Are you making golf harder on yourself with negative self-talk? Here’s the thing, self-talk in golf plays a massive role in getting the most out of your game.
Negative self-talk not only makes for a long day on the links, but usually makes a bad day even worse. However, the power of positive self-talk can help you convert a good day into a great one and an okay day into a good score.
Don’t make golf even more difficult by saying negative things about yourself and your game.
Today, I’ll help you understand the power of self-talk and how the pros use it to score well even if their ball striking is off. This mental golf hack will not only help you on the golf course but in all areas of life too.
Self-Talk in Golf
First off, what is self-talk in golf?
It’s what you say to yourself – both internally and externally. This can be negative, neutral, or positive and have a direct impact on your body language. Paired together, they can have a profound effect on your overall mood and golf game.
Key Takeaways
- Controlling your self-talk is one of the best mental game hacks to have more fun and play better every round.
- What you say to yourself will directly impact your mood, behaviors, and performance.
- Top athletes in golf and other sports understand that positive self-talk can help stay mentally strong. It leads to improved performance and less anxiety.
- Unfortunately, most amateur golfers have negative self-talk, which makes golf even more difficult.
Keep reading to learn more about the power of self-talk, the two most important words in the human language, and how to improve your language fast.
Why Self-Talk is So Important
Self-talk is something you engage in every day.
Maybe you have a job interview and want to get yourself motivated for a solid performance. Or, maybe during a big workout you need some positive self-talk to get you through it. Or, you have something bad happen and make it worse with negative self-talk.
The same thing happens in golf – both during practice and playing on the golf course. In fact, it happens in all sports.
As BrainPost said, “Athletes also engage in self-talk during training and in competition, saying things like, “keep going” and “focus on form”, or repeating mantras like, “I’m feeling strong”. In sports, self-talk can serve two functions:
- Boosting an athlete’s motivation and encouraging them to put in more effort.
- Directing attention to the relevant actions that the athlete must execute (“pass the ball”, “go faster”) to improve the quality of their movement or performance. This is thought to be more beneficial for sports requiring fine motor control, such as basketball, rather than gross motor control, such as running.”
I’m sure you know how it works first hand. You might be playing good, hit a bad shot, say something positive and end up saving par. Or, you hit a bad shot and make it worse with negative self-talk, which leads to a blow up hole.
This is why self-talk is so important!
The right self-talk can help improve motivation, which is great during a long range session or practicing in bad weather. It’s also great to have during a tough round where it feels like the Golf Gods are against you.
As mentioned, the right self-talk can help improve movement and overall performance.
Why We Favor Negative Self-Talk
Unfortunately, most golfers (and human beings in general) gravitate towards negative self-talk.
Why? Because of a phenomenon called negativity bias.
According to Positive Psychology, it’s in our nature to think more negatively than positively.
“Negativity bias is thought to be an adaptive evolutionary function. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors were exposed to immediate environmental threats that we no longer need to worry about – predators, for example – and being more attentive to these negative stimuli played a useful role in survival.”
Basically, our minds never adapted to the fact that most of us don’t have to worry about immediate environmental threats anymore. Unfortunately, our minds never got a software upgrade like your phone does every few months, which is why we gravitate towards negativity.
This is why you’re more likely to remember bad shots instead of good ones. Or, remember the traumatic events in your life more than the positive ones.
Don’t beat yourself up though – it’s part of our DNA. The good news is that you can overcome it with concentrated effort.
How to Change Self-Talk in Golf
As you can tell, self-talk is very important in golf and all areas of your life. If you’re playing with an inner voice that is telling you that you aren’t good enough, good luck playing your best.
Step 1: Self Awareness
To change your self-talk, you must first become aware of your self-talk.
There’s a very good chance that if you’re saying negative things about yourself on the course, you’re saying them off the course too. Chances are, they’re so habitual and second nature that you don’t even realize it right now. But maybe you’ve had a friend or golf buddy let you know that you’re negative while playing golf.
Start by making a checkmark on your scorecard for every hole you use negative self-talk. For example, if you miss a putt on the first hole and say, “I always miss those putts” or “I’m a terrible putter” make a check mark on the scorecard.
After 9 and 18 holes, add up how many negative self-talk statements you had. Chances are, you’ll be surprised and not even realize that you were saying such negative things to yourself.
Step 2: Go to Neutral Thinking
It’s very difficult to go from negative self-talk to positive, especially if it’s an old habit. Instead of trying to be cheerful after a missed putt or after hitting a shot out of bounds, stay neutral. This is called neutral thinking and a powerful concept that can help manage your emotions.
As Trevor Moawad wrote in the book, Getting to Neutral, “Positive thinking struggles to offer many of us consolation in moments. Negative thinking embitters us. Staying neutral gives us a fighting chance.”
