Flamin' and Arcade Myself!

I am sure you have heard people say that golf is 90 percent mental. If you have played golf before, I think you will find this point hard to argue. I have had countless times, where a simple thought in my head caused my usually rhythmic swing to shank the ball. When I first started playing golf, the mental aspect of the game was my biggest roadblock in making pars. Take a look at these mental game golf tips, so that at least 90 percent of your golf game will be in top shape.

Visualize

Visualization: in every sport I have played, coaches have preached about visualizing a positive outcome. This technique can definitely be applied to golf too. In your head, if you visualize yourself shanking the ball; there is a good chance that it will happen. It’s the same thing with a putt. If you approach your putt with a negative attitude, think, “I’m never going to sink this,” and visualize the putt missing, than you will probably miss it. You should be thinking positively. As you are standing above the ball to putt it, imagine the ball going in the hole. Think to yourself, “I am totally going to make this!” Use this same technique on all of your shots. Visualize yourself taking a nice smooth swing, and imagine the ball going exactly where it is aimed.

Don’t Count Your Score

When I first started golfing, I made this mistake all the time. I would start playing, get to hole number five or so, and get excited that I was say, only two over par. Then, on holes 6 through 9, I would think, “You have to par this in order to shot a 37!” Of course, this put too much pressure on me, and I would end up choking on one of the remaining holes, triple bogeying one of them. Therefore, don’t think about your score! Write it down on the scorecard and forget about it. Don’t constantly keep count in your head; play the game shot by shot.

Enjoy Yourself

Again, when I first started golfing, I made the mistake of always stressing about my score. If I was not on track to shoot a new all time best score, then I would get mad, and not enjoy my round. Recently, I learned to stop thinking about the numbers, and concentrate on each individual shot. I learned that I shoot my best while playing with someone else, enjoying conversation. I shot some of my all time best rounds just playing casual social golf. Now this may not be an option during competition, but in a competitive environment, just try to enjoy the game. Don’t stress about the numbers.

Golf’s mental game can be the source of many angry golfers, lost bets, and broken clubs, but it does not have to be. Ninety percent of your golf game will be ninety percent better, if you just take a laid back, positive approach to the game, and enjoy yourself.

The game of golf is one of the most mental games in the world. It is one of the few sports where you control when you make a play. The ball just sits there on the fairway or green and it is up to you to take as much or little time as you want to hit it. Most other sports you are forced to make a play due to pressure from the competition. Learning how to master the mental game is perhaps the key to unlocking your unlimited potential as a golfer.
The best players in the world have learned to master the mental game of golf and that is what makes them great. Positive thinking and confidence are critical in becoming a great player. Of course, you will need to still practice regularly on the mechanics in order to maintain your skills. However just working on mechanics alone will only get you so far at the game of golf and you will reach a plateau.
In order to break through that plateau you must develop the ability to maintain and build confidence regardless of what happened on the last shot good or bad. Maintaining confidence is a great challenge however there are many things you can do to become a more confident player.
The first step is to see yourself as a great player. You need to remind yourself regularly of all the great shots you have ever hit and all the great putts you have ever made. Take a few minutes out of each day to think about your top five greatest shots ever and also see yourself playing well in the next round you will be playing. Be realistic, so every now and then you may picture yourself missing a green or fairway but then also picture yourself recovering and making those shots back in the next few holes.
The way you think as you are about hit the ball is very important. You must learn to trust your mechanics and in your ability to execute mechanics without consciously thinking about it. Instead you need to stay focused on the targets you select and block out other thoughts. A good exercise to help you to develop this focus is by concentrating on the tip of a pen. Try only to think about the tip of the pen and nothing else. If other thoughts enter your mind then return your focus back on the pen.
Learning about proper course management is also essential in order to play better golf. Many times you will be tempted to hit shots that are too difficult based on your current skill level. You must resist this temptation and hit the shot you know you can hit and that you have hit before several times in practice.
Sometimes laying up on a par 4 can often be the best option in order to shoot low scores. Rely more on your short game to help you make pars and as your long game gets better you will inevitably make more birdies. When picking clubs make sure that you select a club that you can comfortably swing to get the ball to the hole, if you have to take an extra club if it means being able to make an easier swing.
Do not get caught up in what your playing partners are doing and try to match their distance. Also remember that golf really is an individual sport so do not try to beat your playing partners but rather focus on playing the course and shooting the lowest score possible on that day. Use some of the mental strategies to help you lower your golf handicap.

