While you need to be able to play and hit the ball, you can’t succeed if you don’t have a good golf mental game. I’ve been working with my mental coach, Jeff Troesch, since my sophomore year of high school and I don’t know what I would do without him. He has taught me so many lessons that I’ve been able to incorporate not just on the golf course but in my everyday life.
Nine of my favorite golf mental game notes:
1. The Compounding Effect of Daily 1% Improvements
If you get 1% better every day then in 100 days you will be well over 100% better. When 1% compounds every day, it doubles every 72 days, not every 100 days.
2. Don’t get upset about things you can’t control
For example: If you have perfect preparation and you commit to the shot you can’t, or shouldn’t, get upset if the shot doesn’t turn out as you wanted. There could be other factors at play such as slow greens, slow play, weather, a bad bounce, etc. This is also a great life lesson!
3. Keep your emotions even
We all get upset over a poor shot which means we should be excited when we have a good shot. When you hit a great shot it seems like most golfers expect it, instead of using the positive self-talk like “heck ya Anna nice shot”! Instead, we always focus on the negative. If you can keep your negative self-talk to a minimum and balance it with some positive affirmations, you’ll look like a different player!
4. Attitude is everything
I like to keep calm and composed so spectators won’t know if I am shooting 65 or 79, my body language will remain the same. Now don’t get me wrong, I get upset from time to time. Eventually, though, I became a more calm golfer because I have worked hard at learning how to stay present and not give up! Which brings me to my next point.
5. Stay in the present
Focus one shot at a time and don’t get ahead of yourself. Golf is one of my favorite sports because you can have a bad hole or a bad round but you can always come back if you stay in the present and keep grinding.
6. Stay focused on your target and visualize
On the golf course, there are hazards, blind shots and more to avoid. But you if train your brain to focus on your target, you are going to have a better chance of hitting that shot you envision. If you say “Oh gosh, ok, don’t hit it in the water left,” chances are you are going to miss the shot left. Stay focused on your target.
7. Commit to your shot
A committed shot with the wrong club will always be better than the right club not committed!
8. Law Of Attraction
A positive mind will always get you farther. Find the positive and learn for each situation. For example, you can see where to improve by evaluating your stats. You just have to also remind yourself of the great shots you hit and improvements you’ve already made.
9. Trust the process
HAVE FUN! No matter how you are playing, remember to have fun and believe in yourself!
In addition to working with my mental coach, Jeff Troesch, I also love to read golf mental game books. If you can’t see a mental coach, a lot of great sports psychologists have written books so that these tips are easily accessible.
Here are three mental game golf books that I recommend:
Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella, Robert Cullen
Zen Golf by Joseph Parent
Your 15th Club by Bob Rotella
Anna DePalma
Anna and Armana are two friends who met while playing professional golf on a mini-tour in Arizona. Read about their journey on their Graceful Golfer Blog and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Armana Chanel Christianson is from Nebraska originally. She started playing golf when she was 12 years old with her family, where it eventually grew to a love for the game. She competed in high school winning state and then played college golf at Creighton University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Armana decided to continue her golf career and moved to Arizona. In January 2016, she turned pro and is working her way through the mini-tour circuit and the Symetra Tour.
Anna DePalma was born and raised in San Clemente, Ca. She found her passion for golf in Rancho Mirage, California at Mission Hills Country Club. She still dreams about jumping into Poppies Pond next to the 18th green on the Dinah Shore Course after one day winning the LPGA Major. She is currently competing on the Cactus and Symetra Tour.
