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How Much of Golf is Mental?


iacas
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  1. 1. How much of your golf game is mental?

    • 0-20%
      1
    • 21-40%
      0
    • 41-60%
      15
    • 61-80%
      12
    • 81-100%
      13


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I almost called this one "Golf is a Mental Game (Only the Mentally Ill Play It?!)" but I digressed. Wouldn't want any "spazzy" people coming down on me, you know...

Anyway, I think golf is at the upper range of the 40-60% mental choice I've made here. Your golf swing is what it is, and so long as you can control yourself (mental), have a good plan (mental), and so forth, you should be okay. I'd give it a higher rating, but unfortunately, you still have to actually swing (that's physical) - you can't just think and move the ball out there 300 yards into the fairway.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
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I'm higher. actually debating between the 80%+ or 60-80%... but if someone can shoot 69 one day and follow that up with 87 the next day (the same course, the same conditions) - I can't quite believe my body and/or athletic abilities changed so drastically in 18 hours

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I'd have to agree with Rafi. I think it's extremely high- at least for me.

Josh Premuda
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Driver Titleist 905T 8.5 degrees
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Erik is right.. you can try and "use the force" all day but it is still you hitting the ball. I would say around 40% mental because when things go bad it usually starts a train wreck
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I would have to agree with Rafi and say its pretty high up there. I would say when your a beginner its about 70% physical because you dont know enough about the game for it to be mental. You need to at least groom a decent swing and be able to repeat it in order to play the game. Once you get a swing down and can be able to shoot 90 or under, I feel that its about 80% mental. The mind controls the body.
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I'd have gone higher than 59 or 60% in mine, but I like to play a lot of creative shots in a round of golf. I rarely hit a full shot inside of 150 yards. Plus, all greenside shots, bunker explosions, pitches, chips, etc. take physical skill.

I think a lot of that is physical - feeling the proper shot - as well as envisioning it. If you have nothing but stock shots all day, I'd agree that it's a lot more mental. But with creative (physically) shots, I gave more weight to the physical...

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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I think its about 85% b/c if your head is not in the right place you can't play...you have to be confident to play well
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I chose 61-80% and would lean more towards the mid-seventies because understanding what a swing should be like is more important that having raw athleticism. Sure, if you are uncoordinated you'll have a tough time playing golf, but a proper swing is so important. Then, when you've got the basic movement down you need to be able to stick with it.

Golf is strange in the world of sports as getting more aggressive and/or fighting harder doesn't mean you're going to do any better. When I played basketball I could lean on whatever raw athleticism and aggression I had to score points or defend. Not so with golf. You've got to relax and swing less violently/aggressively to have any chance at playing well.

Thats the part that has confused me most about golf... I've got to stick to the fundamentals and swing smooth as opposed to more aggressively. Sure, you can play aggresively but it has to be aggression under control.

What a game!

Jeff

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putting 90%
shots 95%

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I would agree with Rafi and Ben. I would say its upper 80's.

UnLike other sports where there is a perfect way to do something to get the best results like basketball or running, Golf there is no one way to swing. The strokes differ and so really its learning how to control your body and swing depending on the situation which means its all mental.
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i dont think golf is as mental as some people say it is. cuz when u are on the first tee of a big tournament, at least for me, my mind is completely out of it and all i can think of is how nervous i am, yet i've found my first tee shots are just as good as my other ones.

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I think 60 is about right.You still need good hand eye coordination and some stamina to walk the course.The trick is shot to shot forgetfullnes not day to day.I think that is the professionals biggest obstacle to overcome.

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100%

Jeff Gladchun

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3 Wood: Titleist 904F, 15°, YS-6+ StiffIrons: Titleist 695CB 3-PWWedges: Titleist Vokey 252.08, SM56.10 SM60.08Putter: Odyssey White Steel #5 Center-ShaftBall: TaylorMade TP Black / Titleist ProV1xHome Course: Oakland Hills...

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I'd say its between 61 and 80 which is what I voted for. Like people have said earlier, the difference between me shooting just incredible and me shooting terribly doesn't seem to be so much dependent on my physical conditions. And alot of times it depends on whether or not I am playing in a pressure full atmosphere. Because I can shoot out of my mind when I am with my friends and having a good time but put me with three guys who I don't know who are jerks and don't talk and it definitely hurts me in the long run.
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Like with most repetetive sports it is pretty high I would say 60% or more. There are guys who can hit 15 free throws in a row but when the game is going they can't make one of two. Ben Wallace of my Pistons is a prime example. Bowling is the same way.

However, you still have to have the physical swing to get it done. If you have even a slightly repeatable swing, then the rest is mental. I would say the better you are, the higher the percentage.
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  • 2 weeks later...
Close to 60%.

There is a huge physical side of golf that goes into the training of your golf swing, putting stroke, etc....but when you get on the golf course it is about executing that which you have practiced and believing you can do it.

I can close my eyes and take myself through a pre-shot routine and imagine myself hitting a perfect shot. I can feel where my weight is, where my hands are...everything from the setup to the follow through. When I struggle on the course with a certain aspect of my game, I visualize myself on the range and feel myself hitting perfect shots. Golf is a game about feel and if you can put your mind into a state where you're not over-thinking about your swing, striking ball after ball just right and rolling the ball perfectly on the green, you are more than half-way to playing better golf.

Fairways and Greens.

Dave
 

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I definitely don't think it's as high as most people say it is. I've seen enough new golfers swing a club to know that's this game is definitely about more than mental toughness.

You have to be able to keep a solid workout regiment as well as a solid swing.

The mental part of the game comes more into play on the greens. That's really where golfers have to keep their cool.

Without the physicality, people just couldn't maintain any kind of a rhythmic swing.

That's my opinion anyway.
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