Mental Game Tips

[Drifterland]

It seems Like when I'm two or three under I put it on cruise control. Why? and how can I avoid letting a possible 68 or better slip away?

Go ahead and throw out your other mental tips that have helped you and kept you positive.

[ninetwothree]

Are you looking for what other golfers think when they're a few under with a couple to go?

This goes much deeper than figuring out 'what should I be thinking about'

You'll have to search yourself to figure that one out. Its part of your personality and character.

[is2linda]

I just have one swing thought in my mind, depending on what i need to focus most on that day.

to keep myself positive, i try to remind myself the first time i shot my best score, and how much i had fun.

After miss shot, i think about my horrible shot for 10 feet, then forget it and move on to what i should do with my next shot.

[Jay-Bird]

Do or do not. There is no try.

[MiniMoe]

Golf is as easy as falling off a log. Every shot is the same. It does not matter what it's worth, or how much you want the next one.... every shot only counts one. Focus on each and every shot as a unique event. And they all take the same amount of focus and concentration. I don't care if it is a two foot putt, or a 185 yrd shot over water. Every shot requires a plan, every play needs to be executed with the same emotion. If you get lost in the process of picking out a target and hitting a shot to that target, you won't care about results. Results are irrelevant. Everyone has a bad swing. Bad swings are not the cause of bad scores. Bad thinking is more to blame for bad scores than bad swings. Moe Norman explained it as the "Alert attitude of indifference". That means that you are focused on the process and not results. After all, once you hit the ball, all you can do is go find it and hit it again. All that can go wrong is you lose a golf ball. A bad shot does not make you a bad person. So many times we associate ourselves with our abilities in making a golf shot. I have known a lot of jerks that could hit a golf ball a ton, and I hated to play with them because they were no fun. I never judge you by how you play, I judge you by how you react to how you play.

[Dr_Fu_Manchu]

Golf is as easy as falling off a log. Every shot is the same. It does not matter what it's worth, or how much you want the next one.... every shot only counts one. Focus on each and every shot as a unique event. And they all take the same amount of focus and concentration. I don't care if it is a two foot putt, or a 185 yrd shot over water. Every shot requires a plan, every play needs to be executed with the same emotion. If you get lost in the process of picking out a target and hitting a shot to that target, you won't care about results. Results are irrelevant.

That is a great line that I need to remind myself of every time I play

[Jay-Bird]

...I never judge you by how you play, I judge you by how you react to how you play.

I found this one most profound.

[Drifterland]

Do or do not. There is no try.

Thanks Yoda

[Leftygolfer]

Golf is as easy as falling off a log. Every shot is the same. It does not matter what it's worth, or how much you want the next one.... every shot only counts one. Focus on each and every shot as a unique event. And they all take the same amount of focus and concentration. I don't care if it is a two foot putt, or a 185 yrd shot over water. Every shot requires a plan, every play needs to be executed with the same emotion. If you get lost in the process of picking out a target and hitting a shot to that target, you won't care about results. Results are irrelevant. Everyone has a bad swing. Bad swings are not the cause of bad scores. Bad thinking is more to blame for bad scores than bad swings. Moe Norman explained it as the "Alert attitude of indifference". That means that you are focused on the process and not results. After all, once you hit the ball, all you can do is go find it and hit it again. All that can go wrong is you lose a golf ball. A bad shot does not make you a bad person. So many times we associate ourselves with our abilities in making a golf shot. I have known a lot of jerks that could hit a golf ball a ton, and I hated to play with them because they were no fun. I never judge you by how you play, I judge you by how you react to how you play.

This might be one of the best post regarding attitude and play I have ever read.

[David in FL]

This might be one of the best post regarding attitude and play I have ever read.

+1. Extremely well said.