Meditation for Golf: Calm your Mind to Play Better

Meditation might be the missing key to playing better golf. 

Think about it… getting mad, angry, and flustered rarely helps your golf game. 

Unfortunately, golf can bring out the worst in people at times. Since we love the game so much, it’s only natural that you want to play well and reach new personal goals. 

It’s only natural for most people to get upset when you miss a short putt, drive one out of bounds or flub an easy chip shot. Especially if you’re playing well and are about to shoot a solid score. 

But success in golf is not linear. 

You don’t just improve every single day, week, or month (no matter how much you practice). It’s a roller coaster where a lot of times you might get worse before you get better. 

While improving your swing and short game are important, the mental side of things is arguably more important. Because without the right mindset for success, it’s nearly impossible to score well consistently.

A trend that has caught on among golfers (and millions of people around the world) is meditation. This practice is helping golfers, athletes, and everyday people relax and manage stress much more effectively. 

In this post, we’ll break down the benefits of meditation, how it can help your golf game directly, and the easiest ways to get started. 

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a very broad term that encompasses a lot of different mindfulness techniques. Oftentimes, meditation is very misunderstood, so let’s break it down to understand more about this powerful tool. 

History of Meditation

While it feels like meditation is a “new” cool thing, it’s actually been around for centuries. 

According to Positive Psychology, “The earliest written records come from Hindu traditions, in India, of Vendatism from around 1500 BCE. Vendatism is a school of philosophy and is one of the earliest known Indian paths for spiritual enlightenment. Other forms of meditation are then cited around the 6th and 5th centuries BCE within Taoist China and Buddhist India.” 

Although it’s unknown who is the creator of meditation, it’s a practice everyone should be grateful for. Here’s why…  

Benefits of Meditation for the Game of Golf

There are literally hundreds of benefits of meditation. But since the Left Rough is all about helping the most ambitious golfers, let’s focus on the direct benefits of using meditation for your golf game. 

Some of the main benefits of this ancient practice include:

1. Reduces Stress

Even though golf is supposed to be a game, most of us still get too stressed out about bad shots (just ask Sergio Garcia about that). Luckily, stress reduction is one of the main benefits of meditation. 

As Healthline pointed out, “​​Normally, mental and physical stress cause increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This produces many of the harmful effects of stress, such as the release of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines.

These effects can disrupt sleep, promote depression and anxiety, increase blood pressure, and contribute to fatigue and cloudy thinking. In an 8-week study, a meditation style called “mindfulness” reduced the inflammation response caused by stress.”

Plus, with all the stress of everyday life (especially in a post pandemic world), this is arguably the greatest benefit of meditation. Less stress means better sleep, better overall health, and hopefully a much better life… which will likely lead to better golf! 

2. Controls Anxiety

If you’re like most golfers, chances are you get anxious from time to time on the course. Even if you don’t consider yourself an “anxious” person off the course. But meditation can help with that as well. 

Dr. Elizabeth Hoge of Harvard Medical School found that “Meditation makes perfect sense for treating anxiety. ​​One of her studies (which was included in the JAMA Internal Medicine review) found that a mindfulness-based stress reduction program helped quell anxiety symptoms in people with generalized anxiety disorder, a condition marked by hard-to-control worries, poor sleep, and irritability.”

While the first-tee jitters likely won’t 100% go away (even Tiger Woods says he still gets them), meditation can help with reducing anxiety during your round. 

Go here to read our full article on how to control your nerves in golf.

3. Improved Self- Awareness (Manage Emotions)

Another great benefit of meditation in golf is becoming more self-aware. Which is a vital skill that can help in life and whenever you’re on the course. As Deepak Chopra said, “By becoming self-aware, you gain ownership of reality; in becoming real, you become the master of both inner and outer life.”

Imagine how much better your game would be if you had the ability to look at it objectively. What if you could disassociate your feelings about your game so that you can do what is necessary to improve?

Chances are, you would improve rapidly and quit the self-sabotage that so many golfers suffer. 

According to the same Healthline article from benefit number one, research shows “One review of 27 studies showed that practicing tai chi may be associated with improved self-efficacy, which is a term used to describe a person’s belief in their own capacity or ability to overcome challenges.

In another study, 153 adults who used a mindfulness meditation app for 2 weeks experienced reduced feelings of loneliness and increased social contact compared with those in a control group.”

This can ultimately lead to better problem-solving, which is extremely beneficial on the golf course. Personally, this is one benefit I saw early on when I started meditating. 

