There are a lot of exercises that you can do in the comfort of your home, riding in your car, or while you are working out to improve your mental game. Here are a few ideas; reading, journaling, and visualization.
Reading
There are a lot of great books on the mental side of golf, but here are just a few of my favorites. Dr Morris Pickens "Learn to Win" is a great book on developing a routine and the practice it takes to keep your routine working for you. Dr. Bob Rotella also has a lot of great books on the mental game. Some of my favorites are "15th Club", "Putting out of Your Mind", and "Golf is not a game of Perfect" . However, finding a book that works for you is essential. This part of the game is just as important as practicing any other skill driven component. Reading and re-reading these books will help you to continue to develop your mental game. The key to keeping your mental game sharp is to practice and utilize the points these authors make in their books.
Journaling
Journaling about your golf game can be one of the best confidence builders you can utilize! One way to utilize journaling is to designate a notebook that you can keep in your golf bag. In this notebook you can write in detail about all of the great shots you hit during the round. This will become your great shot "memory bank". Then go back and read these entries to help build confidence in your game.
If you need help building confidence in a certain part of your game or if you did not get to play or practice in a few days you can write affirmations about your game. An affirmation is the act of affirming or asserting or stating something. Writing and reading affirmations each day will help you believe these statements to be true. I struggle with my pitching and wedges and this is one of the affirmations that I use. In Dr. Bob Rotella's book The 15th Club he utilizes an affirmation, "I am a great pitcher of the golf ball. When I pitch the ball it feels so beautiful. I love my rhythm. I love my flow. I just see the shot I want to hit and do it. I love the solid way the ball come off the club. I love the way it sounds. I can feel the club head contact the ball then the ground I love watching the ball hit the green, bite and roll to the hole". This has helped me build confidence in my pitching without ever picking up my wedge. Another way that I use this strategy is by setting my phone to receive an affirmation reminder daily.
Visualizing
Using some down time such as while you are excercising, riding in the car, or in the shower to think about the course you are going to play or preparing to play will allow you to better execute your strategy. If you have never played the course you can play a round in your mind where you were able to successfully execute shots from your "memory bank". If you are going to play in a tournament visualize yourself starting birdie, birdie, birdie and the opposite double, bogey, par. Think about how you are going to handle these situations or what it is going to be like with a one shot lead going into the last three holes. What it will be like to have a three footer to win. If you have prepared your mind for these situations you will have more confidence in yourself when it happens.
Bringing in these three componments is essential to have a more complete and concise golf game. If these exercises are new to you start with small amounts of time, but spending ten to fifteen minuites daily will provide you with a strong mental game!
Thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave comments and pose any questions!
Chase
Reading
There are a lot of great books on the mental side of golf, but here are just a few of my favorites. Dr Morris Pickens "Learn to Win" is a great book on developing a routine and the practice it takes to keep your routine working for you. Dr. Bob Rotella also has a lot of great books on the mental game. Some of my favorites are "15th Club", "Putting out of Your Mind", and "Golf is not a game of Perfect" . However, finding a book that works for you is essential. This part of the game is just as important as practicing any other skill driven component. Reading and re-reading these books will help you to continue to develop your mental game. The key to keeping your mental game sharp is to practice and utilize the points these authors make in their books.
Journaling
Journaling about your golf game can be one of the best confidence builders you can utilize! One way to utilize journaling is to designate a notebook that you can keep in your golf bag. In this notebook you can write in detail about all of the great shots you hit during the round. This will become your great shot "memory bank". Then go back and read these entries to help build confidence in your game.
If you need help building confidence in a certain part of your game or if you did not get to play or practice in a few days you can write affirmations about your game. An affirmation is the act of affirming or asserting or stating something. Writing and reading affirmations each day will help you believe these statements to be true. I struggle with my pitching and wedges and this is one of the affirmations that I use. In Dr. Bob Rotella's book The 15th Club he utilizes an affirmation, "I am a great pitcher of the golf ball. When I pitch the ball it feels so beautiful. I love my rhythm. I love my flow. I just see the shot I want to hit and do it. I love the solid way the ball come off the club. I love the way it sounds. I can feel the club head contact the ball then the ground I love watching the ball hit the green, bite and roll to the hole". This has helped me build confidence in my pitching without ever picking up my wedge. Another way that I use this strategy is by setting my phone to receive an affirmation reminder daily.
Visualizing
Using some down time such as while you are excercising, riding in the car, or in the shower to think about the course you are going to play or preparing to play will allow you to better execute your strategy. If you have never played the course you can play a round in your mind where you were able to successfully execute shots from your "memory bank". If you are going to play in a tournament visualize yourself starting birdie, birdie, birdie and the opposite double, bogey, par. Think about how you are going to handle these situations or what it is going to be like with a one shot lead going into the last three holes. What it will be like to have a three footer to win. If you have prepared your mind for these situations you will have more confidence in yourself when it happens.
Bringing in these three componments is essential to have a more complete and concise golf game. If these exercises are new to you start with small amounts of time, but spending ten to fifteen minuites daily will provide you with a strong mental game!
Thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave comments and pose any questions!
Chase