So how do I get better: Improving my mental game

Need to work on some stuff between the ears

This is the part of my game that is going to be way harder to fix. I don’t have a fancy performance coach or a sport psychologist to work with. I guess I could pay for one but if I am going to pay for a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist their focus would not be on my golf game.

In general, I know there are a few things I need to do:

-Think about the process, not the outcome: I can control my practice, my pre-shot routine, and my shot. I can’t control the outcome so I can’t obsess over that or have it get me down.

-I need to be in the moment and to be thinking about my next shot: I can’t be upset or excited about what previously happened, or what my score currently is. All I should be thinking about is being in the moment and what my next shot is going to be. Because that is all I can control.

These are both was easier said than done. Especially the second one, I can’t do that in my day-to-day life, how am I going to compartmentalize what happens on the golf course and change my entire way I think?

I have decided to make an investment in my mental game with a major purchase: a rubber band.

One trick I read about in Paper Tiger was the author’s performance coach told him to put a rubber band on his wrist when he started to think about his score, previous shot, or anything else that wasn’t in the moment to pull the rubber band and hit his wrist. It was a mental trick to retrain his brain and realign his focus.

Possibly sadomasochistic? Not sure but we don’t kink shame in these parts.

The other investment I made was buying a few of the Dr. Bob Rotella books, he is considered the preeminent sport’s psychologist. Maybe his works are the golfer’s version of “The Secret” or whatever bullshit pseudo-science self-help bullshit is floating around these days, but I need to align with some school of thought.