We have many assets in our game some players are great off the tee. Hit it long and and hit over 50% of the fairways. Some players are good iron players. They hit it high with a soft draw and hit many greens in regulation. Some are saved by their short game and can get the ball close from anywhere around the green. Others are great at putting and their scores are saved by make tons of one and two putts to save par. There are also players who are good at many of these skills but when it comes to scoring low they have trouble. 
The best asset that we can have that trumps all of the above is our mind. You can have all the skills in the world and they don’t mean a hill of beans unless you can get out of your own way. Most find it easy on the practice range. They hit great shots and get close to their target in their practice sessions. But when they get to the course everything falls apart. If you are one of those players where you have trouble from the range to the course then you need to change your mind set on both the range and on the course. The best way to do that is with practicing it like you would any other shot in your bag. I will see guys and gals at the range hit thirty 7 irons in a row grooving their swing and tempo and hitting pure shots. Then they get on the course and hit it thin or fat. That’s because they don’t have the same mind set on the course and they can’t hit ball after ball trying to find a groove or tempo that produces a great shot. The only have one chance to hit a great shot on the course. That is the shot in front of them. Not the last shot and not the next shot. Only the shot right now. So when you are on the range you have to drop a ball and pick a target just like you would on the course. Now I know what your going to say. ” I already do that and I still have problems on the course.” Well that can be true so there are a few things that we also have to do to play our best. The first is not a club in our bag and by the way it’s not a club at all. It is your attitude on and off the course and he you talk to yourself when you hit poor shots or when the round starts to go downhill.
Your brain is your most powerful asset in your game. Being able to focus when you need to it of the utmost importance. Also positive self talk is a must. How many time have you hit a shot that was terrible and said to yourself,” You stink! Why do you even play this game?” He is what the problem is when you do that. Your subconscious mind hears you and begins to believe it. Our subconscious is like a tape recorder. It hears and records everything. No matter what it is, good ,bad or indifferent. it is just like in life. If you are always saying to yourself or to others that you are broke then guess what? You will remain broke. If every time you play you are always putting yourself down then your subconscious hears you. You see , the subconscious is what runs our life and our golf game. So even if you hit that terrible shot you need to change your self talk. It is better to say, ” That was a terrible shot but that can happen in golf. Not every shot is perfect. I’ll hit the next one good and I know I can still make par on this hole.” That is more of the response you want to have when you hit poor shots. Do you think that Jordan Speith would have won the Open Championship if he talked to himself like that? He hit a terrible shot almost off the course but thought positive that he could get it back in play and make par. That is exactly what he did. That is the power of the subconscious mind. We have to train ourselves to always have positive self talk in our game and our life.
This is not an easy task but it can be done to not only turn your game around but your life too. I know your going to say, ” Well thats easy for Jordan Speith he’s a great player. ” Well Jordan had to practice positive self talk first before he became a great player. And because he believes in himself even when the chips are down and his back is against the wall he is a Major Champion!
So here’s the deal. Fake it till you make it. The more you do the more your subconscious will be filled with positive images of yourself. The more positive images of yourself you have the more things will go the right way. You will find once you begin this process there will be a transformation in your game. But that means getting away from negative self talk and always replacing it with a positive image. The subconscious will absorb this positive image and you will begin to attract positives into your game. Positive is as positive does. That means you need to do it in practice sessions and on the course. And every time someone asks you how things are going say “Great!” Even if it is not the more your say it the more it will be. So stop the negative and bring on the positive. You will be much happier and so will your game.
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