Golf is a physically challenging sport. It may not be the Marathon des Sables or an Iron Man triathlon but contorting your body into unusual positions to propel a miniature projectile towards a four-inch-wide hole, 400 yards distant using strangely awkward implements is quite a trial. But that physical test is nothing compared to the mental battle golfing protagonists take on each time they set foot on the links. For four hours golfers must combat the obstinate adversary that lives between their ears. It’s almost impossible to beat. It will tell you that you’re not good enough when you are. It will tell you that you are good enough when you’re not. It will find every cunning and conniving way to make you fail. No matter how well you’re coping physically on the golf course, if you’re struggling mentally, you’re in for a rough ride. All golfers face mental strife that can have a negative impact on their performance and finding ways to deal with those bad thoughts and poor choices can knock shots off average scores. High handicappers in particular could see significant improvements in their games if they cut out the mental mistakes. Here are some of the key mental game errors all high handicappers make.
