Why The Psychology of Golf is So Difficult And How To Master It

There’s a reason why the psychology of golf is so difficult to master. It’s because in any sport, the more point of contact you have with the ball, the easier it is for you to concentrate. For example: in tennis, basketball, and volleyball you have a lot more contact with the ball than in golf. Even in hockey, where the best players only handle the puck for approximately 14 seconds a game, this is more point of contact than in golf.

In golf you only make contact with the ball for fractions of a second over 4-5 hours. Plus while golf is a highly competitive game, it’s also a social game. You can play by yourself, but we usually play in two-somes and four-somes where you socialize. And finally: there is the distraction of bad shots, especially if you are a recreational player. We lose our focus on the present, and start thinking about past and future shots.

That’s why I say that psychology of golf is so difficult: it demands total concentration under extraordinary circumstances.

Arnold Palmer remembers losing the Masters because he broke his concentration for only a moment: ‘As I walked down the fairway approaching my second shot, a friend of mine in the gallery hollered at me and I violated one of the golden rules of playing tournament golf. I walked over to him and shook hands. By doing that, I lost my total concentration and ended up making a six on 18, and lost the Masters. That was devastating.’*

One of the best ways to improve your concentration is to take a lesson from the best heart surgeons in the world. Coronary bypass (heart) surgery lasts an average of 5 hours, and it’s typical for these surgeons to do 3 of these a day. That means they are doing 10-15 hours of operating a day. These surgeons know that they can’t maintain total intensity and concentration during that entire time. Their solution is to teach themselves how to manage the ebb and flow of the operation. During the mundane parts of the operation, they get into a lighter concentration flow. But once the patient’s heart is stopped, they need to get the operation done in less than an hour. During that time, they have absolute, total focus. They submerge the mind so that everything around them is blacked out.

In golf, you too must master the ebb and flow of the game Start by playing by yourself. Go early in the morning, when the course is usually empty, and do not use a scorecard. Being alone will reduce your distractions. Without your score card, you will learn to divorce your shots from your results. When you play, bring your mental focus into the NOW. Use your pre-shot routine and practice turning on your concentration before hitting.

As you master the ebb and flow of your concentration, and your golf psychology will instantly improve, and your score will drop steadily.