At Pacific Golf Academy we spend the majority of our time coaching tournament players. It’s relatively easy for our coaches to teach the fundamentals of a proper golf swing. We have been coaching for over 30 years and have helped thousands of golfers improve. However, the most important part of the game for tournament players is the mental game. Your brain is like any other muscle in your body. You need to exercise it, train it, and make it perform better. In today’s article we are going to show you two of the simple tips to help improve your mental game.

Tip #1

When we start coaching a beginner one of the first lessons we teach is a correct setup position. All good golfers have a reliable setup and posture in their swing. But what about after the swing? At Pacific Golf Academy we teach our players that a confident walk with good posture is a great way to build more confidence in your golf swing. Take a look at Tiger Woods for example when he is walking between shots:

You’ll never see Tiger walking with his shoulders slumped over, his back rounded, or his eyes down. It doesn’t matter if Tiger is playing good or bad, he walks like a champion! His shoulders are back, his chin up, his chest is out. If you need help improving your posture and learning to walk like a champion, remember this simple thought:

“Walk with your eyes above the flagstick for all 18 holes”

We see this principle in the animal world. The animals that keep their heads down are the ones that are being hunted, while the animals that keep their heads up are the confident hunters. Are you a lion on the golf course looking to making birdies? Or are your eyes stuck in the grass below? If you want to build more confidence with your golf swing, focus on first building more confidence in your walk.

Tip #2

In the history of golf, no one has every managed to play 18 holes and hit every shot perfectly. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen in our sport. A great example is PGA Tour Brandt Snedeker who made a bogey on his way to shoot 59 in the last round of the 2018 Wyndam Championship.

Good players will hit good shots on the golf course, but it’s how you manage your bad shots that will define your success. Sometimes we see golfer’s expectations are a little bit too high. They have been practicing hard and expect to hit every drive straight or make every putt, but this expectation is unrealistic. Instead, arrive to the first tee prepared and willing to accept the result of every shot you hit. As a player you can control your routine, your setup, and your attitude. You can’t control the result of your swing. Sometimes it will be good, sometimes it will be bad. But accept the bad shots as they come, keep your head up for 18 holes and keep marching forward until you complete all 18 holes.

Now that the weather is getting better. It is the perfect time to schedule a playing lesson with your golf coach. Our team at Pacific Golf Academy specializes in helping players improve faster and playing 9 holes with one of our coaches usually results in players reducing 3-5 shots off their score. A playing lesson with a professional coach is like having a professional caddy and coach at the same time. Your coach will teach you the perfect routine, improve your on-course strategy, and teach you to make better decisions.

We hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful Spring weather and see you on the golf course soon!

Are you thinking correctly on the golf course?

Tip #1

Tip #2