The Best Ways to Use Your Thoughts to Improve Your Game

So many golf experts have said that golf is a mental game, and it truly is. What many golfers don’t realize is how much their thinking shapes their game. In this post, I share three of the best ways to use your thoughts to improve your game.

When golfers reach out to me it’s usually because they’ve been having some long-term struggle with the technical side of their game. They’ve tried every technical solution they can think of with limited results and consider their mental game the last hope.

As much as I enjoy helping golfers find the transformation they seek in their game, I really wish they wouldn’t wait so long before deciding to work on their mindset. The longer you ignore and ingrain your poor thinking habits, the more time and effort it takes to turn them around. Let that be a word of caution to you if you are struggling with your swing right now.

Why You Might Be Stuck

Many golfers don’t connect the dots between the swing issues they’re having and how they think. Why? Because they are able to hit good shots on the range and even the course from time to time. Therefore, the typical conclusion is that the inconsistency lies in their mechanics.

Is this how you assess your game?

If you’re able to hit fairly good shots on the range, and some good ones on the course, this tells us that it’s not an issue with the technical side of your game. You’ve obviously trained yourself to swing the club and hit the ball well.

So where does the inconsistency come from?

That answer lies in the space between your ears. More than anything else, your thinking will impact your game.

3 Ways to Use Your Thoughts to Improve Your Game

There are three things you can start doing today to improve your thinking and, as a result, improve the impact your thought habits have on your performance.

#1 – Start Paying Attention to How You Think

It’s important to recognize where your thoughts are leading you. This requires you to stay on top of how you think before you head to the course, how you think on the range, how you think before, during, and after your shots, and how you think following your round. Your thoughts matter, so make a point to pay closer attention to them.

#2 – When Doubt Creeps In, Take Positive Action

When you allow your thoughts to center around the things you hope won’t happen, or how you might mess up, you open the door to a poor shot. Thinking that you can just push doubt aside and hope it doesn’t impact your shot is not a promising strategy. Facing your fear is the only way to resolve it. And you must resolve any type of fear before hitting your next shot in order to give yourself an opportunity to hit a good one.

#3 – Align Your Thoughts with the K.I.S.S. Approach

Your swing will always be a direct reflection of your thoughts. To consistently play with thoughts that will enable you to tap into the best version of your swing you must follow the K.I.S.S. approach — keep it super simple. What this means is keeping your mind quiet and centered on the things that help you play great. Ideally, you want your thoughts to be focused on the positive aspects of your game and your target. To invite more into your processing space is only going to create clutter.

When you commit to improving your thought monitoring, taking action when your thoughts start pulling in the wrong direction, and keep them simple and centered on the positive parts of your game your rounds will become easier to play.

Leave me a comment below and let me know which of these three strategies you need to commit to doing when you play. I’d love to hear from you!

And if you are looking for targeted ways to improve the most important parts of your game so you can make the upcoming golf season your best yet, I invite you to check out the Great Golf Challenge going on now through May 23, 2020, by visiting – http://bit.ly/greatgolfchallenge

Until next time…PLAY GREAT!