How many times have we hit a poor shot only to follow it up with another one. “Freud called this the repetition compulsion: We feel driven to repeat mistakes from the past in the hopes that this time the situation will work out differently, but it rarely does. To break free, you must identify the pattern.” In other words doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Sound familiar?

“The reason can be found in the way our brain processes information and creates templates that we refer to again and again. These templates are essentially shortcuts, which help us make decisions in the real world. But these shortcuts, known as heuristics, can also make us repeat our errors.” (Sciencealert.com) Our brains not allowing us to forget about the recent error is a pattern most golfers develop in the early stages of their game. I have walked this path many times, however my experience has empowered me to be more forgiving and to move onto the next shot with focusing on my previous one.

Trying to immediately ‘get back’ the lost strokes is definitely path to destruction that amateurs follow regularly. We forget about the long game and panic as if our score on the next hole will decide the fate of the world. Of course we know it does not, but that does not prevent us from placing more emphasis on the poor golf hole than necessary. So, what is the solution? How do we recover from a poor golf hole and break the pattern of repeating the same mistakes?

The key to stop repeating history is developing a winning mindset. The positive self-talk to bucks up our game is critical to not following up a poor hole with a poor hole. Many years ago, I decided that developing a winning mindset is part of developing a successful mindset in golf. Changing how we look at each stroke is important to executing the right shot under pressure. Focusing on the positive aspects of your golf swing will strengthen your mind and develop the positive results expected while playing. This positive/winning mindset is not something I came up with, it is espoused at all levels of golf.

Developing a positive/winning mindset starts now. It takes focused effort to change our thoughts, however when successful it will change how we play golf. The mind and body are connected in all things, especially golf. If you want to hit a good shot after a bad hole, then start by developing a positive/winning mindset. It worked for me and should work for you.

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