Here’s an example of this on the golf course.
Let’s say you hit a terrible first tee shot (blame the first tee jitters) and sliced it way right. You have three options:
- Negative: “I always slice off the first tee” or “I’m terrible at driving.”
- Neutral: “That ball went to the right side of the hole.”
- Positive: “I will get it figured out and hit it straighter.”
Sometimes it’s really hard to go from negative to positive, which is why neutral thinking is so powerful. The goal is to accept it sooner and not fight reality so you can move on. This is key to avoiding blow up holes when you mentally stay in the past and upset with a previous shot.
Step 3: Practice Positive Affirmations
Once you can get to neutral, the next step is focusing on positive affirmations. These can improve your self-talk and help on/off the golf course in any area of your life.
It’s been said that the words, “I am” are the two most powerful words in the human language. Whatever you say directly after them can either hurt or help you out – especially when said with repetition.
If you say things like,
- I am a great golfer.
- I am clutch under pressure.
- I am incredibly consistent from tee to green.
You are setting yourself up for success.
However, most golfers say things like,
- I am so nervous.
- I am a terrible putter.
- I am awful on this hole.
Be very careful about what you say after the words, I am, as it seems to have a direct link to your mind, body language, and mood. Use affirmations at home – preferably each morning and night – to begin changing your language patterns and beliefs.
Adapt a Mantra
Another option is to have a short mantra with you on the golf course. Like affirmations, these are used by athletes in a variety of sports to improve their performance.
As mentioned in Built for Athletes, “Research has shown that positive self-talk leads to success in sport, so many top-level athletes form their own mantras. Mantras are phrases that resonate personally with an individual to leave them motivated and in a good frame of mind to get the job at hand done.”
Mantras are typically short statements that you repeat over and over again. The article mentions some used by athletes, including,
- I got this.
- Relentless
- Why not you?
- I deserve to win.
And perhaps the most notable athlete to ever use a mantra was Muhammad Ali. He was famous for saying, “I am the greatest” and repeated it over and over again. Now, he’s considered by many to be the greatest boxer of all time.
Bonus: Check Your Body Language
Self-talk is key to performing your best and one way to make it even more powerful is with strong body language. Your body language and self-talk send a direct message to your mind and have a big impact on performance.
Good golfers carry themselves differently and walk tall, saying positive things. While not so good golfers tend to slouch, put their head down, and berate themselves.
FAQs
Do you have more questions about the power of self-talk, and its role in your golf game? If so, keep reading through the most commonly asked questions and answers now.
What are the 3 C’s of negative self-talk?
The 3 C’s approach refers to catching, checking, and changing. You first need to catch yourself so you can check your language. Once you become aware of a negative language pattern, then you can change it with neutral or positive language instead.
What is the relationship between self-talk and golf performance?
There seems to be a direct relationship between self-talk and performance. Look at your best days and chances are you were saying positive things about yourself and game. Conversely, look at your worst days and there is a strong chance you were very negative.
How do I stop negative self-talk in golf?
The first step to eliminate negative thoughts on the golf course is to become aware of it. Chances are, you don’t even realize how often you say negative things to yourself. Just remember, it’s a habit – you can break it with consistent effort.
My Experience
I know what it’s like to have negative thoughts and poor self-talk as much as anyone. Growing up in high school and college I berated myself and had the wrong expectations which led to poor play. Not to mention, not having any fun, either. Read our full article on how to manage your expectations in golf.
But with a concentrated effort using the steps outlined above, I’ve transformed my self-talk to be much more positive. Do I get negative thoughts from time to time? Sure, that’s still how we are all hardwired.
However, it’s now much easier to spot that negative thought (catch it) then change it. A lot of this work has occurred off the golf course and translated on the course.
Final Thoughts
Choose your words carefully, as they’ll have a massive impact on your mood and performance. The sooner you can change your self-talk, the sooner you can play your best golf. Paired with good body language, you will set yourself up for success.
While it’s important to note the importance of body language, don’t forget you need to put in the work in practice to have skills to back it up. That means driving range sessions, maybe getting lessons, and using training aids to dial in your swing.
Even the best self-talk can’t help you overcome a bad swing or a shot you’ve never practiced. However, the right work ethic and strong self-talk can help you become unstoppable on the golf course.
Finally, make sure to pair these mental hacks with a pre-shot routine to stay mentally ready for the round. Also, if you want to read more mental tips, check out these articles now:
Michael Leonard
Michael is an avid golfer of 25 years who played in high school, college, and now competes in Arizona amateur events. He is a full-time writer, podcast host of Wicked Smart Golf, and mental golf coach.