I found that it gave me a sense of clarity to evaluate my game after rounds without judgment or worry of what others would think. By looking at all parts of my game objectively, I was able to identity what I needed to improve.

Other Benefits

Aside from these big three benefits for any golfer, a regular meditation helps the human body and mind:

• Generate kindness
• Help fight addictions
• Decrease blood pressure
• Reduce age related memory loss
• Improve sleep (no more sleeping pills)
• Control your emotions to play better in sports
• Improve immune system and other body systems
• Lengthen attention span (also great for 5 hour round of golf)

Golfers Who Meditate 

A ton of professional and amateur golfers use meditation for a variety of reasons to help with golf. Perhaps the best example of all time is Tiger Woods, who regularly used meditation and hypnosis growing up. 

As I’m sure you know, Tiger Woods did not have a “normal” childhood by any means. His parents quickly saw that he was destined for super stardom on the golf course and leaned into it. 

His mother, Kultida, who is of Asian descent, introduced him to meditation at an early age. To this day, he even wears a Buddhist bracelet to remind him of his practice and heritage. 

Plus, his dad hired his military friend and clinical psychologist Dr. Jay Brunza as well. He taught Tiger about the ability to stay calm under pressure using self-hypnosis and other powerful techniques. 

Paired together, he’s now become arguably the best mental player of all time. I’m convinced that these techniques allowed him to become one of the most dominant players ever because his mind always kept him in the round. 

Other players who have talked about the benefits of mindfulness and meditation include:

• Phil Mickelson: He’s talked openly about how his inability to lack focus has cost him big time, especially in majors. But he proved himself and any naysayers wrong at the 2021 PGA Championship, where he stayed focused and took home the trophy (at 50 years old).
• Rory McIlroy: He is also very open about using mindfulness techniques to block out the noise and stay focused.

And a handful of other PGA and LPGA Tour players.

Types of Meditation

Now that you can see the benefits, let’s talk about the actual technique itself. As meditation continues to grow in popularity, it seems there are more and more types as well. 

According to Healthline, there are nine popular types of meditation practices, including:

Mantra Meditation 

The first type of meditation is known as mantra meditation, which is popular in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. This form of meditation uses a repetitive sound to help you gain clarity and clear the mind. It’s usually a short word or phrase that is repeated over and over again. 

The mantra can be said out loud or can be repeated as inner dialogue. Either way, it’ll provide the same results and can help you gain self awareness and experience deep levels of calmness. 

This is a popular form as the mantra is easy to repeat and helps with those who don’t enjoy silence. A lot of people find that it’s easier to focus on a single word or phrase instead of simply monitoring their thoughts. 

Spiritual Meditation

According to Healthline, “Spiritual meditation is used in Eastern religions, such as Hinduism and Daoism, and in Christian faith. It’s similar to prayer in that you reflect on the silence around you and seek a deeper connection with your God or Universe.

Essential oils are commonly used to heighten the spiritual experience. Popular options include myrrh, sage, cedard, palo santo, sandalwood, and frankincense.” 

Spiritual meditation is normally practiced at home or at a place of worship. It’s great for those looking for spiritual growth and who want to take their life to the next level. 

Focused Meditation (Great for Self Discipline)

Focused meditation uses all five senses to focus like never before. 

As Healthline said, “For example, you can focus on something internal, like your breath, or you can bring in external influences to help focus your attention. Try counting mala beads, listening to a gong, or staring at a candle flame.”

They also said that “This practice may be simple in theory, but it can be difficult for beginners to hold their focus for longer than a few minutes at first.”

If you struggle with focus in golf or any area of your life, this form can be a great way to improve without medication. 

Movement Meditation

This is a very different form than most on this list, as you’re actively moving throughout the practice. Unlike most practices where you sit alone in silence or with a mantra, this is great if you prefer additional movement and activity. 

Movement allows your mind to wander and get your body moving as well. Common types of movements include running, shaking, dancing, cleaning, and more. 

Progressive Relaxation

Progressive relaxation is a form that uses your body much more than most practices. With progressive meditation, it’s common to tighten the body or a muscle group, then loose. It helps the body reduce tension and relieve stress (which is why it’s so popular to use before bedtime).

Visualization Meditation

Visualization meditation is a powerful technique to create feelings of calmness and relaxation using images. The goal is to add all five senses to the specific scene to get your body and mind on board. A common way to use visualization is to think of yourself achieving something great.

