April 2021

In basketball on a bad night, the player can pass to a teammate to take a shot, and do extra on defense to try to make up for his or her bad play. In soccer, it is very similar and the player struggling can depend on others to pick up their slack. In golf, the player has to still hit the shot, no matter how bad the golfer’s range session was, no matter if the lie of the ball is terrible, no matter if they just hit two in the water, the player must go on.

Be Prepared – Bad Golf Shots are Going to Happen

It takes a mentally strong person to handle the pressures of golf due to how individualistic it is. Wayward shots are presumed to happen, but when they do, it seems the golfer is never ready or it doesn’t happen at a convenient time. How the golfer handles the adversity will affect his or her rest of the round. If a golfer reacts negatively, i.e. throws a club, curses, or even worse breaks a club the golfer has a very small chance to hit a great recovery shot to get them out of the negative position.

Walter Hagan was once quoted saying that “Three bad shots, and one good shot can still make par.” He was absolutely right, but with that being said, it takes a very strong mind to commit to that attitude. Walter was known to hit the ball all over the golf course. He would then pull out the miracle recovery to the awe of the crowd, and walk away with par and sometimes birdie! The more one plays golf, the more one will accept that bad shots will come. Having the confidence to get themselves out of a trouble situation is what separates the good players from the great players of all time like Mr. Hagan.

Learn from Tiger Woods, One of the Greatest Golfers of All Time

When a player is not feeling great about his or her swing, it is important to always keep trying to battle and stay in the match as long as the player can. Not every player in every tournament is at their 100% best or feeling their 100% best at the driving range before they tee off in a tournament. The good from great battle through the low points in their golf game and fight through the struggles. One great player that is known to still play great even when his “best stuff,” isn’t there is Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods is a professional golfer on the United States PGA Tour.

Tiger Woods’ arguably best tournament happened in 2008. He was playing at the US Open while having a torn ACL. The pressure of golf on TV is enough to buckle most players, let alone no cartilage in his/her leg. The crowd watched in awe and sorrow as after every miracle shot Tiger Woods hit, he nearly or did fall to the ground in pain. The mental toughness of Tiger in this tournament was remarkable. Not only was he trying to win a US Open, but he was trying to do it while using his golf club as a cane to walk.

To top the story off, 72 holes wasn’t enough. Tiger Woods went to battle barely walking in an 18 hole playoff the following day. It was because of his mental toughness and will to win 1) he was able to complete the tournament, but 2) WIN.

Without the mental toughness he displayed, it would be impossible to play the kind of golf Tiger did in 2008 and did throughout his career. The average golfer can take a lesson from Tiger, by trying his or her best to remain positive at all times, treat golf as a challenge to themselves, and finally want to win at all costs.

Positive Imaging When Golfing

Having the approach of using visualization and imagery can definitely help improve a player’s thoughts during a round of golf. If you ever watch golf on TV, you will see that some professional golfers close their eyes before they step up to the ball. When they do that, they are using imagery with their mind to visualize the shot that they are trying to hit. The average amateur may see a giant water hazard/lake as intimidating or daunting.

When a player uses imagery as described above, the player is no longer focused on the bad or negative on the golf course. Instead, they are focusing on the positive – what does the player want out of the shot? Where do you want the ball to go and how do you want the ball to get there? Do you want to draw or fade it? Do you want to hit a high or low shot? All of these are things that a player is visualizing before striking the golf ball. It (the positive thoughts and visualization) is a final boost of confidence before pulling the club away to swing.

Keep a Go-To Saying Handy

Some players develop a go-to saying during the round of golf. Golf can get very frustrating no matter what level you are at. It doesn’t matter if you Tiger Woods or someone who just started, when you hit a bad shot it can be aggravating of course. Some players take out that frustration during the walk or cart ride by sitting. Others have a go to saying that they repeat over and over to convince themselves what is done is done. In golf, it is always useful to focus on the task at hand and the present.

One unnamed PGA Tour player had a saying, “You can’t do anything about the past.” He would read this quote to himself over and over in times of adversity, doing his best to focus on the task at hand, which was his very next shot. After hitting three balls in the water, it can be rattling, but maybe that will be a useful slogan for you to remember as well in times of your adversity on or off the golf course. You can’t do anything about the past. Move on, and do better going forward.

