This video is all about how to develop powerful self-talk and lasting confidence on the golf course. Learn how our voice influences performance and practical strategies to build a confident mindset.
Your inner voice shapes your confidence and your focus. Negative self talk creates tension, doubt, uncertainty and inconsistency. Positive and constructive self talk builds resilience, focus and better decisions under pressure. Get repetitions at using effective self talk on and off the golf course.
If you're like me, you've probably had an instance where you miss an easy putt or miss hit a shot and your immediate thought is, I suck at this. Whether you think it to yourself or say it out loud. But what if your score wasn't necessarily about your swing, but how you talk to yourself after a bad shot? Your inner voice shapes your confidence and your focus. Negative self talk creates tension, doubt, uncertainty and inconsistency. Whereas positive and constructive self talk builds resilience, focus and better decisions under pressure.
Very few people think about confidence as a skill. They might think, either I have it or I don't. But in reality, confidence comes from your preparation and how you talk to yourself every day, especially on the course when it comes to golf. So are you your best coach during your rounds or are you your biggest critic? Words can have a powerful emotional effect, especially if they're said out loud. And self talk, your inner dialogue is a skill. Knowing what to say and when to say it requires thought and practice.
And as you practice it, it becomes more believable. And self talk talk is more effective when it's believable because telling yourself you're the best is positive, yes, but it's not believable and you can't validate it unless you're Tiger woods or Scotty Scheffler. Some examples of that negative or counterproductive or destructive self talk might sound like, oh, I always choke under pressure, don't hit it in the water. I suck at putting. Whereas helpful positive and constructive self talk might sound like, I've practiced this shot, I can trust it.
Pick your target and commit. Stay in the moment, one shot at a time. So I'm going to give you all a three step, step by step process for how you can incorporate more of that effective positive and constructive self talk. The first step is awareness. How do you typically talk to yourself? Notice what you say to yourself after bad shots. Specifically, pay attention to the tone and the language in addition to the content of what you're saying. And ask yourself, would you say that to a friend? Once you've built that awareness, step two is to have the ability to reframe.
This is where you shift from that criticism over to that coaching. For example, changing that was terrible into that didn't work. Next shot, smooth tempo. And the third step after those first two is to practice it. Get repetitions at using effective self talk on and off the golf course. You can use cue cards, mantras, or reminders before rounds. For instance, for me, as soon as I hit the range beforehand or even when I get up to setting foot in that first tee box, I have a very specific intention for that specific shot and overall, how I want to approach the entire round.
What this could look like on the course is simple but so effective. It might look like after a bad shot, telling yourself, that's okay, reset. What's my plan for the next shot? Or before a tough shot, telling myself visualize it. Trust the swing and commit. Or it could even be when you're on the greens about to putt, telling yourself, move, stroke, breathe. Just roll it. One helpful way to make this consistent is to create a system of that productive self talk. Maybe WR3 to 5 phrases that ground you and give you that confidence.
Integrate them into your pre shot and post shot routine and use that positive reinforcement even when things don't go well. For example, I handle that setback well. It doesn't have to be overly or inauthentically positive or chipper. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. But you do have to be constructive and productive in how you talk to yourself. This is important because your self talk comes with you. You always have your mind with you. So your self talk comes and plays every single hole, every single shot with you.
Make it your best caddy, not your worst enemy. So in your next round, I want to challenge you. Focus on saying one thing that's encouraging or productive after every shot, whether it's good or bad, go out and do that and just notice the difference.
