Building on Your Success in Golf
Do find yourself having a performance lull after winning a tournament or after having a great season?
Have you ever asked yourself, “Why can’t I ever play consistently?”
Performance lulls or a lack of consistency are often caused by the mental mistake of ‘resting on your laurels.’
This is when you’re satisfied with your golf achievements then slacking with the time, effort and focus that contributed to your success in the first place.
Golfers who are complacent with their success will skip playing a practice round during the week… Or pay less attention to refining their swing… Or deviate from the pre-round routine at the next tournament.
Being complacent is that feeling, “I have arrived, so I no longer need to do the work.”
There is a HUGE disconnect when it come to this sentiment. Everything you did prior to that great performance led to that great performance.
All the mental preparation, focus on technique, work on the greens and attention to your pre-round and pre-shot routines added up to a success formula that produced those great results.
When you deviate from your success plan because of complacency, you will ABSOLUTELY experience a decline in your play on the golf course.
Past achievements and successes are road maps to future success.
You can and should celebrate your successes, after all, you earned them.
Although if you want to continue to be successful, play consistent golf and further improve your game, you must determine what contributed to your success and what you can improve to ensure future successes.
One example of doubling down and refocusing your efforts after a success is Arizona State University’s Women’s golf team…
Last spring, ASU won the Division I National Championship, which is the record eighth national title for the university.
Despite their history of success, the golfers of ASU refuse to rest on their laurels. The ASU team has cleared their minds and set new goals for the upcoming season.
Olivia Mehaffey is a sophomore on the ASU golf team. Even though ASU won the National Championship, Mehaffey is not satisfied and realizes that this year is a whole new season.
MEHAFFEY: “My mindset has not changed as this is a new season. It was great we won in May, but we are starting fresh now. We have to prepare and get ready to do it all over again. Our coach has prepared us to keep striving for the top and I think this shows in our attitudes this fall.”
As Mehaffey has identified, the key to long-lasting success or consistent play is to celebrate your successes, set a new goal, commit to that goal then follow your success plan as you focus on your new objective.
Continue to Improve in Golf:
Celebrate and Re-Calibrate: After a successful round or season, celebrate your success. Reward yourself and revel in the victory for a week.
After that re-calibrate, set new goals for the upcoming season.
Review your success formula, make any necessary adjustments, then focus on what’s in front of you.
For more strategies to improve success in golf, check out, “The Golfer’s Mental Edge.”
Golfer’s Mental Edge
What’s the big sign that your mental game is the weak link in your golf game? When you can’t play consistently as well as when you play a practice or casual round–or your range game is way better than your game on the course. If you suffer from lack of focus, low self-confidence, poor composure or other mental game obstacles on the course, you can’t reach your true potential in golf.
The Golfer’s Mental Edge 2.0 Audio and Workbook program is ideal for any amateur, collegiate, junior, and tour professional golfer.
Golf coaches and instructors would also be wise to teach “The Golfer’s Mental Edge 2.0” principles to their players. This program is perfect for any golfer who wants to improve performance and consistency by managing their mind better on the course.