What's the best simple advice you've gotten so far?

[fixyurdivot]

Don't be too hard on yourself, celebrate the good shots, and develop a short memory for the bad ones.

[BNewton51]

Really I think it can't be stated enough, the mental side of the game is the BIGGEST determining factor of if you will get better and shoot lower scores or remain stuck.  So many have commented on that, but it's absolutely true.  Also probably explains why I'm mentally spent after my best rounds.  Which I always realize I got the most out of it in those cases. 

[DaveP043]

32 minutes ago, BNewton51 said:

Really I think it can't be stated enough, the mental side of the game is the BIGGEST determining factor of if you will get better and shoot lower scores or remain stuck.  So many have commented on that, but it's absolutely true.  Also probably explains why I'm mentally spent after my best rounds.  Which I always realize I got the most out of it in those cases. 

I keep hearing about the mental side of the game, but its rarely defined.  So I ask, what to YOU mean by the mental game?  Is it game planning, shot selection?  Is it more emotional, avoiding highs and lows due to past failures or successes?  Is it something else, maybe sticking with a pre-shot routine?

Personally, I do believe that proper planning and slot selection can be pretty important.  The rest of it I'm not so sure about.  Improving my swing has done a whole lot more for me than improving my mental outlook.

[revkev]

It's almost always about the basic.  When things go wrong check your trip, alignment (including especially shoulders), pre-shot routine, stance, distance from the ball (my most common error through the bag is to get too far away from it), ball position. 

The fault almost always lies with one of these and if you fail to check them first you are likely to compound your fault(s) trying to make things right.

In regards to lessons you'll get what you put into them - find a teacher you trust.  Usually they have some sort of special like 5 lessons for the price of 4.  I'd say 5 are ideal if you are willing to put in the work - unless you are going for some sort of dramatic rebuild which makes very little sense if you are just doing this for fun.

 

Good luck - great thread - look at all of the responses.

[BNewton51]

Just now, DaveP043 said:

I keep hearing about the mental side of the game, but its rarely defined.  So I ask, what to YOU mean by the mental game?  Is it game planning, shot selection?  Is it more emotional, avoiding highs and lows due to past failures or successes?  Is it something else, maybe sticking with a pre-shot routine?

Personally, I do believe that proper planning and slot selection can be pretty important.  The rest of it I'm not so sure about.  Improving my swing has done a whole lot more for me than improving my mental outlook.

Well, being a training behavior expert, it's something that distinctly rings true for me.  I guess I have a little more insight into qualifying it, or some may think it's all bunk.  And that is fine too.  

But to explain, there's a couple points that I think define the mental side of the game:

1. Probability and Shot Planning.  Some may view that as a logical non-mental aspect of the game, but it truly is fully a mental aspect of the game that goes unnoticed. Reality is your brain is always at work and you're actually cognitively attempting to focus your mind in on what your "plan of attack" is and execute.  Early on in Golf we probably don't even give it a second thought.  We just step up and hit the little white ball around the green course.  But I think it's a learned experience that we come to realize there's much more to it than just stepping up and swinging a metal object at a little white ball. 
2. Focus.  Focus can be expanded in many directions.  BUT, if you think about the roots of focus you're understanding becomes the elimination of outside forces so that you may focus in on the task at hand.  That could be your friends drinking some beverages and joking while your setting up for a shot.  That could be the joking that occurs with friends during a normal round.  That could be eliminating thoughts of what the text message was that you just got or why someone is calling you while your on the course.  That even could be the weather and your surroundings being taken out of your minds eye while you set up and understand what you're attempting to accomplish. Focus is a absolutely critical aspect of your mental game.  And let's face it, 4 straight hours on average to focus is a tall task for anyone! 
3. Remembering your training and practice.  While much of Golf should be natural and you shouldn't be focus completely on your last practice session or some triggers someone mentioned to you that just learned, there is some credence to all of this.  I guess it's that old practice your game - game your practice mentality.  Cognitively you're programing yourself in every training session on how to stand, what the proper take away feels like, how you play a specific lie, distances for each of your irons / woods, etc.  While you're not sitting there preshot thinking all these specifics your brain is subconsciously processing all those experiences and translating them into the task at hand. 
4. Last but not least I'd have to say one of the most daunting tasks mentally in golf is the idea of staying positive and remaining focused in on "One bad shot doesn't really matter as much as the other 71 or whatever the number is that you had.  The bottom line is, only when you can hit a bad shot and then accept it as part of the process and then focus on the next shot will you be able to overcome the struggle.  Heck, I can remember very early on in my golf life I had very little patience and or understanding that one bad shot didn't ruin my round.  Rather, focusing on that bad shot for the next 6 holes and all the other mistakes it cost me did!  This is absolutely HUGELY impactful on your mental game, and I'd offer probably the most difficult to master.  After all, we set all these pre-round expectations for ourselves and once things go sideways we panic.  Mike Tyson said it best, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face!"  That's exactly what you have to overcome and think about. 

