Bad golfing attitude…

Golfer gets up on the first tee and sprays his shot into the trees…

“I’m the worst golfer in the world”
“I’m going to have a terrible round”
“Everyone probably thinks I’m useless”
“My golf game is no good!”
“I always stuff up under pressure”

The problem with these thoughts is we start to believe them. They creep in when we’re not looking and they seem logical. But they’re not real, just our imagination working overtime.

Repeat them long enough and you’ll be too scared to take the club away from the ball. You’ll be riddled with fear and be playing well below your best. For many, four hours on the course is full of this negativity and daydreaming.

Here’s the point: A bad golfing attitude doesn’t help. You start linking playing golf with fear. And what’s the point of all this?

You’re hardly going to come into any real serious issues on the golf course. A bad score yes, but death or injury is unlikely.

Further. When you cram your mind full of what could happen or start making stories about what has transpired, you’re getting in the way of your learning system. You’re stifling your instinctive system from swinging the club powerfully and accurately. A bad golfing attitude isn’t just hard work, you’re diminishing the possibility of remarkable play.

Your best best is to deal with reality:

“I hit the ball in the trees”
“I made a double-bogey”
“I’m 5 over the card”

And then move on.

Play. Swing the club. But don’t make up stuff that’s not real. When you start to become aware of all the BS that comes into your head you’re a chance to stop it and then make some sort of serious breakthrough.