How to Stay Calm Over the Golf Ball

Learn To Keep Distractions at Bay

How does your thinking play out in your score on the golf course?

Is your thinking holding you back from playing great golf or enjoying the game?

Shutting off your brain is not an option on the golf course. You can not just turn a switch off and shut down your thinking.

Your thoughts can help or hinder your golf game. Both the content (What you are thinking) and context (What are the circumstances you are facing) of your thoughts have a big impact on your game.

A golfer who responded to our Golf Mental Game Survey requested help with her excessive thinking during tournaments:

“I can’t seem to shut down my thinking when I play golf. I’m so trapped in my own head that my game suffers and I’m losing interest in playing.”

It’s easy to over think during a round of golf because you have so much downtime to ponder, such as:

  • “Don’t miss this putt.”
  • “There is a lot riding on this shot.”
  • “I need to birdie this hole.”
  • “I have to make up three strokes on the back nine.”
  • “Remember to keep head down, loosen grip, relax shoulders…”
  • “The greens are too slick for me today.”
  • “Take it back slow, smooth, and follow through.”

You cannot stop thinking, so you want to learn how to deal with distractions and quiet the mind. Just as distractions are harmful, over thinking your technique is a bigger problem.

You may not be able to stop negative or distracting thoughts from popping up, but you don’t have to focus or dwell on thoughts that are counter-productive to your game.

PGA golfer Matthew Wolff dealt with thought distractions in an interesting manner at the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Wolff focused on a unique outside noise to quiet his internal voice.

After three rounds, Wolff was 19-under 197 and vying for winning the tournament.

The unique noise that helped him not focus on negative thoughts or overthinking was the music from an ice cream truck outside the Detroit Golf Club.

WOLFF: “I have to give credit to the ice cream truck that was circling the property. I’m not joking, actually. I heard the ice cream truck and I’m like, ‘I have a good feeling about this.’ Just had that little like ice cream truck song in my head. I think that helped me just not think about the speed or the line or anything, just keep my head free.”

You can’t shut off your thinking, but you can choose to focus on something that will clear your mind, enabling you to be on top of your game.

Coping with Distractions and Over Thinking

Music is a great tool to keep your focus off negative thoughts. Choose a song you can hum in your head that can calm your mind and divert your focus from distracting thoughts.

When you notice that you are over thinking your golf shot, stop and restart your routine.

You should only have one trigger or image over the ball for any shot, such as thinking about the shape of the shot you want to hit.


Learn Proven Strategies to Perform with Confidence!

Golfers Mental Edge

Do you suffer from fragile self-confidence after missed hits, playing with strict or high expectations that undermine confidence or the inability to play freely and relaxed on the course?

If you suffer from lack of focus, low self-confidence or other mental game obstacles on the course, you cant reach your true golf potential…

Successful golfers have learned how to perform with ultimate confidence in competition, so we’ve developed The Golfer’s Mental Edge Workbook and CD program to help you do this! 

The Golfer’s Mental Edge program includes the top 8 mental training sessions I do with my personal students to help them boost their mental game and improve consistency on the course.

The Golfer’s Mental Edge program includes 8 confidence-boosting CDs, MP3 audio recordings and an 8-session golfer’s mental edge workbook.

The Golfer’s Mental Edge: An 8-Week Plan for Ultimate Confidence


Boost Your Self-Confidence And Focus With Expert Mental Game Coaching!

Master mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn can help you overcome your mental game issues with personal coaching.

You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone. Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!

What are our mental coaching students saying?

“To play well, you have to believe you can play well. Confidence goes a long way in golf.  Patrick has developed a great system for helping me improve confidence and my overall mental approach to golf.”*
~Brian Watts, 11-time Winner on the PGA Japan Tour

“The mental side is everything in golf—the ability to see your shot or line and trust that you can hit that shot or putt. Dr. Cohn has helped me trust my game and putting stroke.”*
~Frank Lickliter, PGA Tour, Nike Tour Winner

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