Why is that one word so crucial in golf?  Confidence and self-belief are the cornerstones of playing your very best golf.  A golfer must trust him/herself and their swing as they play.  Take the following examples: 

1-     On a tight par 4 with OB stakes left and bunkers right, a “confident” player picks a precise target in the distance and swings decisively toward it.  The non-trusting player says something like “I sure don’t want to hit it left here.”  The likely result is as high block to the right. 

2-     A player has a 3-foot putt to win all the skins on the 18^th hole.  A “confident” putter remembers the last time he drained a putt like this and says to himself: “I’m a great putter.  I putt solid.”  He will likely make the putt.   A non-trusting putter will say “I sure don’t want to choke. I’ll never hear the end of it!”  Most likely, he’ll miss the putt. 

3-     You are playing your personal best round up until the 18^th hole.  All of the sudden without warning, the high draw you have played all day off the tee turns into a block way right and out of bounds.  Re-tee and now you are hitting three.  A “confident” player forgets the tee shot, shrugs off the anger, and re-loads to her target knowing full well she has to finish strong to reach her goal.  A negative player says “I was just WAITING for that shot.  I knew I would BLOW it.”  She then will likely over-hook the next shot, make a quadruple bogey, and storm off the course angry at the world.

Any of these examples sound familiar???  Golf in the Now is all about staying in the moment, trusting your swing and being your own best friend on the course.  You have to believe in your talents/abilities as a golfer and you must be resilient.  Finally, all great players can come back from bad shots with great ones.  That is something all of us can strive to do.

© Golf In The Now, Jim Williams. All rights reserved.