Bad weather can ruin almost any golfers’ good mood. Maybe you don’t play well in the rain, you hate the cold damp weather, or your game will slow down. Perhaps playing with a more experienced player is enough to throw your game off. Unfortunately, you can’t control the weather on a golf course. While you can control who you play with, you may not want to leave out a friend who is more experienced than you, so devising the best strategy you need to play your best is a great idea. Here are some mental golf strategy tips for unexpected scenarios. Weather Bad weather can bum out any golfer. No one likes playing in the clouds, cold or rain. Take a better mental route, and see the weather as an added challenge to your game, one that you’re ready to take on. Adjust your score expectations. The conditions of the course have changed, and so should your ability to play the same. Give yourself a healthy goal, and feel proud if you can meet it, even if it’s not as good as your normal play. Slow course play While we understand that slow course play is extremely frustrating, it’s best not to let it upset you or your game. It is out of your control, and spending your energy focusing on it, is only taking energy away from your game. Most people play golf to enjoy the outdoors, the social aspects and more. Focus on these things rather than the rate of play. Devise a slower way to do your pre-shot routine, and really focus on what you’re doing. Take some time at your electric golf trolley and focus. Don’t let the anxious feeling of wanting to get to the next hole, take over and ruin your performance. Playing a better player Playing against another golfer who you feel is a superior player can be a hard mental challenge to overcome. But it is just that, a mental challenge. When players in any sport play against a better player they let themselves believe the other player is better, and tell themselves that their own game isn’t as good. Players tend to devalue their own game. It’s important to remind yourself that the only way the better golfer can influence your play is if you let them. The mental game is important in this situation. Telling yourself to focus, focus on your shots, try to match their play with halves and wins. By doing this you could surprise yourself and do better than you think. Keeping a tight mental game in golf, is almost as important as your performance strategy. If you let things upset you, or tell yourself that certain scenarios will affect your play, they will. So take the punches as they come, don’t doubt yourself, and take it one hole at a time.
February 22, 2017 — Natalie Montoya

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