How confident are you in your golf game? Do you know exactly what shot to play in every situation? Well if you do, I think you should start sharing your secret! Stop holding back and start growing the game by expanding the knowledge and understanding of frustrated golfing fanatics!

The plethora of influences on your game is astounding. Depending on the moment, many amateurs can quickly become overwhelmed and lose their confidence to make any shot. They forget all their strengths and focus on what not to do, the result they do not want, or convince themselves that it does not matter because they are going to flub it anyway! Does golf really have to be this way?
DR. BOB ROTELLA, writing for Golf Digest, has ten things that will build confidence in any golfer. Rotella suggests:  “I believe every golfer has the potential to be much better than he or she is, and that using the mind is one essential way to improve. You will never know if you have the ability to be the best player in the world, or the best player in your club, unless you commit yourself to developing both your physical and mental skills.” Rotella’s top points to build your confidence are:

• Play to play great. Don’t play not to play poorly.
• Love the challenge of the day, whatever it may be.
• Get out of results and get into process.
• Know that nothing will bother or upset you on the golf course, and you will be in a great state of mind for every shot.
• Playing with a feeling that the outcome doesn’t matter is always preferable to caring too much.
• Believe fully in yourself so you can play freely.
• See where you want the ball to go before every shot.
• Be decisive, committed and clear.
• Be your own best friend.
• Love your wedge and your putter.

These are all great points, but how exactly do I carry out Rotella’s wisdom into my game? I could go on about practice, reading, watching videos, or taking lessons, however we have already discussed these points at the Grateful Golfer. They are part of the process and should not be ignored; yet there is an over-arching skill that every golfer should manifest or nurture to be successful; Stay mindful and in the moment!

Staying mindful and in the moment will lower your golf scores. This seemingly simple concept is more challenging than it sounds. In golf being mindful is a 4-hour journey that challenges your concentration and focus to its limits. It helps you use your developed skills and identifies areas for improvement. Mindfulness on the course helps you incorporate Rotella’s points without thinking; it helps you focus on your strengths; improves course management; and most of all it helps us notice those seemingly obscure influences that crop up from time to time.

Being mindful will grow your confidence. It addresses all aspects of your game and helps you navigate challenging situations on the course. Being mindful helped propel my game from consistently shooting in the 80s, to the 70s. My plan is to focus more effort on being mindful to help reach my goal of being a scratch golfer!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!