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Saturday, August 10, 2013

Why The Psychology Of Golf Affects How You Play

By Nita McKinney


Lots of golfers endure times when they lose their confidence or problems in their game seem insurmountable. This is rarely due to technical weaknesses, it is usually because of some problem the player is having with the psychology of golf. When the psychology goes awry, then the game can seem impossible to play.

When golfers go through bad patches in their game, their confidence is low, they make mistakes at important times and get nervous when they are close to winning. In fact, many keen golfers quit the game because they cannot overcome these negative experiences. What was once an enjoyable sport can turn into a nightmare for some players.

When players fail to execute a shot in the way they had intended to, it can create a feeling of self-loathing. Many players can be seen shouting at themselves, using curse words or looking miserable after a bad shot. Sometimes they can feel completely overwhelmed by their troubles, believing that no solutions exist. This is certainly true when they miss easy shots.

Much of a golfer's negative response to a missed shot is really a projection of themselves on to the game. They think that because the shot was a failure then they are failures as human beings. Golfers try to tell themselves it's only a game but their subconscious will not accept that point of view. This mindset stems from the failure to live up to perfectionist ideals.

The way someone reacts to failure is decided in childhood. If their parents were over protective and failed to allow them to try anything, then this can lead to the child growing up with a shortage of confidence. If their parents became too frustrated with them whenever they failed, then they might think that failure is too much to bear and so never try anything. If a child grows up with plenty of encouragement from their parents, then they will be able to deal with failure and so keep trying new things and learning.

One of the things you can do to improve your mindset is to think about the worst case scenario if you played badly. Then, make yourself aware of the thoughts which pass through your mind when you do play badly. Don't try to dismiss them, just try to register them. Then make a comparison between your thoughts when you play well and when you play poorly. This will help you to change your mindset for the better.

Building up your confidence is an effective way of improving your psychology. One way to do that is to set achievable goals during practice sessions. Every time you accomplish one of them it boosts your confidence. This confidence gained in practice can help your game during tournament play.

Another way to build confidence is through watching other players of similar ability succeed. Even the very top professionals have role models to inspire them. Seeing other players win can fill you with the belief that you can too. This shows how far the psychology of golf can impact a player's game.




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