The golf doctor

The golf doctor

Mental game matters

The most striking finding in a study of how 18 good players handle stress is not that they all used intervention techniques with varying degrees of success, but how little attention they devoted to preparation in the form of mental practice. The study was conducted jointly with Dr. Adam Nicholls from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom and Dr. Nick Holt of the University of Alberta.

"We (the researchers) thought at this level they would already be aware of the importance of coping with stress," said a surprised Dr. Holt, who headed up the study. "In a lot of sports, people focus on the technical side and the mental side is neglected. But like the technical skills, you have to learn mental skills and practice them. If you look at the best golfers ― people like Tiger Woods ― they are renowned for really strong mentality. They can cope really well with stress."

Insider Takeaway: In a game like golf, where so much of your success depends on running your brain, the approach too many golfers take to the mental side is hands-off, aka, "It is what it is." Golfers will practice their swing, and some understand the importance of the short game, but to many, working on their mind skills doesn't appear on their radar.

How many players do you know who divide their practice time something like this: 20 minutes on the driver, 15 minutes on the irons, 30 minutes on short game, and 25 minutes on brain running? Not many, and yet there is no quicker way to ruin your golf day than with a crimp in your brain running operation.