Many amateurs get caught up in trying to be the longest hitter of the golf ball in their group. The truth is that low scores can be produced without really needing to hit the ball very far. Yes, there is a great deal of pleasure that can be gained from seeing the stunned look in your playing partners faces as you bomb a drive over 300 yard down the fairway however if your short game is weak then you will never be able to capitalize on the advantage that you have off the tee.

The professionals on tour spend a lot of time working on their short game because they know that even on their best rounds they will probably miss a few greens and will need to rely on the short game to help them recover. Here are some simple short game tips to help you shoot lower scores fast:

Tip 1: Hit lots of wedge shots from 40 to 120 yards.

This distance can really make a big difference in your scores especially if you are sharp with your wedges here. Instead of a 30 foot putt for par or birdie, you can find yourself facing much simpler putts from inside 20 feet so you can save par more easily or make the occasional birdie.

Tip 2: Practice from very tough and awkward lies

Do not be afraid to practice from very awkward and difficult lies and situations. This will make the shots you face on the course seem simple by comparison. Look for bare lies or buried lies, uphill and downhill lies and stances and learn to hit chips and flop shots from these lies. Always aim for a tiny target and always focus on holing the shot. With every short game shot the target is to hole the shot not just get it inside some 3 foot circle.

Tip 3: Practice a lot of short putts

Short putting is critical to shooting good scores and being a great putter overall. If you are confident with the short putts then you will naturally be more free and confident with the longer putts which will only help you to make more of these kinds of putts. Line up short putts from 3 to 6 feet from various lines around the hole and focus on a small target and then just looking and reacting. Do think too much when putting or hitting any golf shot for that matter, you need to turn golf into a reaction sport so that you can take advantage of your natural athletic ability.

Tip 4: Build an effective mental routine

Many teachers talk about routines and they are important in order to be a better player. There are two aspects to the golf routine and they are the physical and mental routine. Both are important however the mental routine is more important. It is best to allow yourself to have some flexibility in your physical routine as far as the number of practice swings you take and such. The key element of the mental routine is to reach that moment of decisiveness where you know you will hit a great shot. Try some of these golf short game tips to help you become a better golfer quickly.

If you are just learning how to play golf then you must first understand the critical importance of the short game and how it can help you learn and improve at the game very quickly. Most amateurs spend way too much time hitting their long irons and driver and not nearly enough working on putting, chipping and wedge play. Here are some tips regarding the various aspects of the short game that can help you to shoot lower golf scores quickly:

Putting Tips:

Putting can really make a big difference in lowering your golf scores and making the game more enjoyable. There are many putting styles that you will see even the professional golfers using so the key is to pick one style you like and stick with it making only minor adjustments here and there to improve it. Do not get caught up constantly changing your entire putting technique just because you did not make a few easy putts the last round.

One of the biggest keys to succeeding in putting and never getting the putting yips is to realize that putting is very much a mental game. Confidence is a critical factor and you need to always believe that the putt will go in the hole every time you hit the golf ball with your putter. Do not aim for a 3 foot circle with long putts because this will only increase your margin for error. Always focus on making every putt.

What you think about before you hit each putt is the most important element to consistently good putting. It may be best to simply keep your mind quiet and just look and react to your targets trusting that your mind and body will send the ball the right distance and direction.

Chipping And Sand Shot Tips:

You should always spend some time during each practice session hitting chips and sand shots around the green. Look for the worst possible lies and hit from them because then hitting from the fairway on the course will seem easy by comparison. When hitting chip shots you want the ball to be back in the stance aligned with your right foot and you want to use an open stance where your feet point to the left of the target.

With sand shots you want the ball a little further up in your stance still using an open stance and you should aim to hit a spot a few inches behind the ball so you can use a cushion of sand to lift the ball out of the bunker. Be sure to accelerate on the downswing otherwise you risk hitting it fat.

Wedge Play Tips:

Do not underestimate the importance of good wedge play as it can setup easy birdie opportunities for you on the course. Hit many wedge shots from various distances from 40 to 135 yards. The key to developing feel is simply practice so there are no shortcuts here. You should hit at least half of your practice balls with the wedge. Remember that the full swing is simply an extension of the shorter ones so if you can hit the wedge well then you will be a much better striker with your longer clubs like the driver. Follow some of these short game tips to help you play better golf.