Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game

did well staying in the present.
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    Furthermore, because confidence is a direct function of control, and we can’t control what other people do, attention to other golfers undermines our confidence (especially when that other golfer is Tiger, who never plays the field; always the golf course). Finally, attention to what someone else is doing takes away from the most fundamental component of golf: hitting the ball at a specific target. If I am paying even a little attention to another golfer, or anything other than the target, then I am not paying full attention to the shot at hand. In golf today where courses get tougher and tougher and greens get faster and faster, even slight lapses in concentration can add up to big numbers on your scorecard.

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    recap

    Mastery Orientation

    1. Awards and accolades are secondary to learning, improvement, passion, and fun.

    2.
Kaizen
—the goal of continual improvement regardless of performance.

    3. Standards for excellence are
self-imposed
and
self-judged
.

    4. Motivation to improve is an internal drive, not external rewards.

    5. Obstacles are viewed as challenges to overcome (not threats to avoid).

    6. Focus is on playing the course itself, not things superficially related to golf.

    7. Competition is an opportunity to test and to perfect one’s skills. The fun of championship caliber golf is to collectively challenge a golf course (not necessarily to win money or beat other golfers).

    8. Poor shots lead to curiosity and greater motivation for improvement.

    Ego Orientation

    1. Rewards for playing are attention, awards, and recognition from others.

    2. Judge achievements relative to others’ achievements, records, and expectations.

    3. Primary passion is making money, outdoing peers, proving worth to others.

    4. Obstacles are viewed as threats to be avoided (not challenges to be overcome).

    5. Scoring well is more rewarding than playing well.

    6. Scoring well is more rewarding when it is done in front of a crowd.

    7. Competition is seen as a stage to prove oneself to others or to gain prestige. As such, other golfers are viewed as adversaries, and the greater satisfaction comes from beating other players, not necessarily from self-improvement.

    8. Poor shots lead to anger and frustration (not curiosity and motivation).
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    I spend a great deal of time at golf tournaments, and I have noticed an interesting difference between mastery- and ego-oriented golfers. It is something you can look for the next time you attend a tournament and check to see if I am right. When they show up to a tournament, the first thing that mastery-oriented golfers do is study the course. They study the grass, the wind, the greens, and other course conditions. On the drive to the tournament, mastery-oriented golfers are eager to get to the golf course and they know that the competition later that day will be between them: the golfer and the course.
    Conversely, when ego-oriented golfers show up at a tournament, their first stop is seldom to the course itself. Rather, they immediately begin to look for other golfers, the registration table, or friendly faces. They stop to talk casually to other golfers (usually
about
other golfers), to speak to media, to make an “appearance,” and to let others know that they’ve arrived. On the drive to the course, their mind is occupied with whom they will run into, what the cut may be that day, and the prestige of the field. Ego-oriented golfers are usually not thinking about the course itself (while that is all mastery-oriented golfers can think about).
    Ego-oriented golfers focus on these things in large part because they view tournaments as competition among golfers. Consequently, they seem to get preoccupied in the lives, stories, rumors, reputations, and records of other golfers. For mastery-oriented golfers, freedom from such distractions allows them to swing fearlessly. The mental baggage that comes with ego orientation sometimes makes those golfers tense, apprehensive, uncertain, anxious, and afraid of making mistakes.

    Ego Approach Orientation

    Trying to hit good shots to . . .

    1. Improve one’s image in the eyes of others.

    2. Secure bragging rights.

    3. Beat other golfers.

    4. Appear competent.

    Ego Avoid Orientation

    Trying to avoid mistakes to . . .

    1. Avoid appearing incompetent.

    2. Not worsen one’s stature.

    3. Merely protect a lead (when leading), not fall further behind (when trailing).

    4. Not lose, not