By Rob Weizer < Back to Golf Tips
“Golf is played mainly on a six-inch course; the space between your ears.” —Bobby Jones
It’s easy to feel confident when you’re playing well, but the real challenge is to remain confident under adversity. Confidence can be learned; it just takes a commitment to develop this skill. So how can a golfer build unshakable confidence? It isn’t a simple answer. We all lose confidence from time to time; the important thing is to minimize the occurrences and the duration of these self-doubt spells.
First, use past success memories instead of failure memories.
If you walk up to a hole where you have failed before and start thinking about past failures on that hole, you’re already defeated. That type of thinking will only hurt your chances of pulling off the good shot. Instead, focus on the best shots and replay them regardless of the shot looming ahead. See it, feel it, hear it and then do it. Have a success memory for all kinds of shots. You can even use non-golf memories to assist you. You have probably excelled at something in your life, such as other sports, school, or work. Store this information in your brain and use it to remind yourself how competent and successful you are.
Next, practice training your body and your mind well.
You must have defined goals on what you’re trying to achieve. Banging balls at the range all day will be a good workout, but more than likely won’t transfer into success on the course. When I hear from people that they hit thousands of balls each day, but can’t seem to make it happen on the course, I have to question what exactly they practiced. It’s like the old saying, “Inefficient management is like straightening the deck chairs on the Titanic.” Practice like you play. I will discuss this further in the future.
Have a good pre-shot routine.
This critical rehearsal will help you to be physically and mentally ready to pull the trigger on your swing. A good routing will help you put your game on automatic, and empty your mind of distractions and any self-doubt that you may be facing under a crucial shot.
Remember, you’re only human.
The great Ben Hogan once said that he hit the ball exactly the way he imagined maybe only five to six times a round. Humans make mistakes; we are not perfect, and we can’t be expected to play a perfect round of golf. Failure is a natural way to learn from our mistakes. “Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” The key is to learn from your mistakes.
The bottom line:
Finally, what really matters is how you present things to yourself to empower you to be your best. To get confidence is to remember the good shots, and forget the bad ones. When faced with difficulties draw upon all you have learned and trust your disciplined pre-shot routine. It means taking every temporary failure as a future stepping stone to success.
Believe in yourself. That’s what being confident is all about.
