I am very happy to introduce you all to Matthew at hittingthegolfball.com who has written an excellent guest post on the mental aspect of the game. Take it away Matthew.
You’re an amateur golfer looking for ways to improve or reduce your golf score? Well, you’re in the right place, my friend. Most of the time when a golf player gets serious about their game score, he starts focusing on his techniques and mechanisms of the game. He starts focusing on expensive game gear, reliable golf balls that hit the longest distance, and similar factors. But I’m going to tell you a few mental tips and tricks that are kept in mind by the professional players and often forgotten by the amateur ones. So, let’s begin without further adieu.
- Set Achievable Goals:
This is very important because if you have no clear goal in your mind you are likely to stay where you are for the rest of your lives without ever having to move on from the beginner’s gear you have. Set small aims for making your game better, such as reducing the number of putts per round. Try and test how you can reduce your fairways hit average by say 5-10%. Smaller goals are easier to achieve and motivate for further improvement.
- Missing Is Not A Big Deal:
Amateurs tend to forget that even the professional golfers, the top players and those to whom the course has become like a second home miss. Everyone misses, and it’s alright! You can even miss a few shorter shots, the point is, not worrying about missing is going to reduce the pressure of game off of you which ultimately helps in improving the score. So, diligently aim for a good stroke each time and do not try to get it perfectly.
- Defeat The Holes – Not The People:
In my years as a golf player, I learned that my opponent is not the one walking, playing and chatting beside me. It is the course. This is what a successful golf player focuses on; defeating one hole after another, this is how you step up your scoring game as efficiently as is possible. Golf, in this case, is different from other games. It’s the course that defends and no other people. So focus on the qualities of your real opponent.
- Never Lose Focus:
This is where an amateur’s game goes awry. You see, sometimes players get caught up in chatting when they are playing. It is perfectly okay to talk and socialise with other players, but when you’re standing there ready to hit, your mind better be emptied of everything else. The only thing you should remember is the hole, your target.
- Never Think It’s Good Enough:
I’m not asking you to underestimate your own performance, but honestly, you ought to never consider that you have mastered this art. There is always room for improvement in everyone’s game skills. With each stroke, make a critical analysis of your shots and think of the ways they can be improved in.
Like every other game out there, gold is strictly dependent on the right mind-set along with techniques and good gear. So prepare yourself mentally first before you embark on the journey of taking this epic game on a whole new level for yourself!
Author Bio:
Mathew is a sports coach and a golf expert. He loves playing golf and believes it is the king of all sports. He regularly posts at http://hittingthegolfball.com/.