Does Your Self-Talk Generally Work for or Against You?
Sometimes, golfers think thoughts are just thoughts and have little bearing on how well they play. However, imagine telling yourself over and over, “I can’t sink these short putts” as you are standing over a four-foot putt on the 18th hole.
Do you really think that repetitive thought wouldn’t lessen your chances of sinking that putt? Self-talk significantly impacts your confidence.
A collegiate golfer who responded to our Golf Mental Game survey asked: “How do I keep from ruining my round when I’m in contention during the last few holes?”
The problem can be seen in your question. If you were to reword your question in a statement, it would read, “I keep ruining my round when I’m in contention during the last few holes.” This thought plays on a constant loop in your mind when you find yourself in similar circumstances.
For example, you are staring down a five-foot putt on the 17th hole to stay tied on top of the leaderboard. The thought “I keep ruining my rounds during the last few holes” pops up.
Whenever you try to focus on your putt, you are brought back to your original thought of past failures. Your hands tighten, and your heart pounds. Instead of a smooth stroke, you just poke at the ball and leave the ball a foot short of the hole.
You responded exactly according to your thoughts. The solution is to consciously bring up times in the past when you executed under pressure, played at your peak, or closed out a round for a top finish.
Focusing on thoughts based on past successes is powerful. Positive, conscious self-directed talk fosters confidence, removes fear, and minimizes thought distractions.
PGA golfer Ben Griffin’s use of positive self-talk has elevated his game. At the team-format 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Griffin and his partner, Andrew Novak, beat brothers Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard by a stroke to give Griffin his first PGA Tour trophy.
Though Griffin has not won an individual title, he reminds himself that he is a champion through self-talk. This simple positive statement has helped Griffin remain confident at the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge.
Griffin entered the final round in a tie with Matti Schmid. It was the third time this season that Griffin held the 54-hole lead in an individual event. On the two prior occasions, Griffin fell short, but not this time.
Griffin, whose confidence was at an all-time high, battled throughout the last day to earn his first individual title.
GRIFFIN: “I’m a PGA Tour winner now, so that helps. I’m going into [the last round] very confident… It seems like me and Matti are going to duel it out tomorrow based on the way the leaderboard is. So, yeah, the pedal is going to be down.”
Your self-talk shapes how you perform under pressure. If your self-talk centers on fear, past failures, or doubt, you’re unconsciously programming yourself to repeat those same outcomes.
On the other hand, intentional, confident self-talk, grounded in your past successes, can calm your nerves, sharpen your focus, and elevate your performance when it matters most.
What you say to yourself matters, especially in crunch time.Before each round, identify one or two confident moments from your past and summarize each in a short, positive statement. When pressure builds, revisit those successes and repeat your positive, empowering self-statements to stay focused and confident.
Related Golf Psychology Articles
- Does Your Self-Talk Help or Hurt Your Golf Game?
- How Self-Talk Can Improve Golf Performance
- Improve Self-Talk for Golfers
- Subscribe to The Golf Psychology Podcast on iTunes
- Subscribe to The Golf Psychology Podcast on Spotify
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