1. Great Golfers Always Stay Motivated
Great golfers combine mental toughness with physical abilities to succeed. But getting to the pinnacle of mental and physical clarity isn’t easy. So think back to what first motivated you to try golf. Does it still drive you? Great golfers always stay motivated!
2. Great Golfers Stay Humble
One of my favorite memories is playing an incredibly challenging course with rented clubs in torrential rain. I didn’t break 80, but it was exhilarating, and the experience made me grateful for everything golf brings, like fresh air, scenery, and humility.
3. Great Golfers Exude Confidence
If you read golf or watch interviews, you’ll find that great golfers have a reverence for the game. And they are confident about their abilities. If you can capture some of the skill, drive, and determination that the greats carry like amulets, you’ll be ready to attack any layout.
River’s Edge is the best golf course in Central Oregon, designed by the late Robert Muir Graves, and he created it with purpose and a pure visualization for how an extraordinary course challenges a player.
4. Great Golfers Know the Best Targets
Great golfers use exceptional course management to know where they need to be on each hole and the best way to get there. They make a habit of knowing the best targets to aim for before every shot. And they stay focused until the end. As Phil Mickelson says, “You’ve really got to close the round out strong.”
5. Great Golfers Practice and Play with Intent
The best golfers also make a habit of playing and practicing with intent. The great Johnny Miller played phenomenal golf for years, and suddenly the wheels fell off. When asked if he needed more practice, he said that he hit a bucket of balls every day with perfect strikes, so what could he do?
That tells us that golf is heavily mental and that even a professional can get caught in bad habits. What? Yes, Miller was practicing, but perhaps he wasn’t practicing the right way, with intent.
6. Great Golfers Practice What’s Challenging
We all need to hit the range, the chipping area, and the practice green, but it won’t do much good if we just go through the motions. You’ve got to challenge yourself to stay focused and engaged with your practice. Set goals, use all your clubs, and practice what’s challenging, not what’s comfortable! You can’t improve if you don’t have the guts to fail.
7. Great Golfers Stay in the Moment and Adapt
Then, play your round with a mental toughness that allows you to stay in the moment by shrugging off what’s gone wrong and adapting to what’s going right.
8. Great Golfers Play to Their Potential
Always make a habit of accepting your results without blame and focusing on what you can control while using the skills you do possess to play to your maximum ability.
9. Great Golfers Review Each Round
Bryson DeChambeau is called “The Scientist” for his analytical approach to golf and remembering rounds and challenges from years earlier. You too should make a habit of reviewing each round from hole to hole to analyze what would have worked better and then use that knowledge to improve your future game.