By Erin Thorne, Wingate University Women’s Golf Coach

Many articles found in golf posts aim at changing your technique to improve scores. Watching and listening to golf commentators during the PGA season makes you believe everyone should be getting their club into the same position as the best in the world. Yet there are so many things that go into producing shots that allow you to score!

While it is important to address technical deficiencies, what if for 2019 you started to pay attention to other areas that can improve your game?

Try these concepts which can help to improve your golf:

Knowing Your “Why”

Take the time to sit down and understand why you play the golf.  Knowing why you are out playing the game can allow your mind to become focused on the things that matter. If you are out to have fun, work to let go of the bad shots. If you are out to get better, choose one specific thing to improve – and give yourself time to improve. If it is for exercise, make certain you walk and have your phone or other device tracking your steps.

Awareness of Your Mindset

As you tee it up the next time keep your mind focused on why you chose to drive over to the course. The power of specific phrases or words such as “get to vs have to” and “yet” have been included in studies of growth mindset done by Carol Dewick. Her research shows that using these phrases or words allow us to develop persistence, grit, greater self belief and excitement of new challenges that we may not excel at right away. A growth mindset will allow you to embrace all the challenges of the great game of golf.

Reflection

Take the time to reflect after each shot, each hole, each round or year of golf. Tie your reflection back to your why and think through if your mindset was in the most beneficial frame. Taking a few minutes to say yes or no I was able to stay focused on why I choose to play the game can keep your passion for the game alive. It can also take some pressure off of relying on that one good shot or shooting a specific score.

While at the PGA of Canada Coaching and Teaching Seminar, Cameron McCormick suggested the concept of fine tuning what is under the hood. We often see the articles of how to break 100, 90, 80 often focused on the technical aspects of how to get past those barrier numbers. What if instead of trying to revolutionize what skills we currently have but focused on fine tuning what is under the hood to break through those barriers.

As we enter into 2019, embrace the ideas of why you play golf, mindset before skillset, reflection and fine tuning the skills you already have for your best golf year!

Erin Thorne, Wingate University Women’s Golf Coach