Golf Psychology

"Golf Psychology" How much of the game is all in the mind?



More than 50%


Less than 50%


Ian.

Id say for 95% of the amatuers it is:

50% in the mind (bad course management, bad swing thoughts, lack of confidence)

40% technique (bad practice skills, bad technique)

5% Ego (I am a 35 handicapper hitting the new titleist forged blade..enuff said)

5% The stupid titleist NXT commercials......I blame Brittain

For the pro's

I'd say its 50% mental and 50% the relativity of their skill compared to the top 100 professionals


Do I make sense. I could write a dissertation on this. That is if I spelled dissertation right.


ed

It's probably about 90% mental, but by mental, i mean how you view the game in relation to your abilities. Inability in learning to play your game is what keeps most people from being better golfers.

I think this poll changes on a daily basis! If your having a good day the mental side is not an issue. But if its a bad day, 100% mental

That was an intersting perspective Okeefe! It is true that we seem to discount the mental aspect when we play well yet see it as one of the main reasons for shooting poor scores!

Yet it might just be thye exact opposite. What we want to do is learn exactly how we entered the state that allowed us to feel effortless and "mindless" in a way. We got out of our own way and allowed our natural abilities to come forth.

Our mind certainly can bail us out of a poor round yet it is when we are playing our very best that we should pay particular attention to as much of our mental game as possible. We only need do this after the round when we review it. This way we can notice our self talk, the way we used our imagination and our overall internal feelings of playing great golf.

This way we develop the mental awareness of how to recreate our own unique optimal performance states.

Hmm, perhaps a bit heavy of a post...yet it's a topic near and dear to me...

cheers all

Golf Mental Game Site

Mental Game Blog

I would have to vote that once you have a repeatable swing - regardless of its form, or the inherent ball flight - then the game largely becomes mental - certainly more than 50%.

I've come to realise the quote is pretty much true:

Golf is 90% mental, and the other 10% is mental.

I have found that on any day where I have had "a good day at the office" I have been really relaxed and comfortable. More often than not, playing with close friends. Plenty of banter/sledging etc during the round. But always considering the rules/etiquette of course....

So, does playing better when not actually or actively thinking about playing mean the game is 100% mental or 100% anti-mental...

As an anti corollary to this is the fact that on 3 separate occasions, during pennant matches, where I have managed to hit what I feel where "pure" shots under the perceived pressure of a first tee situation with more than 50 or so onlookers. Surprising even myself.

Bottom line for me, I just try to enjoy myself and not to over estimate my abilities. That way I don't get overly excited when I hit a good ball and I don't get untowardly stressed out when I hit a bad one.

I just play with what I know I have in my bag...

Assuming you have the skills to lack, golf psychology is really important – I would say better than 50%. To that end, I have been trying to put less pressure on myself and enjoy the game more. The quiet approach works best for me this way I don’t build myself up – to myself – to a level that I find hard to maintain.

The last round out – I had the best ball striking ever – I wish I could pinpoint why, but I can’t. It just comes with the territory.

Other approaches to controlling stress in your life might have some bearing on golf. A positive, proactive and energetic attitude is desirable. If you are too passive, that trait will find its way into your golf game. If I have a bad thought before I am going to swing – I regroup – usually the thought is I am off balance – and I am right.

It would good to read any other tips or tricks that people use to keep their “mental” game under control.


james

I am glad you guys have re-opened this very old thread of mine, as you know this is my strength in Golf.

I have one point to make as it is near winter..............How many of you play "sloppy golf in winter" that just out for a swing attitude..................most of you I suspect.

I keep my score and play every shot even to temp greens as if everything depends on it, it great for guessing yardages as the course is a different lengh...............we always play matchplay for lunch as an incentive to win...........try it and you are working on your mental strengh without even knowing.

To take the point made by scragger about playing better when he's had a good day at work or playing with pals etc..............................my point is why is competition any different, you can only control the outcome of your own game or shot and you are only scoring for yourself.

I personally think most players worry to much about what other people think of them and if they look good etc, I have seen players get up-set because they have just lost the club matchplay to a player with an inferier swing to them, they infact lost the match because they were to concerned about the other player and his less than impressive swing, instead of just playing there own game with what they have, When I play I make an effort not to take notice of the other players swing as humans can also mimic movements without knowing.

Ever played with a poor player and fell apart yourself.


Food for thought

Ian.

__________________
Once you learn the swing, your next step is mastering golf psychology................

An interesting phenomenon, Ian. I see it all the time in basketball - playing to the level of your opponent. I've coached teams that won consistently. By consistently, I mean not only did they win games, but the margin was always around 10 points or so. It didn't matter if we were playing #2 or #20, the outcome would be the same. Now, granted, playing #20 some lesser players were in the game, but the starters couldn't or wouldn't inflate the lead.

I've only coached one team that didn't suffer from this phenomenon. They only knew how to play hard, and to run the system. This team was disciplined enough to shut out the weakest team in the league, 78-0... I've still got the scoresheet (I had it laminated). But it was a team that was dedicated to doing what they knew, and working hard. What their opponents were doing was of no consequence to them - they believed in themselves and their system, and excelled.

As for golf? I'm usually the poor player bringing down the others. But I've got a nice hitting net for the winter, and my Boomerang... I have some pretty good expectations for next year.

__________________
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[quote= Golf is 90% mental, and the other 10% is mental.[/quote]



................and vice versa.................

Amatuers
70% mental 30% is dependent on your ability and desire to practice and seek advice from professionals.

Pro's
20% mental
50% keeping your trophy wife from spending all the winnings
30% determining which upgrades to get on the gulf wing V

In my opinion, it differs between players. I cite the below as percentages of brainpower used for each task in a round:

Top 20 in the world: 60% course management 40% mental strength

21 - 80: 50% course management 45% mental strength 5% worry

81 - 250: 50%, 40%, 10%

outside top pro tours (but professional) : 40%, 20%, 40%

Good amateur (up to 4 handicap) 30%, 30%, 40%

5 - 9 handicap: 30%, 25%, 45%

10 - 14 handicap: 20%, 20%, 60%

above 14 handicap: 10%, 20%, 70%


Didn't get these from anywhere, just made them up to see how people react (but they are how I view the mental approach across the golfing spectrum). In most endeavours, the ability to succeed vastlt depends on mental aptitude, not necessarily physical gifts.

Nearly all tour pros cant really get ALOT better with there games, ball striking etc, but what seperates the best to the worst tour pro's is course management and mental game, so niel i think your about right with that post.

Ian,

More than 50 percent is mental.

I've started collating how many shots I've been committed to during the round, rather than focusing on fairways hit and so on.

I started doing this after reading one of Dr Bob's books. It's interesting to see the percentage of shots I've committed myself to during any given round. After every hole I write down the amount I actually applied myself to. It refocuses me.

Nicole