The Mental Game

BAD PUN ALERT - different strokes for different folks, right?

I'm a bit OCD and can suffer from analysis-paralysis if I'm not careful. I find that I perform much better when I don't overthink stuff.

This may sound like a dumb example but dauntless, I continue: recently I played in a company bag toss (some places call it cornhole) tourney. I decided to make a habit out of looking at ANYTHING other than the target right up until the point where I pull the trigger and start the bag-tossing motion - then I quickly shift my eyes to the target. I was much, much more successful at hitting the board when I took away my brain's tendency to overthink things by waiting until the last moment to frame up the target.

So far the same approach has carried over to the golf course for me. The longer I spend standing behind or over a shot thinking it over the more likely I am to fill my brain with noise ("don't hit it left... let's avoid that bunker... keep your shoulder down... not too fast on the takeaway...") and now I'm screwed for sure. Take a quick look, imagine the ball flight I want, walk up and pull the trigger... that generally helps me quiet my brain and get down to business without overthinking.

I admit I don't really do anything for my mental game other than try to stay in a fun environment even when things are not going well. learning about the mental game I do understand should probably part of our practice routines too but it of course adds a whole other thing to do in an already time consuming and effort requiring game. I am sure learning a lot about the mental part would in the end make things a bit easier but its sometimes being lazy in the first place which causes us to be guilty of taking the easier road even though in the end the extra efforts would pay off. And being guilty of this myself I just admiringly don't see myself learning and reading and practicing the mental game even though I probably should.

I always try to keep negative thoughts from creeping into my mind while playing. I've found that thinking about "not going to the right" before I make a swing tends to result in a shot that goes right. I also try not to dwell on bad shots because it definitely can affect you moving forward in your round.

I really like Mackenzie's approach and concepts. may have to pick that up, thanks for posting moosejaa. couple things come to mind from my experience.

put yourself in more pressure situations. experience is a great teacher. playing tournament golf as a kid I learned to focus on the one shot or putt I'm about to hit and nothing else. that doesn't mean overthinking or questioning yourself, just go through your pre-shot routine and trust your swing. if you don't trust it, then change it.

I agree on short game work. 75% of shots are from 100 yds and in. Nothing builds confidence like a solid short game. Putter is a close second. Up and down can happen from anywhere. errant shots don't hurt as bad when you KNOW you can get it up and down.

Sounds like a book I need to find.... I do think a positive outlook when you get to the course works wonders. Excited to see what else is in there. Thanks for posting on it!

Its funny I posted in this thread today. I just got back from a round. Played the front 9 and to the 13th hole alone. I was on many occasions hiting a second shot just to kill extra time and not run into the groups several holes ahead too fast. Of course any second shots were just for sake of playing while I kept my score always with ball#1. But of about 12 or so second shots (mostly with irons) I cant tell even begin to tell you how about 10 of the 12 were remarkably successful shots vs the originals from ball#1.

I actually played a good back 9 and played most of it with another 2some and of course no second shots but if those second shots from my front 9 were actually my original shots of ball#1 I woud have no doubt shot a new PB today. I began to think of that when I realized just how great I hit those second shots that didn't count for anything. Yet couldn't do it nearly as well with the ball that counted. And that can only be a mental thing.

bendalbey said:

I've been reading Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible by Fred Shoemaker. It has been changing my attitude that I even show up to the course with and is working it's way through my game. I'm playing for different reasons now, and bad shots aren't crushing and entire round like they used too. I'm starting to be able to move on from them.

It's early days still, but I'm finding his philosophies on playing golf ring true in my mind and game.

Click to expand...

Do tell more, what are his philosophies?

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

Here's something I can resonate with. I seem to hit my best shots when I follow something simple like this:

Sandra Gal diary: Pre-Shot Routine.

Leave the complicated swing thoughts on the driving range. Play golf.

And another thing - when you hit a bad shot, let it go. It's over. Gone. Done. You can't take it back. Move on to the next shot.

Start another routine on the driving range - when you finish your drills, even if you have balls left in the bucket, it's over. Say you have to hit 10 shots with four clubs and you have 45 balls in the bucket. Leave them. You're done. Go putt. I don't care if the last shot was the worst one of the day. It's over.

It's part of learning to let go.

mhroche said:

Do tell more, what are his philosophies?

