June 3, 2020 5:20 pm

I am a big fan of sports psychology. Once you have got the basics of any sport, then how the mind plays really can impede your ability to achieve your potential. Alternatively, if used correctly, it can give you an edge over the competition. As golf is such a solitary and slow game, with so much time to talk yourself into trouble and out of success, controlling your mind is more important than it is with faster moving team sports.

There are many people far better qualified than I to enlighten you on this subject. My advice this month is to get a copy of the simplest and best golf psychology book I have ever had the pleasure to read: Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella.

This book is written brilliantly. Each chapter is only 3 or 4 pages long, each covering an error made by most golfers in their thinking processes. When I read it, I discovered I was making just about every mistake possible. But as well as shaming me, the book also gave me ways to improve. As long as you don’t mind Bob dropping a name or two, after all he has coached most of the best American golfers of the nineties, you will quickly see how you can shave shots off your score and concentrate on the parts of your round that matter the most. I would say that, other than improving an errant grip or set up position,  this book will reduce your handicap quicker than anything else will.

Categorised in: Golf lessons, Tip of the month