Coping Better with Pressure in Golf

Many golfers who explore mental coaching for golf think that improving their Pre Shot Routine, Self Talk and Focus is all they need to do to make long lasting improvement to their mental game and get better at coping with pressure in golf. But there’s a lot more to it…

Although these are important, these more “cognitive” in the moment mental game strategies, will only get you so far. The problem is that when we encounter high emotion, it hijacks the thinking brain, making it harder to use these strategies. 

If you are to become your very best, you must go deeper into the “subconscious” and change the automatic programming that determines how good you are at coping with pressure in golf. 

Most of our processes are Subconscious

Neuroscientists say that over 90% of our mental, emotional and physiological processes are subconscious, or automatic. In other words, we don’t have conscious control over most of our thinking and feelings, in the moment. Day by day, we are running programs that human nature thinks is best for us, based on our past experiences and conscious decisions up to that point (what we’ve allowed ourselves to think). The reason for this is that the subconscious mind is much faster and uses less energy than the conscious mind, so if we put these “thinking patterns” to memory, we are more efficient, especially when threatened. 

The subconscious is where all our automatic programs live and it’s continually evolving and adding new ones every day, by taking new information on board. Its primary role is to keep us safe and alive, which it does by running our physiological (bodily) processes and reminding us of where danger could lie, by triggering the “Fear Response”. 

The Fear Response

The Fear Response evolved in early humans to be triggered by threats, to:

•       Protect us from the imminent danger from a predator (making us feel scared, increasing heart rate, tension, etc., to help us “fight or flight” to survive).
•       Be afraid of being excluded from the tribe (because it would drastically reduce our chances of survival).

In our relatively safe modern world, our triggers are much less about physical danger and more about not being socially accepted, valued or worthy (being excluded from the tribe). In today’s world, the tribe is our family, friends, golf team, country club members, etc. We’ve inherited this primal fear of exclusion from our ancestors and we innately apply it to the modern world and it does nothing but hold us back. We become sensitive to failure, not being good enough and we are constantly thinking about how we are being perceived by others. 

When we put ourselves in situations that could result in us lowering our value in the tribe, the brain’s natural tendency to want us to resist that potential pain and move away from it (the Fight or Flight), kicks in. In other words, as good as your Pre Shot Routine and Focus might be, it can be hard to not be affected by the subconscious and the feelings of fear (and limitations from that) that you have coming from within. 

Let’s look at an example of how subconscious fear can affect us on the golf course: 

You’re preparing to play a 4 ft putt to win a tournament…

It’s a moment of high emotion…

There’s the excitement from the possibility of winning and gaining status in the tribe, but…

There’s also the fear of losing such a great opportunity by missing the putt and losing status in the tribe. This outcome is more important for the brain. 

You’re not consciously thinking about these things, but the subconscious knows it…

Although there is a positive side of fear (we are more focused), beyond the butterflies stage it is more of an inhibitor than a benefit. More golfers are held back from fear than they are elevated by it. 

Where do Emotions come from?

Your subconscious, which is continually running a program based on your memories and learned thinking patterns, is being triggered in that moment by memories of missing similar putts or other times that you’ve failed and felt pain from it. 

Because the brain is designed more for our preservation than our joy, it anchors negative memories more than positive ones and hence, the fear of missing that putt outweighs the possibility of making it. The brain takes a chemical snapshot and stores the memory of it, and when a similar situation appears, it triggers the fear response (and the same emotion) to protect us. 

Instead of you being free, you are nervous, tense and quick and you can lose connection with the intention of making the putt (because you are more focussed on not missing). Many players reach out to me with such stories, asking me “why can’t I get out of my own way?”

There are many other situations that “trigger” golfers in a negative way, such as: 

•       Playing with better players or seeing better players on the range
•       Tight tee shot with trouble on both sides
•       A shot over water 
•       Having a lead or a good score going with a few holes to play
•       A poor start
•       Worrying what other players/people will think of you                                          
•       A chip shot

I’m not saying that you will ever be completely free of discomfort in those pressure moments (that goes with the territory), but you can will be better at coping with pressure in golf and be freer if you have the subconscious working for you, rather than against you. 

How do we change our Subconscious Programming and Get Better at Coping with Pressure in Golf

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” – Carl Jung

Step One

Do a personal audit and identify your triggers. What situations make you feel strong negative emotions? This isn’t a fun exercise as no one really enjoys thinking about where they are vulnerable or weak. However, if you exercise self-compassion and accept that these fears/limiting beliefs are part of being human, you’ll make it easier. Write your triggers down along with the feeling, thinking and behaviors that accompany them. 

Step Two

Ask yourself why you are triggered? What is the fear and limiting beliefs (a story) that you have about yourself that this situation is revealing? Examine whether it is true or not. This step is about clearing house of the old, negative patterns that may have been impressed upon you (perhaps from early childhood) and you have reinforced them throughout your life. 

Step Three

Think about what your life will be like if you continue to run these limiting beliefs and thinking, which is triggering negative emotion and negative behavior in the big moments (because of fear). What will you possibly miss out on or not achieve?

Step Four

Think about what it would look and feel like if you were able to change this about yourself and be free in those moments? What could you achieve? 

Run Your New Programs Daily

Once you’ve established what the new programs will look like and what is possible for you to achieve with them, the next step is to run them in your mind every day. This is a big part of the “Inner Work” I do as a mental golf coach to my students. Tell yourself (daily) a new story that replaces the old outdated one you’ve been telling yourself for years. This will include a combined process of mindfulness, self talk, visualization and journaling. By doing this over a period of just a few weeks, you will break free of your past conditioning and false narratives and step into a fearless, limitless future. 

Thank you for reading!

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