Golf is a sport that can easily drag our mental focus negative aspects of results. Like crabs in a bucket, it is difficult to emerge from playing poorly because our mind continues to drag our focus to what is instantly going wrong. If I was a sports phycologist, I would state that this is the number one mental mistake all amateurs make; we are too quick to focus on the poor shots and overlook the good shots. I am not sure how this trend starts for most players, but I believe that by setting up a mental road block, we can avoid the darkness of negative thoughts and play better golf!
I am a strong believer in the the “law of attraction”. I use this philosophy in all areas of my life including the golf course. By trying to manifest what I want to happen and focusing less on what I want to avoid has help to take my game to the next level. It is as simple as changing our thoughts and keeping the positive results of each golf shot in focus.
For full disclosure, I do wander down the path of negativity from time to time. As soon as I step into that fork in the road, my game starts to suffer. Lately, I have been concerned about my approach shots and how poorly I am hitting my wedges. Guess what, my short game has struggled lately and my bumpy road down the negative thought trail seems to be continuing; until now!
I know I can hit good wedge shots. I have hit a ton in the past; so, it is time to manifest the shots I want by focusing on the positive results I want from each approach shot. I feel like I am entering a ‘deja vu’ moment because I have traveled this journey in the past. Fortunately, I know the trail out of this mental funk. I know what I have to do to change direction in my golf journey to hit better shots.
I will manifest the positive result I want. I will think about and visualize each shot as I want it to unfold. I will accept the results without complaint. I will trust that I can achieve positive results all the time. I will think positive thoughts. My plan is very simple. I use ‘I will” for every statement to avoid any possibility of negative thoughts creeping back into my mind. Being assertive and focused manifests the playing conditions I want and will create.
It is time to start refocusing on the good aspect of my golf game. The path to good golf scores is there, I just have to conceive, believe and achieve the golf shots I want to execute.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
The Grateful Golfer 
Good morning Jim, as we age I think it’s not unusual to have this negativity become destructive. In my case I call it “scar tissue of the brain” developed over decades of poor shots. Fear is a more powerful motivator than optimism. It’s hard to let the bad shots go and reassure oneself that we still have the skills to succeed.
BMc
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BMc
Absolutely! I do try not to let it bother me as well, but some days it is a challenge. I will keep trying to keep the negative thoughts at bay because it helps my game.
Cheers Jim
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What this guy is saying in the video is correct and a great place to start. I’ve heard many a pro over the years suggest drawing an imaginary line behind the ball. Behind the line it’s ok to consider hazards, and lies, and whatever you need to. You have to do that at some point to give yourself the best chance at not finding the trouble. You have to consider things like, I’m hitting a fade and my miss will be more fade so make my aim point a little extra left to avoid the trouble on the right side of the pin. You have to know what you’re planning on doing in as detailed way as you can. Then, when you cross that line and step to the ball, you stop considering anything and focus on target only. Everything you do from that point should be target oriented.
The way I deal with the shot is a little more complex than having just one target. I have a final target, and I have a target line I need to hit to get to it. The line will depend on the type of shot I want to hit. Fade/draw/straight all require different starting lines to get to the target. I fixate on both because I need the swing path to follow the target line and the club face to be pointed to the final target. But those thoughts come before I cross that imaginary line and step to the ball. Once there it’s all about the target(s).
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Kevin
Great approach to hitting a golf ball. The lines you talk about are in my sight line as well. Some days they are a little fuzzier than normal. š
Cheers Jim
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