Just some thoughts there.  Like I said earlier, that could be completely off.  I'd also say there's probably a million other "Mental Game" things I could have added.  BUT, I don't think y'all want to hear me rambling on this subject in some long thesis.   Thus the abridged version!

[ballplayer002003]

Spank it, and say BAD BALL!

[Buffly]

2 hours ago, BNewton51 said:

Well, being a training behavior expert, it's something that distinctly rings true for me.  I guess I have a little more insight into qualifying it, or some may think it's all bunk.  And that is fine too.  

But to explain, there's a couple points that I think define the mental side of the game:

1. Probability and Shot Planning.  Some may view that as a logical non-mental aspect of the game, but it truly is fully a mental aspect of the game that goes unnoticed. Reality is your brain is always at work and you're actually cognitively attempting to focus your mind in on what your "plan of attack" is and execute.  Early on in Golf we probably don't even give it a second thought.  We just step up and hit the little white ball around the green course.  But I think it's a learned experience that we come to realize there's much more to it than just stepping up and swinging a metal object at a little white ball. 
2. Focus.  Focus can be expanded in many directions.  BUT, if you think about the roots of focus you're understanding becomes the elimination of outside forces so that you may focus in on the task at hand.  That could be your friends drinking some beverages and joking while your setting up for a shot.  That could be the joking that occurs with friends during a normal round.  That could be eliminating thoughts of what the text message was that you just got or why someone is calling you while your on the course.  That even could be the weather and your surroundings being taken out of your minds eye while you set up and understand what you're attempting to accomplish. Focus is a absolutely critical aspect of your mental game.  And let's face it, 4 straight hours on average to focus is a tall task for anyone! 
3. Remembering your training and practice.  While much of Golf should be natural and you shouldn't be focus completely on your last practice session or some triggers someone mentioned to you that just learned, there is some credence to all of this.  I guess it's that old practice your game - game your practice mentality.  Cognitively you're programing yourself in every training session on how to stand, what the proper take away feels like, how you play a specific lie, distances for each of your irons / woods, etc.  While you're not sitting there preshot thinking all these specifics your brain is subconsciously processing all those experiences and translating them into the task at hand. 
4. Last but not least I'd have to say one of the most daunting tasks mentally in golf is the idea of staying positive and remaining focused in on "One bad shot doesn't really matter as much as the other 71 or whatever the number is that you had.  The bottom line is, only when you can hit a bad shot and then accept it as part of the process and then focus on the next shot will you be able to overcome the struggle.  Heck, I can remember very early on in my golf life I had very little patience and or understanding that one bad shot didn't ruin my round.  Rather, focusing on that bad shot for the next 6 holes and all the other mistakes it cost me did!  This is absolutely HUGELY impactful on your mental game, and I'd offer probably the most difficult to master.  After all, we set all these pre-round expectations for ourselves and once things go sideways we panic.  Mike Tyson said it best, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face!"  That's exactly what you have to overcome and think about. 

