How you can attain confidence in golf

The first step to gaining confidence is you must “believe before you can achieve.” Confidence is not a God given trait you are born with. Confidence is built step by step, though developing basic physical skills is essential to play well.

Steps you can take to improve your round of golf:
You must have a consistent “positive” pre-shot routine.
Thinking about technique and swing mean you are having internal focus. Your focus needs to be “external.” Think more about where you want to hit the shot instead of how to do it.

To have true confidence, you must stay in the present. Don’t evaluate how you are playing because that means you are thinking of past holes. Also, don’t think ahead to future holes.

Think about what you want to happen. You are lacking confidence if you think about what you don’t want to happen. If you say “don’t hit in the water,” your brain hears “hit it in the water.”

Golf is a game of mistakes, and it is important to be able to react positively to your bad breaks on the course. Remember that once the ball leaves your club, the result is out of your control.
We have all hit good shots before, so build confidence by remembering a similar situation where you were successful.

Success breeds success.
There is no such thing as “muscle memory.” Your muscles have no capacity to remember. Memory is in your brain, not your muscles. Build positive memories.

Focus on things you can control. Don’t let course conditions, distractions from fellow players, and slow play affect your attitude.

Don’t let anger get in the way during your round. Anger is a confidence killer. Mistakes are going to happen, and you must learn to accept them and move on to the present situation. If you are angry, you are thinking about previous results instead of focusing on the present shot.

Examine your self-talk. Speak to yourself like you would a friend. You must have positive self-talk.

Remember that confidence in golf can be achieved. It takes practice and positive reinforcement. Having realistic goals is important. A confident golfer has more fun.

Dr. Jean Harris is an LPGA Master Professional and teaches at local golf courses. jean.golfdoctor.harris@gmail.com; golfdoctorjean.com