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Mental Fitness: How to Stay Calm on the Course
Published on
Golf is a multitude of things happening all at once. It's challenging, yet rewarding. Frustrating, yet fun. Taxing, yet relaxing.
Sometimes, when your round isn't going the way you planned, it's hard to stay in the right headspace. It's all too often that golfers hit one bad shot and let it derail the next 17 holes.
So how do you maintain a level head when things are going sideways? There are tons of ways. As Nelly Korda recently put it:
"I think perfect is just impossible. You're going to drive yourself mad trying to be perfect, so you just got let it go. I just learned that you make more mistakes when you're trying to be perfect, so I think the way I try to look at it is it's okay to make mistakes and it's okay to bounce back."
We asked our audience how they bounce back from a tough round:
Here's what they said:
While playing, don’t practice. Clear your mind and focus on the course because you have built a swing that will help you play golf.
- 2hevy, Instagram
The most important shot is the next one.
- waylanhang, Instagram
Be grounded in the now.
Don’t think over the ball. Do all that before you address the ball. If you find yourself doing so, step off the shot and start over.
- Jude Marcotte, Facebook
"Be a goldfish." - Tedd Lasso
- Steven Hardy, Facebook
Any miss-hit or bad shot I stay focused and say to myself I’ll get it back on the next one. Maintaining positive thoughts like I’m putting this in the fairway, or I’m making this chip or putt has really helped my game. Just staying positive and not spiraling out of control has helped me.
Trial and Error. Stay positive if something doesn't work for you even if it works for someone else. Everyone plays golf differently.
- jax_the_dude, Instagram
You can’t change the bad shot you just hit. Don’t compound it by being mad at yourself and trying a miracle shot to “get me back on track”. Get your ball back into play and then focus on your next shot being your best shot. Losing focus is the worst thing we weekend warriors do to derail our round.
- Greg Kent, Facebook
The millisecond the ball leaves the club face, there is absolutely nothing you can do. Move on to the next shot. Only 18 perfect shots per round. Rest are technically misses.
- Michael O'Malley, Facebook
Golf is always better than a day in the office.
- Brent Scofield, Facebook
Focus on the process not the result..
You’re not good enough to get mad.
-t_marsh13, Instagram
The primary intent is to have joy. Just comprehend you can enhance your performance by identifying your mistakes 🙌
- nabeeljaved785, Instagram
It’s not a hot streak, it’s your potential!
- Stav Schaf, Facebook
A bad shot just means your next shot has chance for greatness.
- connorwesthaver, Instagram
When putting, stop subconsciously trying to ‘not miss’ and start consciously trying to make it. Most good putters I’ve seen are rolling it in with decent pace. Only die the ball in the hole if you have to, slippery down hill, etc. Otherwise, believe you’re going to make it and roll it in or past by a couple feet
- Michael Friend, Facebook.
