The Mental Game – Golf is Mental

The Art of Patience

Posted on June 20, 2018June 20, 2018 by Golf is Mental

Stay patient. So simple. Why is it so difficult sometimes? I've struggled staying patient on the course at times. In my previous blog entry I wrote about how patience was taken over by frustration in our first round of the Calgary Golf Association's Riley's Best Ball event, which knocked us to the consolation side. Since then we've mustered up a couple wins and found ourselves in the consolation quarter-final match last night on the Hawk course at Priddis Greens G&CC. It has taken me a while to implement relentless patience this season, but I have started to find some recently.

Owning Your Mental Game

Posted on March 1, 2017March 1, 2017 by Golf is Mental

After I published my Goals for the 2017 Golf Season, I had several followers ask me to "reveal my hand" and expand on my mental game routine referenced in that post. I am not an expert in human psychology, but I do take a keen interest in it. Even in the most common social encounters I like to observe behaviours and body language (including my own) because I find it fascinating how our minds work and react. When it comes to golf I find it even more fascinating and I always take inventory of my thoughts in an effort to correlate them with performance. A few of my own observations:

10 Common Sayings You Shouldn’t Apply to Golf

Posted on November 19, 2016November 21, 2016 by Golf is Mental

I fell down a Google wormhole a few days ago searching out some of the most cliche sayings of all time. I had no purpose for this search other than to relentlessly avoid whatever I was supposed to be doing at the time, but then I started to realize that golf provides some strong exceptions to some of these sayings and I thought it would be fun to share them with you. Please enjoy.

Playing Golf With Your Higher Conscious

Posted on October 23, 2016October 24, 2016 by Golf is Mental

The mental side of golf can sure feel like a mind warp sometimes. One day you're in the zone and think you have FINALLY figured it out. At that moment you know you are never going to let yourself slip out of the zone ever again. Then the next day your mind seems to be your own worst enemy. Ugh. We've all been there. My belief is that being in the zone (or not) comes down to a battle between the primitive part of our brain and our higher levels of consciousness...

A Timeless Mindset for Golf

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Golf is Mental

When I think back to playing golf as a kid, I can't recall any bad memories. The first things that come to mind are holing clutch putts, being on winning teams, and truly loving when I found myself in a tough spot near the green so I could show off my touch. Of course, this wasn't always the case. There were plenty of bad shots, plenty of defeats, and I didn't get it up-and-down from that tough spot every time. The cool thing about the mind of a kid is that those things aren't filed away carefully for future consideration like they are once we're adults ...

How Body Language Can Improve Your Golf Game

Posted on May 22, 2015November 24, 2015 by Golf is Mental

When someone is feeling confident, it's common sense that it's likely accompanied by good posture, a smile, eye contact, and maybe even a bounce in their step. Conversely when someone isn't feeling confident, they may have poor posture, will talk quietly, and are more likely to drag their feet when they walk. Is confident body language simply a … Continue reading How Body Language Can Improve Your Golf Game →

Golf: Mental or Physical?

Posted on November 18, 2014December 11, 2014 by Golf is Mental

I saw a tweet today that caught my eye and provoked a lot of thought about the mental and physical aspects of golf. https://twitter.com/OracleRio/status/534768937813426176 Obviously it's intended to be humorous and possibly poke fun at the frenzy of mental game preachers out there who claim the only thing holding you back is your mental game. … Continue reading Golf: Mental or Physical? →

Playing Golf Like a Kid

Posted on September 15, 2014March 30, 2015 by Golf is Mental

Last weekend I played in a two day stroke play tournament out at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club, a private course located near Calgary, Alberta. Although I was going into the tournament without any expectations, I was looking to take some lessons learned from Club Championships and apply them over the weekend. Unfortunately, my scores … Continue reading Playing Golf Like a Kid →

The Going Low Mentality

Posted on July 30, 2014March 30, 2015 by Golf is Mental

When my good buddy and golf professional Myles Johnson from Spallumcheen Golf and Country Club read my latest post about side bets providing a source of motivation on the golf course, he offered an additional suggestion. He told me, "Set a low number with a friend, and any time one of you shoots that number … Continue reading The Going Low Mentality →

Staying Motivated: New Side Bet

Posted on July 29, 2014March 30, 2015 by Golf is Mental

I posed the question in my last post if it's possible for an amateur to stay motivated for every round and every shot regardless of situation. I still don't know the answer for sure, but when Jim from The Grateful Golfer blog made the comment that throwing some money on the line with his buddies … Continue reading Staying Motivated: New Side Bet →