Mental Golf Super Power

“The power to question is the basis of all human progress.” Indira Gandhi

Every shot you play is filtered through the questions you ask yourself. You could argue that questions are a bit like lenses...tilt them one way and everything looks blurry, tilt them another way and the path forward becomes clear.

The challenge is that a lot of golfers ask questions that keep them stuck. Asking them in a judgmental way rather than one filled with curiosity:

• “Why do I always mess up a birdie opportunity?”

• “Why do I play this stupid game?”

  
  

Asked in a certain way, these questions don’t really give your mind anything constructive to work with. They often reinforce things like doubt, frustration and shame.

I coached a player last month who asked himself on 3 consecutive holes; "Why am I so s**t with my irons today?!!" This question was followed with chuntering about hitting it well on the range yesterday and needing new irons. I left him for a bit and then on the 4th hole I asked him how he was feeling over his 150 yrd approach to a well-protected green. What do you think he was thinking, feeling, experiencing?

This player was thinking about not messing it up. His confidence was shot, he'd not really identified any solutions about what was going on for him with his irons that day and physically he was nervous and tense. These things are unlikely to set anyone up for a successful shot.

I encouraged him to cast his mind back to his first iron shot and then asked, "what was going on for you in that moment?" After delivering a fair few "I don't know's" this player uncovered that he was a bit nervous and wanting to impress, so he'd actually tried to hit the ball too hard (lifting his head up in the process). Now armed with this knowledge, it was a very simple plan of attack... a bit of breathing to relax him before stepping into the shot, a bit of self-talk to encourage a smooth swing, and a renewed focus on the target. The result being that he absolutely pured his approach shot to about 5 feet.

The questions you're asking yourself don't need to be complicated - they just need to be filled with helpful curiosity rather than judgement.

How to Practice Your Mental Golf Super Power

Like any skill, this takes repetition. I find that a great way to start building awareness with my players, is to get them to start observing other players first (and the questions they're asking themselves).

Next time you’re at the course, listen closely to the questions you hear others ask themselves or each other (and the way they ask those questions). When you hear something like:

• “Why can’t I hit this shot?”

…pause and internally ask yourself: “What would be a more helpful question here?” 

By practicing on other people’s unhelpful questions first, you train yourself to notice unhelpful patterns...and it then becomes far easier to notice and reframe your own.

Try These Questions in Your Own Game

• “What was going on for me there?"

• "What can I learn from that?”

• “What will I do differently next time?”

Questions like these point you forward. They help you focus on learning and growth... the mental ingredients to help you become the best (and happiest) player you can become.

If you're ready to ask better questions of yourself, in golf and in life, let's have a chat about mental performance coaching. You can book your free call here.