My experiences regarding the importance of a wide mental repertoire in golf Pt.1

I’m sure you’ve seen a multitude of posts on social media, whether it be Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat talking about being ‘mentally strong’. But what exactly does that mean?

Now let’s be frank here, golf doesn’t involve running through walls, so adrenaline isn’t necessarily your best friend, therefore, these types of motivational images may not be as effective as you hope. However, being determined is an invaluable mental quality in any field and the same goes for golf. In the following paragraphs, we will explore what a wide mental repertoire is, and why it’s important.

Perseverance

This trait should be fairly obvious, as it applies to almost all activities and skills. For example, I was in a tournament a while back, which was over 2 days. I shot the same score both days. However, on the first day, I was -2 thru 3, and still ended up with an appalling score of 78. On the second day, I was +3 thru 2, and still shot 78 (a relatively acceptable score considering the start). Imagine how gammy my score would have been if I had given up. Moreover, it affects golf performance more than most sports as one round in golf lasts for 4½ hours, as opposed to a football match which lasts ⅓ as long. So as expected, if a footballer was to give up during a match ½ way in, they would only have 45 minutes to throw away, as opposed to a golfer, who has to deal with their turbulent emotions for 270 minutes. While it could be argued that this means that a golfer has more time than a footballer to turn the round around, basic human nature despises change, and is more likely to keep sulking. Which brings me onto my next point.

Adaptability

It goes without saying that adaptability is useful in any field, but in golf, where no two shots are ever the same, it is paramount. For example, one shot may require absolute precision to safely carry a bunker and stop before the end of the green, whereas another shot may just require brute force. Additionally, adaptability between mindsets is just as useful as adaptability between shots. In the 2016 U.S Open Dustin Johnson had an 18ft putt for an eagle, although all he needed was a birdie for a win. Instead, he decided to go for the eagle, missed the birdie putt, and tapped in the par putt in to contend for a sudden death playoff. Although he later went on to win, his inability to adapt his mentality could have cost him $1.1m. One of the main reasons Tiger Woods was so successful is that he could easily adapt is swing to match the circumstances he was presented as seen below:

Expectations

It has often been debated which leads to better results, a positive outlook, or a diminished outlook, and while studies have shown that a positive outlook on future performance can lead to higher performance, golf is (as mentioned before) a sport that lasts a long time, and constant disappointment due to enhanced expectations over a 4.5 hour time period can lead to serious consequences regarding future performance in future tournaments. A study done by Ziv, G., Ochayon, M., & Lidor, R. further proves this as it shows that diminished expectations leads to better results than enhanced.

Hopefully this entry has been engaging & informative, and I’ll see you next Sunday, with another post. Bye!