparing yourself and not overthinking.
 
I'm probably sitting at 90% physical and 10% mental.

If my physical swing was absolutely repeatable each and every time no matter what I may have a different answer but my score comes from my lack of physical abilities, not my lack of knowing what I should do.

I think I could tell a scratch golfer what to do and we would end up with a pretty good round. I think if a scratch golfer told me what to do they would get frustrated.
 
I'm going with 60/40 because I've seen some incredibly physically capable people be an absolute potato with a golf club in their hands.

But I guess we'd have to define what percentages mean, and at what level we're trying to get to.
 
67% mental 33% physical.

Mental is doubly important to physical but physical is still a third of the job.
 
example: If you can't bend over to tie your shoe, I don't care if you're a chess grandmaster you're going to suck at golf.

example: If you can drive the ball 300 yards but you're a gigantic spazz, you're going to collapse every third swing.
 
I’d go with something like 70 physical, 30 mental. You can have excellent physical skills and play stupid golf that results in poor scores.
 
baylrballa said:
I might be giving too much credit but I'm going to assume everyone knows how percentages work and they have to add to to 100. But we will see.

What percentage of golf is physical and what percentage of golf is mental?
Click to expand...
95% physical.

The hard part is consuming the right amount of alcohol to set your brain down to the 5% level without having the physical aspect suffering.
 
80-90% Physical / 10-20% Mental. Having a plan is great, but you need to hit the shots.
 
This is a tough one.

I have an above average understanding of the golf swing. I know there is a lot of stuff I should do that I just can't do physically. There are exercises and stretches that can help which pushes the physical metric up.

To get around the course you have to think about things and suit it to what your game has. Once you are set it is all physical. Is it 50% I thought of this then 50% I executed that?

As you get better you have engrained your own swing and know what you can do. I know what I have day to day and more effort has to go into what am I going to do with it. I have more "stress" from making the right decision than what my swing is going to do currently. Does that mean I am more mental than physical? I know when I have sore hips I get more handsy so I can make some adjustments on what my strategy is going to be.

I would say now as a 3.8 cap and expecting good scores I am more of a 75% mental and 25% physical golfer.

When I was an 8 trying to get better I had to fix my backswing. That was 70% physical and 30% mental. I didn't care what I was doing on course I wanted the swing to get fixed then I could start build strategy.

When I was an 18 and had no direction on how to get better it was 90% physical and 10% mental. I didn't really care what was going on and I just tried to hit the ball far.
 
Jack Nicklaus famously said "golf is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical."

Must be nice for professionals at the highest level, but amateurs , unknown. I think you need to be strong mentality to able to hit the shot with some measure of success, not to mention thinking ahead to the next shot and handling disappointments in a timely manner on the course. IF your mind is busy with crazy thoughts, its going to be hard to execute the shot.

A good read: .

The Four Foundations of Golf: How to Build a Game That Lasts a Lifetime by Jon Sherman​

 
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mav52 said:
Jack Nicklaus famously said "golf is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical."

Must be nice for professionals at the highest level, but amateurs , unknown
Click to expand...
This is exactly why I know it’s not 90/10.
 
amarkabove said:
This is exactly why I know it’s not 90/10.
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When physical is second nature it is an easy thing to say. Meaning if your swing is repeatable and you know the slight tweaks to make to change ball flight then mental means more. When talking to someone that picks up a club once a month they are not really unlocking their full physical capabilities.
 
I'd say 90-10 physical over mental. Physical ability is not just how fast you swing the club. Repeating the same swing over and over requires body control and coordination. The best golfers in the world aren't all world-class athletes, but they're elite in that regard. The mental aspect is what seperates good golfers from great, or even exceptional in some cases (Tiger, Scottie, etc.), but it's not required to play the game at a high level. The best mental game in the world won't overcome a lack of physical ability.
 
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