“You can’t do anything about the past.”

Anonymous PGA Player

Try to Keep Things in Perspective

Perspective is another powerful tool golfers can use. Taking a step back and realizing how grateful you are to be in a position to be wasting time playing golf. It really is a powerful idea that is hard to wrap a players head around. Using perspective can put a player more at peace. So what if you just made triple bogey on the 7th hole, at least you are to the point where you can play golf in your life. Many people from around the world would switch shoes with you in a heartbeat.

Don’t Be a Negative Nancy

The final piece of advice is to always remain positive. Now this is much easier said than done but if you ever watch the PGA or LPGA Tour, focus in on what players do if they do hit a bad shot. They may put their head down for a brief second, but they do not dwell on it. They push on.

If you are standing over a ball about to hit a shot and still have ‘steam coming out of your ears’ from your previous bad shot, use these three techniques above to bring you back to a positive state of mind. Use visualization to see what you want to do with the ball, repeat to yourself, “I can’t do anything about the past, all I can do is move forward and be better,” and use perspective to realize how lucky you are that you get to play golf as a part of your life. You are extremely lucky!

As stated above, many people would love to be in your shoes. Take advantage of what you have given, and go hit some great golf shots. You could also try wearing wild or cool looking golf socks. This way every time you address your ball, you will see those socks and it will bring a smile to your face, making you instantly feel better about whatever you could be feeling negative about. You can check out this site for some great options for socks for golf.

A study in Scandinavia found that those who regularly played golf in their life lived an average of 5 years longer than those who don’t (300,000 sample size). An average of 5 years is a very long time with life expectancy which shows a strong correlation between health benefits and playing golf. Generally, when you are walking on a golf course instead of riding, you end up walking anywhere between three and six miles. Depending on your size, this can equal out to approximately 2,500 calories burned. According to the FDA, the human body is supposed to consume 2,000 calories a day, so walking 18 holes would put someone in a calorie deficit according to a well balanced diet. This would equal a calorie deficit, which generally leads to weight loss if you were not eating to replace the calories.

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Do You Want to Be Smarter? Try Golfing!

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Another way golf is great for your health is mentally as well. Golf is a cerebral sport. It keeps your mind constantly thinking about something. What to hit on a teebox, how to read a putt, what club to hit out of the bunker, how to play a certain shot are all things your brain is thinking about when playing this great game! Having a focused mind can be good for your well being. It can keep you focused on what you are doing in the present moment rather than something that you are having anxiety or depression about. Playing golf keeps you focused and according to a peer reviewed study can actually release endorphins, which release pleasure in your mind.

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Become a Golfer to Improve Your Social Life

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Golf can also be a social game. In today’s era of COVID-19, social interactions may not come as much as we would like due to having to be socially distant. COVID-19 showed us all how much we crave social interactions whether we realized it or not. After not being able to see people for months and being quarantined, golf was there for us. Golf was something that was constantly open through COVID-19 shutdowns due to the natural social distance barrier. Golf can be a great source of social interaction, because it is usually played with 4 people in a group. A round of golf generally lasts between 3-5 hours and that is a good amount of time with someone. That can be a great source of conversation. Older adults may feel prone to being alone and isolated. Golf can not only be good for their physical health but mental health as well.

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The Ultimate De-Stresser

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Golf is also known to lower stress. If you’re not playing well, golf could increase stress, I suppose (ha!). Interactions with nature and being outside can help lower anxiety, stress, and overall worries of the golfer. When you’re on the course, you can only worry about your next shot, or you’ll never complete the round. Golfing and being outside in nature can be known as “green exercise,” by scientists. Hearing a bird chirp, smelling fresh cut grass, feeling the sun on your skin can all have positive effects on your mental health as these are all things in nature that have a calming effect on the body.
Because golf is such a great relaxant, it has been known and used as a therapy for people battling addiction or substance abuse. Again, going back to using your brain and releasing positive endorphins can have a positive impact on your health. Generally with drugs, you chemically alter the release of those endorphins or happy feelings. Golf can bring those out naturally. Therefore, there is no need for drugs anymore – just golf!

If you want have a chance to live an average of 5 years longer, reduce your stress and anxiety, and get some great socially distanced interactions, golf is a fantastic sport to play.