Focus on Your Process, Not the Outcome
Has your level of play plateaued? Are you searching for a way to break out and achieve the next level of performance?
You put a lot of time and effort into your game. When you put in the time, you expect some return for your effort.
Why do some golfers have difficulty achieving breakout performances?
This is the area of concern by a golfer who responded to our Golf Mental Game Survey:
“I work hard in practice, but I feel stuck. My score never gets better. How can I break through my current level of play and reach my potential as a golfer?”
It is frustrating when you know you have the ability. You put in the work and you continue to shoot the same score. You spend hour after hour trying to nail down a near-perfect swing. Even the extra attention to technique doesn’t seem to make a difference. You wonder, “Is there anything I can do that will get me to the next level?”
It is frustrating to put in so much work and not see the results. You feel stuck and you lose confidence in your ability to break out.
Breaking through to a new level is a three-step process:
- Hard work – Your progress will be stalled without sufficient mental and physical work.
- Patience – Nothing happens overnight. You need patience to continue putting in the effort and understand that your work will eventually pay off.
- Mental game – You should focus on the process not the outcome. The process will lead you to where you want to go.
Break-out performances can be difficult and frustrating for Tour professionals as well.
Tyrrell Hatton had a breakout performance winning the 2020 BMW PGA Championship by 4-strokes. The victory helped Hatton break into the Top-10 for the first time since turning Pro in 2011.
HATTON: “[Winning this tournament] was a career goal for me to break inside the Top-10 in the World Rankings. So to win here and achieve that in the same week is very special, and of course I’m looking forward to the Masters. I’ll take confidence from this win into the remainder of the season.”
Hatton has learned a lot throughout the years that led to his breakout performance at the 2020 BMW Championships.
HATTON: “Well, I think in previous years, I just got in my own way… [It’s been] a real learning curve for me that I just have to stay patient; a lot can happen in 18 holes, and I feel like that lesson kind of served me pretty well from that point to win.”
Hatton’s success was directly related to the 3 aspects of breakout play: effort, patience and positive focus.
The path to breakout play requires that you immerse yourself in the process. Committing to the process will take your golf game to the next level.
How to Achieve Breakout Play:
Stay focused on the process. Focusing on outcomes will leave you stuck and frustrated. Avoid comparing yourself to other golfers at your level. Try to improve your game one day at a time, one percent at a time.
Keep putting in the work… Stay patient… And focus on the mental and physical aspects of your game that will contribute to your eventual success.
Need help with the mental game? Please contact us for details about our one-on-one mental game coaching.
Learn Proven Strategies to Perform with Confidence!
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.
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