So much of the concept of mental toughness in golf is about being able to release negative emotion after the inevitable dropped shot or a missed putt or a poor decision.
When we make a mistake, the emotion we generate as a result can, if left unchecked, get in our way for the rest of the day and massively affect the final outcome.
That’s because golf is as much a game of SHOTS SAVED as it is of shots made.
And let’s face it – we ALL hit bad shots now and then. Not even Tiger Woods is able to control the golf ball 100% (although admittedly, he comes very close most of the time).
And there are times when we all get angry or frustrated on the course, aren’t there…
The problem is that as soon as we allow these frustrations to fester, the more the negative cycle of bad shots and frustrations is allowed to grow.
When you think about it this way, if you can let go of the frustrations and emotions of that one bad shot (or hole, or the front 9), you have a far better chance of limiting the damage and saving more shots on later holes.
See how well you can let go of the negative emotions in your next few games and the difference it makes to your score.
And please leave your thoughts below.
Regards,
Karl
Ps – If you are a charter member, you’ll find the topic just published in the ‘Building Mental Resilience’ course helpful. In this topic, Karl shares a simple but very powerful method to help you release emotions on the golf course. Members can login here (non-members can signup for my MIND FACTOR Players Coaching programme here).
Agree or disagree?
on Jun 24th, 2009 at 12:40 PM
karl. Thought Field therapy is a breakthrough technique for overcoming negative emotions.
The correcting of psychological reversal ( self sabotage) takes seconds and likewise with
other emotions in 8 out of 10 people. Thanks for a great newsletter
on Jun 26th, 2009 at 3:19 PM
Dear Karl,
I have been working really hard on the post-shot ritual for the last few months. Yesterday was a typical example of how my game has improved; a few silly mistakes on the 8th and 9th, but controlled my feelings and from 12th onwards, I pared every hole. For a 12-handicapper it’s ok and I won my competition with 39 pts!!
Thank you again!!!
Marina