For example, if your goal is to break 80 for the first time ever, you could use visualization meditation to imagine the moment before it actually happens. You could think of hitting a great approach shot on 18, drilling a birdie putt, and feeling what it feels like to break 80. You could imagine the high-fives from your playing partners, your smile, the feelings, seeing 79 on the scorecard and any other details. 

As Bo Bennett said, “Visualization is daydreaming with a purpose.” 

This technique is so powerful because with enough repetition, it can program your mind for success. This is possible because the brain doesn’t differentiate between what is real vs. what is imagined (especially when you use all five senses). In fact, visualizing success in sports is common among elite athletes. 

As Peak Sports said, “Visualization in sports or mental imagery is a way of conditioning for your brain for successful outcomes. The more you mentally rehearse your performance, the more it becomes habituated in your mind.

Think of visualization in sports as a pregame walk-through. Many basketball teams and football teams conduct rehearsals or walk-throughs the day before a big game to fortify their game strategy and become familiar with what to expect during game situations.”

This is what 18-time Olympian Michael Phelps used to gear up for the 2016 Olympics, so clearly, it works! 

Mindfulness Meditation

With this type, you pay attention to your thoughts as they pass through your mind. The goal with this type is to not judge your thoughts or become involved with them at all. 

Simply observe and recognize any patterns. You can also focus on your breathing if you find yourself getting bored, anxious, or not able to focus. This will help you observe any other body sensations or other feelings too. 

The main benefit with this type is that you gain amazing self-awareness, which is an amazing skill for golf. 

Think about it, if you’re playing well then all of a sudden your mind says “Don’t screw up” it’s easy to get in your head. But if you have the awareness to recognize this negative thought and disregard it, you won’t latch on to it like so many golfers do. 

Plus, this is a great practice that you can do on your own without any formal training or using any app. Simply dedicate time to sitting in a quiet room and recognizing your thoughts. As they inevitably filter through, become aware of them 

Transcendental Meditation (TM)

TM uses a mantra to help you get in a heightened state of awareness and focus. It’s also one of the forms that has a ton of numerous studies that back up the validity of this practice.

Not to mention, tons of celebrities, athletes, and high achievers use this form of meditation in their lives. Some big names include:

• The Beatles
• Mick Jagger 
• Jerry Seinfield
• Oprah Winfrey 
• Clint Eastwood

And a ton of others. 

This form of meditation is great if you like a lot of structure and don’t want as much of the spirituality side. While there is information online about this common practice, it’s recommended to attend a TM workshop in person to get the full benefits. 

Loving-Kindness Meditation

According to Healthline, “Loving-kindness meditation is used to strengthen feelings of compassion, kindness, and acceptance toward oneself and others. It typically involves opening the mind to receive love from others and then sending a series of well wishes to loved ones, friends, acquaintances, and all living beings.”

This form is great if you suffer from resentment, anger, and frustration in your life. Likely not as needed for physical performance while playing golf.

How to Start Meditation To Improve on the Golf Course

If you’re like most golfers, chances are you want to get started ASAP. 

While all offer their own benefits, I think that mantra, focused, mindfulness, transcendental, and visual are perfect for golf. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try other forms of meditation out as well. 

Here’s how to begin… 

1. Identify Your Goals

The first step is to identify how you want to use meditation in your life and your golf career (beside just wanting to be a better golfer).

Do you want to reduce stress? Visualize better? Reduce anxiety? Improve concentration levels? Have a quieter mind? Improve overall performance?

Each person is different, but it’s important to establish a starting point in the present moment. Once you have a clear goal, then you can find the right practice for your life and golf journey. 

2. Commit to A Practice

Once you get clear about your goals, then you can pick one of the nine types of practice. While you can use more than one, if you aren’t doing any meditation right now, I suggest picking one to start. This should make it easier for you to stick with this new habit.

Once you pick one, then you can do some extra research and learn the actual practice. This might mean watching a YouTube video, finding an in-person workshop, or downloading an app. 

3. Block Time in Your Calendar or Set Daily Reminders 

Once you have a practice you want to test out, it’s important to find time in your daily schedule to make it happen. Too many people know about the benefits of meditation, but never get to have them because they don’t practice consistently.

Anytime I am adding a new habit to my life, I try to do it first thing in the morning. This is when your willpower is at its highest and the day isn’t busy with meetings, family, and everything else yet. If you can’t do it in the morning, try it at night before going to bed as well. 

