Golf is a mental game.  You hear people say that in order to be mentally strong you need to “be in the moment”.   What does it mean to be in the moment?  What do you need to do to be in the moment?

Being in the moment means you are totally focused on the current shot. You are so focused that distracting thoughts are blocked.  This is easy to say, hard to do.  We have been taught to think of the bad outcomes and try NOT to do the wrong thing.  The most common distracting thoughts are Don’t Hit it in the Water, Don’t Hit it in the Bunker.  There are also positive distracting thoughts (I need this to win the club championship, I need this to make birdie, I need this to break 80).

A consistent pre-shot routine is an effective method to consciously focus on the shot. The pre-shot routine is a process that is done automatically before each shot. When done correctly, an effective pre-shot routine puts into the mind the precise motions that you must do before you execute your shot. When I say automatically, I don’t me unconsciously.  The mind consciously focuses on doing the same routine. When you focus on the routine, it becomes automatic. But this takes practice.  Very few people have a pre-shot routine and even fewer people practice their pre-shot routine. The driving range is the place to practice the pre-shot routine, but you rarely see anyone practicing their pre-shot routine.

Assuming you have a consistent pre-shot routine, what else can you do to be in the moment?  You can play mind games to block distracting thoughts. The mind game is a way of removing pressure from a shot. Playing in a tournament has more pressure than playing a non-tournament round of golf.  Teeing off on the first tee has more pressure than hitting on the driving range. Trying not to hit it in the water or bunker carries a lot of pressure. Attaching meaning to the golf shot puts tremendous pressure on the shot.  You must play a mind game with yourself to take the pressure off of yourself.

The most amazing mind game was played by Tiger Woods in the 2008 US Open.  He needed to make a twelve foot putt to tie Rocco Mediate.  He took the pressure off by telling himself he did not care if he made or missed the putt!!  He only cared about making a pure stroke.  This is what being in the moment means.  He did not care about the goal (to tie Rocco); he cared about the process (hitting the putt the desired speed and direction).

Lydia Ko a 15 year-old amateur won the Canadian Women’s Open on the LPGA.  She was leading after three rounds and was paired in the last group with Jiyai Shin and Stacy Lewis.  She did not think about being in the lead or winning the tournament.  She said she just wanted to “keep my rhythm”.

Here are some suggestions on taking the pressure off of your shots.

• Visualize you hitting the shot and visualize a positive outcome.  Since the shot was successful, your execution of the shot is just a replay of the shot.  Like rewinding a recording and replaying it.  The pressure is off because you already made it.
• Pretend you are in an environment where you have hit great shots.  When Tiger Woods teed off on the first tee in the British Open, he said he was hitting it really well on the range so he pretended he was still on the range.
• Tell yourself it is an easy shot.  When Tiger Woods needed to make a six foot putt to tie Bob May in the PGA Championship, he told himself, “This putt is so easy my mother could make it”.

As you can see using a mind game to take the pressure off of your shot requires a disciplined mental approach.  But it takes as much mental energy to use a mind game as it does to think about all the things that put pressure on the shot (I need this to break 80, don’t hit it in the water, I hope I pull this shot off).  It is your choice on how you use your mental energy.