Does one bad shot indicate your play will decline in the round?
Sometimes, a golfer’s thinking interferes with positive momentum, and their play slowly declines. Have you ever had the following experience?
You are playing a round, and everything seems to be clicking. You are driving the ball well. Your short game is on point, and you are confident on the greens. Everything is moving along smoothly from hole to hole.
Then you hit that one tee shot that veers off course, leaving you with a tricky lie. You try to recover with your next shot, but the ball lands in a bunker.
Thoughts such as “Here we go again” flood your mind, and you become agitated. You expect the worst, and slowly, your game unravels. The positive momentum you experienced earlier in the round quickly heads downward.
In this instance, you have talked yourself into playing poorly. You expect your game to fall apart, so your thoughts and expectations set you up for failure.
Conversely, you can talk yourself into grinding when you are in a rut. You can talk yourself into recovering after a bad shot, triple-bogey, or climbing up the leaderboard after a bad round. I’m not talking about unrealistic expectations but performing in line with your potential.
Effective self-talk has three components:
- Content – Effective self-talk is based on what you can do instead of what you fear may happen.
- Tone – Effective self-talk is positive and focused on the present.
- Believability—Effective self-talk is evidence-based.
You know you have bounced back in the past, improved your mechanics, or learned the mental skills necessary to handle the pressure of the moment.
Let’s return to the earlier example. If your thoughts about one bad shot can cause your game to spiral downward, isn’t it possible that a good shot can create positive momentum?
If your thoughts impact performance, you can use them to build, change, or improve your game instead of destroying your play.
PGA golfer Lucas Glover was No. 72 in the FedEx Cup going into the 2024 John Deere Classic. Only four tournaments remained before the top 70 advanced to the FedEx Cup playoffs.
After finishing T23 at the John Deere Classic, Glover moved up to No. 68. Glover recognizes the key is to be patient and understand that all it takes is one good shot to build positive momentum.
GLOVER: “It could be a shot or a putt that sends you in the right direction, or a shot that sends you the other direction. You never know when it’s going to turn… We can all play this game. You’re never that far away. At this level, everybody is really good.”
Self-talk needs training to become a beneficial and reliable tool during competitive rounds. Learning to keep self-talk positive after unfortunate circumstances can quickly turn your game around.
Check your self-talk as you walk from one hole to the next. Ask yourself, “Is my self-talk helping or hurting my game?” If your self-talk is working against you, find 1-2 pieces of evidence to counter those negative thoughts.
Related Golf Psychology Articles
- Does Your Self-Talk Help or Hurt Your Golf Game?
- How Dustin Johnson Reignited his Passion for Golf
- Are High Expectations Good or Bad for a Golfer?
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