Using Mental Preparation to Improve Consistency
Are you struggling with your golf game?
Does it feel like you will never have a good round ever again?
Struggling with your short game or struggling with your tee shots can wear on you mentally…
It feels like once you improve one part of your game, another area of your game let’s you down. For some reason, golfers have a hard time putting everything together to shoot a good score.
Then, finally you have a good round and feel you are back on track. You can’t wait to get back on the golf course…
Your golf game is back and you feel totally ready to put those bad rounds in the past… Then it happens again!
After a couple of ‘okay’ holes, you can’t sink a putt. The past comes flooding back into the forefront of your mind and your confidence vanishes along with your golf game.
Consistency does not mean every part of your game is 100% ‘on’, 100% of the time. If you approach golf with that over the top expectation, you will be frustrated during most of the round.
Grandiose expectations are one of the top causes of inconsistency.
Consistency is a matter of performing within a certain range of efficiency, such as 85-95%. This manageable approach takes the pressure off when shot lands in the bunker or you three-putt a hole or your short game is a little off.
Inconsistent play has affected Phil Mickelson over the past few years.
Coming into 2018, Mickelson had 48 professional wins with his last victory being at the 2013 Open Championship moving him to No. 2 in the world.
Since his 2013 title, Mickelson had played 101 tournaments around the world before winning the 2018 WGC Mexico Championship.
Even though the past several years have been frustrating, Mickelson remained confident that he could return to his top form.
MICKELSON: “This is a very meaningful win. I can’t really put it into words given the tough times over the last four years and the struggle to get back here. To finally break through and to have this validation means a lot to me. I’ve been extremely frustrated knowing that I’ve been able to play at this level and I haven’t been doing it. But knowing where my game was heading into this year and believing in the fact that the results would come, and then being patient and letting it happen, all of that has been an important part.”
Consistency requires that you let go of expectations, remain confident that your game will come, and be patient.
These mental skills will place you in a better frame of mind to be at your best on a more consistent basis.
How to Develop Consistency in Golf:
Be consistent in your mental and physical preparation before every round.
Consistent mental preparation, leads to consistent performance.
Prepare for each round in the same manner, maintain the same preround routine and work to have a consistent preshot routine.
Part of your mental preparation should be to check in with yourself on expectations about score and ball-striking.
Let go of these expectations that cause you to judge how well you are doing every hole and instead focus on consistent mental preparation for each shot.
Start developing consistent mental preparation with The Golfer’s Mental Edge:
Related Golf Psychology Articles
- How to Develop Consistency in Your Golf Game
- Use Your Mind to Improve Consistency in Golf
- Trust in Your Swing to Improve Consistency in Golf
- Subscribe to The Golf Psychology Podcast on iTunes
- Subscribe to The Golf Psychology Podcast on Spotify
Golfer’s Mental Edge 2.0
Do you suffer from fragile self-confidence after missed hitting shots or making mistakes, playing with strict or high expectations that undermine confidence, or the inability to play freely and relaxed on the course?
Successful golfers have learned how to perform with ultimate confidence in competition, so we’ve developed The Golfer’s Mental Edge 2.0 Workbook and Audio program to help you do this!
The Golfer’s Mental Edge 2.0 program includes the top 11 mental training sessions I do with my personal students to help them boost their mental game and improve consistency on the course!