Every time a make a less then desirable golf shot I can attribute it to concentration. My game has not progressed to the total muscle memory stage yet. SO when I fail to concentrate fully on any given shot, I have problem.

Although I’ve never tried your mental exercise for taking time each night to look at a scorecard showing my desired score, I have no doubt that it will work. It’s no difference than a basketball player visualizing a foul shot. Visualizing a positive outcome really does work. It’s like you trick your mind into thinking you’ve already been there done that and it no longer is such a big deal to be in the situation when it actually happens.

Thanks for the comments

If I asked you, or anyone reading this, if they “believed” they could shave 1 stroke off their round, what would the response be?

Most everyone would feel they could do this. Needless to say shaving a stroke off a round for a scratch player is tougher than for an 18 handicapper, but you get the point. Now the player is filled with confidence and a goal that is for all intents and purposes completely within their reach. This simple approach makes moving into the 70′s from the high 80′s a fairly inevitable process. And with this approach the “new” comfort zone becomes more consistent. I tis done incrementally and with full belief.

I have a friend whom I compete with and overt time I’ve had his number, so to speak. Yet I kept coaching him along the way, even when we were competing. What happened? He ended up passing me in his ball striking and scoring ability. One stroke at a time he eventually started taking my money! I’m not too proud to admit he is very tough for me to beat now. He took to heart the simple idea of just gaining one stroke a round on me. Over time he passed me and now with his confidence at an all time high I have to grinf like Corey Pavin just to keep it close.

Whether you shoot high 80′s or break par regularly, there’s a number that for you is the invisible wall. Here’s a great mental exercise: take a few moments each night looking at a scorecard that shows your desired score. Make the score just a bit past your low score to date. Actually write the score on a scorecard and sign it. Then visualize a friend or playing partner signing your scorecard after shooting your personal low round. Notice the look on their face and how you feel inside having shot your best score…

For those of you who take this seriously you’ll notice some amazing things happen in your game. Couple this with solid practice and going really low is inevitable…

Golf is such a mental game it’s crazy. I’ve always had the physical ability to go low, but every time my physical ability brought me close to a personal best, my mental kicked in and said “no, you’re not good enough to be here” and I ended up flopping. The more I put myself in position to go low the more comfortable I felt and the better I dealt with it mentally and controlled my emotions.

I’m excited about the coming golf year to say the least. Once you’ve done it once, I think it’s easier to do again. I finally broke 80 at the age of 15 and from then on out it seemed much easier to do as I got that monkey off my back. So, now the under par monkey is off my back I can focus on going forward and hopefully go real low….we’ll see.

In the late 80′s early 90′s Corey Pavin was one of the best players in the world. Watching him play and knowing his friends called him Bulldog it is no surprise to me he shot -9 in 9 holes even though it may ot have been in his prime.