If you keep asking yourself how do I stop negative thoughts in golf? then stop worrying because this is more common than you think. It destroys so many people’s golf game and with these tips here, I can help you have a more positive outlook on your golf game.
Negative thoughts in the game of golf are something that is often taken for granted. Think about it for a moment – when was the last time you said something good about your golf game, or appreciated yourself, or heard someone else say something good about theirs?
It’s probably been quite some time.
Golfers are far more likely to repent something that goes against them than to celebrate something that goes right. It’s the culture of the game as it exists today.
And this is a problem.
While there isn’t something wrong with poking some fun at yourself on the course, or teasing your golf buddies when they hit a bad shot, but you need to be a bit careful to keep this under control to protect your confidentiality.
If you’re regularly highlighting your shortcomings on the course, you may soon believe that you are as bad as you’re saying.
Confidence is one of the essential things in golf, and positively talking to yourself can go a long way toward building your belief.
There are many different strategies used in mental coaching and sports psychology to many negative thoughts. Some of the strategies are given below.
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Change All Your Negative Golf Thoughts into Positive Ones
Keep this thing in mind that positive thinking doesn’t always occur naturally. Sometimes building the right attitude takes conscious effort.
This is part of the idea behind the concept of learned optimism; you can learn & train yourself to be more positive.
One of the best ways to do this is by paying attention to the conversation you’re having with yourself & learn to manage or edit your negative thoughts. When you have a negative thought in your mind, try to change it with a positive phrase.
For example, most golfers often criticize themselves after a low golf shot with a self-deprecating phrase such as “How can I hit that stupid, How idiot I am” This sort of self-talk will never help and often makes the situation even worse.
So it’s necessary to catch yourself and replace the conservation with a phrase like, “Everyone misses shot, it’s not that bad, let’s accept it and focus on the next one.”
You can improve this practice by journaling. Just write down negative statements that enter your mind over the course of a round of golf in a journal & actively write out the positive message you want to say yourself in place of the negative statement.
Try To Develop A Physical And Mental Pre-Shot Routine That Creates Positive Thoughts
The actual purpose of a pre-shot is to get the body ready for the shot and prepare your mind for the shot. Most golfers are excellent at repeating their routine, but there’s a difference between going through the motions & immersing yourself in the process.
An effective pre-shot routine engages & move the mind in a positive direction. It’s essential to create a clear plan in your mind of what you want to do and apply strategies like rehearsal swings & imagery to instill commitment.
Always revisit your pre-shot routine on the range to get the idea that you’re using your actions and thoughts to prepare you for the shot at hand best.
Practice Your Routine To Effectively Deal With Negative Thoughts
Once done with the pre-shot routine, it’s essential to practice your training in a way that gets you ready for the course and competition.
Play games & set up challenges that create competitive tests to help you learn how to conquer negative thoughts when they occur in your routine.
When any negative thought gets in your mind, restart your routine. The reason for creating a challenging practice environment is to train you on how to deal with adversity.
That allows you to train yourself to behave better on the course.
The more you repeat positive reactions in challenging situations, the more resilient & mentally tough you will become.
Don’t be Unrealistic
Another problem that many amateur golfers tend to encounter on the mental side of the game is expecting too much. Maybe you watch golf all day on Friday, and then you went out & teed it up with your buddies on Saturday.
Are you going to play up to the level of what you saw on TV? Not – and that’s okay. The only standard you should look at is your own.
Remember one thing; you aren’t going to set a new personal best score during every golf round. Some rounds might not go the way like, while others go beautifully.
If you let a rough golf round chip away at your confidence, your thinking will become negative & you might find yourself in a slump that lasts for several more rounds.
Don’t let yourself fall into this kind of spiral. Always keep your expectations in check & continue to work towards your goals.
Power Of One Or Two Bad Shots
It’s easy for one or two foul shots to rob you of many other accomplishments during a round. For example, you are the kind of player who strives to break 80 during your rounds.
You have done it a few times before, but it isn’t exactly a regular occurrence.
And during your last round, you played well for most of the day & had a great chance to break 80. But unfortunately, you three-putted each of the last two holes, missing short putts on both.
And at last, the scorecard came 81 as a result, and you came away frustrated.
While it’s understandable, frustration is the wrong emotion here – instead, you should be excited. You played pretty well to reach your goal, and only the slightest of mistake stood in your way.
So instead of hanging your head, spend proper time working on your short putting, so this kind of thing doesn’t happen in the future.
Be In The Company Of Right People
Surrounding yourself with positive people will play a vital role in maintaining a more positive attitude on the course.
You don’t need to dump your entire golf group just because they tend to be negative, but explain your position & how you’re trying to get better by having an improved perspective.
Hopefully, they’ll understand where you’re coming from, & they may even want to join you in this pursuit.
Negativity is a sort of thing that tends to bond large numbers of golfers together, but it isn’t a good thing for anyone’s game.
It’ll be much better if you can positively think about your skills, committing to improving your weaknesses, and highlighting your strengths.
Golf is a hard enough game as it is, and you don’t need to make it any harder by assuming the worst about yourself in all situations.
So no more saying to your self “how do I stop negative thoughts in golf” from now on I do not want you to have any negative thoughts at all.
Stay positive and enjoy your golf with a good attitude and a strong golfing mentality.