Just some thoughts there.  Like I said earlier, that could be completely off.  I'd also say there's probably a million other "Mental Game" things I could have added.  BUT, I don't think y'all want to hear me rambling on this subject in some long thesis.   Thus the abridged version!

The mental game you speak of is interesting. I sum it up more in confidence.

Confidence plays a key role because execution of the shot intended either reinforces or diminishes your confidence. I would go further to say most amateurs fail the execution of a shot, so the memory of that poor shot results in many adjustments to attempt to regain the confidence they can execute a shot with success. The short memory of poor execution comes with confidence that the next shot can be executed with success. 

So the mental game is the process of maximizing repeatable results. The mental game starts with knowledge built from experience, instruction, and practice ingraining confidence that one can execute the shot when it presents itself. It reminds me of hearing a pro caddie saying to his player, "commit to the shot." I remember Tiger talking about hitting his "window."

The opposite would be a "hit-n-hope" approach built on a total lack of confidence which leads to tentative execution and a failed result - always second guessing. 

Confidence in approaching a hole layout and knowing a solution of a shot you can execute results in a confident swing with either a positive result or not. In the case of a skilled golfer there is confidence even in the miss where many times the player knows what caused the negative outcome. This is still confidence, and it allows a player to conveniently forget poor execution on a previous shot. 

A friend of mine was a tour player for a short time. His definition of when the game became most fun was when he would come up on a shot and he had multiple ways to execute the shot to pick his desired result. The idea of draw, fade, knock down, or flop are examples of different shots in a repertoire of a skilled player. I heard Jason Day, in a TM YouTube video, saying he practices an hour and a half everyday on short game. Repeated successful execution builds confidence. And, confidence removes hesitation. 

Anyways, I enjoy the game more when I am confident. I am most confident when I practice well. Even without practice I am confident that my game is not as good as it could be, so I still enjoy playing even when the scores are higher than I like. I can see the lack of confidence in my friends when they play which lead to some crazy scores. 

This is my opinion of the mental game from my observations and experience. I do not remember hearing it or reading it anywhere exactly put this way. I might get blasted or applauded for my viewpoint. My goal is only to offer my opinion as my viewpoint. 

I'm curious what @DaveP043 thinks too?

[BNewton51]

19 minutes ago, Buffly said:

The mental game you speak of is interesting. I sum it up more in confidence.

Confidence plays a key role because execution of the shot intended either reinforces or diminishes your confidence. I would go further to say most amateurs fail the execution of a shot, so the memory of that poor shot results in many adjustments to attempt to regain the confidence they can execute a shot with success. The short memory of poor execution comes with confidence that the next shot can be executed with success. 

So the mental game is the process of maximizing repeatable results. The mental game starts with knowledge built from experience, instruction, and practice ingraining confidence that one can execute the shot when it presents itself. It reminds me of hearing a pro caddie saying to his player, "commit to the shot." I remember Tiger talking about hitting his "window."

The opposite would be a "hit-n-hope" approach built on a total lack of confidence which leads to tentative execution and a failed result - always second guessing. 

Confidence in approaching a hole layout and knowing a solution of a shot you can execute results in a confident swing with either a positive result or not. In the case of a skilled golfer there is confidence even in the miss where many times the player knows what caused the negative outcome. This is still confidence, and it allows a player to conveniently forget poor execution on a previous shot. 

A friend of mine was a tour player for a short time. His definition of when the game became most fun was when he would come up on a shot and he had multiple ways to execute the shot to pick his desired result. The idea of draw, fade, knock down, or flop are examples of different shots in a repertoire of a skilled player. I heard Jason Day, in a TM YouTube video, saying he practices an hour and a half everyday on short game. Repeated successful execution builds confidence. And, confidence removes hesitation. 

