Work as hard on yourself as you do on your golf. What do I mean by this?

To be the very best golfer you can be you have to learn to stay in control of yourself on the course. You have to manage your mind and your body. Working on your body, your swing, is only half the battle one. It is only one half of the performance equation.

Work hard on your game and work hard on the soft skills that complement your game. Work hard on your focus, your confidence and your emotional management. Combined they bullet proof your performance skills when you compete under pressure.

  • Practice focusing your mind. We know concentration is important for golf, yet how many of you actually practice ‘paying attention.’ The next time you’re at the range practice keeping your focus of attention on you. Ignore everyone else. If your mind wanders onto other things bring it back to the task at hand.
  • Practice confidence. We know a confident mindset is useful for golf. Do you practice developing your confidence? Take 10 minutes daily to nourish your mind. Exercise your memory – spend 5 minutes remembering your best rounds and your best shots. Exercise your imagination – spend 5 minutes picturing playing your dream game in your next competitive outing.
  • Practice managing emotions. Tuning into the feelings and emotions that work best for you on the course is imperative if you want to play consistently under pressure. The next time you go play do so with a different target in mind. Rather than striving to shoot a score have an alternative goal – “All I want to do today is maintain an emotion that helps me stay competitive.” If that is relaxed then stay relaxed. If it’s upbeat then stay upbeat.