The next ten “Tip of the Day”s are being taken from an article by Dr. Bob Rotella for Golf Digest, titled “Inside the Golfer’s Mind.” We’re paraphrasing, changing the language a little, and condensing his typical three to four paragraphs into one or two. This is tip six of ten: confidence begets confidence.
Confident golfers think about what they want to happen on a golf course. Golfers lacking confidence often think about things they don’t want to happen. We’re not talking about over-the-top bravado, but a quiet confidence and the ability to picture a good result and focus on positive outcomes over negatives. “I’ll put this up by the pin” instead of “I hope I don’t leave it short.”
Given two players of equal skills, the one who believes in himself more will win more than not. Even different clubs or shots inspire different levels of confidence: a favorite putter, your trusted 7-iron, or hitting a draw off the 7th tee at your home course.