Make sure to have a post-it note, reminders in your phone, or notifications in your calendar too.

4. Don’t Judge Your Sessions 

Once you get in the swing of things, make sure to not judge your practice. There likely won’t be a “Eureka” moment when practicing, but a lot is happening in your body and mind. Just know that it’s working behind the scenes, whether you do it for more extended periods or not.

Trust the process, don’t rush the process.

And if you skip it for a few days, don’t beat yourself up over it. Life is busy for the average person, just do your best to get back on track. 

5. Stay Patient

Finally, don’t forget to stay patient and consistent with your practice to get the best results. One of the biggest problems I’ve seen is people wanting results overnight. Then, when they don’t get them, they give up entirely and lose out on a lifelong skill that can improve all areas of your life. 

But developing a strong mental game with the help of a mindfulness practice takes time. Just like building your body stronger by going to the gym. 

You don’t just lift weights once and have the body of your dreams the next day. The same goes with meditation. Don’t do it once or twice and hope for the world.

Don’t forget, there are literally hundreds of benefits and it’s worth your time! 

FAQs About Meditation For Your Golf Game

Do you have more questions about meditation and its benefits to help your golf game? If so, we’ll cover them in the frequently asked questions and answers below.

How do you meditate before golf?

The great thing about meditation is that there is no “one way” to do it. Some golfers might use a practice the night before, while others might do something in the morning. Or, you can even use it right before or even during a round as well, depending on which form you practice.

For example, the night before a competition, you could use visualization meditation before bed.  You could go through the course in your mind and paint a solid mental picture of you playing great and scoring well. 

Then, you could do a movement meditation in the morning as you go on a morning walk and stretch. Or, you could even do a short meditation before heading to the course to get your mind in the right state before teeing off. 

What are the best meditation apps to get started?

It’s never been a better time to get started meditating. There are an endless number of resources including workshops, YouTube videos, blogs, and a ton of apps as well. 

Some of the most popular apps include:

• Calm. This award-winning app will teach you different breathing techniques to help you relax. They even offer mindful walking meditations as well.
• Headspace. This app provides guided meditation to find calmness and wellness in a short time. 
• Insight Timer: This app has tons of free meditations to help establish a new habit, gain self-knowledge, and improve self-control too. 
• Primed Mind. This app offers short and long tracks that have meditation and self-hypnosis benefits. Plus, they offer golf specific tracks for consistent focus and physical performance as well. 

What’s the difference between hypnosis and meditation? 

Yes, there is a difference between meditation and hypnosis (or self-hypnosis). 

As Self-Hypnosis said, “Self hypnosis tends to have an end-point in mind – whether it is to make you more confident, help you to overcome fear or anxiety, to cope with everyday stresses, rediscover your inner wisdom, develop better eating patterns, sleep better, stop smoking, etc.; whatever it is… you enter self hypnosis with a goal in mind. 

Meditation, on the other hand, has no particular goal to aim at, other than, in its purest form, it is the complete emptying of the mind. The end game for true meditation (unlike the guided form I have already mentioned) is to be able to free the mind completely of all thoughts.”

As someone who has used both for the game of golf and life, I will say that each one has their own benefits. Meditation improves the ability to clear the mind and identify negative thinking. While hypnosis helps reprogram your subconscious mind to achieve a certain objective (like playing with more confidence on the course).

Paired together, they can have profound effects on your life, all from a comfortable chair in your home. 

Final Thoughts on a Meditation Practice in Golf

Whether it’s self hypnosis, seeing a sports psychologist, or meditation. Paying attention to the mental & emotional part of golf can help you make big improvements on the course. And meditation can have an enormous impact on your life and golf game. The sooner you start, the sooner you can reap the psychological benefits and likely play better golf.

Does it mean you will stop making mistakes, stop hitting bad shots, and avoid all double bogeys?

Of course not! 

But it can lead to better shots, minimize self sabotage, getting out of a slump and tons of other useful virtues that will help in general life circumstances.

Also, just remember, there is no “one way” to use meditation to your advantage. If daily meditation doesn’t work for you, don’t feel pressured. Do what works for you!

So is meditation the key to better golf?

I can say from personal experience, 100% yes meditation helps a lot! It can have a massive impact on your overall mental and physical health, which can lead to much better golf. Plus, improve self-discipline, reduce stress, remain calm, develop emotional equilibrium, and all kinds of other benefits.