Golf is really a mental game.  Very few people realize this and that is why they struggle to learn to make a consistent swing.   The golf swing is not a complex motion.  In fact, most children can execute a good swing.  If an eight year old child can execute a good swing, how complicated can the golf swing be?

Golfers who learn the swing when they are young children have the best chance to make a consistent swing.  Golfers who learn the game as adults have the hardest time.  This is because everything you learned in order to be a successful adult does not work in learning to make a consistent golf swing.  Things that a successful adult does naturally are: try harder, do a little extra, worry about what can go wrong, try to hit the ball or help the ball into the air.  All of these things do not work in trying to make a consistent swing.  In fact, they prevent the adult golfer from ever being successful in making a consistent swing!

Golf legend Gary Player said that golf is about the mind and putting.

If you accept that golf is a mental game, you have taken a big step towards learning to focus on your rhythm and making an efficient swing.  This is easy to say, but mentally hard to do.

A good example is the fact that the majority of golfers do not focus on developing a precise setup: grip, aim the club, stand to the club, and posture.  Most amateurs take lessons on improving the swing, but not much attention is given to the setup.  Most professional golfers focus on the setup much more than amateur golfers.

Along the same line, very few amateur golfers have a consistent pre-shot routine.  The pre-shot routine is intended to stop the thinking and focus on the doing.  You rarely see anyone on the driving range practice their pre-shot routine.  When you watch professional golfers’ pre-shot routine, you can tell they are focusing on the doing.  When you watch amateur golfers, you can tell they do not have a consistent routine and they are focusing on the worrying.  Developing a consistent setup and pre-shot routine is all mental.

One concept that is not taught is the word “same”.  You rarely hear this word used when taking a lesson or read about it in a golf magazine.  When golfers want to create a more consistent swing, they rarely focus on doing the same.  When you find something that works, focus on doing it the same way.

“Easy to say, hard to do.”  This saying is a common hurdle in trying to become mentally strong in golf.  We all know what we should do, but executing it is not as easy as it seems because of the mental distractions that exist in golf that prevent us from mentally focusing on the easy and effective behaviors.  Here are just a few golf concepts that are “easy to say,” but mentally “hard to do.”

1. Be in the present. Don’t let the past or the future distract you from focusing.
2. Swing smoothly
3. Ignore the hazards and focus on the fairways and greens
4. Focus on your rhythm
5. Focus on your balance
6. Feel your swing
7. Swing down
8. Bring your swing from the range to the course
9. Do less and you will get better results
10. Practice your pre-shot routine
11. Be very precise
12. Focus on executing the same swing
13. Practice your short game (chipping, putting, pitching) if you want to lower your score
14. Use more force on uphill putts or on slow greens

This shows how mentally challenging the game is. The key to making the “hard to do” easy, is to let go of your “natural” thoughts and fears and focus on the effective behaviors.  Unfortunately, that is easy to say, mentally hard to do.  But you must let go of your “natural” thoughts and fears and focus on adopting effective behaviors if you want to develop a consistent swing.

Being logical interferes with developing a consistent golf swing.  The things that you need to do to achieve a consistent swing are not logical.  Here are some true but seemingly illogical concepts regarding the game of golf.

1. Most people think golf is about helping the ball into the air or hitting at the ball. But, the golf ball really indicates where to make the swing and how well you executed your swing
2. You will never miss the ball if you focus on making an efficient swing
3. Bad shots come from forgetting to focus on rhythm, balance, or efficiency
4. Golf is a very precise game. Consistent means the same, not similar.  Your setup, rhythm and efficiency must be the same, not similar.
5. Trying harder never works
6. The pre-shot routine gets you into the “zone” and the routine must be the same.

If you embrace and remember the illogical concepts presented above, you will have the proper mindset to develop a consistent swing.

Now you know why golf is really a mental game.  Very few golfers know this.  Now you also understand why golf is so challenging.  Are you mentally strong enough to accept the challenge of golf?  If so, enjoy the never-ending journey that is the game of golf.

My blog post “The Most Important Focus in the Golf Swing,” describes what your mind needs to focus on to produce a consistent golf swing:  rhythm, the little fingers, and vertical motion.  I’m sure you are thinking “that makes no sense!”  But if you are ready to begin the proper way to develop a consistent golf swing I urge you to be open to the challenge of focusing on the illogical.