Golf: The Mental Game, Putting

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We all know that golf is a mental game. How much of it is mental? It depends on who you ask. Jack Nicklaus said “The game of golf is 90% mental and 10% physical.” While Tiger said, “A golfer should never make a mental mistake because the ball is just sitting there waiting for you to hit it.” And Bobby Jones said, “Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course – the distance between your ears.”

Even though I think it’s a very big part of the game, others may not agree, and that’s ok. I don’t think it really matters how much of golf is mental, all that really matters is that we acknowledge the fact that it is at least somewhat mental. By acknowledging this fact, we are acknowledging the fact that your thoughts, mood, and emotions can play a factor in your final score. 

In the previous sections of this putting overview we have explored common mistakes and drills to fix them. If you haven’t explored those sections, feel free to go back and review them. Even though you may be following all the advice laid out and be doing everything fundamentally correctly, you’re still going to miss putts. The pros don’t even make 100% of their putts. In fact, pros make 99.99% of their 1 foot putts and only 50% from about 9 feet away.

The reason I tell you all of this is that I want you to understand that not everything is going to go correctly on the golf course. That’s just the nature of golf and I would argue that’s just the nature of life as well, so golf is a great way to practice this concept. Regardless of religious affiliation, it’s helpful to think of some external force working against you on the golf course. This external force, which we will call this force the “Golf Forces”, has it out against you. The Golf Forces want you to miss putts, it wants you to be behind a tree, it wants you to be on the lip of a bunker, it wants you to lace a drive down the middle of the fairway only to find out it’s in a divot.

All of those things that are outside of our control aren’t worth getting upset about because, simply put, they are outside of our control. On the golf course, it’s important to focus only on the things that are inside our focus of control.

When you miss a putt, it’s helpful to go through a checklist before walking to the next tee so you can get over it. Why did I miss that putt? Was it aim, was it set up, was it putter face angle, was it distance, did I misread the green? If it was one of those things, we know how to fix it for the next time. If it’s none of those things and you did everything correctly, then it’s out of your control and it’s not worth stewing over. This is a bit of a balance between becoming “fixated” on a missed putt and using the information of the missed putt to implement new adjustments to make sure that it doesn’t happen. We all know that one playing partner who yells, hits their leg, and gets visibility upset. My advice is to not be like that person; quickly collect your thoughts on what went wrong, make an adjustment, and move on. While your playing partner is throwing a tantrum, you just gained a mental stroke the next time you are on the green!

The quicker you are able to either identify the cause of your missed putt and address the issue OR acknowledge the fact that the Golf Forces are just out to get you on that hole, then you can keep your thoughts, mood, and emotions in check for the next shot. It doesn’t matter if the Golf Forces are against you on a hole or with you on a hole, the Golf Forces are fickle and can change at any moment on the golf course. So focus on what is in your control!