What is the Solution for Consistent Play on the Golf Course?
Playing golf can be exciting and challenging on some days and maddening and frustrating the next day.
One round, you’re nailing every shot and feeling on top of the world; the next, it feels like you’ve never played the game.
From day to day, your ability remains the same. If you are not overhauling your mechanics, your technique remains relatively the same. The variable that affects consistency is often a golfer’s mental approach.
For example, you are playing in a tournament on a course you have played many times. The weather is predicted to be the same throughout the tournament.
In round one, you played a stellar round. You were confident and positive even after a double bogey on the front-nine. When you finished you were proud of yourself and excited for Round Two.
You carried the momentum from the previous day and were on top of your game until the back-nine. A few bad bounces and a couple of rimmed-out putts sent your game into a tailspin.
After the round, you were angry and frustrated. You thought, “How can I play so well one day and so pathetic today?”
The memories of your poor play haunted you into the morning. The following day was even worse, as you just couldn’t seem to break out of your funk.
In this scenario, the course, your ability, and the weather were unchanged. The one inconsistent variable was your approach to each hole and each round.
After your first double-bogey in round one, you were able to reset, refocus, and regain your form. However, the next day, you neglect to reset and refocus.
Bad shot after bad shot from hole to hole became muddled together, causing you to feel hopeless and helpless.
Resetting and refocusing are necessary to maintain consistency.
Resetting helps you move on from the past shot or last hole, no matter if you birdied the previous hole or triple-bogeyed.
Resetting enables you to distance yourself from your last shot and emotionally detach yourself from what happened.
Resetting is approaching each shot as if it were your first shot of the day.
The next step is refocusing or fully immersing yourself in the moment and focusing on identifying the challenge in front of you, creating a plan of attack, and executing the plan.
At the 2025 Sentry golf tournament, Hideki Matsuyama won the title by three strokes. The victory was Matsuyama’s third win on the PGA TOUR within the last 12 months.
When asked about his approach to the tournament and consistency, Matsuyama discussed his mental approach and having a “fresh start.”
MATSUYAMA: “I was able to have a great off-season and get a fresh start this week and play well this week, so it was a great way to start.”
For peak play, it is important to remember that each round provides you with a fresh start. If you maintain a “fresh start” approach, you can let go of past results and give your full attention to what is right in front of you.
The keys to consistency are resetting and refocusing. If you can master these mental skills, you will drastically improve your consistency.
Remember, each round of golf gives you a fresh start, a new beginning, and an opportunity to play the best round of your life.
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