Golf Tips for Mental Mastery

Every golfer, from the anxious amateur to prolific professional, understands the complexities that the sport brings. A round is going well, until disaster strikes on the 17th tee, when one’s ball is shanked into the lake on the far right of the fairway. With confidence severely reduced from the wayward tee shot, a bunker on the far left suddenly becomes vaster, sucking the ball into its precarious pit on shots to come – and thus, a round is ruined.

More from Golf Tips

Whilst golfers do not exhibit the same athletic prowess of other sportsman, the very best manifest signs of exceptional mental mastery, which is just as impressive. Jordan Spieth’s Masters win this year was surely down to his psychological edge; never doubting himself in daunting moments, never wavering when worry worsens.

As Sam Snead once said, “Of all the hazards, fear is the worst.”

Regardless of what Bubba Watson does for the rest of his career, his wedge shot at the Masters 2012 playoff, on the 10th hole, will remain the most iconic; and not because of the outrageous finesse needed for the impeccable execution of this shot, but due to the psychological conviction displayed in his attempt of such a shot at this specific juncture in time – either triumph or capitulate.

Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports

Bubba welcomed triumph, but many have not. Greg Norman’s collapse at the 1996 Masters is an excellent example of an adept golfer succumbing to the pressures of a Major championship, where in this instance, and in many others, mental fortitude is imperative to win the highest honours in Golf.

Having exceptional technique is hollow succour to a man or woman who lacks the psychological intrepidity to allow their body to purely focus on the anatomical movement of the swing in moments of great uncertainty.

Live Feed

Hero World Challenge tee times, format, field, purse, how to watch /

FanSided

Ryder Cup Round 3 Matchup Bets (Expect McIlroy and Fleetwood to dominate)Betsided

Ryder Cup records for every player on Team USA and Team EuropeFanSided

Ryder Cup Odds Continue to Shift After Official Rosters AnnouncedBetsided

BMW Championship score predictions (What will be the winning score at Olympia Fields?)Betsided

FedEx St. Jude Championship payout distribution 2023: Prize money, purseFanSided

Jordan Spieth, thus far, seems to embody this poised and unperturbed individual, who at 22, will inevitably continue to challenge for and win a number of Majors. It is most probably too early to claim that Spieth will be the man to launch the next considerable threat to Nicklaus’ record of Major wins, but as young as he is, with two major championships already under his belt, it would not be absurd to readily speculate, as he seems to have already acquired a potent, mental edge.

Dr. Bob Rotella’s “10 Rules For How To Win Your Major” for Golf Digest, is an article containing an amalgamation of Golf tips, helping to develop ones mental strategy. Number 2 on the list, a passage titled “Don’t be seduced by results” is particularly interesting and worth repeating here. Rotella asks the question, “How can Trevor Immelman get to the 18th green of the final round of the 2008 Masters and not know where he stands?”

The answer – “staying in the present,” “not allowing yourself to be seduced by a score or by winning until you run out of holes. Instead, you get lost in the process of executing each shot and accept the result.”

“. . . not allowing yourself to be seduced by a score or by winning until you run out of holes. Instead, you get lost in the process of executing each shot and accept the result.” – Dr. Bob Rotella

Rotella adds that once Immelman became fully aware of his surroundings on the final hole – that “he had a three-stroke lead over Tiger,” his mindset altered from being “quiet and calm inside to thinking, How can I not five-putt this?”

Thus, an answer to one’s mental woes is to remain “present”, whilst all around you the fear of failure attempts to make itself known. As the very best refuse to acknowledge the thought of implosion, us mere mortals readily understand and concede to the idea of inadequacy.

Next: Golf Will Flourish for Years to Come

More from Pro Golf Now

Home/Golf Tips