Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game

beneficial reality than keeping “What’s my target?” first and foremost in your mind.
    When golfers don’t actively put good questions into their heads, oftentimes either the situation or random stream of consciousness thinking puts negative questions there. Standing over an important shot, imagine the difference between asking yourself, “What is the leader doing now?” or asking, “What’s my target?” Think of the difference between asking, “How did I bogey the last hole?” and asking, “What’s my target?” Think of the difference between asking, “What if I leave another drive out to the right?” and asking, “What’s my target?”
    Those other questions may exist in your mind, but always returning to the mastery golfer’s mantra—“What’s my target?”—will improve your focus and most likely your chance for success.

    Asking “What’s my target” brings the mind into focus, and lets golfers’ natural instincts take over. Simply focusing on that question often brings golfers into the present, and allows them to control the moment. “What’s my target?” is the greatest question in golf, and a golfer’s greatest mental weapon against falling prey to nervous situations. As golf professional Nick Cassini explained:

    When I ask the question “What’s my target?” it is like everything else goes away. I am able to see where I want the ball to go. And the smaller the target the better because even if I miss the target, I am still in the fairway or on the green. It’s amazing, really, how such a simple question can mean so much in a round of golf. So now whenever I find myself not concentrating, or wondering about outcomes or thinking about work, I simply ask myself, “What’s my target” and focus on that target. I can’t believe what a difference that makes, really!

    At its best, golf is a game of simply hitting shots to targets. That’s it. That’s all. At its best, a golfer’s quiet mind goes something like this:

    1. “What’s my target?”

    2. A specific target in the distance is picked out.

    3. The target is locked on to with 100 percent concentration.

    4. A fearless golf swing is made at that target.

    Pretty boring. But here’s a newsflash: Boring works. Because just about every shot in golf—from drives, to long irons, to short irons, and even to chipping and putting—boils down to hitting the ball at a specific target, “What is my target?” is the great question in all of golf, and is often a mastery golfer’s greatest weapon against the negative thoughts that can creep in and create fear. “What is my target?” is the trigger that allows him to make fearless swings at precise targets.

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    words of a champion: retief goosen

    How many things does a champion have to overcome? In winning the 2004 U.S. Open, Retief Goosen played a difficult course set up to an almost absurd level of difficulty. With the greens at Shinnecock Hills baked and hard and fast, Goosen putted his way to a victory. But it was not merely the course, Goosen had to overcome a partisan crowd desperately rooting Phil Mickelson toward a comeback victory. Mickelson played valiantly down the stretch, but Goosen withstood it. Goosen battled bad swings and bad lies, but his putter would not let him down. He one-putted 11 greens in the final round, including seven straight times in the final seven holes. How could he do that under such conditions? His answer to the media afterward was simple and direct, just as you’d expect from a fearless golfer committed to playing the golf course, not the circumstances. To win, to be successful, these are the things that are required.

    When you stand over a putt you are nervous. You are shaking on the inside like any other player does, and Tiger does, too. It’s just how you’ve learned to play under that sort of pressure, and in a way it sort of becomes natural in a way that you feel like I can only play my best golf when I’m really under pressure.

    Sometimes when you’re not under pressure, your focus is not there, and you might not make the putts. But when you’re sort of under pressure, it’s a must thing; you must focus and you must make the putt, and that’s what I feel when I stand over it.
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Battles are won before they are fought.
    —S UN T ZU

    I recall a memorable phone call I received a couple of years ago from a professional golfer with whom I had worked named John Orrell. John had a strong ego orientation (see