What is Golf Confidence?

This past week Ohio State competed at the Big 10 Championship at Victory National Golf Club. This was a serious test of golf that exposed the player that was not 100% confident in their game.

Through 3 rounds Ohio State was in second place, trailing only the University of Illinois, which is arguably the best golf team in the country. coming down the stretch during round 4, we sat in 2nd place with the famous last 5 holes of Victoria National to play.

The Ohio State golf team might be as physically talentedas any team in the country, but one thing we have been trying to improve is our mental toughness. Our mental flaws were exposed the last 5 holes, playing them +10 as a team and falling from 2nd to t-5 for the championship when the final round concluded.

In our post round meeting, we asked each player what happened coming down the stretch? How did you feel, what thoughts were going through your head, etc… All 5 guys responded with a technical flaw about their “golf swing” and mechanical issues, blah, blah, blah!

If it were mechanical issues in the golf swing, how were they able to play 67 great holes? It wasn’t their golf swings that caused them to hit it on the water coming down the stretch. It was the 6 inches between their ears! Throughout my time as a college player, golf instructor and college golf coach, there is one thing that separates the average college golfer from the All-Americans. It is the belief they have in themselves! If you truly believe in your ability, you will be able to make confident swings down the stretch. If you are constantly tinkering with your mechanics in the golf swing, you are more likely to crumble in pressure situations.

The only thing you can do is be 100% committed going into each golf shot you hit. That is the best chance you have to produce a quality golf shot. The more doubt you have in your head, the more likely you are to hit a poor shot. PLAY FREE, ITS ALOT MORE FUN!

The only way to learn how to swing free is to practice it. For most people it does not come naturally. The best way to practice it is by affirmation statements or telling yourself repeatedly how good you are. The other best way is by visualizing success regularly. You can do this by picking 5 putts you made that day. Before you go to bed, visualize those putts going into the hole over and over. By doing this, you begin to train your mind to see that ball go in over & over. This leads to making more putt in REALITY!