Managing Expectations: Can a Great #Golf Start Hurt Your Round?

Golfers have expectations, (as do all humans) whether they believe it or not when starting their round; a great score, awesome putting...the list is endless. Managing expectations is probably one of the most difficult issues to overcome for golfers of all levels.

On his first hole (the tenth tee) of the OHL Golf Classic at Mayakoba, Kevin Mitchell scored a hole-in-one. You would think everything would be coming up roses for Mitchell after that pumped-up start, and it did...sort of...Mitchell followed through with a birdie on eleven. Then Mitchell took a par, birdie, bogey and finally wound up with a 66 and tied for 68th place after four rounds. (Please note ESPN has his name listed as Keith while Golf Digest lists it as Kevin).

espn.com/golf/leaderboard

Can anyone maintain such high expectations after an ace? Should you try?

READ: Try to Win and You Won't?

On the flip side, Zimbabwean golfer, Marc Cayeux, left all expectations behind after a devastating motor vehicle accident left one leg shorter than the other. “It’s been a tough seven years, so, on my first year back, I had no expectations. I just basically tried to get back into the swing of things and learn all over again...". Caveux made the cut!

Managing expectations requires determination. Here are a few tips to help overcome thoughts that consume, in order to get positive results during a round.

1. SLOW DOWN: According to mind coach Gary Leboff, "signs of excessive intensity include rushing your food, driving too fast and shortness of breath." Identifying these changes and consciously doing the opposite will help you get into a calm mindset.

2. MANAGE HIGHS AND LOWS on the course: According to PositiveMentalImagery.com, you will lose momentum if you have a good round going and start to dwell on it. Conversely, don't believe that if you have been blowing all of your putts that it will continue to happen. Maintain realistic expectations about your game and stay grounded.

3. STAY IN THE MOMENT: It's common practice to think about the next shot but, in many cases, golfers think way too far ahead. According to GolfMentalGameCoach.com, when French player Alexander Levy was, " totally immersed in the moment: seeing the shot, playing the shot, seeing the result and then playing the next shot," his game took a turn for the better.

Managing your expectations takes practice and strong resolve; understanding where your weaknesses lie and lessening the pressure you put on yourself is the first step to better enjoyment of the game.

How do you manage your expectations on the golf course? Share in the comments section of Golf for Beginners blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Is Your Brain Always on Sports? #Golf and the Fan

If you're the one who friends and family consider to be "the sports nut", the guy or gal who lives, eats and breathes golf, football, baseball, tennis or hockey, then your loved ones might benefit from the book "This Is Your Brain On Sports", so they can try to understand what makes you tick.

The Science of Underdogs, the fan mentality and more is evaluated in the book "This Is Your Brain on Sports" by John Wertheim and Sam Sommers.

Sports psychology is the basic understanding of why we do what we do on and off the field, the golf course, how we react as fans, how thoughts translate into real life and how we can use what we learn to understand and improve our lives.

No doubt you have heard the phrase "Golf is ninety percent mental", and, even though we only think about that phrase in relation to playing the game, the psychology and attitudes of fans and pros play heavily into our psyche.

Here are several points which I took away from "This Is Your Brain on Sports - The Science of Underdogs, The Value of Rivalry and What We Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon."

Think about these ideas the next time you are in these situations as a player, as a fan or as someone who lives with this type of "fan"-atic.

1. Let's start with the sub-title of the book - T-Shirt Cannon and what we can learn from it.
Why does shooting a T-Shirt out of a cannon (or pitching a golf ball to the crowd for the sake of our blog) keep fans coming back to a stadium, arena or course, even if the team (or golf pro) is losing?

The book claims that it is because the T-Shirts are free "...and free is catnip to humans, an enticement so strong it sometimes causes us to behave ridiculously...". I cannot personally relate to this theory as I do not go to a golf course to catch tossed golf balls from Jordan Spieth although one of my favorite memories is carrying the Sunday standard for Annika Sorenstam and her pitching me her golf ball after making a birdie.

2. Effort Justification is defined by Psychology Dictionary as, "The phenomenon where people evaluate a task more favorably when it involves something difficult or unpleasant."

The book tells us, "When we pay for access to a gym, for example, we often come to value a group more than when the access comes for free."

3. We're All "Comeback Kids" - After a tragedy or a physical ailment which may keep someone from playing a sport, isn't it amazing how we read about how the athlete made an unprecedented return? We, as humans, are quite resilient.

4. Rooting for the Underdog or remaining loyal to consistently losing teams - oh, how many times I have cheered on Phil Mickelson in spite of knowing that he was nowhere near a win but, when he finally DID win, the experience was further overwhemed by joy and exuberance, almost like I had won!

5. Praise is important but it's the right kind of praise that truly makes the athlete. Praise for effort, not necessarily for the win. ParentingScience.com further emphasizes to, "Encourage kids to focus on mastering skills—not on comparing themselves to others." One of the things I enjoy most about watching golf is at the very end of their round, golfers almost always praise their playing partners.

This book is not for everyone - but it is an important work if you want to delve deeper into the psyche of human nature and enjoy reading about a broad sports culture through a fan's point-of-view. The press release best related what "This Is Your Brain on Sports" is trying to convey  - it "celebrates the quirkiness of sport while revealing something deeper about who we are, what we care about and the forces that shape our behavior.

Have You Read -This Is Your Brain On Sports-? Share your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and in the comments section of this Golf for Beginners blog.

