| Peak performance on the golf green is the result | | | | players were trying too hard, and making sudden |
| of proper physical training, proper diet and good | | | | changes to their settled playing routine. Here is a |
| mental golf training. | | | | mental golf tip. Players often make the mistake |
| At the range we do hear accounts of how a | | | | of changing their playing routine. Players should |
| player stood on the tee and began to sweat as | | | | stick to what they know instead of making |
| he felt the eyes of other players on him. It's true | | | | changes during the round. Moving away from the |
| that like other players playing before an audience, | | | | pre-shot routine especially under the stress of |
| golfers too experience performance stress. A | | | | competition is detrimental to your performance. |
| recent study among top male golfers between | | | | Golf players were stressed about their scores, |
| the ages 14 to 21 revealed differences in their | | | | making unforced mistakes or missing putts, |
| attempts at stress management. The researchers | | | | choosing the wrong club, being watched, and a |
| found some interesting differences between | | | | marked improved performance by the opponent. |
| effective and ineffective coping. It was found that | | | | An interesting observation was that when the |
| effective coping by the players involved gaining a | | | | ineffective coping experiences were discussed, |
| sense of control over their stress and in contrast | | | | some of the golfers found out that they had not |
| ineffective coping meant golfers with flagging | | | | attempted to cope by using their golf mental |
| spirits simply going through the motions. | | | | game. The researchers were surprised to find |
| During effective coping, the golfers had a positive | | | | that even promising players with excellent |
| mindset, used positive self-talk and mental golf | | | | technical ability were unable to cope with stress |
| exercises, blocked negative thoughts, and focused | | | | or practice their mental golf skills. They concluded |
| on the next shot. They stayed physically relaxed | | | | that the performance of the players would show |
| by stretching and using deep breathing exercises. | | | | marked improvement if they could work on their |
| In addition, they followed their normal playing | | | | mental golf skills. It is not for nothing that the |
| routine. In contrast, the golfers had different | | | | best players on the golf circuit today are the |
| thought pattern and exhibited different behaviors | | | | players with best mental golf skills who cope really |
| during the episodes of ineffective coping. | | | | well with stress day in and out. |
| Ineffective coping strategies adopted by the | | | | |