Mental Approach and Performance Discipline
"I don't need an opponent. I've got myself."
You probably know someone like this. You might be someone like this.
I hit a poor shot and something in me switches on before the ball's even landed. It's not just disappointment, it's a running commentary, and it's rarely kind. By the turn I've had a full conversation with myself about what's wrong with my swing, my attitude, and possibly my character.
The trouble is that conversation doesn't stay on the hole where it started. A bad tee shot on the 6th is still rattling around in my head on the 9th, and I'm not really playing the hole in front of me any more, I'm playing damage control from three holes ago. The next shot needs my full attention and it isn't getting it.
I'm not weak-minded. I'm just holding myself to a standard that doesn't allow for a bad shot to just be a bad shot, and that makes every mistake cost more than the stroke it actually took.
I'm my own toughest playing partner. I talk to myself more harshly than I'd ever talk to someone else, I carry a bad shot into the next one instead of leaving it behind, and staying disciplined in how I respond doesn't come easily when things start slipping.
If any of this sounds familiar, it's worth finding out how far it actually runs. The free assessment covers this alongside seven other areas that shape a round, and takes about eight minutes.
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