No one ever said golf was easy. On any given day, it can be one of the most enjoyable activities on the planet or one of the most frustrating. As is the case with most sports, if you’re playing well, it’s generally pretty fun. On the other hand, if you’re playing bad, you can’t help but get aggravated.
Even if you’re someone who doesn’t take the game that seriously, it can be hard to stay calm, cool and collected when things aren’t going your way, and the most important thing to remember when they aren’t, is that you have no one to blame but yourself.
Plain and simple, if you can’t control your emotions, you’re not going to be able to put it together for 18 holes. Golf is played one shot at a time and the sooner you take that mentality out onto the course, the easier the game will get. Use some of the tips below to help you do this.
Have a Short Memory (when it comes to bad shots) – Good golfers have extremely short memories when it comes to bad shots. They could probably tell you every great shot they’ve ever hit but if you ask them to tell you about some of their worst shots, they’ll probably have a difficult time. Forgetting your bad shots will give you confidence and help you keep a positive attitude moving forward.
Remember the Good Breaks – One thing a lot of golfers like to do is reminisce about all that bad breaks they got. How many time shave you heard someone say, “Well I would have shot three shots lower but my ball got a bad kick” ? That’s part of golf. What about all the times that you hit a wayward shot into the woods and it kicked out into the middle of the fairway? Don’t focus on how many bad breaks you got in your round. Just take them in stride and move on.
Grant Yourself an “Angry Period” – Once you hit a bad shot, it’s over. You can’t go back and make it any better. Having said that, the last thing you want to do is carry an angry attitude into your next shot. Next time you make a terrible swing, give yourself a 10 second window after the shot to get as angry as you want and then completely forget about it. No one would suggest throwing a club, but in your mind if you want to get mad at yourself, go ahead and do it. Just make sure you’ve completely cooled down before you get to your next shot.
Have Realistic Goals – No one’s perfect. Ben Hogan once said that he only hit 1 to 2 shots per round that were struck exactly how he intended to strike them. You’re going to have bad holes. Just accept it. If you’re a 15-handicap, don’t get mad if you string a few bogeys together. Have realistic goals to strive for. If they’re not realistic, your only going to end up disappointed.
Have Fun – The most important thing you can do in any round of golf is have fun. You’re outside, you’re with friends and most of the time it’s probably pretty nice. Sure, you can be competitive and try to play well but always keep in mind that you could be at a desk staring out the window wondering when you’re going to be able to get out and hit some balls.