Golf Information sponsered by Indy Golf Shop

5 Keys to Mental Toughness for Junior Golfers


If you have any interest in seeing first hand the impact that mental toughness has on sport performance, go no further than the PGA or LPGA Qualifying tournaments or "Q-School". Each year for the past several years, I have worked with players on site during this event. A great many of the conversations that the players have are a rehashing of their performance this past year on the PGA, LPGA, Nationwide, or mini-tour circuits. What I have heard frequently are things that could help the junior golfer get a head start in his or her career.

In attempting to describe why they hadn't reached their outcome goals for the season I hear these professional players repeatedly talk to one another about "trying too hard", "not letting it happen out there", "playing tentative" and many other frequently used mental game phrases. The challenge for many of these professionals is not only to sharpen their swings and putting strokes for this critical week, but to sharpen their mental games as well. The players who do well in Q-School are the ones that will follow some basic rules about the mental game. Each of these also has application for the junior golfer:

1. Keep each shot in perspective. This is especially true in a 108-hole tournament. Q-School, of all tournaments, is understood to be a marathon and not a sprint. There is no rational reason to be unnerved by a bad hole or two. Similarly, the junior golfer has years and years of opportunities ahead. There is no particular shot in any tournament that is "life or death".

2. Focus on the task rather than the outcome. This is probably the most difficult of the "basics" for players to follow. It is natural to think about the result and then the consequences of the result. This thinking will not help get the job done. Whenever these thoughts come to mind, replace them with thoughts of the immediate task at hand.

3. Breathe. Even the best in the world get tense in this type of situation. That tension can increase a player's tendency to hold his breath in anticipation of a shot or a putt. This then impacts muscle tension even more, and potentially affects his ability to swing the club smoothly. Deep breaths = slower heart rate and less physiological tension. Creating a habit of doing this as a junior player will be invaluable as your golf career progresses.

4. Remember that you cannot control things. Anyone who plays this game knows that something unexpected happens in nearly every round. A great tee shot lands in a divot, a club you've been hitting well all week suddenly starts getting shaky, or a two-foot putt is missed. The successful players in Q-School and elsewhere will recognize that they have control only over their preparation and reactions, and not over anything else. If they know they've prepared the best they could for each shot, and know that they are capable of controlling their reaction after each shot, they've done all they can possibly do to achieve their goals. Move on to the next one.

5. Play to succeed. Nearly every year there is a player or two held up at the end of Q-School as an example of a late tournament collapse. In nearly all of those instances, the player interviewed will speak of having thoughts of "trying to hold on" or "trying not to make a big number". Many players will have a tendency to play to avoid mistakes and/or prevent something bad from happening. The players who are successful are those who are confident in their abilities to go out and get the job done, and will be playing to succeed rather than to avert failure.

These mental game essentials will help you as a junior player ingrain habits that can help you reach the ultimate golf goals for which you strive!

Jeff Troesch, MA, LMHC is an internationally recognized expert in the mental side of golf. As the former Director of Sport Psychology for the David Leadbetter Golf Academies, Jeff has worked with thousands of golfers nationwide and brings a wealth of experience to seasoned golf professionals as well as the recreational golf lover. You may contact Jeff directly through his website, http://www.fitnessforgolf.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

University Club at LSU Enhances Golf Amenities With ProLink GPS
SYS-CON Media, NJ - 8 hours ago
(OTC Bulletin Board: PLKH) and the world's leading provider of Global Positioning Satellite ("GPS") golf course management systems and digital out- of-home ...


Wie's 65 reminiscent of her younger self - Golf
ESPN - 1 hour ago
... LPGA Tour Q-school, throwing off the robotic shackles of her opening round and going for broke like when she first burst out on to the world golf scene. ...
Wie Tied for Lead During Second Day at LPGA Qualifying School Bloomberg
Michelle Wie, quietly, is back on track Los Angeles Times
Wie could join other Hawaii newsmakers Honolulu Advertiser
The Associated Press - PGA.com
all 338 news articles


Looking for a holiday gift for a hard-to-buy-for person?
MarketWatch - 6 hours ago
If you're like thousands of people this holiday season trying to find gifts for hard-to-buy-for loved ones and friends, Sandestin(R) Golf and Beach Resort, ...


Top 10 golf resorts
CNN International - 6 hours ago
Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina is among Coastal Living's top 10 golf resorts. Four legendary courses, three luxurious lodgings, ...


Top 10 stupid gifts from chickens to toilet golf
MSNBC - 7 hours ago
Potty Putter contains everything you need for an exciting round of golf without leaving your seat including a putting green for around the toilet, ...


Earthtimes (press release)

Element 21 Golf Announces 250% Growth in Retail Outlets
MarketWatch - 6 hours ago
(FRANKFURT: BJQ), the leading manufacturer of advanced Scandium Alloy golf and fishing equipment, announced today that it has expanded distribution for its ...
Element 21 Golf Announces 250% Growth in Retail Outlets CNNMoney.com
all 10 news articles


AME Info

Historic Golf Club Reaches USGA Museum
AHN - 36 minutes ago
Far Hills, NJ (AHN) - Thor Nordwall, a young caddie in the St. Paul Open 69 years ago, personally handed a historic golf club Tuesday to the US Golf ...
Reuters Summit-HSBC to host World Championship Golf guardian.co.uk
PGA Tour purses likely to flatten The Associated Press
2009 Champions Tour rookies: Russ Cochran PGA Tour
Reuters.uk - PGA of Australia
all 636 news articles


Canada.com

HSBC Champions Event to Become World Golf Championship Event
Waggle Room - 6 hours ago
Not many details were revealed, but Finchem let the cat of the bag when he was talking about Asia as the next golf frontier. "In today's world, a lot of ...
Reuters Summit-Tiger comeback provides 2009 PGA golf story line Reuters.uk
PGA lining up new sponsors as autos and banks slump Reuters
PGA Tour Chief Finchem Says Prize Money to ‘Certainly Flatten’ Bloomberg
Reuters South Africa - PGA Tour
all 27 news articles


TVNZ

Immelman seeks happy home-coming at golf Nedbank Challenge
AFP - 19 hours ago
"There were many different things that I had to find time to deal with and learn how to handle them," he told the South African edition of Golf Digest. ...
Golf: Stenson leaps into five-stroke lead at Sun City Channel News Asia
Stenson leads Nedbank Challenge Sports Network
2008 BWYA winner at Nedbank Million Dollar Golf Challenge The Swazi Observer
Reuters.uk - SkySports
all 196 news articles


China’s Mission Hills Cuts Jobs as Golf Feels Slump, People Say
Bloomberg - 16 hours ago
4 (Bloomberg) -- China’s Mission Hills, the world’s largest golf club, is cutting at least 20 percent of jobs as the slowing economy cuts into leisure ...

Golf - Google News

home | site map |
© 2007