On Par
- Using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to Improve
Your Mental Game (Part One -The Principles)
By Johnny Ong, NSRCC Member
Introduction
G
olf is both a physical and mental game,
as with all forms of sport. There will be
days when many a golfer will revel in his
spectacular round of eighteen, replaying those
moments in his mind, and further embellishing
the memories each time he regales his family and
friends. Like wine, the narrative gets better with
time, and is distorted for the better. These uplift
and re-affirm him of his natural aptitude for the
game. These are good days.
And yes, there will be bad days. These are days
when there is the nagging temptation to throw the
offending club and possibly the entire golf bag and
its contents into the water hazard, one that his
ball has landed in for the umpteenth time. Scour
the internet and you will find that this has been
done. These are the days when a golfer wished
he never ever took up the game. Retirement from
the game suddenly becomes a very real option.
you from carrying out the above. It is meant
to give insight on how we unwittingly self-
sabotage our mental and physical game, using
principles and techniques derived from Cognitive
Behaviour Therapy, or CBT for short. CBT is an
evidenced-based approach used in counselling
to help clients develop self-awareness of how
dysfunctional thinking and behaviours lead to
emotional distress, and to apply techniques that
remediate these. There is strong evidence of
its helpfulness in treating mental health issues
such as Major Depressive Disorder, Generalised
Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorders.
Can CBT be helpful in your mental and physical
game of golf? Can it be used as a self-help tool?
Well, for starters CBT is relatively versatile, and
is easy to understand and apply. But first-things-
first; let us understand the principles behind it.
This series of articles seeks to help restrain
The Cognitive Principle – It is the thinking, not the event, that causes our feelings
Common Sense Model
Event Feeling
My shot went O.B. Fear
Anger
Disappointment
CBT Model
Event Interpretation
My shot I always do badly
went O.B. at this hole
12 RESORT VIEW
Feeling
Fear
Anger
Disappointment