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Fred Shoemaker and Shawn Clement are closely related in their philosophy. Both are all about utilizing your natural ability, focusing on the target, and getting away from technical, position-oriented swing thoughts.

I have been a big fan of Dr Bob Rotella for a long time. Audio books are great for listening to on your way to practice, lessons and playing.

Reading Zen Golf and Zen Putting was a real eye opener too and a big help in relaxing on the tee and beyond.

Basically for me I have learned to accept the result of every shot. No matter where it goes and where it ends up I hit it there and the next thing is to play it from where it is. Past that there is belief in my abilities. I know that if I want to improve it begins with me recognizing self sabotage and stopping it and stopping the "anyway" shots.

Mental game work is needed as much as practice on any other part of your game. It is a skill that takes practice and work to maintain it and improve it.

Mental game will be really harder part for golf people than any others. I think it would not be easy for novices to control all the situation he/she faces in green but should overcome and treat them like nothing after all.

For me, the practice makes perfect all of any works so that I try to have more experiences through practices. I can't say every practice makes me experience every different event but still work for that because I would be more comfortable to deal with it if I have equipped the ability to make better by proper level of playing.

The case I have faced recently was that the putting was not working well than normal so that I was so frustrated and ruined the game at that day. After that, I'm taking more practice of putting for accuracy and boosting the sense higher. Sigh.

Read the book, "Golf is not a Game of Perfect". Everything you need to know about the "head game" of Golf is discussed in that book.

Unfortunately, there's no driving range for the mental side of golf. My own mental prep has helped me lots, for as long as I'm allowed to stick to my own during the game. Things start to go south when I have to baby-sit very new golfers or ultra-slow ones.

theoverswinger said:

Unfortunately, there's no driving range for the mental side of golf. My own mental prep has helped me lots, for as long as I'm allowed to stick to my own during the game. Things start to go south when I have to baby-sit very new golfers or ultra-slow ones.

Click to expand...

That's where "Zen Golf" really helped me. Learning how to refocus when its your turn helps you do all that and still keep your head in the game. I liked his simple strategies for dealing with self sabotage, lipping out putts, and a bunch of other things. Really simple advice makes it easy to follow.

InTheRough said:

Here's something I can resonate with. I seem to hit my best shots when I follow something simple like this:

Sandra Gal diary: Pre-Shot Routine.

Leave the complicated swing thoughts on the driving range. Play golf.

And another thing - when you hit a bad shot, let it go. It's over. Gone. Done. You can't take it back. Move on to the next shot.

Start another routine on the driving range - when you finish your drills, even if you have balls left in the bucket, it's over. Say you have to hit 10 shots with four clubs and you have 45 balls in the bucket. Leave them. You're done. Go putt. I don't care if the last shot was the worst one of the day. It's over.

It's part of learning to let go.

Click to expand...

I read the article and I don't really agree with some of it. I don't believe we all have the same (more or less) skill level and I don't believe when its said its 90% mental. I know mental part is big and probably bigger than many feel it is. But 90% is mental and for the rest we are all similar? This is said from the view of a pro golfer who takes the physical, mechanical parts for granted because its someone (a pro) who all ready has that stuff down to a second nature. Perhaps the skill level of pros are more or less the same and then the word "we" may better fit. But not for the rest of the golfing world imo.

And thinking about grip pressure or the flagstick or picturing the shot in your mind may all be good things but they are still a though and imo is still thinking. I often find it funny and even a bit contradictory how many often say when they golf very well they don't think much or at all. And then they believe thats why they are playing well. But I say -Of course we don't think much but that's because we are golfing very well. When we start to falter is what then can cause us to think. Sure we can get past a bad shot or two with the same logic of "do not over think". But keep faltering and you will start to think. You will start to think what your doing wrong. We didn't start playing bad because we thought, we started thinking because we are playing bad.

Most people don't have the same "more or less" skill set as a pro. We are not able to repeat our swings on as much as a consistent basis. If we did, we would be pros. And we will falter much more often and when we do we will eventually have to think why and try to fix it. None of this discounts the importance and value of the mental game. It may certainly help towards faltering less but we are still going to falter. And sometimes its going to happen more often than others. I just don't agree with how she put things. She starts playing badly, she's not going to think of why/what? Of course she will imo.