Anyways, I enjoy the game more when I am confident. I am most confident when I practice well. Even without practice I am confident that my game is not as good as it could be, so I still enjoy playing even when the scores are higher than I like. I can see the lack of confidence in my friends when they play which lead to some crazy scores. 

This is my opinion of the mental game from my observations and experience. I do not remember hearing it or reading it anywhere exactly put this way. I might get blasted or applauded for my viewpoint. My goal is only to offer my opinion as my viewpoint. 

I'm curious what @DaveP043 thinks too?

I think you did a great job there!  Thanks for the very interesting input.  I found it to be great insight.  How we process and digest different ideas is different for everyone!  So there really is no right or wrong here, but definitely would agree that confidence is key! 

[DaveP043]

39 minutes ago, Buffly said:

Repeated successful execution builds confidence. And, confidence removes hesitation. 

Anyways, I enjoy the game more when I am confident. I am most confident when I practice well. Even without practice I am confident that my game is not as good as it could be, so I still enjoy playing even when the scores are higher than I like. I can see the lack of confidence in my friends when they play which lead to some crazy scores. 

This is my opinion of the mental game from my observations and experience. I do not remember hearing it or reading it anywhere exactly put this way. I might get blasted or applauded for my viewpoint. My goal is only to offer my opinion as my viewpoint. 

I'm curious what @DaveP043 thinks too?

Repeated successful execution builds confidence.  Amen.

So how do you get the experience to build confidence?  Improve your mechanics through instruction, proper practice, and play.  Good mechanics properly learned and ingrained, therefore, lead to confidence.  I said it up there, improving my swing has almost certainly improved my mental approach, much more than any improved mental approach has improved my game.  And I know I say this about full swings, but the same applies to short game and putting.  Make sure your mechanics are good, make sure you practice properly, and you'll get the experience of hitting good shots that leads to confidence.  That's my opinion, confidence comes through the development and refinement of physical skill.

[Buffly]

53 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

Repeated successful execution builds confidence.  Amen.

So how do you get the experience to build confidence?  Improve your mechanics through instruction, proper practice, and play.  Good mechanics properly learned and ingrained, therefore, lead to confidence.  I said it up there, improving my swing has almost certainly improved my mental approach, much more than any improved mental approach has improved my game.  And I know I say this about full swings, but the same applies to short game and putting.  Make sure your mechanics are good, make sure you practice properly, and you'll get the experience of hitting good shots that leads to confidence.  That's my opinion, confidence comes through the development and refinement of physical skill.

Well put! Totally agree. Thanks Dave!

[Jedaigeki]

As a teen I got to play with a "grumpy old geezer" by the name of Michael Lunt a couple of times through my dads playing partners. 

After asking him what he thought of my swing he respoded by asking if I did any painting. I responded no and he said "Well better start if you're interesting in making things look pretty, golf is about 18 numbers and 18 numbers only".

I later found out that he had played in walker cups in his youth and had been a very highly respected amateur in his day.  Those words have stuck with me and while I'm too young to pull of the grumpy sage act I do try to impart this wisdom on those who ask. 

Edited January 8, 2021 by Jedaigeki

[BNewton51]

27 minutes ago, Jedaigeki said:

As a teen I got to play with a "grumpy old geezer" by the name of Michael Lunt a couple of times through my dads playing partners. 

After asking him what he thought of my swing he respoded by asking if I did any painting. I responded no and he said "Well better start if you're interesting in making things look pretty, golf is about 18 numbers and 18 numbers only".

I later found out that he had played in walker cups in his youth and had been a very highly respected amateur in his day.  Those words have stuck with me and while I'm too young to pull of the grumpy sage act I do try to impart this wisdom on those who ask. 

THAT is a GREAT perspective that I hadn't thought about previously.  Thank you for sharing that.  I'm pretty sure that will carry over with me for a long time to come! 

[Nateyeight]

Pro's only hit the fairway 65% of the time, golf is hard, your shot wasn't as bad as you think! Enjoy