Why The Mental Game of Golf is NOT Successful

Why The Mental Game of Golf is NOT Successful

I entered a golf tournament last year.

I do it because I compete in everything I do. 

I was playing pretty well for me heading into the tournament. I committed to lessons, and didn’t have to rely on my athleticism to find a way to make par. I shot 77 the week before, but I was finally ball-striking it well for once in my life. 

It was pretty solid.  I was excited to play.

My short game is my strength and I’m a fantastic putter. If I manage to keep the ball in front of me, then I can play okay. 

Well, the second hole of this tourney, I hit it high right. And high right again on holes four and five. I made the turn at plus 2  and hit it high right on 10 & 11, bogey and double-bogey. 

I was struggling. 

In running, it’s called bonking. In golf, it’s called limping in. Awful feeling. 

Not much changed during the second day of the tournament. 

Champions can adjust. I could not. 

Why The Mental Game of Golf is NOT Successful

Where did my mental game of golf come into play? 

It was secondary goal. It was not as important as just playing well. 

My mental game was not a focus because of how bad I was hitting the ball. 

How could I focus on having fun, staying in the moment, playing it one shot at a time, and letting it go, when I was striking the ball so poorly? 

That is why the mental game of golf is not successful! 

Any mental game of golf goal can NOT be secondary! 

When our mental game fails, it’s because of this reason. It was a secondary goal.

We approach our mental game and mental toughness as an ancillary benefit. We treat it like a stocking stuffer instead of a gift under the tree. 

[Tweet “We treat it like a stocking stuffer instead of a gift under a tree.”]

We all act like our mental game of golf is a nap we take when tired instead of the number of hours we actually need to sleep. 

We do not hold our mental game as a primary goal and that’s WHY The Mental Game of Golf is NOT Successful! 

We try to make deals with our mental game and we do not focus on it. 

We treat it as an if/then statement. For example, IF I’m playing okay, THEN I’ll move on and focus on the next shot. 

Let’s say, we had a simple goal of 1) committing to a shot.

That’s it! One GOAL. 

That’s fantastic, but then we plugged in a bunker on one hole and next sailed a green. We committed to a shot, and it didn’t work, so then, we bagged it! We focused on hitting it better, which means tons of different things, and we floated into an abyss of results thinking. 

We got away from our goal of (1) committing to a shot. 

It was a stocking stuffer. We didn’t value it enough to put it under the tree. 

If our ONLY goal was to commit to a shot, even when we hit it bad, we committed to a goal and plan and what that process looked like for us.

It’s not easy of course, but it allowed us to compete and stay focused. We can accept those results. 

Now, here’s a rub: IF we committed to our goal, IF we stayed with it and did not stray, then we know we gave ourselves a great chance for success. Plus, our mental game goal is 100% in our control. It’s part of our process, independent of  results.  

Players and coaches, we must remember that we are in the process business, NOT the results business. 

[Tweet “We are in the process business, NOT the results business. “]

Let’s say we set a goal to “have fun.” 

It’s our goal because we know if we can simply focus on that, then we usually play better and do not get stuck inside of our own head. If our ONLY goal is to have fun and enjoy it, then it is 100% in our control. We can do that!

However, If “have fun” is just an ancillary benefit or a secondary goal, then once we start to not play well, we bag it. POOF! 

Our mental game becomes an If/Then statement.

IF I play well, THEN I’ll have fun.  Sorry, that doesn’t work. That’s making deals with ourselves, not goals. 

That’s what I see and hear from players and sadly, experience it myself. But, that’s why the mental game of golf is not successful. 

Our mental game is similar across all other sports. If it isn’t held up as a standard and only goal, then it is dependent upon results and outcome. 

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. DRB & associates coach executives and professional athletes. Some clients have included three different winners on the PGA Tour, Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens.