The Mental Golf Game: Mind Over Putter

Using Mental Golf to Pursue Continuous Improvement

To accomplish that goal, golfers should embrace the Japanese concept of kaizen, or continuous improvement, Valiante says. That doesn’t mean you need to subject yourself to a grueling practice regimen. Instead, the pursuit of continuous improvement should become a game in itself -- a playful pursuit of perfection. As an example, Valiante points to golf legend Ben Hogan, who considered his long hours of practice fun. “You hear stories about my beating my brains in practicing, but the truth is, I was enjoying myself,” Hogan once told Golf Digest. “I couldn’t wait to get up in the morning so I could go hit balls.”

The pursuit of kaizen can also help you shift attention away from ego-oriented goals, such as winning praise from others, Valiante says, and focus it more intently on the game itself.

Use Mental Golf to Overcome Fear of Success

While mental golf coaches focus on fear of failure, fear of success also can be a problem, says Mary Lamia, a clinical psychologist in California. “People may say they’re afraid of failing, but they’re really afraid of succeeding,” she says. “They may feel they don’t deserve success, or they’re afraid they’ll hurt someone else by succeeding. Usually highly empathic people are prone to this. Narcissists don’t care who they hurt.”

To overcome this, become aware of this inhibition in yourself, Lamia says. “Tell yourself it’s OK to succeed," she says.

“Also, think about your attitude toward your competition. Do you feel sorry for them? Are you afraid you’ll hurt them if you win? Be mindful that your attitude toward the competition may unconsciously hold you back.”

Mental Golf Techniques Apply to Daily Life

Troy Manning, a research assistant in the psychology department of the University of North Texas at Denton, works with golfers who are competing at the highest levels, where fear of success doesn’t seem to be a problem, but anxiety certainly is.

“Sometimes in competition they become very aroused and anxious,” says Manning. “So I suggest ways to get into the best possible emotional state. For example, if a player gets anxious when he arrives at the golf course and sees his name on the board, I might suggest finding a way to avoid seeing his name.”

Manning has found that the techniques he teaches to golfers apply well to other sports, and to life itself.

“Controlling your emotions, focusing your attention, using visualization to help you imagine specific outcomes -- I would say these techniques work in daily life,” Manning says. “We’re just trying to apply them to a specific performance situation.”