I get it, you care about your golf. So do I. But what’s the difference? I don’t have a petulant outburst every time something goes against me.
Maybe you don’t realise, or maybe you don’t care, but it makes things extremely uncomfortable for your playing partners when you throw your club after an errant drive or vociferously chastise yourself after missing a four-footer. It happens. That’s golf. And guess what? Realising that might be the secret to lowering your scores.
Here are eight ways for you to control your anger on the golf course…
Get some perspective
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Why are you playing golf? Chances are it’s because it’s a hobby of yours. And hobbies are supposed to be enjoyed. Nothing of any significance in the grand scheme of things rests of any of your shots, so don’t act as if it does. You’re not a journeyman tour pro attempting to support his family while clinging to a dream. You play golf for fun. And whinging, moping and complaining aren’t fun.
Laughter is the best medicine
Don’t be one of those people who can’t take a joke, or can’t laugh at themselves. It really is very therapeutic when you respond to a shank by bursting into laughter. A knock-on effect is that it makes everyone in your group feel at ease, and lets them know it’s okay to respond to adversity (in golfing terms!) with humour. It really helps the group dynamic.
Remember your last good shot
A common psychological flaw is dwelling on your last bad shot, not your last good one – something that feeds in nicely with the glass-half-full attitude of most golfers. So next time you miss a two-footer, remind yourself that such instances are rare; next time you top a drive, remind yourself that you haven’t done that for two rounds.
Even the best players in the world hit awful shots – think Tiger Woods pulling his opening tee shot into a lake at the 2006 Ryder Cup, Webb Simpson at the same event in 2014 and Charley Hoffman duffing a drive at the Valero Texas Open in 2016. It happens. And it will continue to happen. But it’s how you respond that…
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