7 golf psychology tips

How to improve golf game with 7 simple golf psychology tips

1. Starting at home

   Many golfers expect miraculous advice for their mental game. Mental game of golf is everything but magical. In opposite, golf psychology tips are functional tips. Your inner game preparation should start at your home or on the parking lot of the golf course. Whether you are absolute beginner or advanced player, you should have a goal / goals.
   
   Goals are your way-points on map to your dream destination. For some it’s breaking 100 shots per round, for others, it’s a scratch handicap.
   
   Where do you want to go? Do you have what it takes to reach your goal? Is your body relaxed before playing a round of golf? First of all, do you have the right equipment? Every golf shot depends on combination of 3 things. That is to say, movements taught you by golf PRO, properly fitted equipment and mind set-up – a.k.a. the mental game of golf.

2. Visualization on driving range

   Preparing in advance is the major key for the golf game. Driving range is your friend because here you can assimilate with the environment. Here you can also calm down yourself. However, you should start with breathing exercises at your home. Driving range is giving you opportunity to play the whole course without penalty.
   
   On the golf driving range you can take millions of mulligans and it won’t hurt your score.
   
   Plus, you can replay the less fortunate shots again. What is even more important you can replay them in your head. Consequently, you can take this experience and use it as visualization in real game. Let’s call this hack a mental game warm-up.

3. Tee shot advantage

   While thorough tee shot preparation requires a deeper look into it, the simple version looks as following words will describe. At the first tee, you can fully use your visualization practicing from the driving range. It will be always challenging to make the first impression on… the playing partners? No! On yourself! However, there is this simple hack.
   
   Hit the tee shot with 80-90 percent of your usual power to land it on the fairway.
   
   You may have heard something different before from others. This is the correct one. Many, even pro coaches advise to use 3 or maybe 5 wood instead of a driver. The thing is, your muscles as well as your brain are not warmed up properly yet. Therefore the wise advice is not in the type of the club but in the type of the shot you make.

4. Safe course management

   Let’s be real, you are not Tiger, Jack, or Bubba yet. There is course management for professional golfers and there is one for you. Go back to the driving range and ask yourself following question. Are you hitting better shots from the fairway grass (or pad) or from the sand or maybe even from rocks?
   
   Fairway is the safe ground for your game.
   
   Use it therefore as your advantage. Playing golf round usually isn’t longest drive competition. What matters for your game is final score rather than the amount of power you’re adding to the shot. Think wisely and your approach will soon show results. P.s. On the other hand, try that longest drive contest on that one hole from time to time.

5. Positive putting edge

   The green is a place where you need to rationalize more than anywhere else. As every other shot, the putt is starting immediately after your last shot. One of your super-powers in the whole game is positive thinking. Fuel up yourself with positive thoughts. In other words, start describing your shot as well-played. Practicing of a visualization pays-off, especially here.
   
   Mental game of putting consists of 3 things – practicing, positive thinking and physics.
   
   You need to practice putting with a specialist. Beginner, amateur, weekend golfer or not, there is one good reason to do so. Accurate practicing of putting rejects incorrect ways of doing it. This way will take care of physics, plus it gives you even more. That is to say, the control over actual situation and no yips or whatsoever.

6. Bulletproof self-confidence

   Once you will start to gain control over your emotions you will enter another level. In other words, you will never have to worry about things such as yips or meltdown. What I mean by that is so simple and yet many times overlooked. Your mind will remain calm because you are prepared for majority of possible scenarios.
   
   You are relaxed, your equipment is correct, you are thinking positively and you practiced in accurate way.
   
   The peace in mind starts from fully checked list of things you prepared in advance. However, always have on your mind that there is difference between big and healthy confidence. Healthy self-confident person knows its limitations. Moreover, healthy self-confident person knows how to widen these borders with proper preparation.

7. Control over other players

   How to get control over other players? Can’t you or can you? Actually, you can gain control over them in one way only. First of all, there is no need to take care about anybody else. When they will see, that you are remaining calm despite the challenges, they may break by them selves.
   
   Control yourself and you will gain control over other players.
   
   To the extent of my knowledge, there is no scientific proof that their thoughts can control the trajectory of flight of your ball. On the other hand, the question is somewhere else. Are you building your game or someone else’s? It is always you and your game. The others are just your next fans, anyway.