Came across an interesting tweet from former PGA Tour professional, Bob Friend.

To illustrate the power of remaining calm & trusting in yourself: I’ve not practiced in 3 years. I’m not uber-talented; Ask the guys I competed against. My last 4 rnds @ Oakmont are 68-73-69-71. I believe I can play, therefore I can! You get what you expect, not what you deserve

Now, Friend is being a bit self-depreciating here. He’s an excellent player with an impressive golf resume. But, his point is that in golf, we often get what we expect. Trust, and remaining calm – like he says – are also key components to playing well.

Having played competitively and with amateur and professionals of all levels – it is interesting to see how this plays out on the golf course. Having a strong mental game is crucial to playing your best golf.

Those who think they can – often do. I remember walking into a competitive round of golf and thinking, I can beat everyone here today. And, I’m going to trust my swing all day. I ended up coming in with the lowest round of this one-day tournament and won. It showed me the power of belief and trust.

This works in reverse too. I’ve played with grumpy and negative golfers. Most of their thoughts about how they are playing or will play often come true. When they step on the tee and all they see is the water right and forget about their target – they often end up in the water. Their focus is where they don’t want to hit it instead of where they do.

This isn’t rocket science. We see it in life too, right?

what can you do today to play more confident golf?

If you are a 20 handicapper, you aren’t suddenly going to shoot 6 under at your golf course with positive self-talk / belief. But you can start to play better with a positive attitude. Expecting that better things are going to happen to you on the golf course. And, if they don’t, well, you will carry on.

If you’ve scored well before but are having trouble scoring that well again – you’ve proven to yourself that you are capable. You can shoot that score in the future.

Be patient with yourself. Be kind to yourself. On the course, be your best friend.

And, expect great things.