How To Build Confidence Into Your Game

Establishing a consistent thought habit to believe in yourself at all times and under all circumstances will help you play at your best no matter how challenging the round. That doesn’t guarantee you the lowest scores every round. But choosing to play with golf confidence will equip you to get the most out of what you’ve got in the bag for the day.

Because confidence derives from your thoughts about yourself and how you play, you can teach yourself how to think confidently with consistency. Like any other skill it just takes regular practice. When you choose to believe in yourself despite imperfect swing mechanics you will always hit better shots than if you choose not to believe in yourself because of your imperfect swing mechanics.

The more you practice the more your mind stores positive information. Your mind recalls this when you play. For example you’re on the fairway and need to clear water to get to the green. If you’ve done this many times before and landed on the green you are confident of doing again … been there, done that! If the reverse is true and you always landed in the water then your chances of getting over are slim.

Think of this. Each of us has a club we are the most confident hitting and always play a good shot with, then there’s the club you don’t. What’s in our bag when we hardly use it? Club manufacturers understand the importance of confidence. They design clubs that look good, sound good, designed to give confidence. Read any driver advertisement. The buzzword of late is forgiveness. This word has the effect of reducing stress and building confidence so when standing over the ball you think, “even if I miss hit it, it’s going straight”.

While playing well does make us feel good, confidence is not an emotion, it’s a belief. And because it’s a belief, it’s something that you’re in charge of, not a by-product of your performance. That being said, you can reinforce your golf confidence when you play well.

To boost your golf confidence here are our favorite confidence quotes and why you should begin aligning your thoughts with the best golfers and thinkers.

At the first sign of trouble do you start examining your swing mechanics instead of the guiding force behind them? Pay close attention to your thought habits during a round. Confident thoughts will help you produce more solid shots than negative or technically focused thoughts ever will.

How often are you really having fun on the golf course? I hope your answer is all of the time. But if not, what’s the point of playing if golf isn’t something you regularly enjoy? Playing with confident thoughts will keep challenges in perspective, focus your attention on leveraging the strengths in your bag, and help you feel as though nothing can stand between you and your target.

Most golfers set the bar too low, not too high. You must see yourself as a successful golfer if you ever wish to play like one. Setting your expectations around lofty, but attainable goals helps you play with a much more powerful mindset than if you were to always play to avoid failing. Reaching for big things in your game will open the door to growth that thinking small never will. If your goals aren’t a bit scary then they aren’t big enough.

Nothing’s quite as intimidating to others than a golfer who looks incredibly comfortable in his/her skin and is unflappable. Whether your last shot was great or a disappointment never let those around you see the difference because of the confidence you consistently wear.

Consistency with golf confidence is king. Your confidence will never hold up under pressure if you get lax in your pursuit of it. It is meant to be a constant in your game, not a variable, so treat it that way. Whether you play with a winning “go” statement like, “I’ve got this!” before every shot or you repeat positive affirmations to yourself throughout a round, do whatever it takes to keep your thoughts on track.

What a great way to approach any perceived obstacle in life and golf! When you choose to believe that there isn’t a single shot on a single hole on a single course on this planet you can’t play well great things will begin to happen.

No golfer wins every round, not even on the PGA Tour. But those who rise to the top each week certainly believe they can. Their belief isn’t based on the level of the others in the field. Their belief is grounded in the knowledge of their game and what they’ve worked hard to develop.

“I believe in positive thinking. Believing in yourself.” ANNIKA SORENSTAM 

Annika always makes a point to train herself to respond to unexpected and potentially disappointing situations on the course a very specific way — she taught herself to laugh at them! What better way to stay in the power seat of your game than to laugh in the face of what might cripple average thinkers? Your perspective is a skill like any other. Train yourself to never see obstacles in your path, only opportunities.

Make a point of pursuing success rather than trying to avoid failure. It’s as simple as stepping up to your next shot with only a good shot in mind. Golfers run into trouble when they allow themselves to worry about what could go wrong. It’s a waste of mental and physical energy to contemplate a miss and it’s completely opposite of what you actually want to do, so don’t go there!

Next steps

Like to try golf journaling for yourself? Ready to take your golf game to the next level? Explore our Oneday Golf Journals HERE.