Can You Really Have A Mistake-Free Round of #Golf?

Navigating a golf course using the five-and-a-half inch space between your ears is quite a task, even for professional golfers. Golf is a game of recovery. Can this game be played mistake-free?

Golf for Beginners, with the help of Robert K. Winters, PhD and his new book "Mistake-Free Golf - First Aid for Your Golfing Brain" hope that, by identifying consistent mental errors, they can be corrected leading to a better state of mind and less frustration. Will you suddenly drop your handicap to +1 and score a 59 in every round? Highly unlikely but what might happen is that you will learn from your mistakes, "treat the afflictions" and move forward.

A world renowned sports psychologist, Dr. Winters offers readers a look at the negatives which plague players on the golf course, on the driving range, putting green and even in real life from lack of commitment to lack of execution.

Mike Hulbert, PGA Tour and Champions Tour professional states in the book, "My greatest mistake is to start thinking too much into the future...I just can't make the mistake of not staying in the moment." This is true for anyone, not just a golfer, in order to stay committed to any task yet it is so difficult to do!

Here are a few Tips Which Players Should Be Aware of in order to have a better round of golf:

1. Don't Replay the Past - Stay in the Moment. "This is a new moment, this is not the past. Let go of your past and focus on the shot for what it is, not for what it means to you in personal recognition."

2. Who's Watching Me? Feeling uncomfortable? Sometimes, when I get set up on the tee box to take my shot, I feel that I have an audience and "all eyes are upon me." No hurries, no worries - don't be anxious and don't worry about what others think of you. Chances are their eyes are on you but their minds are on their next shot.

Question Mark Shape Donald Trump Golf Course Aerial Balmedie Aaron Sneddon

As the great Sam Snead said, "Forget your opponents; always play against par."

3. Let go of Huge Expectations. The example that Dr. Winters offers in his book is of golfer Michelle Wie and her unrealistic perfectionism was stopping her from success. "I probably placed too much emphasis on results and score." Instead of thinking score, think about executing each shot the way you want to and let the score take care of itself!

There are many more tips in "Mistake-Free Golf", many of which you will agree with as you read the book but it is good to have this refresher on your shelf to remember that golf is a game of dealing with disappointments, fear and commitment. In some ways, this book is a manual about life.

Golf is not just an exercise; it's an adventure, a romance... a Shakespeare play in which disaster and comedy are intertwined. ~Harold Segall

If you wish to hide your character, do not play golf. ~Percey Boomer

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners, on our Golf for Beginners blog and on our Facebook page.

Golf Psychology: Tips to Avoid Choking

Thanks to My Golf Locker for this thought-provoking blog on how to avoid the dreaded golf choke!

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Let’s face it; we have all choked. In fact, just last week, I played a round of golf with my dad and everything was absolutely perfect: the sun was shining, the course was immaculate and the golf on display was absolutely superb (even if I do say so myself).

As a 15 handicapper, it is not often that you get these types of rounds, so you have to make the most of them! Luckily, for 15 holes, I did just that and raced into a four-shot lead with three holes to play. Surely my dad couldn’t overtake me now? 

WRONG! I lost by one stroke… I was (and still am) absolutely gutted.

The story of choking in golf, however, isn’t unique to me. Who could forget Adam Scott at the 2012 Open? 

Could you imagine the pain and heartache that Adam Scott experienced that day? Many predicted that he would never get over it; he did, however, and in spectacular style by winning the 2013 Masters. 

Adam Scott went on to win the 2013 Barclays and with a final bogey-free round. Still, Adam Scott believed his final round wasn't good enough to win. Caddy Steve Williams was seen packing Scott's golf bag with the Aussie player thinking that he "really didn't think I had much of a chance."

The reason behind Adam Scott's win at The Masters was undoubtedly the change in his psychology. He didn’t play flawless golf at Augusta, but he got the job done.

The same can be said for this year’s US Open Champion Justin Rose who has also had his demons. After coming in fourth at the Open at the age of just fifteen, Rose went on to miss twenty-one consecutive cuts! Since then, however, Rose has rebounded and can now also call himself a major champion; something that fellow Brits Lee Westwood and Luke Donald can only dream of.

Although our golfing exploits are nowhere near on par with those of our idols, we can take similar steps to avoid choking in a similar fashion.

1. Accept your handicap:

Your handicap exists for a reason and your aim is to reduce it. We cannot expect to be perfect every time we play golf. We can, however, accept the situation and deal with it accordingly. The key is getting into a positive mindset.

Often, there is no need to go ‘birdie searching’ when a par will do. Try adopting the stableford scoring system as this will give you an accurate reflection of your round- you could be doing a lot better than you think!

2. Play the hole, not the situation:

If you’re having a good round, focus on the positives and play the shots you’re capable of achieving. If you start trying to lay-up or play shots that you haven’t been playing during the round, you increase the risk of ‘choking’.

Always play your natural game despite what those around you may be saying!

3. Dress for success:

In order to play well you have to look, and feel, the part. Although some courses do not enforce a dress code, it is still important that you maintain proper golf etiquette. Dressing in golf attire regardless will help get you into the right mindset and will ensure that you ‘feel the part’. Yes, golf etiquette does mean that what you wear is a reflection on you.

Contrary to popular belief, golf clothing is also less expensive than you’d imagine. Try checking out My Golf Locker to see what’s on offer. 

Join the conversation on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend me on Facebook.

photo credit: ESPN, Brentgolf.com

Disclosure: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.