Junior Golf Psychology – When your round starts poorly
How do you stop the rot if you are a junior golfer and you are playing badly?
Well sometimes it can be a normal fluctuation in a round of golf but when you catch yourself complaining and moaning about what’s happening to you then you have turned yourself into a victim and you are powerless.
I see this a lot with the junior golfers that I coach and part of my junior golf psychology program is geared to tackling this aspect of the junior golfer’s mental game.
The first thing I do is realise that I am complaining. If I can become aware of this then I have won the first battle.
When I complain about my situation I have lost my ability to stay in the present moment.
Complaining about what’s happened to me so far in my round has removed me from the present moment. This will cause my stress and poor form to continue. Wishing my round was working out differently will also remove me from the present moment and cause more stress.
You see I am here but I want to be there, in a different reality.
So what should I do? I have a choice. So do you.
Here is what I do and this might help you too.
I can keep complaining and keep the “poor me” attitude which will keep me as a victim, powerless to change anything.
Alternatively I can take responsibility, take action and do one of these three things. Once I choose I must accept the consequences. No excuses. No negativity. Action arising out of insight is useful. Action arising out of negativity will not produce the same results
Let’s take the first option.
Leave the situation-
I probably don’t want to walk off the golf course however this is a last resort.
Change the Situation – Well I am on the golf course so I can’t change that but the situation may well change if I change my attitude and where I am placing my energy. Dropping my negativity and “poor me” attitude and paying more attention to each shot. Stop overthinking. Keep it simple. Get out of my thoughts and into my senses.
Accept the situation
If I can wake up and realise that I am lost in a loop of negative thoughts, often this realisation is enough to change everything. Accepting that I have been too uptight or too upset so far in the round. Noticing it and accepting the reality of my situation. I am playing poorly.
Surrender to it.
This is not a sign of weakness as some people think. It is a sign of strength.
Only by surrendering fully can my misery stop.
With this new attitude my game has a chance of returning.
If you look back over your rounds of golf where you have started poorly and recovered well you will have done one or more of these three things.
Next time you’re round of golf starts poorly and you catch yourself complaining wake up to reality and take action.