The Power of Positive Thinking
for Golf Improvement

Here is a free golf tip to help you realize the power of positive thinking during your golf outing. Most golfers have a hard time leaving a bad shot behind them, allowing a particularly ugly effort to ruin an entire round. The culprit there isn’t the poor shot itself, but the inability of the brain to move on. If unchecked, the negativity can fester until a golfer’s mindset is ruined for the day by fixating on the worst efforts of the round.

How to overcome that? Try the power of positive thinking. That doesn’t mean putting a good spin on a poor result, but rather allowing your mind to forget it by envisioning the better shots to follow.

Pre-Shot Routine
Positive Mental Focus

When setting up for your next golf shot, make sure to go through your usual pre-shot routine. That should help your mental focus shift to the present. Pick the club you want, take a deep breath, and try to clear your mind of the previous result.

As you stand over the ball, imagine how you want the result of your next stroke to be. Close your eyes and picture the ball jumping off your club face and soaring down the fairway if you’re driving off the tee. If you’re hitting an approach shot, let your mind visualize a beautiful iron that drops gently onto the green and rolls to the cup.

Positive Outlook
Helpful Performance Asset

It may seem hokey if you haven’t tried something like this before, but think about it. Most athletes will acknowledge the crippling effects of negative thinking. For example, how many shots have you hit into the water because all you could think about when setting up a golf shot with the hazard in play was “just stay out of the lake!” This is the logical extension of that. If a negative outlook would hurt performance, a positive outlook should logically be an asset and help performance.

Calm, Cool and Collected Golfer

Indeed, many golfers find the power of positive thinking to be helpful. It can instantly relax someone who would otherwise be tense at a poor shot, and keeps a golfer from dwelling on a negative outcome. By getting the mind into the present and focused on the upcoming shot, a golfer can shift from an angry and tense cart ride to the ball, into a calm, cool and collected golfer before they begin their back swing.