The fundamentals of golf are quite different than most other sports. Let’s take baseball as an example. When you’re up at bat, ready to take your swing, your job is to hit that ball as it’s thrown to you. Looking at it a different way, the game is built around your reaction to whatever someone else is doing. You can’t make your move until the pitcher throws the ball.

However, in golf you’re the boss. You are in control of making every move. That ball is just going to sit there, waiting for you to take your shot. And for every play that happens, you are 100% responsible. There is nobody else to blame. You can’t blame another teammate, poor advice from the coach, or any other excuse.

This is what makes golf such a difficult game, and at the same time, so challenging and fun to play. And to add to everything, you have people WATCHING you!! In complete silence…. Now we’re talking about a real need to focus!

A Positive Mindset Goes A Long Way In Golf

This wonderful game of golf requires that you focus and think about each and every shot you take. In keeping with our comparison to baseball, those players have to think about the mechanics of the game too. But there is little time for them to really concentrate and focus on what they’re doing, compared to golf. They are aware of the pitcher and the person at bat, but everything else in their game is strictly reaction.

Golf, on the other hand, requires that you pay so much attention to what you’re doing that any type of negative thoughts or worries can have a dramatic effect on how well you play your game. Doubts can easily enter your mind, especially if you are still a beginner. Once this happens, your body tenses up, you get nervous and jittery. The next thing you know, your ball has landed in the rough. This is no different than stage fright. Hey, nobody said that golf was easy!

So the question is, how can you prevent negative thoughts and feelings from getting to you while you’re on the course? The answer is deceptively simple. But it may be difficult to learn.

What you have to do is take action. And you have to do it faster than your mind can start to consider any negative consequences of a bad swing. That’s one of golf’s evils–you can literally think your way into a slump.

Stick with the basics. Focus on simple repetitive movements. Stay loose, and as you prepare for your shot, shift your body weight from foot to foot, back and forth. Wiggle your club a bit and just loosen up. Have fun and stop worrying about anything negative.

And as I said, while knowing the answer is quite simple, learning how to play a stress-free game of golf may be one of the hardest lessons to learn.

For more tips for the new golfer take a look at the golf blog for beginner golfers, Sensible Golf Tips.

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